The 10 Best Debuts In Premier League History

  • -The best Premier League debuts have been memorable both in individual performance and impact on the match
  • Some of the league’s greatest ever players have taken time to show their talents, but many have been immediate sensations
  • We’ve collected the 10 greatest debuts in Premier League history

A career isn’t defined a debut. It can set a tone for a stint in player’s career, though, and that has been the case for many of the best Premier League debuts.

For others, the debut has been a high point which is hard to match, but for many, including some who sat at the top of Premier League top scorer odds, it was just a taster of things to come.

There are PFA Player of the Year winners and multiple league champions in our list of the best Premier League debuts of all-time.

There’s a mix of lethal scorers getting off to a flyer and generational talents showing what they can do. Only one defender makes the top 10, and it was impossible to leave him out.

Fabrizio Ravanelli

Fabrizio Ravanelli was a real coup for Middlesbrough in 1996. Arriving for £7 million, The White Feather’s signing had whipped up a frenzy in the northeast, and he didn’t disappoint on his debut.

Liverpool took the lead on three occasions on the day Ravanelli debuted. He answered each goal himself, compiling a hat-trick through a penalty, a close-range finish and a strike on the spin from inside the area.

https://www.888sport.com/blog/football-prediction

Despite netting 31 goals in all competitions, Boro were relegated at the end of the campaign and Ravanelli took his talents to Marseille.

Marcus Rashford

Coming off a brace in his Europa League debut just days prior, Marcus Rashford showed up in a big way in his Premier League debut against Arsenal in 2016.

He isn’t quite the youngest goal scorer in the Premier League for Manchester United, but Rashford was only 18 when he scored two and assisted one in a 3-2 win over the Gunners.

Clinically punishing a poor clearance to open his Premier League account, Rashford nodded home a Jesse Lingard cross just moments later before setting up Ander Herrera for the Red Devils’ third.

While Rashford has been the subject of criticism over the last 18 months, he proved himself to be more than a debut sensation. At the time of writing, he’s got 46 England caps and has scored 93 goals for Manchester United.

Sergio Aguero

We knew Sergio Aguero was special when Manchester City splashed almost £40 million on him. What followed was one of the greatest Premier League careers, and it all started with a special debut.

City were leading Swansea 1-0 when Aguero was introduced at the hour-mark. The Argentine soon scored a second at the back post.

He put it on the plate for David Silva with a flick moments later and put the cherry on top with a 30-yard screamer past a helpless Michel Vorm.

Eden Hazard

Following an almighty transfer saga, which ended with Eden Hazard announcing he was joining the champions of Europe on Twitter, there was pressure on the young Belgian to deliver.

Wigan’s DW Stadium witnessed Hazard’s masterful Premier League debut. It started off with a sublime touch and turn on the halfway line, and Hazard immediately fed the ball through to Branislav Ivanovic for the opener.

Only three minutes later, Hazard received the ball on the right, danced past Maynor Figueroa and won a penalty after clumsy foul from Ivan Ramis.

Just five minutes into his debut, the Belgian’s twinkle toes had tormented Wigan and sealed a win for Chelsea.

Danny Rose

Already with loan experience and a handful of cup appearances, Danny Rose wasn’t a complete novice when he was drafted into the Tottenham first XI for a north London derby in 2010.

Spurs were chasing a top four berth, and while Rose was highly regarded, his selection was the result of an availability crisis. Any concerns about Rose coping with the pressure soon disappeared.

Just 10 minutes into the game, Manuel Almunia punched a corner clear, and the ball looped to Rose around 30 yards from goal.

Dropping perfectly, Rose ran onto it and made a sublime connection, sending the ball flying past Almunia into the goal. Spurs beat Arsenal for the first time in a decade and ultimately qualified for the Champions League.

Cristiano Ronaldo

You’ve done something right if George Best says ‘It was undoubtedly the most exciting debut performance I’ve ever seen.’

Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal scoring exploits have seen him accumulate records and individual honours. On his debut against Bolton in 2003, though, Ronaldo mesmerised without scoring himself.

