For foreign players coming into the Premier League, the challenge can be at times quite daunting. However, some players take to the Premier League just as if they were born to ply their trade in English football. Goals flow, victories follow and comparisons with legends are rife on a weekly basis.
However, some are able to sustain their performances, while the others fall apart. Be it confidence issues, fitness woes or just negative attitude, the ‘second season syndrome’ tends to separate the weak from the strong. Strikers and attacking midfielders are more prone to form worries and hence dominate this list without much surprise.
So here are the top 5 one-season wonders in Premier League history:
#1 Michu
Michu is quite literally the first name that comes to mind when one thinks about one-season wonders in football.
When Michael Laudrup, the then Swansea manager, brought Michu to South Wales for a mere £2m transfer, he was a relatively unknown figure. Adapting to English football like a swan to water with 18 goals, Michu became a major star in his first season itself. A brace against QPR on his Premier League debut set the tone, as Michu fired Swansea to an impressive mid-table finish and a League Cup triumph, the first ever silverware in Swansea City’s history.
(Video Courtesy: YRCHDWorldwide YouTube Channel)
Goals flowed and offers poured in as the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United queued up to secure the services of the Spaniard. In fact, what should have been the high point in the striker’s career, a Spanish national team call-up, led to a major downfall.
Clearly shaken by the club’s shock sacking of Laudrup, he scored only two goals in his second season. Let down by a combination of bad attitude, constant injury woes and a flop loan spell at Napoli, Michu was shipped off to boyhood club Real Oviedo and remains little more than a memory among Swansea spectators.
#2 Roque Santa Cruz
Despite spending close to 9 years at Bayern Munich, Roque Santa Cruz failed to set the world on fire. In the summer of 2007, a move to Blackburn Rovers came calling.
Santa Cruz made an emphatic start to life in England scoring 19 league goals in just 37 appearances, leading Mark Hughes’ side to the unimaginable heights of seventh in the league and one of the bargain deals of the century at just £3.5 million.
Injuries became a nemesis as Santa Cruz couldn’t quite reach the heights of his stellar 2007-08 season, mustering only 4 league goals in his second season. But that didn’t put off Manchester City from splashing a staggering £17.5 million for the Paraguayan.
(Video Courtesy: Dani 33 Futbol YouTubeChannel)
In four years at Manchester City he scored three goals and was loaned out for three of those seasons. A deal which in the end worked out for them at nearly £6 million per goal!
#3 Amr Zaki
As compared to the others mentioned in this list, Amr Zaki’s case is a peculiar one as the Egyptian cannot even be labelled a one-season wonder, rather a half season wonder. He joined Wigan on a one-year loan deal from Egyptian giants Zamalek and proceeded to have an impact few could have anticipated.
Zaki was electric in the 2008-09 season as he scored on his debut at Upton Park before following it up with a brace against newly promoted Hull City. Goals continued to flow as his acrobatic volley against Liverpool at Anfield was particularly praised as one of the goals of the season. With 10 goals by halfway point in the season, his performances even led to comparisons with the one of the all-time greats Alan Shearer.
(Video Courtesy: Amr Zaky YouTube Channel)
As the season progressed, however, something changed. He failed to return from international duty time and again which prompted then manager Steve Bruce to publicly criticise Zaki for his unprofessional attitude. Goals completely dried up and Zaki never scored for Wigan again. A brief spell at Hull followed, but Zaki’s magic had worn out already.
#4 Robinho
August, 2008 was a monumental day in the history of Manchester City. Not only was the club subject to a mind-boggling takeover by Sheikh Mansour and his relatively unknown ‘Abu Dhabi United Group’, the events of that transfer deadline day were a signal of intent.
Having failed to cheekily lure Dimitar Berbatov from his medical at Manchester United, Mansour’s attention quickly turned as hefty bids were lodged for the services of several high profile stars. Robinho, who was all but certain to be headed for Chelsea before the day began, ended up signing for Manchester City in a British record £32.5m transfer from Real Madrid.
(Video Courtesy: ArnoTheJason YouTube Channel)
Robinho went on to score 14 league goals in his first season in England, but drastically fell down the pecking order under new manager Roberto Mancini. He could manage only a single goal in his second season, that too against lower league club Scunthorpe United in the FA Cup. A loan spell at Milan followed, before he was shipped off to his boyhood club Santos.
#5 Mido
Strong, tall, capable of holding the ball up and good finishing accuracy – Mido had the perfect set of attributes to thrive as a centre-forward in the Premier League. The Egyptian rose to prominence during his spells at Ajax and Marseille, and joined Tottenham on a loan deal aged just 21, despite having played in the top flights in Holland, Italy, France and Spain.
Despite not having featured much for Spurs during his first season in England, Mido sparked to life in his second season. He scored 11 goals in 27 appearances that season, displaying signs of his tremendous talent and was poised to be the future of Spurs’ forward line for many years to come.
However, he failed to replicate his form the following season when he was brought back to White Hart Lane on a permanent transfer, scoring just 3 goals and was even accused of being "irresponsible and disrespectful" by then manager Martin Jol.
(Video Courtesy: Eos Waool YouTube Channel)
In his next 4 seasons in the Premier League, Mido could manage a total of just 7 goals, a run which included spells at the likes of Middlesbrough, West Ham and Wigan, thereby cementing his spot in the list of Premier League’s biggest one-season wonders.
