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The Premier League, as it is known today, commenced in 1992 and has maintained a very high standard since then. The league is widely regarded as the best in the world because of the caliber of players and managers that grace it.
The Premier League has had some of the best players in history
The English top-flight has some of the biggest clubs, and these clubs have had magnificent players. In the 21st century, football greats like Cristiano Ronaldo, Thierry Henry, Petr Cech, Frank Lampard and many others have gained recognition for impressing in the league. However, some other players have also had an impressive career in the league without much recognition.
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Without further ado, here is a list of five of the most underrated Premier League players of the 21st century.
#5 Cesar Azpilicueta
Chelsea's Mr. Dependable and current captain Cesar Azpilicueta is one of the club's greatest servants. Azpilicueta is seventh on the club's all-time appearance list with 456 appearances. He is second behind only Petr Cech for most appearances by a foreigner.
Azpilicueta joined Chelsea from Olympique Marseille in 2012 for just £7 million and has distinguished himself at the club since. The defender has excelled in a variety of positions for the club including right-back, right wing-back and central defender.
He has won the league title under two different managers, Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte.
The defender has nine goals and 41 assists in 314 appearances in the Premier League. He hardly picks up injuries and has been trusted in various systems by various managers at Chelsea. Azpilicueta will go down as an all-time great at the club for his dependability and quality.
#4 Olivier Giroud
Olivier Giroud is fondly remembered for his audacious goals, including the Puskas-winning one he scored against Crystal Palace in 2017. The Frenchman represented Arsenal and Chelsea, and enjoyed a successful spell in England.
Giroud joined Arsenal from Montpellier in 2012 after leading the Ligue 1 side to league glory. The striker immediately became then manager Arsene Wenger's first-choice striker at the Emirates.
Admittedly, Giroud was not the most lethal of finishers. But he always managed to bring his teammates into the game and provide goals when required. Giroud scored 90 goals and 32 assists in 255 Premier League appearances for Arsenal and Chelsea.
Giroud never won a league title in his time in England. But he managed to win the FA Cup four times, Community Shield thrice, UEFA Champions League and Europa League.
#3 Michael Carrick
Michael Carrick made 481 appearances in the Premier League for West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United. The English midfielder enjoyed his greatest success as a Manchester United player. He joined the club as a direct replacement for Roy Keane in 2006 and did not disappoint in his 12 years at Old Trafford.
He won the Premier League five times and the FA Cup once. He also won the League Cup three times and the Community Shield six times as a Manchester United player. Carrick contributed 24 goals and 32 assists in his time in the Premier League.
Carrick went on to captain Manchester United before his forced retirement in 2018 after a heart defect was detected. He also managed the club on an interim basis in 2021 after the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
#2 Pepe Reina
Spanish goalkeeper Pepe Reina first came to the Premier League in 2005 when he joined Liverpool from Villarreal. The young Spaniard immediately displaced Jerzy Dudek as the club's first-choice goalkeeper, relegating the veteran to the bench.
Reina won the Premier League Golden Glove in each of his first three seasons in the league. In his first season, he won it with 20 clean sheets, and in his second and third seasons, he won it with 19 and 18 clean sheets, respectively.
In the 2009-10 season, he kept the same number of clean sheets as Chelsea's Petr Cech (17). However, Cech won the Golden Glove for having played a lower number of matches.
At the time of leaving Liverpool in 2013, Reina had the record for most clean sheets by a Liverpool goalkeeper in history. The Spaniard kept 136 clean sheets in 297 appearances in the Premier League. His clean sheet percentage is one of the highest in the history of the competition, having kept a clean sheet in 45.79% of his appearances.
Reina returned to the league with Aston Villa for a short stint in 2020 before leaving for Italy once more. The Spaniard never won the Premier League, but is one of the most underrated goalkeepers in the history of the league.
#1 Gilberto Silva
Brazilian midfielder Gilberto Silva enjoyed a fruitful spell in the Premier League with Arsenal, his first club in Europe. The midfielder made a name for himself as an elite defensive midfielder under manager Arsene Wenger.
Gilberto joined the Gunners in 2002 and remained at the club until 2008, amassing 170 Premier League appearances and winning the title once. He was a key member of Arsenal's legendary Invincibles team of 2004. He made 32 league appearances and contributed four goals and four assists. The Brazilian also won the FA Cup as an Arsenal player.
Gilberto Silva was hard to replace at the Emirates after he left, with a number of players failing to reach his performance levels at the club. The midfielder was one of the best in the league during his time in England, where he helped the Gunners deliver quality performances.
