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There are lots of reasons a player can become underrated
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They can be overshadowed by high-profile teammates or playing on a team which gets limited media attention
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Here are our 10 most underrated Premier League players of all-time
The concept of being underrated is subjective. It’s generally based on the idea that a player does not get the attention their ability deserves or the consensus opinion is lower than it should be.
This can be the case even for those at the top of Premier League winner betting. Champions might be overlooked because of flashier teammates or may simply fulfil a role which isn’t appropriately appreciated.
Certain players are married to the ‘underrated’ label. Michael Carrick, Cesar Azpilicueta and Gareth Barry fall into that category.
We’re looking to stay away from the more obvious names with our most underrated Premier League players. Part of this reason for this is that if everyone says you’re underrated, can it still be the case?
We’ve covered every position from clinical strikers to journeyman goalkeepers – here are the 10 most underrated Premier League players of all-time.
Les Ferdinand
Only 10 players in Premier League history have more goals than Les Ferdinand. His goals per game rate of 0.42 is better than Didier Drogba, Nicolas Anelka and Robbie Keane.
Named PFA Players’ Player of the Year in 1995-96, Ferdinand was prolific across a couple of seasons with Newcastle, but the arrival of Alan Shearer dwarfed Ferdinand’s achievements.
He was held to under 20 England caps – again, partly because of Shearer – and is generally one of the forgotten men of the Premier League 100 club.
Mark Schwarzer
Eighth all-time in Premier League appearances and third in clean sheets, Mark Schwarzer’s longevity was remarkable.
While never earning a Team of the Season nod or much individual recognition, Schwarzer was one of the league’s better goalkeepers from the day he arrived with Middlesbrough in the late 1990s through to the end of his Fulham stint in the early 2010s.
Eventually serving as a backup with Chelsea and Leicester, becoming the oldest player ever for each club, Schwarzer stood the test of time. He appeared in football prediction news deep into his forties, and that alone deserves more appreciation.
Nwankwo Kanu
A two-time African Footballer of the Year, twice a Premier League champion and a member of the Invincibles, Nwankwo Kanu checks the box of our underrated criteria for being eclipsed by bigger name teammates in Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp.
Kanu is the third-most used substitute in Premier League history. His 15-minute hat-trick to beat Chelsea in 1999 is one of the greatest individual performances the league has ever seen.
Elegant with a silky touch, Kanu played in six further Premier League seasons after leaving Arsenal. While not prolific late in his career, he remained an enjoyable player to watch, and retired as one of the greatest African players ever.
Michael Essien
Nicknamed ‘The Bison’, Michael Essien was a do-it-all midfielder, who amassed almost 170 Premier League appearances for Chelsea. Essien could slot in at right-back or central defence on occasion, too.
If it wasn’t for serious injury issues in the back half of his Chelsea stint, Essien might well have been remembered as one of the best midfielders of his generation.
He was a force to be reckoned with at his peak, capable of sitting in front of the defence and breaking up play or surging forward to set up attacks.
When fully fit, Essien dominated games. There are also a couple of individual highlights which aid any legacy (the outside-the-boot effort against Arsenal is well worth a rewatch).
Darren Bent
Darren Bent scored 106 Premier League goals in 276 appearances despite never playing for a team at the top of Premier League predictions. It remains a mystery that Bent ended his career with just 13 England caps.
Only arriving in the top flight at 21, Bent isn’t the youngest goal scorer in the Premier League, but he made an immediate impact after signing with Charlton. The Tooting native scored 37 times in 79 appearances for the London club.
Productive at Spurs and Sunderland, Bent was also effective in his early days at Aston Villa. Always a clinical finisher, perhaps his game was too limited to get the recognition he warranted.
Carlos Tevez
Carlos Tevez played in seven Premier League seasons. From controversial transfers to high-profile fall outs with managers, he was never far from the headlines.
The Argentine’s impact on the league cannot be overstated. His final day goal kept West Ham up, and he was integral to the success of Manchester United in the late 2000s despite Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo soaking up the majority of the praise.
Manchester City don’t win the 2011-12 Premier League title without Tevez. The brilliance Tevez provided on the pitch should not be forgotten, even if he wasn’t always the easiest player to manage.
James Ward-Prowse
Garnering plenty of headlines for his set piece prowess, James Ward-Prowse is more than a dead-ball maestro.
Ward-Prowse ranks 14th in wins above replacement in 2021-22 and was 10th by the same metric in the season prior.
Granit Xhaka
Between moments of madness, Granit Xhaka has been a good player for Arsenal.
The controversies and reckless red cards put Xhaka in the spotlight for the wrong reasons. His actual play is often overlooked amid post-mortems of Arsenal defeats.
Often when the Gunners are performing well, Xhaka is at the centre of it. He’s matured as a footballer during his time in north London. His commitment to the cause can never be questioned.
There are a few current Arsenal players that it could be argued are underrated – we’re going with Xhaka here.
Pablo Zabaleta
Vincent Kompany is rightly given a lot of credit for instilling a winning culture at Manchester City.
Pablo Zabaleta was a warrior and leader for two Premier League-winning sides, though, and in between those triumphs, the Argentine earned a spot in the PFA Team of the Year.
Reliable, fearless and a strong one-on-one defender, Zabaleta was one of the best right backs in the league for his first six seasons with Manchester City. He was rock solid in his first couple of years with West Ham, too.
While not quite the level of Gary Neville or Cesar Azpilicueta when it comes to the best right-backs in league history, Zabaleta is only just behind in the tier below.
Denis Irwin
Ashley Cole is the only player stopping Denis Irwin universally being accepted as the greatest left-back in Premier League history.
A seven-time Premier League winner and Champion of Europe in 1999, Irwin amassed 400 Premier League appearances, and was twice included in the Team of the Season.
Full-back wasn’t the most glamorous position in that era. Irwin, too, was in a team of big personalities and star names. While it’s easy to see how it has happened, there’s no doubt Irwin is one of the most underrated Premier League players of all-time.
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*
FIRST PUBLISHED: 30th March 2022
