Top 30 Most Underrated Footballers Playing in Europe
Here are the top 30 most underrated footballers playing in Europe.
Criteria
- Footballer needs to be playing for a European club.
- He needs to be under-the-radar and his ability must be undervalued by the footballing public.
The 30 footballers will be subjectively ranked via a combination of:
- Hype (the less, the better).
- Performance this season.
- Potential transfer value increase down the line.
Long List Cuts
- Oswaldo Vizcarrondo, 30, Nantes' Venezuelan CB.
- Roberto Trashorras, 33, Rayo Vallecano's Spanish DLP.
- Kamohelo Mokotjo, 23, Twente's South African CM.
- Felix Wiedwald, 24, Eintracht Frankfurt's German GK.
- Ahmed Elmohamady, 27, Hull City's Egyptian RWB/RB.
- Marco Sau, 27, Cagliari's Italian CF.
30. Luke Wilkshire
1 of 30
Feyenoord's Australian right-back Luke Wilkshire, 33, is letting his football do the talking.
His unceremonious axing from the Socceroos was linked to his attitude, per Andrew Webster at The Sydney Morning Herald.
Since joining Feyenoord, Wilkshire has exhausted himself on the field.
He is heavily involved in build-up play, averaging 52.8 passes per game in the Eredivisie, and is a tireless worker in defence (averages 3.0 tackles per game).
29. Kristoffer Nordfeldt
2 of 30
Heerenveen's Swedish goalkeeper Kristoffer Nordfeldt, 25, has been pelted with shots.
He has accumulated the most total saves (52) and has saved more shots in the penalty area (30) than any other Eredivisie goalkeeper.
In 2012, Liverpool almost signed Nordfeldt, per Sky Sports.
He is in better form than Liverpool's struggling No. 1 Simon Mignolet.
28. Abdoul Karim Yoda
3 of 30
Getafe's French right attacking midfielder Abdoul Karim Yoda, 26, is caught in an awkward situation.
Star player Pedro Leon is persona non grata in the eyes of Getafe president Angel Torres, as per Guillem Balague's article for Sky Sports.
This was why Yoda was signed via a free transfer from Romanian club Astra Giurgiu.
Yoda is a brave, fleet-footed and quick take-on specialist, who also works hard in pressing opposing players.
So far, he has taken his chance and is producing more per game than what Leon did for Getafe last season.
| League Only | Pedro Leon 13-14 | Yoda 14-15 |
| Goals Per Game | 0.19 | 0.50 |
| Shots Per Goal | 10.6 | 6.3 |
| Key Passes Per Game | 1.4 | 1.5 |
| Pass Success % | 64.1 | 69.8 |
| Dribbles Per Game | 1.5 | 2.8 |
| Dribble Success % | 49.1 | 53.1 |
27. Hiroki Sakai
4 of 30
Hannover 96's Japanese right-back Hiroki Sakai, 24, is a worthy successor to Steve Cherundolo.
Sakai is athletic, built solidly, pacey, defensively secure and can run all day.
What Sakai needs to improve is his pass accuracy, because giving away the ball 30.8 percent of the time he attempts a pass is not top-flight standard.
26. Joaquin Larrivey
5 of 30
Celta Vigo's Argentine centre-forward Joaquin Larrivey, 30, has improved exponentially since his Cagliari days.
During the 2011-12 season, he scored seven goals in Serie A for Cagliari in 1,242 minutes.
This season for Celta, he has already scored seven times, including the winner against Barcelona—he has only played 782 minutes.
25. Daniel Didavi
6 of 30
Stuttgart's German central attacking midfielder Daniel Didavi, 24, finds happiness and torture from football.
He is generally one of the most gifted players on the field. He can dictate play, he can create, he can take on opposing players and he is a confident shooter.
Yet, his fragile body cannot cope with the day in, day out grind of professional football.
If he can play out three seasons without injury, he would be one of the best players in the Bundesliga.
24. Nemanja Radoja
7 of 30
Celta Vigo's Serbian central midfielder Nemanja Radoja, 21, has been a quiet achiever in La Liga.
He leads by example, always retaining correct positioning and intervening when necessary to stymie opposition attacks.
His presence in Celta's midfield is a factor why the club are in sixth place.
23. Mario Vrancic
8 of 30
Paderborn's German-born-Bosnia and Herzegovina [1] central midfielder Mario Vrancic, 25, is class when he is on the ball.
He possesses range encompassing short, intermediate and long passes.
He is not just a conservative passer, because he has created 25 goal-scoring chances for his teammates in eight Bundesliga games.
[1] Pledged his allegiance to Bosnia despite being a German youth international.
22. Franco Vazquez
9 of 30
Palermo's Argentine deep-lying forward Franco Vazquez, 25, is a unique footballer.
He is 6'2" and 179 pounds but is predominantly a finesse player. He is one of the most technically skilled footballers in Serie A.
He finds inventive ways of eluding tackles and is just a joy to watch.
He averages more dribbles per game (3.8) than Real Madrid left-forward Cristiano Ronaldo (1.8).
