25) Ross Barkley
The 22-year old Toffees midfielder is a must include in this list. Playing at central attacking midfield, this man has the potential to become of the best midfielders. But, there’s a catch. Although he has the ability to produce stellar performances in certain games, he often produces a blank in most matches, questioning his ability to perform consistently. He needs to work on his finishing abilities and also put a little more effort into the game which is one of his major flaws.
24) Andy Carroll
One of the easiest choices to pick in this list, Englishman Carroll has had a mixed career. The towering forward broke the British transfer record in 2011, when he was sold to Liverpool for a whopping £35 million. That price tag was higher than the highest fees commanded by the likes of Didier Drogba, Arjen Robben, and Diego Costa.
Carroll was consistent in underperforming and was offloaded to West Ham United. He may have resurrected his career at Upton Park, but the word overvalued will always be associated with the lad from Gateshead.
23) Fabian Barthez
Statistically, the former Manchester United player is one of the best keepers to have played the beautiful game. He almost won every trophy possible and kept a record equalling 10 clean sheets in the FIFA World Cup. However, Barthez is one of the luckier players to have graced Old Trafford. Prior to his move from Monaco, Barthez looked good to the eye but lacked any real substance. He was a charming guy, but not a world class keeper. He made 92 appearances for the Red Devils and never once looked like he could hold the number one keeping spot for years to come.
22) Xherdan Shaqiri
Imagine a football career where a player starts his career in a mid-table team in the English top-tier to an Italian giant like Inter Milan to a European supergiant like FC Bayern Munchen. Well, that’s exactly the career of Switzerland’s Xherdan Shaqiri except, well, the order of clubs he moved to is the other way round!
After failing to experience first-team action withBayern Munich, Shaqiri was shipped to Inter Milan, to finally Stoke City where he was promised first team action. The main reason for his failure was his playing style. It was not often suited for the team and his selfishness on the ball could have often be seen.
21) Florent Malouda
A great example of ‘form is temporary, but class is permanent’, French midfielder Florent Malouda enjoyed a fruitful six seasons with Premier League giants Chelsea. He had a memorable 2009-10 Premier League season at Stamford Bridge.
The main problem with the Frenchman was that he was a one-paced and limited winger. After his exit from Stamford Bridge in 2013, Malouda joined Turkish team Trabzonspor. Underwhelming performances in Turkey and India (with Delhi Dynamos) have made Florent a non-entity in the group of football elites.
