10 most overrated players in football history

Some extremely successful and not so successful players make this list
Some extremely successful and not so successful players make this list

#7 Joe Hart

Joe Hart during his time with Manchester City
Joe Hart during his time with Manchester City

Joe Hart has proved that he is an excellent shot-stopper on occasion. But any football fan who has followed his game over the last decade will know that much of the hype around him was simply puffed up.

Joe Hart has had a notorious streak of deflecting shots into dangerous areas and into the path of oncoming attackers. He has, too often, been found in absurd positions while dealing with crosses and corners.

The England side have been so desperate to see a world-class goalkeeper that when the former Manchester City man broke onto the scene, the media rolled out the red carpet and sang songs in praise of him. He was even considered as one of the best in the business and then gradually Hart himself proved that he is not worthy of that tag.

After being snubbed by Pep Guardiola due to his unreliability at City, he is now a free agent after having played last for Burnley in the Premier League.


#6 Adriano

Brazilian footballer Adriano (L) and goalkeeper Julio Cesar
Brazilian footballer Adriano (L) and goalkeeper Julio Cesar

Adriano was, going by pure talent, one of the most exciting forwards to watch at one point of time. With a left-foot that could score goals from anywhere on the pitch to dribbling skills that were nothing to joke about, the Brazilian's fall from grace had to do with his vagrant ways off the pitch.

Adriano was too much into gambling and debauchery off the pitch and that resulted in his game suffering greatly on it. Packing enough talent to be a regular feature on the Ballon d'Or podium, the Brazilian never came close to actually making it because of his lack of discipline.

His fall was difficult to stomach as it coincided with the death of his father and the player who was part of the magical attacking quartet with Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Kaka was soon reduced to a shadow of his former self.


#5 Ricardo Quaresma

Istikbal Mobilya Kayserispor v Kasimpasa: Turkish Super Lig
Istikbal Mobilya Kayserispor v Kasimpasa: Turkish Super Lig

Ricardo Quaresma was once touted to be the next Luis Figo. He was constantly labelled as the biggest Portuguese talent of the generation. However, Quaresma failed to deliver on that initial promise.

A player who can still pull off a stunning trick or cop an assist with a rabona, Quaresma was never short on natural talent. In fact, with the ball at his feet, it would be hard to find someone who can do all that Quaresma can.

After uninspiring stints at the likes of Barcelona and Inter Milan where his over indulgence and selfishness were consistently criticized, Quaresma was offloaded to Besiktas and though he has represented the national team regularly over the years, Quaresma never became one of the best in world football as he was widely expected to be.


#4 Robinho

Robinho
Robinho

Robinho was labelled as the successor to O Fenomeno the OG Ronaldo and seeing him flit past players on his best days was indeed a joy to watch. However, that joy was shortlived and the Brazilian never lived up to his talent or the hype around him.

His transfer to Real Madrid was supposed to be the move that took him to the pinnacle of world football and he was given the no. 10 shirt used till then by Luis Figo. He was the club's third highest scorer during his time there but never really blossomed into what he was expected to become.

After growing tired of not being given a contract extension and used as a bait to rope in Cristiano Ronaldo, Robinho left and was given another lease of life at Manchester City as they signed him for £32 million. After a decent debut season, he endured a difficult sophomore year and was later shipped off in the January transfer window.

The less we talk about Robinho and his life off the pitch, the better. It is safe to say that for a player who was expected to become a world beater, Robinho never even came close.

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Edited by Ashwin
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