5 overlooked footballers who became world-beaters at other clubs

Football is a highly unpredictable sport. A player who may look washed and underrated might just turn out to be one of the best in the world, under the right conditions and environment.

Over the years, some of the greatest talents in the world have been overlooked and sidelined by their managers. With little or no playing time at all, some players have been forced to sit on the bench and continue to live with career uncertainty.

However, some believe in their abilities and deem themselves good enough not to be sitting on the sidelines. They sometimes force a move out of that club and look for a team where they can contribute and which values them.

In most cases, these players shock their doubters by becoming a player that no one thought they would become. Without any further ado, let’s take a look at five overlooked players who became stars elsewhere.

#5 Kevin De Bruyne

Burnley FC v Manchester City - Premier League

Kevin De Bruyne, the Belgium midfielder who plays for Manchester City, is today regarded as one of the best in the world. If Chelsea had recognized his talent back then, they would’ve had a player of his caliber playing for the club by now.

Back in 2012, Chelsea signed a young and talented De Bruyne for just €8 million from Belgian side Genk. However, instead of nurturing him into becoming the best version of himself, his talents were overlooked at the club. He struggled to get regular playing time and was loaned out for a season, after which he was sold to Wolfsburg in a permanent deal.

It was at Wolfsburg that De Bruyne finally showed his true qualities, scoring 20 goals and providing a whopping 37 assists in 73 games across two seasons. His heroics attracted Manchester City who brought him back to the Premier League for a now-bargain fee of €76 million. The rest, as they say, is history.

#4 Achraf Hakimi

Paris Saint-Germain v Borussia Dortmund: Group F - UEFA Champions League 2023/24

Achraf Hakimi, the Moroccan right-back, who plays for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), is regarded as one of the best in his position today. His young age also makes him one to watch out for, both now and in the future.

Hakimi was a Real Madrid academy graduate and started out with Castilla before he was later promoted to the senior team. The competition for places then was quite high in Madrid. With no guarantee of him being a regular starter, he was sent out on loan to Borussia Dortmund, where he spent two seasons.

It was a successful loan spell for him. He played 73 games, scored 12 goals and registered 17 assists. Certainly, not a bad performance for a right-back. With these stats, we expected him to break into and establish himself in the Real Madrid team, but that didn’t happen.

The Spanish giants decided to sell him to Inter Milan upon his return where he continued to excel. He scored seven goals and gave 11 assists in 45 games across competition, helping the Nerazzurri win the Scudetto after 11 long years. PSG snapped him up for €68 million after just a single season in Italy.

#3 Mohamed Salah

Mohamed Salah, Liverpool’s superstar attacker, has been the catalyst to the club's recent success with his consistent performances. However, his career in the Premier League actually started with Chelsea and not Liverpool.

Chelsea signed Salah in 2014 from FC Basel, but unfortunately, his time at the club wasn’t a success. He struggled to establish himself and wasn’t considered a potential first team player. He only made 19 appearances in all competitions for the club across two seasons.

He was first loaned out to Fiorentina in the 2014-15 season where he put in decent performances. But it was Salah’s second loan spell was to Roma in the subsequent season that really caught the world’s attention. After scoring 15 goals and creating seven assists in 42 games across competitions, Chelsea sold him to Roma in a permanent deal worth €15 million.

With 19 goals and 15 assists in his second season at Roma, Salah's name was slowly catching momentum in the transfer market. Liverpool ultimately signed him from Roma in a deal worth €42 million, which is today one of the bargains of the century.

#2 Martin Odegaard

Martin Odegaard, Norway's national team captain, is one of the most exciting players to watch in the Premier League. If all had gone according to plan, he wouldn’t have been playing for Arsenal and instead he would be donning the whites of Real Madrid.

After joining the Spanish giants at the age of 16 in 2015 from his native Stromsgodset, he was considered a promising talent in football. He was expected to grow and develop into a first team regular at the club. But sadly, it didn’t work out.

Odegaard wasn’t counted on at the club and was usually sent out on loan to different clubs during his time at Real Madrid. The turning point for him came in the 2020-21 season after he was loaned to Arsenal in the January transfer window. He instantly became a fan favorite and did exceptionally well at the club. Impressed with his performance, Arsenal spent €35 million to sign him permanently from Real Madrid.

Since then, he has grown and is today, the club captain. He almost captained the Gunners to the Premier League title in the 2022-23 season, but fell short at the end.

#1 Cristiano Ronaldo

Iran Saudi Arabia Soccer Al Nassr Persepolis

In the 2021-22 season, Cristiano Ronaldo had an emotional return to Manchester United for his second spell at the club which sent Red Devils fans into delirium. He did brilliantly upon his return, scoring 24 goals and creating three assists in 38 games for the club and won the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year award for his performances.

Though Ronaldo’s performances were impressive, the overall performance of the team was very poor. They finished sixth in the Premier League, which necessitated the appointment of a new manager for the team ahead of the 2022-23 season.

The appointment of Erik ten Hag was the beginning of the end for Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United. The Portuguese striker was no longer a regular starter, despite his impressive performance the season before.

Out of the 10 Premier League appearances he made, Ronaldo only started four games. With no playing time guaranteed for him, Ronaldo forced his way out of the club by getting his contract mutually terminated.

He joined Saudi Pro League Al Nassr in January 2023 and galvanized not on the team, but the entire league. He single-handedly led the path for bringing in many top talents like Neymar, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and many more from across the globe to the Middle East.

His performances have also significantly improved and he has scored 23 goals and given seven assists in 27 games across competitions for the club.

Edited by Shardul Sant