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The Premier League has been home to some of the finest attackers in Europe over the last couple of years. Players like Robbie Fowler, Thierry Henry, Sergio Aguero, Didier Drogba and Cristiano Ronaldo became household names in the English top flight courtesy of their incredible exploits in front of goal.
These superstars are often held in high esteem and worshiped by the fans for their contributions. On the reverse, however, stands another group of attackers. Despite giving their all and reaching significant milestones during their spells in the Premier League, they never get the type of respect they deserve.
These players spent most of their time in the Premier League under the radar. They were often set aside for criticism of their team's failures, denied the praise they merited from the fans and were eventually shown the exit door.
Without further ado, we look at the five most underrated attackers in the history of the English top flight. They are as follows:
#5 Peter Crouch
Not many strikers can claim to have bagged a century of goals in the Premier League. Peter Crouch did that in 467 appearances, bagging 106 goals and 61 assists while representing the likes of Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Southampton, Portsmouth and Stoke City.
The brightest days of his career were spent at Anfield, where he won the FA Cup in 2006 and the Community Shield in 2007. He also reached the final of the Champions League with the Reds in 2007, losing to AC Milan 2-1 at the Olympic Stadium in Athens.
It is unfortunate that Peter Crouch is often ignored when the league's elite attackers are being mentioned. This is despite his enormous contribution and reputation as one of the best strikers in the Premier League when it comes to aerial abilities.
#4 Carlos Tevez
West Ham United took a huge gamble by signing an unknown Carlos Tevez from Brazilian outfit Corinthians in the summer of 2006. The attacker ended up being their messiah at the end of the 2006-2007 Premier League season. He scored an amazing seven goals in the last 10 games to ensure the Hammers finished three points above the relegation zone.
Tevez was loaned to Manchester United in the summer of 2007 where he spent a year before joining Manchester City on a permanent transfer. During his time in the Premier League, the Argentine bagged 84 goals and 41 assists in 202 appearances but he is rarely remembered for praise despite those numbers.
#3 Olivier Giroud
Olivier Giroud switched to the Premier League in a €12 million transfer to Arsenal in July 2012. He got off to a brilliant start to life in the English top flight, bagging 11 goals and five assists for the Gunners in 34 games in his debut season.
Shortly after passing the 100-goal mark for the Gunners across all competitions, Giroud was sold to Chelsea in January 2018. However, Giroud continued with his decent performances in front of goal.
By the end of his Chelsea spell, the Frenchman had already recorded a tally of 90 goals and 32 assists to his name in 255 Premier League appearances.
Like the other names on the list, Giroud never got the respect he deserved. This is clearly highlighted by the fact that none of the London-based clubs made him an undisputed starter in their teams.
He left the division two months ago to seal a transfer to AC Milan and he's already scored two goals in two Serie A games for the Italian giants.
#2 Jermain Defoe
Jermain Defoe holds the record for the most goals scored as a substitute in Premier League history, with a whopping 24 goals scored from the bench. That is a huge testament to just how under-utilised his goalscoring ability was in the English top flight.
The forward ranks among the top 10 all-time scorers in Premier League history. He recorded an incredible 162 goals to his name across spells with clubs like Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United and Sunderland. How often do you hear his name mentioned among the best attackers the division has witnessed?
#1 Romelu Lukaku
The Belgian was the scapegoat for Manchester United's failings during his time at Old Trafford, with fans calling him all sorts of names and heavily criticizing his first touch. Yet, the striker can brag about scoring 42 goals for the Red Devils in 96 appearances across all competitions during his spell at Old Trafford.
Romelu Lukaku managed to prove them wrong when he left for Inter Milan in 2019. He led the Italian giants to claim the Serie A title last season with 24 goals in 36 games. He returned to the Premier League this summer as Chelsea paid a whopping £97.5 million to lure him to Stamford Bridge.
The Belgian made his first appearance for the Blues in the recent 2-0 victory over Arsenal, scoring the opening goal of the encounter. He is still not getting the kind of plaudits he deserves, despite having scored 116 goals till date in the Premier Lea. It remains to be seen if that will change anytime soon.
