The Roar’s Football Razzies of 08-09
By Freud of Football, 2 Dec 2009 Freud of Football is a Roar Guru
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The debates as to who is the best player in the world is about to heat up with the naming of the Top 10 for the coveted Ballon d’Or, but let’s take a different tact – who are the most overrated players in world football?
Sure we can debate the amazing grace of Messi, the power and elegance of Ronaldo or the X-Factor of Ronaldo. It’s fun and it’s futile.
But a much more interesting award would be to honour the player whose reputation far exceeds his skill.
As such, here are my Top 5 candidates for The Roar’s Football Razzies of 08-09, surely to become football’s lowest honour and a badge of shame;
5) Petr Cech
The only one I include with a degree of sadness. His star has fallen with a mighty thud and it all seemed to be that horrific clash that changed it for him. He’s gone from a top class keeper to stuffing up the simplest of saves.
Chelsea fans still rate him very highly and he is mentioned every time someone names the best keepers in the world but he certainly doesn’t belong there.
4) Michael Owen
A free transfer for a former Ballon d’Or winner at the age of 28 sounds pretty amazing, that is until you see that Owen is a shadow of his former self.
His advantage was always his pace and acceleration, with that gone he’s relying on a mind which works in a body that fails.
3) Andrea Pirlo
Perhaps I just misunderstand the “deep-lying playmaker”. For mine, he lays deep because his lack of pace is exposed whenever he moves, he technically isn’t proficient and always “nearly” succeeds. He “nearly” hits a wonder-strike or “nearly” makes a wonder-ball but never manages to actually do it.
A player nowhere near as good as any Milan fan would have you believe.
2) Kaka
Ok, I’ve given him the plaudits in the past and he finds himself on the aforementioned Top 10 list, but how? £68.5 Million for what? Someone who can run fast and pass accurately and score the occasional goal?
I mean really, he’s good, but he’s nowhere near THAT good.
1) Jamie Carragher
Slow, technically weak, big-mouthed and useless, obviously as a Man United fan I might be biased but I always feel when I watch Liverpool that they have got a blind goatherd steering their defence.
Past his prime which he never really had, Carragher would be for mine, a deserving recipient of The Roar’s Razzie.
Notable absentees were Berbatov, Henry and Ibrahmovich.
All three could have easily made the list after their poor performances mixed with the unifying belief from their fans but I’ll leave the floor open to suggestions.
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Mattay said | December 2nd 2009 @ 8:06am | Report comment
Very good call on Carragher. He was once under-rated, then people started talking of him being one of the best defenders in the world. I actually saw a few lists (both from professional journalists and amateur bloggers) where Carragher would either top the best defender in the world lists, or be in World XI’s.
He’s a plodder. Technically average and his one key skill, the last ditch tackle, is something the really good defenders don’t need to do. The best defenders keep their feet and don’t dive in.
At his best, wasn’t even in the top 5 or 6 English defenders at the time (Campbell, Ferdinand, Terry, King, Woodgate, Southgate – off the top of my head were/are much better).
Pippinu said | December 2nd 2009 @ 8:28am | Report comment
I’m not sure if it’s really fair to include blokes who are now past their prime in this list.
Fisher Price said | December 2nd 2009 @ 1:07pm | Report comment
Quite.
Or else you’d also have to throw Van Nistelrooy, Giggs, Scholes, the Nevilles, Beckham, Van Der Saar, Ferdinand onto the list…
Freud of Football said | December 2nd 2009 @ 4:08pm | Report comment
Quite.
Oh but then again, a triple then a double and the last 3 league crowns in a row…
I guess some of United’s players might be – in your opinion – overrated but the trophies don’t lie.
AndyRoo said | December 2nd 2009 @ 8:35am | Report comment
I don’t understand why players cop it because clubs over pay for them.
I know we all do it but it’s not Kaka’s fault he didn’t leave on a free transfer.
Freud of Football said | December 2nd 2009 @ 4:06pm | Report comment
It doesn’t make Kaka a better player. His fee is only part of it, he simply isn’t THAT good, not as good as people would have us believe.
Albal said | December 2nd 2009 @ 10:37am | Report comment
Brett Holman anyone?
Brian said | December 2nd 2009 @ 10:49am | Report comment
The clear standout for me is Frank Lampard. I’ve never understood the comparision with Gerrard I don’t go for Liverpool but there is no comparision.
Other notables
Ibrahimovic – good but fails to deliver when it really counts, unlike Etoo
Carragher – As others have said
Ribery – I just can’t see it.
I disagree on Henry, he’s simply past his best. Also Kaka is the world’s 3rd best player – that’s not too bad.
On Aussies I might say Schwarzer is over-rated he’s very good but prob not amongst the world’s best as we may think. Again some might say Kewell but I think thats uonly because of what he was. Holman I didn’t think was very highly rated other than by Pim
AndyRoo said | December 2nd 2009 @ 11:03am | Report comment
All the English players suffer in the eyes of the public from receiving more positive press than a comparitive Brazilian would get.
Fisher Price said | December 2nd 2009 @ 1:04pm | Report comment
Lucas Neill, Tim Cahill…
AndyRoo said | December 2nd 2009 @ 1:45pm | Report comment
If your English and playing for your home club your going to get more positive and negative press than the foreign guy next to you even though the achievments are the same. That’s why they then get branded (unfairly) as over rated.
It’s not their fault they are lauded over by the english press.
Fisher Price said | December 2nd 2009 @ 2:11pm | Report comment
Whatever.
I was suggesting they rather than Schwarzer were overrated.
Which I think they are.
Gibbo said | December 2nd 2009 @ 12:02pm | Report comment
surely the biggest problem jamie carragher has is his compatriots in the liverpool defence… if he was at any other of the big clubs he’d be a bit player, a gary neville bringing some experience off the bench.
Fisher Price said | December 2nd 2009 @ 1:03pm | Report comment
Henry? You are indeed a Man Utd fan…
This video is evidence both of his brilliance and Carragher’s ineptitude: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIlXwu4-zJU
Freud of Football said | December 2nd 2009 @ 4:13pm | Report comment
I used to watch Henry at Arsenal and I’ll honestly say that he was the best player I’ve seen, Cristiano Ronaldo is his equal and I don’t rate Messi as highly as he has less strings to his bow but obviously what he does do is very very good.
Henry however has lost that bit of pace on which his game heavily relies and Barca have screwed him over. Wenger started him through the middle at Monaco, got him back from Juve where they’d tried to stick him on a wing, put him back through the middle at Arsenal – where he was untouchable for a couple of seasons – and then Barca try to play him as a wide forward to suit the team.
Henry was brilliant but like Ronaldo – not Cristiano, the Brazilian – his star has fallen with his pace.
keeper11 said | December 2nd 2009 @ 1:09pm | Report comment
The Sydney Tele says its Darren Lokyer or Derek, jarryd Haynes somebody ?….
play in this quasi- national sport involving 2 Australian states..
If its in the tele its true isn’t it ..surely ??
vladimir said | December 2nd 2009 @ 1:11pm | Report comment
now write that again in english
Ben of Phnom Penh said | December 2nd 2009 @ 2:15pm | Report comment
Is Steve MacMahon Jr still playing?
Fisher Price said | December 2nd 2009 @ 2:32pm | Report comment
ZELJKO ‘SPIDER’ KALAC.