5 players who made the best of their limited abilities on the pitch

In any game the skill levels of the athletes vary and that is often why a lot of money is spent to capture the services of the best in the business. Some players, irrespective of the sport, are naturally gifted. The way they play makes it seem like they were god sent to play that particular sport because there is a certain flamboyance and sophistication in the way they play.

On the opposite side of the spectrum are players who may not give the best first impressions. Their game may not be easy on the eye, nor are they usually gifted with exceptional abilities that can awe the crowd.

However, their hardworking mentality, their determination, their passion and their resilience have made them successful in the field. So here are five footballers who were not the most gifted of players, but found success nevertheless.

Emile Heskey

The former England international was once Liverpool’s record signing when he made a switch from Leicester City. Heskey was not like the forwards we see today with exceptional ball control or a burst of pace. He had an unorthodox style, but it was efficient nonetheless. However, many modern day fans know Heskey as an internet sensation.

Heskey was never a prolific scorer throughout his career. The most goals he scored in a league campaign and in a season was back in 2000-01, when he scored 14 in the Premier League and 22 overall for Liverpool as the Merseyside outfit finished as UEFA Cup, FA Cup and League Cup winners.

Despite his low tally of goals, he was praised for his unselfish nature which allowed other players to score. One of his best attributes was his strength and he was able to hold up the play efficiently and bring other players into the picture. Though this often diminished his chances of getting on the scorecard, he always put the team first.

His hardworking nature often got him plenty of support from the fans and for a player who has been the subject of a lot of jokes and criticism, Heskey has certainly done well during his playing career.

Gary Neville

Gary Neville is a Manchester United legend and was a crucial member of the side that went on to win a plethora of titles under Sir Alex Ferguson. This alone gives an indication of how important and efficient Neville was in carrying out his duties.

Not only is Neville a Man Utd legend, he is also considered as one of the greatest if not the greatest right backs in the Premier League and there isn’t anyone else who can boast his longevity or his success.

Technically, Neville didn’t have the attributes to be a top full back as he lacked pace – one of the most important attributes needed for a full back as they have to bomb up and down the flank. He wasn’t the strongest of players either, but his tactical awareness, intelligence, work-rate, professionalism and determination made him one of the best defensive full backs in the game.

In the modern day, Neville may not have achieved the same level of success with the full backs expected to be adept at going forward, but during his days, he was second to none. He was probably one of the least flamboyant players from England’s golden generation.

Dirk Kuyt

Liverpool fans often called Dirk Kuyt their Duracell bunny because the Dutchman simply refused to stop running. Kuyt didn’t possess the flair one would usually associate with a Dutch player.

He was different from everyone else in the squad and that’s probably why he was a regular in a Dutch squad blessed with talented players, because he offered the managers a different avenue.

A perfect example of Kuyt’s hard work, energy and determination can be seen from his last international tournament. Kuyt has played almost his entire career as a forward. But, when Louis van Gaal was in need of a player to step into the wing back role against Mexico in the first knockout stage of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, the forward stepped up without any hesitation and put in an unbelievable shift.

He played as the left wing back in the first half with the sun beating down on his side and in the second half he played as the right back with the sun again on his side. When the need arose, he moved forward to help his team take the lead before moving back to a defensive role.

That particular game was also his 100^th for the Oranje and that put him in an elite bracket along with the likes of Van der Sar, Sneijder, De Boer, Van der Vaart, Van Bronckhorst and Philllip Cocu. This is a huge achievement for a player like Kuyt.

Kuyt is also exceptionally fit and he only missed five games between 1999 and 2006. Aged 35, Kuyt’s fitness levels are as good as they were before and he has scored 18 league goals this season and just needs 2 more go to the top of the chart.

Filippo Inzaghi

AC Milan have been blessed with some of the greatest strikers of all time. This list includes the likes of Marco van Basten, Andriy Shevchenko, Hernan Crespo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic among others.

Even though the Milan fans were spoilt with such wonderful strikers on display, they adored another who was not on the same level as the ones mentioned above. His name was Filippo Inzaghi and the Milan fans fondly called him ‘Pippo’.

Late Dutch ace Johan Cruyff described Inzaghi in the following manner – “Look, actually he can’t play football at all. He’s just always in the right position”. It is said that when he was called up to the national team for the first time, the other players were surprised by his lack of technical ability and yet he somehow managed to score a lot of goals.

In fact, he is the fourth highest goal scorer in European club competitions with 70 goals and only behind Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Raul. Two of his goals were memorable ones in the 2007 Champions League final and it helped Milan lift their seventh trophy.

It was Inzaghi’s ability to play on the shoulder of the defenders and the timing of his runs that helped him most. In addition to this, he heavily relied on capitalizing on the mistake of the defenders rather than creating a goal on his own. Interestingly, he is Milan’s and Italy’s sixth highest goal scorer of all time.

Jamie Carragher

Although he was an Everton fan, Jamie Carragher gave his best on the field every time he donned the Liverpool red. His passion for the club was amazing and he would have got more recognition had it not been for a certain Steven Gerrard.

Carragher often spent his initial years with the senior team as a utility player. He was deployed in the full back roles or in a defensive midfield role and he also deputised for other centre backs when the need arose. This was because of his limited abilities as a football player.

However, when Rafa Benitez came to Liverpool, Carragher’s Liverpool career took an amazing U-turn. Benitez realized that it was possible to make use of Carragher’s determination, competitiveness and leadership qualities to turn him into a stalwart defender. Thus, Carragher became a regular in the heart of the Liverpool defence for a very long period of time.

One of his most memorable performance and one which epitomises his skills was the Champions League final in 2005. Despite being down by three goals, Carragher was determined to fight till the end.

He laid crunching tackles and interceptions to keep the fearsome Milan attack at bay for most of the second half and extra time. During extra time, he was struggling with cramps and yet he somehow found the energy to pull Liverpool through.