There have been lots of underrated soccer players who execute their job well but do not earn the recognition they deserve. It is not difficult to uncover such gems who quietly contribute to the club’s success year after year.
Even with the best performance, it is not possible for every player to become famous in football due to time and player limitations.
The rationale is that other famous footballers are also participating in the game, and if their unassuming efforts helped the team win, they would be praised. There are thousands of underrated soccer players
- Most Underrated Soccer Players In 2023
- Federico Chiesa (Juventus)
- Marc Cucurella – (Chelsea)
- Gerrard Moreno – (Villarreal)
- Wissam Ben Yedder – (Monaco)
- Aaron Ramsdale – (Arsenal)
- Domenico Berardi – (Sassuolo)
- Joao Cancelo – (Manchester City)
- Dejan Kulusevski – (Tottenham Hotspurs)
- Tomas Soucek (West Ham)
- Gabriel Jesus – (Arsenal)
- Martin Odegaard – (Arsenal)
- Rodrigo Hernandez – (Manchester City)
Most Underrated Soccer Players In 2023
Not all soccer players who run the length of the pitch with the ball on their feet enjoy equal adulation or recognition.
Not getting enough recognition is the major aspect of being categorized as an underrated footballer. Even if it’s not always convenient to acknowledge, humans need to feel appreciated.
A genuine compliment can live in our memories for a very long time.
A few encouraging words can have a significant impact on our day or even on our entire life. In a world that often reminds us what we’re doing isn’t good enough, a genuine acknowledgment may be the most effective form of social value.
Getting acknowledgment makes us feel good, which inspires us to give back and respond positively.
This article serves as an appreciating piece to these underrated soccer players who stood out in the past year and have also hit the ground running for their respective teams this campaign with their sheer dedication, zeal, and unrelenting attitude to give their best on the pitch.
Federico Chiesa (Juventus)
The Italian midfielder was Fiorentina’s outstanding player prior to joining Juventus, despite the fact that many thought he will fail with the old lady’s owing to the caliber of Juventus’ players.
Nonetheless, he proved them wrong and remains one of Juventus’ best forwards in recent times. He is still considered to be among the most underrated footballers in 2021. He performed remarkably well for Italy at Euro 2020, although injuries have slowed him down.
Marc Cucurella – (Chelsea)
Cucurella instantly adapt himself to the English Premier League following his summer move from Getafe in 2021 for a reported fee of £15.4m to Brighton, where he went on to announce himself as one of the best left back in the league.
Following his fantastic campaign with the Seagulls, he was crowned the Player’s Player of the Season and also voted Player of the Season having consistently given his best on the pitch creating a total of 29 chances in the shirt of Brighton.
Since joining Chelsea this summer for a record-equalling fee worth £60m for a fullback, the Spaniard has also picked up from where he stopped last season with Brighton by setting up Koulibaly’s debut goal against Tottenham Hotspurs.
Gerrard Moreno – (Villarreal)
Moreno reached its peak in 2019 when he won the Zarra Trophy, scoring 18 goals for the Yellow Submarine. He improved his game on that feat the following season with 23 goals and 7 assists, helping Villarreal to clinch the Europa League title against Manchester United.
Since joining Villarreal in 2018, he has without doubt risen to the pinnacle of his career winning a major trophy and becoming one of the best goal-poacher in LaLiga for Unai Emery.
Whilst Moreno’s technicality and ability in front of goal rank him among LaLiga’s most prolific goal-scorer, the Villarreal star ranks as one of the most unappreciated players in Europe.
Wissam Ben Yedder – (Monaco)
In the 2021-22 season, Ben Yedder played 22 games for Monaco and scored 14 goals, plus consistently delivering performances that can be likened to that of Kylian Mbappe at Paris Saint Germain.
It is easy to say when Monaco doesn’t have Ben on the pitch they struggle to conjure something magical, but when he’s on the pitch he often delivers not just his goal, but his all-round performance for the team.
Ben Yedder may not ooze the kind of charismatic aura that you will get from the Ronaldo or Neymar of this world. However, the Monaco captain is no doubt a hero in his own right for the French side, and likewise, Sevilla where he also had great goal-scoring stats of 70 goals in 138 games moving to France.
Aaron Ramsdale – (Arsenal)
The Gunner’s signing of Ramsdale last summer was jokingly centered around the narratives that he may relegate the North London side, but as the season wore on, people’s perspective about his quality in between the stick changes drastically.
Prior to joining Arsenal, he had a decent campaign with Sheffield United before they were relegated, his move to the Emirate raised a lot of eyebrows. However, after joining the London side he proved his critics wrong by disposing of Bernd Leno as the team’s number-one goalie.
Since Ramsdale has shown his quality and composure in between the stick for Arsenal with 12 clean sheets last season, he has since cemented his place in the team and continues proving himself to be one of the finest goalkeepers in the league.
Domenico Berardi – (Sassuolo)
Berardi was once touted as the hottest property in Italy for his sheer quality and deftness as a young player whom much is expected of him.
On the back of a fantastic campaign in Serie A with Sassuolo, the club agreed to sell 50% of Berardi’s rights in an unusual co-ownership agreement that was later canceled by the Italian FA outlaw in 2015. The club paid €7.3m to the Old Lady to take full ownership of the player.
