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The Premier League is one of the most watched leagues across the world. The financial muscle and glamour of the competition and its clubs has attracted a number of big-name footballers. It is fair to say that England's top flight gives players a platform like no other.
The fame that comes with it, is unparalleled. As a result, most footballers who ply their trade in England are very well known.
However, there are a number of footballers who once were employed by an English club, but most people have either completely forgotten the same, or never really noticed. In a league where even the bottom club's players are fairly well-known around the globe, it comes as a bit of a surprise to see names of considerable vogue and their time in England completely archived, never to be looked back at.
Let's talk about five such names.
#5 Nuri Sahin (Liverpool, 2012-13)
You have to feel for Nuri Sahin, considering how the Turk's career went downhill ever since he left Borussia Dortmund for the first time. A midfielder with a great touch, an eye for a pass, and decent goal-scoring ability, Sahin should have had a career much better than the one he's having to make-do with.
A product of the Dortmund academy, Sahin rose through the ranks and became a regular at the German club. He completed a decade there in 2011, before leaving for Real Madrid, having just won the Bundesliga. Unfortunately, his time with the Spanish giants was horrendous, as persistent injuries limited him to just four league appearances.
In August 2012, Real loaned him to Liverpool, where he scored 3 goals and 3 assists in 12 games. His loan spell was only five months long, largely uneventful, and easily forgettable.
#4 Borja Valero (West Bromwich Albion, 2008-11)
It is somewhat shocking that despite 'being' with West Brom for three seasons, nobody really associates Borja Valero with the Baggies. One of the reasons behind this might be the fact that he played only one of these three seasons at The Hawthorns, trying in vain to save the club from relegation. A talented midfielder like Valero, who was developed at the Castilla, could not accept playing in the second division, and forced a loan move to Mallorca in 2009-10.
It was a wondrous season both for the player and the club, as Mallorca somehow managed a fifth place finish. A permanent transfer was on the cards, but Mallorca apparently could not afford a paltry £2.5 million. The next season, he was loaned out to Villarreal, with whom he signed a permanent contract after his contract with West Brom ran out at the end of the season.
He appeared 31 times in the league for the West Midlanders, failing to score a single goal.
#3 George Weah (Chelsea, Manchester City, 2000)
One of the greatest African footballers of all time, and still the only player from the continent to win the Ballon d'Or, George Weah was an absolute spectacle of a goal-scorer.
The current President of Liberia is best remembered for scoring goals for AC Milan in his five-year tenure with the Rossoneri, winning two Scudettos in the process. He also won a Ligue 1 title with Paris Saint Germain.
At the turn of the millennium, Weah decided to move to England. Well past his prime, aged 34, and his services surplus to requirement at Milan, it was easy for Gianluca Vialli's Chelsea to bag him up on loan for half of the season in January 2000. He got off to a flier at Chelsea, scoring against fierce rivals Tottenham Hotspur in his debut with just three minutes to go.
He scored a total of three goals in eleven league games for the Blues, and also managed to win the FA Cup with them, starting in the final against Aston Villa. However, Vialli did not make his move to Chelsea permanent.
Weah had a little more to offer to English football before he left though, signing for Manchester City on a free transfer in the summer of 2000. He scored four goals in eleven games for City, including one against Liverpool in the league. He left midway through October, dissatisfied with the amount of playing time he was getting.
#2 Claudio Pizarro (Chelsea, 2007-09)
A Bundesliga legend, and one of the greatest foreign players ever to play in Germany, Peruvian striker Claudio Pizarro once did leave the country to play in the Premier League. On demanding more than Bayern Munich were willing to pay him, Pizarro left the Bavarians to play for Chelsea, on a free transfer. It is said that he was influenced by Premier League icon and compatriot Nolberto Solano to move to England.
Having said that, Solano might have given him the wrong advice, as Pizarro looked an outcast the entirety of his Chelsea career. He did show some promise in the 2007-08 season under Jose Mourinho, but once the Portuguese was sacked, Pizarro got absolutely no support from new manager Avram Grant, and had no option but to leave.
His return to the German top-flight, as we know, proved more than fruitful, as he has now become a cult hero in Germany, and inspiration to thousands of Peruvians. Six Bundesliga titles, six DFB-Pokal cups, and one Champions League title.
Home is where the heart is.
#1 Marco Materazzi (Everton, 1998-99)
Five consecutive Serie A titles, four Coppa Italias and one Champions League in a decade with Inter Milan, along with a World Cup with Italy, where he played a very decisive role, particularly in the final. Marco Materazzi has had quite a career for someone who doesn't come across as an incredibly gifted footballer. Delve deeper into his CV, and you'll find that he played a solitary season in the Premier League way back in 1998.
It is unlikely that Materazzi would like to discuss that season though. He was sent off thrice in 27 games, and also conceded a penalty in a Merseyside derby to cap off a disastrous season in England. He certainly made up for that shocking season on his return to Italy, though.
Perhaps its best for all parties concerned that his Premier League outing is now well forgotten.
