Soundoff: Nominate Your Underrated Footballers

I agree that DF is underrated, but there are so many others that slip by unnoticed behind the visage of superstars.

RAFAEL VAN DER VAART! easily the most underrated and is currently being screwed over by madrid

jussi jaaskelainen, giovinco & marchisio

I 5th Marchisio! :P

Marchisio, hands down.

Fernando Llorente of Athletic Bilbao - Absolute class already and still improving. Two footed, can head the ball well and is physically strong. One of the top strikers in Europe already.

I third the Marchisio comments. He is amazing!

Drabik, Owen has a great eye for the goal? Hogwash!

Yeah, when he is the dominate player on a team (his early Liverpool days) he does alright. But just look at him at Real Madrid...a total flop! And since then, he has been nothing. He couldn't keep Newcastle from relegation. Hell, Alan Shearer didn't even want to start the guy because he was useless!

Does Owen play well for England? Yes he does. But that is it. Otherwise he has been a flop! Oh, and if Owen is such a great player, why has he only started two games and come in as a sub in four games this season? If a player is sooooooo great, he would be a starter every time! Instead, he comes in as a sub in the 78th minute of their most important game of the season. Explain that one!

Again, besides saying 'he has a good header', tell me how Michael Owen is so great when Shearer didn't even want him and Fergie never starts him! Also, the guy is way to injury prone.

As far as Fletcher, I said that people are mentioning him now because he is scoring goals. I didn't say he was a goal scorer. But now since he scored two goals in one game, he is all of a sudden a underrated player? That is bull!

If you knew something about French Ligue 1 play, there is a reason why I compared Christophe Jallet with Darren Fletcher...and that is because the same hype is around him. Jallet was a defender at Lorient until he moved to PSG this year. At PSG, they have moved him up to midfield where has scored goals, which is unlike him! So, if you knew who Jallet was, then you would understand that I was saying that Fletcher isn't a scoring midfielder, but that there is useless hype around him.

Now, could Fletcher be the most underrated player on the team? Maybe. But in soccer in general? Hell no!

Cassano!

I would have to say that he is one of the best players in the world right now, and is highly overlooked (especially by people who either don't watch calcio, or only watch CL) due to his emotion filled past. I think he must be one of the best trequartistas in the world.

I second the Marchisio vote.

Claudio Marchisio, he is probably the best young italian midfielder

Mamadou Niang. Much as I hate to say it as a PSG fan, but he's absolutely amazing.

Yaya Toure. He is amazing.

Van der Vaart

I'd also nominate Peter Crouch. He doesn't always get taken as seriously as his talent deserves. I know he lacks pace (severely) and looks a bit, erm, unorthodox, but the man has great control and pulls out the occasional bit of magic.

Forlán, I agree with Luka.
In the eredivisie Koevermans, Calabro.

Luka Modric.

Juan Vargas for Fiorentina.

Ashley Cole. Though perhaps it's only because everyone (including me) hates him.
Other random ones: Higuain, Forlan (come on, he's a goal machine), Agger.

Dave Trotter clearly doesn't know what he's talking about. Fletcher isn't a goalscoring midfield player. He works hard for the team, breaking down opponents attacks. That's why Fergie picks him against ALL the big teams (and Man City). He doesn't play every game, because I'm not sure if you've noticed, but Manchester United have a lot of good centre midfielders Carrick, Scholes, Anderson, Giggs, Gibson, Hargo (when fit). He is, in my opinion the most under-rated player in the United team, but I would also like to point out that if Park Ji Sung was not Asian, he would probably be rated higher in the media.

Another reason for Mr. Trotter's idiocy is saying that Michael Owen is over-rated. He has shown wherever he has played that he has a great eye for goal, and has great movement. He can score headers, despite not being tall, and as he showed last night, can set up other players. Oh, and of course, this 1996 World Cup you are on about... it never happened. It's probably a typo, but based on the rest of your comment, I cannot be sure.

dealbert for valencia cf

Lucio and Anatoliy Tymoshchuk.

The league table was adjusted retroactively.

The goals we are still working on.

Alexandre Song has quietly stepped up his game this year. I think a lot of people still hold his growing pains from last season against him.

Since not yet included, I'll do the obligatory MLS mentioning.

Dwayne De Rosario and Fredy Montero

Thinking they both could've done better abroad.

Serhiy Nazarenko

Tim Wiese

Fletcher has a good game every now and then, I admit that. But he is far from underrated! He isn't a great player, but average. Yes, he has two goals in five games this year, but look at his career. The most league games that he has played in one season was 27, and he only scored one goal that year. And, of course, many of those matches were as subs! So lets get off the 'Flecther is underrated' garbage! He is doing well now, but he will fall back to earth like all flash-in-the-pans do.

It would be like me saying that Christophe Jallet is the most underrated player at PSG because he has the highest goals per minute ratio! That is insane!

Oh, and in the Manchester derby, the best player on the pitch was Craig Bellamy, not Darren Fletcher.

I don't think Kuyt is 'underrated' because he is talked about all the time. How can someone be underrated if he is always talked about? I don't get it!

My list (since I mostly follow French soccer)...Charlie Davies, Bafetimbi Gomis, Eden Hazard and Michel Bastos in Ligue 1. In England...David Nugent, Emile Heskey and Jermain Defoe.

On the other hand, who is the most overrated? Easy!Michael Owen! Except for the 1996 World Cup, he has been useless!!!

Marco Donadel

busquets

I'd say Kuyt but I think Guti gets an edge on my Vote...

The two Barcelona players that have been underrated are Keita, and Valdes. Keita is soon to leave that category, but Valdes will probably remain there for quite some time...

Javier Zanetti, Yaya Toure, Victor Valdes, Jermaine Jenas

i'd like to add Darijo Srna to the list he's a very consistent performance for shaktar, and i think he is capable of playing for the those well-known clubs

Most underrated guys ? Messi and c ronaldo ! No one rates those guys :-)

WHAT fletcher most under-ratted
huh lemme get my glasses FLETCHER????
i think he got enough credit after the red card incident in the semi n then united missing him in final

my list of most under-ratted player would be

epl-bendtner(arsenal),osman(everton),parker(west ham),a.ried(sunderland) n oshea(united)

la liga-miguel(valencia),guti(real),kieta(barcelona),cata diaz(getafe),filipe(depor)

why are kuyt n benayoun name in the mix,they are a fan fav among anfield loyal n neutrals n are often well praised by the media

being a Milan fan, i hate to say it, but Javier Zanetti. I respect the hell out of the man and he is a true horse out there, always giving his all and though he may be a bit past his prime, he can still shake it with the big boys

even as a chelsea fan i would like to nominate yossi benayoun! leaving him outis one of the many reasons rafa is rubbish

Zanetti and Cambiasso.

Defoe

Olic,Kacar,Carlos Eduardo

Zanetti

for Roma that would be Perrotta

"In 2007-2008, he had 2 goals against Inter, and 2 assists against Milan, cannot ask for better than that."

I might ask that the offside goal not count, but that's just me...

John, I think Iniesta is actually very highly rated. People were calling him "better than Xavi" last year.

I would have to agree with Dirk Kuyt.

Yossi Benayoun too. I'm not sure they would be so underrated if they weren't in the shadow of Stevie G's 1 man midfield show.

Kuyt...Kuyt...Kuyt

I have to say, from an unbiased point of view, Iniesta.

mauro camoranesi for itsaly and juve, no one gives him the credit he deservess

Esteban Cambiasso