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Some football players are known for their consistency, determination, and a passionate will to win games. Others are popular for the direct opposite, which can often leave them struggling through their careers and never achieving their true potential.
However, there are some players who - by miracle, a sudden sprout of resoluteness, or sheer luck - catapult themselves into the annals of football history with a brilliant performance during a crucial game. Often times, these players are not starting XI quality; rather, they're fringe players, relied upon during an injury crisis or an overwhelming game schedule.
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When they're called upon to play their part, no one expects any fireworks: not the fans, not the manager, not even their own teammates. In everyone's defense, there are usually no fireworks - until that defining game.
A crucial must-win match at high stakes can sometimes be the stage for the most unlikely player to shine. It's an event that could turn any obscure player into a hero for both the club and the fans. Here are 5 such players and the events that catapulted them into cult-like status with their respective clubs.
#5 Tomas Kalas | Chelsea
27 April 2014 was an unforgettable day - with different reasons for different people, of course: Jose Mourinho's Chelsea won all three points and essentially stopped Liverpool from winning the Premier League, a shocker from Steven Gerrard sealed Chelsea's win, and Tomas Kalas played one of the best games of his career. While Gerrard captured the headlines, Blues fans will remember how determined Kalas was in keeping a clean sheet.
The Chelsea outfit were in the midst of an injury crisis and Mourinho had to play Tomas Kalas. The then-20-year-old defender was expected to struggle and falter against Liverpool's ruthless attack, but the opposite happened. Kalas played his heart out for Chelsea that day, stopping nearly every Liverpool threat and making the traveling Blues fans very proud. Liverpool ended up losing all three points, thanks to a slip from Steven Gerrard that let Demba Ba steal the ball and score.
#4 Obafemi Martins | Birmingham
Birmingham may have struggled in the FA Cup and been relegated from the Premier League, but their League Cup campaign in 2011 ended in historic success thanks to Obafemi Martins. Substituted onto the field with only 6 minutes left of play in normal time, the striker latched onto the ball during a moment of confusion in Arsenal's defense and scored a dramatic late winner.
It was an unexpected feat for the striker, who had played only 6 games in all competitions while he was on loan at Birmingham that season. Martins struggled to get consistent playing time with the Blues and ended up on the fringes of the first team. However, his super-sub impact certainly came in handy when the club needed him the most, and while Birmingham's defensive efforts against Arsenal were brilliant, it was his goal that eventually won the day.
#3 Ben Watson | Wigan Athletic
The 2012-13 season saw Wigan Athletic make the best of an amazing cup run that eventually culminated in the club's first major trophy ever, and the man to make it happen was none other than Ben Watson. Wigan did a solid job throughout the game, producing brilliance in attack and proving to be a rock-solid wall in defense. However, Manchester City were clear favorites to win, and so they hounded the unrelenting Wigan side for all of 90 minutes.
With three minutes of stoppage time remaining, Watson - who had come on as a substitute - etched his name int the club's history as he headed home the winning goal for Wigan. For someone who played only 15 games for Wigan throughout the entire season due to his broken leg, his unexpected super-sub performance was enough to throw the fans into ecstasy.
#2 Ryan Bertrand | Chelsea
Chelsea walked into the Champions League final in 2012 without at least four key players, including their captain John Terry. While the team set out to struggle against a stronger Bayern Munich outfit, some players might have let the pressure get to them. Others, like Ryan Bertrand, did not. It was the star's first ever appearance in the Champions League, and it just so happened to be the most important game.
Bertrand did not shirk from his duties on the left flank. He troubled Bayern's overlapping right-back Phillipe Lahm dedicatedly and also looked for opportunities to impact the game in the final third too. Bertrand didn't score a goal or partake in the deciding penalties that won the game for Chelsea, but his hard work and defensive awareness on the left flank proved decisive on the night.
#1 Divock Origi | Liverpool
Perhaps one of the best fringe players in the world, Divock Origi did everything for Liverpool in an amazing comeback against a confused and broken down Barcelona side. The star struggled to make more than 10 Premier League appearances last season, but he was certainly a hero for Liverpool in 2019. Although he had made only 12 league appearances that season, he delivered a solid brace in the 4-0 rout that pushed Liverpool into the final of the Champions League.
He tapped in Liverpool's first goal from close range within 7 minutes of the game. After Georgiono Wijnaldum scored two fast goals, Origi was on hand to receive a quickly-taken corner from Trent Alexander-Arnold which he promptly prodded home as the winning goal that overturned Liverpool's 3-0 deficit.