He won a penalty, was involved in setting up another goal, and had the Old Trafford faithful singing ‘there’s only one Ronaldo’. It was a sign of things to come for the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.

Alan Smith

Coming off the bench at 18 years old with Leeds trailing at Anfield, Alan Smith levelled the match after just three minutes on the pitch with a calm finish past David James.

Smith didn’t become a star of European football tips like so many expected. He was Leeds’ hero at Anfield in 1998, however, with David O’Leary’s team coming from behind to win 3-1.

Although breaking through as a forward, Smith was transitioned to midfield after a controversial move to Old Trafford. He was out of the Premier League by 2011-12.

Paulo Wanchope

Signed for £600,000 from Herediano, Paulo Wanchope had a debut to remember with Derby County in 1997.

The Costa Rican picked the ball up in his own half, beating four players before finishing past Peter Schmeichel. The Rams won 3-2 on the day and Wanchope went on to score 28 times across 83 appearances.

At Derby’s 125th anniversary, the club’s fans voted it the Rams’ greatest goal of all-time.

Odsonne Edouard

Crystal Palace were looking to rebuild their squad under Patrick Vieira, drafting in a lot of young talent. One such signing was Odsonne Edouard from Celtic, who had been prolific north of the border.

Debuting off the bench, Edouard scored twice in 10 minutes against 10-man Tottenham as Palace notched a 3-0 win. There’s no better way for a striker to introduce himself to his new fans.

Mario Stanic

While not competing for league titles around the millennium, Chelsea were a strong Premier League predictions side.

It was a very watchable team at Stamford Bridge at that point, and Mario Stanic got into the spirit from the off. Stanic scored twice against West Ham on debut.

The brace included arguably the greatest debut goal in Premier League history, with Stanic receiving the ball 40 yards from goal, juggling it on his right instep, thigh and foot before firing a 35-yard volley into the top corner.

March 31, 2022
Premier League
Body

Sam is a sports tipster, specialising in the Premier League and Champions League.

He covers most sports, including cricket and Formula One. Sam particularly enjoys those on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean – notably MLB and NBA.

Watching, writing and talking about sports betting takes up most of his time, whether that is for a day out at T20 Finals Day or a long night of basketball.

Having been writing for several years, Sam has been working with 888Sport since 2016, contributing multiple articles per week to the blog.

Sam Cox
factcheck
Off
hidemainimage
show
Hide sidebar
show
Fullwidth Page
Off
News Article
Off

Louis Saha Net Worth: Career, AxisStars, Family & Statistics

  • Former Manchester United and Everton striker Louis Saha announced his retirement from professional footballer in 2013

  • The Frenchman went on to find a platform called AxisStars

  • Read below for more on the ex-Newcastle man from Louis Saha net worth to his career stats

It’s nearing a decade since Louis Saha featured in 7. The Frenchman provided joy to many Premier League fan bases, though, and has a place in the history of several of England’s most well-supported clubs.

Bet Calculator

Capped by France on 20 occasions, Saha’s talent was overshadowed by some superstar teammates on the international stage.

At club level, however, he was capable of brilliant moments, as you might expect for someone who scored just shy of 160 goals across a career that spanned three decades.

Since hanging up his boots, Saha has turned his mind to the world of business. He founded AxisStars, a social network for professional athletes, in 2014, just months after his final appearance in football live betting.

Net Worth

Estimations of Louis Saha net worth vary from a few million to Mathieu Flamini levels of wealth.

Of course, Saha’s riches in the coming years will depend heavily on how AxisStars pans out longer term, but signs are generally positive.

Some websites already include Saha among the small group of footballers who have got richer after retirement.

Of course, Saha earned plenty during his playing days. He wasn’t necessarily in the hundreds of thousands per week like the stars of the 2020s but spending several seasons with Manchester United will have given a handy boost to his net worth.

There were endorsement deals along the way. Saha was playing for one of the biggest clubs in the world and had become a recognisable name with 20 international caps.

Figures of his earnings at Manchester United were not made public, and while wages around that time were considerably lower than they are currently, he would have been in the tens of thousands per week.

