In my opinion when players win two or three titles that usually ‘good’. The five or more are players who play 15 years for the elite clubs of that particular time. Your Xavi’s and Muller’s for example.
It’s not a bad return but given the clubs he played for and their dominance during that era, I think it’s still underwhelming. He played for Juve when Milan was iconic, made the switch and saw Juve go through its best period while Milan declined.
Italian teams won five European cups and were runners up six times during his career and somehow he managed not to play on any of those teams despite being considered the best Italian attacking midfielder/second striker by many (for me del piero was better).
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Ohh talking Italians/Serie A
Totti and Signori
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Van Hooijdonk
Stewart Pearce only won the league cup twice
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Jimmy Greaves
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We had some good fucking strikers in the 90s, early/mid 2000s. Kluivert, van Nistelrooij, Makaay, Hasselbaink and van Hooijdonk… I think because of that especially the latter reached his full potential. Hasselbaink and van Hooijdonk weren’t as good as the other three.
Gianfranco Zola?
Absolute magician but only has a couple FA Cups to his name and a Serie A with Napoli.
Feels like he could have played for some bigger teams than Napoli, Parma and Chelsea.
And yes, I know he was a part of that really good Parma team but that doesn’t mean they aren’t still Parma.
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There’s a host of Italian players with a title or a cwc or UEFA cup. Roberto Mancini top of the list for me, but you have to measure that against the standard of that League back then.
Not really important to the point you were trying to make, but I’ve seen him say that he has literally never had a pint in his life haha.
Gazza is another. Only one FA Cup and a couple Scottish League titles to his name. Should have signed for the Mancs.
I seem to remember he was famously a cocktail drinker and hated beer.
I’ve heard stories about him getting totally plastered the night before scoring a hattrick.
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De Rossi. Could have played for any team in the world during his prime.
Totti at least had a Scudetto. :bellerin:
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Steve Bull
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Marco Reus
Dani Parejo
Éver Banega should probably be included too.
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Kane, Son, Malcolm McDonald, Lineker, Le Tissier.
Also, Newcastle for the biggest team to go the longest without a trophy.
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Laurent Koscielny
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Jay Jay Okocha perhaps?
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I think Zaha will be looked back upon as being a player in this era who underachieved given his talent. There’s no way a player like that should still find himself at Crystal Palace, no disrespect. Zaha isn’t absolutely elite but he should have been playing in the Champions League for a couple of seasons now and in the end he might never get the “big move” that he deserves.
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I think Zaha is where he should be. Premier league staple in a small pond. Seems right to me.
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He’s not elite. Better than Palace yeah but not elite.
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