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Playing alongside a superstar is a double-edged sword. On one hand, they make the game look easy and take your team to unimaginable glory. But on the flipside, they almost always steal the limelight, rarely keeping enough for others to bask in.
With an undisputed superstar in the team, it is hard to make a name for oneself, even when one outperforms them on a consistent basis.
Today, we will take a look at five excellent players who are burdened with the sweet curse of playing with a superstar(s).
Here are five active footballers who have been overshadowed by their superstar teammates time and again:
#5 Bruno Fernandes
Bruno Fernandes is one of the best attacking midfielders in the world right now. The Portugal international has all it takes to lead a team but has hardly had a chance in the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Portugal coach Fernando Santos cannot imagine leaving Ronaldo on the bench, which doesn’t bode well for Fernandes.
The Manchester United midfielder loves to have a go at goal every now and then, which is impossible when the captain is as goal-hungry as Ronaldo.
At Euro 2020, Fernandes only started two games for Portugal, which is disappointing for a player who had a 28-goal season for Manchester United.
Following Ronaldo’s return to Old Trafford at the start of the 2021-22 campaign, the 27-year-old has struggled to replicate his last-season heroics.
Without Ronaldo on the pitch, Fernandes has scored five times in the league this season. With him, he has found the back of the net just twice.
#4 Casemiro
13-time Champions League victors Real Madrid are the most decorated club in Europe. Under Zinedine Zidane, they won the premier European competition three times in a row between 2016 and 2018. Los Blancos became the first-ever team to achieve the feat in the tournament's current format.
Cristiano Ronaldo was undoubtedly their standout performer, but their midfield wasn’t any less influential. Toni Kroos, Luka Modric and Casemiro got the better of every team they faced in those three years, drawing applause from every follower.
Two of the most established names on the circuit, Modric and Kroos, were showered with praise, but Casemiro didn’t get his fair share.
Had it not been for Casemiro’s defensive masterclass, Real Madrid would not have been able to keep out the best attacks in Europe. They would not have been able to let Kroos and Modric produce their best football, free from defensive responsibilities.
Even today, the Brazilian regularly pops up with decisive defensive action, but rarely gets the recognition he deserves.
#3 Bernardo Silva
The Premier League is home to some of the best midfielders in the world. Current champions Manchester City alone have two of the world’s best in their ranks, but fans and media clearly prefer one over the other.
Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne are both cut from the same cloth. They are both highly intelligent, versatile attacking midfielders who can cut open any defense in the world.
Unfortunately for Silva, De Bruyne has a carefree, effortless swagger about him that people tend to love. The Belgian’s long-range shooting skills also draw plaudits from spectators, while Silva’s ingenious, incisive passing goes unnoticed.
Silva has handsomely outperformed his Belgian counterpart this season, yet it is the former Wolfsburg star who’s been the midfielder in focus for the English champions.
#2 Sadio Mane
Liverpool left-winger Sadio Mane has been scoring and creating goals for fun since moving from Southampton in July 2016. He is quick, smart, relentless, and has an eye for goal, ticking off all the right boxes.
Yet, courtesy of the great Mohamed Salah, his exploits are often overlooked.
Mane and Salah complement each other really well on the pitch. Mane does not score as many goals as the Egypt international but he puts in a much stronger shift defensively.
Had it not been for Mane’s commitment, Jurgen Klopp’s side wouldn’t have enjoyed successes in the Premier League and the Champions League in recent years.
#1 Angel Di Maria
Argentina international Angel Di Maria is easily one of the best wingers of the century. Yet the PSG man rarely gets the attention he deserves. He is often seen as a supporting actor, never the lead of the show.
Over the course of his career, he has played for some top clubs. His most impressive spell came between 2010 and 2014, when he was plying his trade at Real Madrid.
Di Maria was outrageously brilliant for Los Blancos, but Cristiano Ronaldo was almost always the man in focus.
In Argentina’s colors, Di Maria plays alongside seven-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi. Irrespective of the shift the 33-year-old puts in, Messi almost always makes more headlines than the number 11.
In fact, even when Di Maria scored the winner in Argentina’s Copa America’s triumph over Brazil last summer, it was Messi who stole the headlines.
News outlets were so busy glorying the 34-year-old’s first international trophy win, they overlooked the man who ensured it.
