5 players who are too good for their current club

Football is a collective sport, a game of eleven who have to collaborate throughout the ninety minutes in order to achieve victory. However, in several cases, one player in the team stands out, above the rest of them.

Several stars with huge potential have been denied a better footballing legacy because their teammates were at an inferior level, and as they say, "one hand does not clap".

Here are five players from Europe's top five leagues, who are being held down for being too good for their current respective clubs.

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#5 Naby Keita: Red Bull Salzburg

Naby Keita is the modern box to box midfielder by all means. The Guinean does a bit of everything from recovering possession, to expressing his passing skills, to launching forward runs with the ball and expressing his dribbling abilities and effectiveness in the final third.

As a matter of fact, the 22-year old ended the Bundesliga last season with 8 goals and 7 assists under his belt, but these impressive stats did not prevent him from ending the season trophy-less. It is perhaps the right time for Keita to make the switch to a more competitive side in a more competitive league.

#4 Virgil van Dijk: Southampton

Van Dijk is a giant, extremely tall and physically dominant. As a center back, he is every striker's nightmare. Very strong in aerial duels and in reading the opponent's mind then intercepting the pass, the Dutch international is also an excellent ball-playing centre back.

The 26-year old often likes to operate as a deep-lying play-maker by putting his vision into good use, setting up his teammates with long balls to break the defensive lines. In brief, Virgil van Dijk is the modern-day centre back that every manager dreams to have.

It is a shame that he has not won any official trophy since 2015.

#3 Jean Seri: OGC Nice

Jean Seri

Jean Seri has been away from the spotlight for many years now, and he is already 26 and is yet to win any official trophy in his footballing career. Essentially a defensive midfielder who can play in almost all positions in midfield, Seri would perhaps be best suited as a deep-lying play-maker, or what they like to call in Italy, the "regista" role.

The Ivorian possesses a remarkable skill-set: passing, dribbling, retaining the ball and testing the goalkeeper from long range.

To put things into perspective, the midfielder has scored 7 goals and made 9 assists in Ligue Un action, last season. According to Catalan-based media outlet Sport, FC Barcelona are still interested in Seri, and if he was to join the Spanish giants, he would certainly be used in Xavi's position with a similar role.

It would be the perfect opportunity for Jean, to finally add-up some titles. It is worth noting that English reports have also linked Liverpool with the skillful midfielder.

#2 Radja Nainggolan: AS Roma

Despite having been one of the world's finest box to box midfielders in recent years, Radja Nainggolan has never won an official trophy in his professional career. The closest he came to one was after Roma finished second in Serie A, behind traditional powerhouses Juventus, who are likely to remain a cut above AS Roma for the next few seasons. The Belgium international really does it all, from passing to tackling, to retaining his ball under pressure, and last but not least, to finish off attacks with his versatile goal-scoring skill-set.

Nainggolan scored 11 goals and provided 5 assists in the Italian league last season, but his efforts were not rewarded with any trophy. It is perhaps the right time to start a new adventure.

#1 Alexis Sanchez: Arsenal

Alexis Sanchez is one of the world's finest footballers and is regarded among the elite at his respective position. In 2016/2017, the Chilean international had, individually, one of his best seasons ever, ending up with 24 goals and 10 assists in the English Premier League.

It was no doubt a very impressive campaign for him, however, Arsenal were only able to back it up with the FA Cup, while having been demolished by German champions FC Bayern by a humiliating 10-2 score on aggregate in the UEFA Champions League.

A player with his talent has everything it takes to be part of a Champions League winning side.