In football some strikers do not get the respect they deserve. People expect a number 9 to score loads of goals but there is more to being a good striker than that. Movement, teamwork, press and making space for others is also important but not always put on the radar.
Obviously many players are underrated as they are not part of the biggest clubs, rarely score and are mainly overlooked or undervalued by the larger stars, and some fans are just as interested in statistics as in the value they bring to the team.
Being underrated can affect a player’s confidence and even ruin their careers. Some players keep up the good work, some don’t get the attention they deserve, and this article is about ten strikers that were underrated, but have had immense achievements in football.
Who Are The Most Underrated Football Strikers Since 2010?
1. Romelu Lukaku
He is a Belgian player. Lukaku has been scoring goals for years, moving from club to club but nobody gives him the amount of credit he deserves. He began at Anderlecht then moved to Chelsea but the Premier League fucked up.
He scored well enough at West Brom and Everton, just trying to score for fun, but big clubs still had doubts.
Career Goals:
Why He’s Underrated?
Just because he scored for Man United, it doesn’t mean that the fans actually were angry. Some complained that his first touch was awful, others that he didn’t play well in big games.
Meanwhile Rashford and Martial got more attention. When Chelsea bought him in big money but they barely had time to study him before sending him back to Inter.
Every time people take him out he has to prove them wrong: He is a great player, he helped Inter Milan win a league title, he scored for Belgium at every major tournament and he scores everywhere. But since he is not flashy nobody puts him among the best.
2. Fernando Torres
Fernando Torres, born 22 April 1985, began his career with Atlético Madrid, where he became the club’s fifth all-time leading goal scorer (127). He later was sent to Liverpool in 2007, where he scored 65 goals in 102 Premier League games.
Career Goals:
Torres had atotal of 269+ goals.
Why He’s Considered Underrated:
Torres’ time at Chelsea is generally regarded as being disappointing, especially given that Chelsea paid almost £50 million to sign him. The forward managed just 20 goals in 110 appearances in the Premier League.
On top of this, Torres also played an important part in the team’s successes, best known for scoring in the 2012 UEFA Champions League semi-final against Barcelona in which Chelsea won the tournament.
His return to Atlético Madrid for the new season saw him net 27 times in 107 La Liga appearances, making him yet another club vital player.
3. Jordan Ayew
Jordan Ayew is a Ghanaian forward who has been quietly doing his thing in the Premier League and beyond, for clubs such as Marseille, Swansea City, Aston Villa and Crystal Palace.
Yes, Ayew might not be garnering as much attention as some of his peers, but they’ve been able to manage him well and contribute to the attack for their sides.
Career Goals:
120 career goals for Jordan Ayew, who’s previously played for clubs in France, England and for Ghana abroad.
Why He’s Underrated?
He’s always been one of those guys who don’t get the plaudits enough, even though he’s been terrific for his clubs. At Swansea he was a threat all summer, but he’d often get caught out because people thought the team was not going to be challenging for major trophies.
At Aston Villa he wasn’t much better, with the side struggling in the Premier League. Many people thought he would be better, but it’s not just that the other people weren’t that good.
At Crystal Palace, he’s been an all-rounder. He’s not the sort of player who will score tons of goals. He has a lot of other things going for him: linking up play, pressing or holding up the ball, and still he’s often overlooked, and he’s not always credited for those little things that make a big difference.
4. Inaki Williams
Inaki Williams is a Spanish striker. He’s been at Athletic Bilbao for the majority of his career, and while he has had some great moments, he’s been left outside the spotlight in Spanish football at times, with Williams an ever-present threat down the wing and into the middle of the park, but often not given as much time as he deserves.
Career Goals:
Williams has scored more than 130 goals s for his career in all competitions – mostly for Athletic Bilbao in La Liga, but also for the Spanish national team in a few games.
Why He’s Underrated?
Williams has had a long career at Bilbao and, though he comes across as one of the best players in Europe, not many outside Spain pay much attention to him.
He’s an energy man, but he’s not the sort of striker who scores sensational goals after every game.
He’s been a good all-round player, but there has always been some sense that he could be better. Sometimes he has been criticised for missing chances or being too clinical (in the time he puts in the effort) and, compared with Gerard Moreno and all the other big players in big clubs like Barcelona or Real Madrid, Williams is often neglected when we talk about the best strikers in Spain.
5. Edin Džeko
Edin Dzeko is a Bosnian striker who has been one of Europe’s most reliable goal scorers during the last few seasons. Demonsted at one point, he was even the highest-profile player when he made his Bundesliga debut for Wolfsburg and was then moved to Manchester City, and from there, he continued his career at Roma where he became one of Italy’s most persistent forwards.
Career Goals:
Dzeko has been at Wolfsburg, Manchester City, Roma and internationally for Bosnia and Herzegovina, and has scored 426 times in his career.
Why He’s Underrated?
In spite of his sheer number of goals, Dzeko has always been a forgotten player at Manchester City. As you can imagine, he played alongside stars like Sergio Agüero, so his contribution simply ended up underscrutinised.
Dzeko was never the favourite to play in the first team and while his contributions were arguably vital to City’s successful play-off campaign in 2011, some fans didn’t really understand how important he was to the team.
At Roma Dzeko has been a sensational player, but because Roma are not big names in European football, he’s not been talked about the way other top strikers in Europe are – his style is more of a hold-up game – a target man instead of being a flashy, highlight reel type of forward.