In the 2016-17 season, Berardi’s form dipped due to his knee ligament injury plus defenses setting up tactics to curtail his attacking threat. But since the Cariati-born star recovered he has been unstoppable for Sassuolo scoring and assisting.
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Joao Cancelo – (Manchester City)
Cancelo is a versatile player who has a lot of variety to his game as a fullback yet has been underappreciated as one of the best players in world football, especially with his current form.
The Portuguese attacking threat and pinpoint crosses are second to none in the Premier League, for a fullback whose primary assignment is to help his team defensively. Cancelo featured in 36 games for City last season with seven assists in a campaign that was filled with missed feelings for the fullback.
Whilst the likes of Reece James, Arnold, and Alphonso Davies is well renowned for delivering top-notch performance. Cancelo can also be mentioned in the same breath as them but doesn’t often get his recognition for his sheer quality as a versatile player.
Dejan Kulusevski – (Tottenham Hotspurs)
Kulusevski sprung into the limelight back in the 2018-19 season while at Atalanta’s youth team playing in the national Primavera Championship, where he registered 11 goals and 14 assists in 23 appearances that led to the Bergamo side winning the championship for the first time in 21 years.
On the back of his brilliant performance for Atalanta, he was loaned to Parma to continue his growth process, and surprisingly he was ranked amongst Europe’s topflight players with the top assists which led to his move to Juventus for €35m.
Kulusevski came to Tottenham on loan last season from Juventus and ended up cementing a place in Conte’s team as an important member of the team. After signing permanently for the London club, he’s continued to show with his performance that last season’s impressive performance wasn’t a pan in the flash.
Tomas Soucek (West Ham)
The Czech Republic midfielder is one of West Ham’s most productive players, his style of play and enormous height give him an aerial flair advantage in the opposition’s half.
Although he is a defensive midfielder, his attacking and defensive prowess have propelled him into box-to-box midfielder. With 10 goals last season, he finished as West Ham’s joint top scorer with Michael Antonio.
Gabriel Jesus – (Arsenal)
It will be a sheer shame to say Jesus wasn’t one of the important players at Manchester City last season despite not playing as the main striker of the team.
The Brazilian’s legacy at the Etihad may not be as huge as that of Sergio Aguero in terms of recognition and how important he was for the team, yet he did serve the Cityzens well with his goals scoring prowess that produced 58 and 29 assists in 159 league appearances in total for City.
Despite being of one the most lethal, hardworking, and versatile strikers in the Premier League, Jesus is, without doubt, one of the most underrated footballers in world football.
Martin Odegaard – (Arsenal)
“He made us better, we needed more options, alternatives, creativity, and players that can be morals for this football club.” These are Mikel Arteta’s remarks about Odegaard last season, which without doubt connotes how brilliant he has been for Arsenal since he joined permanently from Real Madrid.
The Norwegian started slowly last season but after settling in well he has since picked up and become a key member of the team both as a captain and chief creator of the team.
Now with Arteta’s team already starting the new campaign in great form, the captain of the team is obviously showing his quality as expected of him.
A player who is maturing into a quality player with his decision-making ability and instinct in reading the game ranks him amongst the best in terms of pass completion, but unfortunately, the Norwegian isn’t well recognized for his deftness.
Rodrigo Hernandez – (Manchester City)
Rodri has been in superb form for Pep Guardiola’s side since joining the club in 2019. The Spaniard featured in 33 games last season and registered seven goals and two assists to crowned the brilliant campaign he had.
Playing under a different manager compared to Diego Simeone has without a doubt molded Rodri into a player who is more discipline with high-energy pressing and deftness in protecting the team defensively.
Rodri may not contribute much in scoring goals for City, but his contributions off and on the ball make him a key cog in Pep’s team, despite all of his hard work for the team, he remains one of the underrated footballers in the Premier League.
Notable Mention
- De Paul
- Isi Palazon
- Lucas Paquetá
- Milinkovic Savic
- Franck Kessie
FAQ
Who is statistically the best soccer player?
Lionel Messi.
La Pulga Atómica (the Atomic Flea) has remained at the top of this list for over a decade now, and at 33, he’s still going strong. In fact, sensational stats and seasons have become second nature for him.
Who is the most friendly footballer?
N’Golo Kante
N’Golo Kante is not only an excellent, all-action midfielder who is relentless in winning the ball back, but he’s also comfortably the nicest footballer around. Kante is simply the one player that even rival fans just cannot dislike.
Who is the longest football player?
Morten Anderson, kicker
Games played: 382.
Teams: New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons, Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants.
Years active: 1982-2004, 2006-2007.
Who is the most skillful player of all time?
Ronaldinho Ronaldinho is in a league of his own when it comes to ranking the greatest football players of all time. Indeed, it would not be an exaggeration to assert that the Brazilian is the pinnacle of skill in the sport.
Who is the most humble soccer player in the world?
- N’Golo Kante.
- Sadio Mane. …
- Marcus Rashford. At 23 he is already a youth icon and an MBE
- Andres Iniesta.
- Juan Mata.
Who is the most underrated player in Premier League history?
James Beattie.
James Beattie is the most underrated Premier League player in history. Beattie scored 91 times and added 37 assists in 331 games.