AxisStars

Louis Saha founded AxisStars in 2014. It is a platform for athletes both during and after their playing days to network and set themselves up for the future.

The company’s website describes itself as follows: “AxisStars is a Safe Environment, specifically for Pro-Athletes & Entertainers, combining trusted resources in one simple app to facilitate control & confidence for a better future.”

The aim for AxisStars is to help athletes better manage their careers, and hope to tackle the alarmingly high percentage of sports stars who go bankrupt after retirement.

It didn’t take long for Saha to get other big names on board, including Didier Drogba, Florent Malouda and Nicolas Batum. The former Fulham striker explained his motivation when the project was just getting underway in 2014.

“I would have loved to be able to master my job better when I was playing but now I’ve retired, I still have a huge role to play sharing my experience with young players.

"I wish I had a platform like this as a player; it would have helped me manage my career and plan for the future a lot better.

“This is why Axis Stars is designed to not only help active professional players and athletes but also those in their post-career.

"The aim is to help drastically reduce the terrifying statistics which show that around 50 per cent of sports professionals go bankrupt after retirement. I am more proud of this incredible project than all of my achievements on the pitch.”

Saha was driven by ‘keeping sharks at bay’, a reference to how difficult it can be to trust people in sport, particularly when so much money is involved.

Speaking to City A.M., Saha said, “I found out really early that it was very complicated to trust people. There was no answer from the organisations that should be there for you. Clubs, unions and federations have their own agenda.”

AxisStars has faced some challenges like any business, but the company has gone from strength to strength under Saha’s driven leadership.

Family

Louis Saha had three children (Stanley, Enzo and Lou) with his former partner. They split after Saha’s retirement. In 2020, the Frenchman spoke about going through divorce and how it can impact former athletes.

"From what I’ve observed, many women disappear as soon as their husbands’ careers end… And I count myself amongst those.

"Life is not the same for these wives, who, all of a sudden, find themselves at home with their husbands, who are pretty much depressed.

"Even after spending 10 or 15 years supporting their husbands, they sometimes lack recognition towards them and tell themselves, 'I’m 40 years old, but now I want to live my life… So long!’ Except that a divorce can cost a player half of his earnings."

Career Statistics

A talented teenager at Metz, Louis Saha made his first English football prediction appearance at Newcastle. It was an unsuccessful spell in the northeast, but Saha returned to the UK with Fulham in the second tier.

This is where Louis Saha stats lived up to his obvious ability. Saha played a pivotal role in Fulham earning promotion, landing a spot in the 2000-01 First Division Team of the Year.

He scored just nine goals in his first season in Premier League predictions, and was limited to only 28 appearances in the following campaign, but he broke out in 2003-04, earning a move to Manchester United.

Never much more than a squad player with the Red Devils, Saha still scored 42 goals in 124 appearances.

He left for Everton in 2008. Hitting the back of the net on 35 occasions in 115 outings for the Toffees, Saha finished his career off with short spells at Tottenham, Sunderland and Lazio.

  • Metz 1997-2000 – 67 appearances, 13 goals

  • Newcastle (loan) 1999 – 12 appearances, two goals

  • Fulham 2000-04 – 142 appearances, 63 goals

  • Manchester United 2004-08 – 124 appearances, 42 goals

  • Everton 2008-12 – 115 appearances, 35 goals

  • Tottenham 2012 – 12 appearances, four goals

  • Sunderland 2012-13 – 14 appearances, zero goals

  • Lazio 2013 – Six appearances, zero goals

*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*

 

FIRST PUBLISHED: 30th March 2022

March 30, 2022
888Business
Body

Sam is a sports tipster, specialising in the Premier League and Champions League.

He covers most sports, including cricket and Formula One. Sam particularly enjoys those on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean – notably MLB and NBA.

Watching, writing and talking about sports betting takes up most of his time, whether that is for a day out at T20 Finals Day or a long night of basketball.

Having been writing for several years, Sam has been working with 888Sport since 2016, contributing multiple articles per week to the blog.

Sam Cox
factcheck
Off
hidemainimage
show
Hide sidebar
show
Fullwidth Page
Off
News Article
Off