6. Ciro Immobile
Ciro Immobile is an Italian footballer who has been one of the most reliable shooters in Serie A, in particular scoring numerous goals in a season for several clubs like Torino, Juventus, Sevilla and Lazio. He fancies his finishes and is usually overlooked by foreign fans because he ‘s not as well known outside of Italy as he is inside.
Career Goals:
Immobile has scored 325 goals in his career and most of it has been at Lazio, where he has been their top scorer for the last few years.
Why He’s Underrated?
Immobile’s biggest problem as far as recognition is that he has never played for one of the greatest clubs in Europe, such as Barcelona, Real Madrid or Bayern Munich.
His stint at Juventus and Sevilla was not the most successful (and people only know him for the problems he had there), but he was good at Torino, but only when he got transferred to Lazio did he become a consistent top scorer.
It’s true that with Serie A having been the top-end of the world four times in his career Immobile is well above any other striker in Europe. The perception is that he does not play well in the international arena for Italy.
His style doesn’t get the media coverage and he’s not embraced as much on a European level as some of the other big names.
7. Alexandre Lacazette
Born, 6 September 1991. Lacaztte is a French professional footballer who plays as a forward. He started his career at Lyon before moving to Arsenal. He has been a popular striker for his clubs, even if he hasn’t always been the star player.
Career Goals:
287 career goals and two spells at the top of the league, in Lyon and now back at Lyon at his second spell.
Why He’s Underrated?
At Arsenal, the Frenchman’s career was constantly bumpy and uncertain. He was never quite the star man, never really the main man, often tasked with covering for bigger names like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Bukayo Saka.
And even more so when things got tough. But just because he is no slouch he didn’t get as much attention as he should have.
When Lacazette was at Arsenal, many of the fans expected him to be at the head of the attack, but he often was second fiddle to others in the team.
He had some good moments (including a major part in helping Arsenal to win the FA Cup in 2017) but he was not consistent enough for the Premier League at times so was occasionally vilified.
8. Olivier Giroud
Olivier Giroud is a French striker. He’s also played for Montpellier, Arsenal, Chelsea and AC Milan during his career.
Giroud is by no means the flashiest forward in the world, but his consistency and ability to score from set pieces has put him in good company for his clubs as well as for the French national team.
Career Goals:
Giroud has scored over 338 in his career for clubs across France, England and Italy – and for France at international level.
Why He’s Underrated?
Giroud has always done his job, and he does it well enough, despite being out of the limelight with bigger-name forwards.
At Arsenal, there was the rumour that he was not as clinical as he could have been if he had tried, to do the business he needed to, especially when compared to the better ones in the league.
He was a better player for Chelsea and he took the club to the Europa League and even the Champions League, but he still wasn’t given the respect he deserves as the team’s primary forward.
Giroud, while a key component of France’s World Cup winning side in 2018, was still being underrated .
9. Álvaro Morata
lvaro Morata is a Spanish striker with a crazy career where he’s played major Spanish clubs such as Real Madrid, Chelsea, Juventus and Atlético Madrid. He’s got his share of blows coming his way and often looks like he’s not quite up to the mark.
Career Goals:
Morata has amassed 276 career goals for top clubs in Spain, Italy and England as well as representing Spain at international level.
Why He’s Underrated?
Morata’s career has always been judged based on high expectations. At Real Madrid, he was overshadowed by Cristiano Ronaldo and other stars, which made it hard for him to show his true potential.
His move to Chelsea came with a lot of hype, but his time there was full of struggles. Despite starting well, his lack of consistency and tendency to miss key chances led to criticism.
At Juve he certainly had a bit of form too, but again he was never the obvious playmaker, he was not often seen as more than a supporter, not simply a regular goal-scorer.
10. Gonzalo Higuaín
Gonzalo Higuan (born 22 September 1985 in La Paz, Argentina) is an Argentine former football striker, who has become one of the most prolific goal scorers of his generation. Higuan previously played at Real Madrid, Napoli, Juventus and Chelsea.
Career Goals:
Higuan has scored 364 goals in his career, for renowned clubs in Spain, Italy and England and for Argentina internationally.
Why He’s Underrated?
Higuan has been dubbed ‘unfair’ and slammed on several occasions, particularly for missing important opportunities in big situations that brought an end to his otherwise brilliant career.
While he was very much one of the best strikers in the world at both Napoli and Juventus at some point, he wasn’t really appreciated by the public, especially when his “big miss” happened – the World Cup final, in which Higuan missed a vital chance that might well have won the prize for Argentina.
“He was a big star at Napoli, going on to finish as Serie A’s top scorer in 2015/16 – but as he moved to Juventus, he slowly became secondary along with Cristiano Ronaldo.
Higuan has won several Serie A titles for the latter side but that didn’t seem to be enough for a player who won multiple titles at this club, partly because of all the expectations that must have been placed on him.
Higuaín’s time at Chelsea was also mixed, as he struggled to find his best form, and his lack of consistency left many critics disappointed
Last Thoughts
Many fans have their own underrated players — those that may not get the credit they deserve, despite their hard work and contributions. Whether it ‘s being in a smaller team, getting overlooked by bigger names, or not getting the credit for little things they do, these players continue to prove their worth.
Which players do you think deserve more credit?
Let’s hear from you.