However, the ability of Vazquez and his compatriot Paulo Dybala is not aligned to their productivity. They need to produce more goals and assists as both have world-class upside.
21. Tarik Elyounoussi
10 of 30
Hoffenheim's Norwegian left attacking midfielder Tarik Elyounoussi, 26, has the scoring instincts of a centre-forward, but is marooned on the left wing.
His best moments have been central.
He is tied with Anthony Modeste for most league goals at Hoffenheim this season (four).
Like Roberto Firmino and Kevin Volland, Elyounoussi is a direct and skilful footballer, who can create his own shot.
20. Neil Taylor
11 of 30
Swansea City left-back Neil Taylor, 25, continues his remarkable return after "breaking his ankle in three places," per Wales Online.
His long-term injury enabled Ben Davies full access to the starting left-back position at Swansea, which led to a transfer to Tottenham Hotspur.
While Davies spends Spurs' Premier League matchdays watching the game as an observer, Taylor has featured in 863 minutes for Swansea.
19. Alexander Meier
12 of 30
Eintracht Frankfurt's German centre-forward Alexander Meier, 31, is a colossal figure when rampaging into the box.
He has scored six goals in nine Bundesliga games, which is a goal more than Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski.
Eintracht Frankfurt should persist with Marc Stendera as the No. 10 and Meier as the No. 9.
Stendera is a wunderkind who needs more playing time, and his incisive passing will benefit Meier.
18. Papy Djilobodji
13 of 30
Nantes' Senegalese centre-back Papy Djilobodji, 25, is an impressive defender.
He is a safe tackler (0.8 fouls per game) and reads play excellently to intercept 2.9 passes per game.
His partnership with Oswaldo Vizcarrondo is a major reason why Nantes are tied with Paris Saint-Germain for the best defence in Ligue 1 (eight goals conceded from 12 games).
17. Kevin Vogt
14 of 30
Koln's German central midfielder Kevin Vogt, 23, can bulldoze his way through opposing defences, often winning free-kicks after being impeded.
In his third Bundesliga season as a starter, Vogt is looking to take his game to the next level.
16. Marco Sportiello
15 of 30
Atalanta's Italian goalkeeper Marco Sportiello, 22, can pull off saves you would see from Gianluigi Buffon during his prime.
Sportiello is immense in one-on-one situations.
He has already saved two penalties, denying Inter Milan centre-forward Rodrigo Palacio and Napoli centre-forward Gonzalo Higuain from the spot.
15. Diafra Sakho
16 of 30
West Ham United's Senegalese centre-forward Diafra Sakho, 24, is a pure poacher.
He only averages 15.7 passes and creates 0.7 scoring chances per game, so he is not a facilitator. Nor does he possess the inventive touch of Mauro Zarate.
What Sakho does excellently is finish chances: he has scored six goals in seven Premier League games.
Talk about a rapid rise. Two years ago, he was playing in the Championnat National (French third division).
14. Roman Burki
17 of 30
Freiburg's Swiss goalkeeper Roman Burki, 23, was signed as the successor to Oliver Baumann, who left for Hoffenheim.
"Freiburg has a very good name in Switzerland due to Gelson Fernandes and Admir Mehmedi," Burki said, per the Bundesliga's official website. "It is another important step in my career and I am really looking forward to my time in Freiburg."
A €1.8/£1.4 million signing from Grasshopper Club Zurich, Burki has been a bargain-basement signing, who has been exceptional.
He is currently the best ranked goalkeeper in the Bundesliga, per Kicker.
13. Mirko Valdifiori
18 of 30
Empoli's Italian deep-lying playmaker Mirko Valdifiori, 28, has stood out against the likes of AC Milan, Roma and Juventus.
He launches long diagonal passes and he stockpiles possession, averaging 88 passes per game. He is always looking to be involved in play.
12. Ralf Fahrmann
19 of 30
Schalke's German goalkeeper Ralf Fahrmann, 26, seemingly had consigned himself to being a backup until last season.
He made 22 Bundesliga starts in the last campaign and has since become Schalke's undisputed No. 1.
He has accumulated 39 saves in 10 league games this season, 18 of which have come in the penalty area.
11. Kalidou Koulibaly
20 of 30
Napoli's French centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly, 23, has bolted out of obscurity.
Like Eliaquim Mangala, Koulibaly's stepping stone was in the Belgian Pro League—Mangala at Standard Liege and Koulibaly at Genk.
Mangala later signed with Porto and was sold to Manchester City for €40.9/£32 million.
If Koulibaly can replicate his dominant performance in Napoli's 2-0 win over Roma week in, week out, then he will become a world-class centre-back.
10. Tommy Oar
21 of 30
Utrecht's Australian left-forward Tommy Oar, 22, is in career-best form.
He already has more assists after eight Eredivisie games (six) than his last season (five assists from 31 games).
Oar has always been a precocious talent, but his end product was lacking, whether it was playing for the Brisbane Roar or the Australian national team.
When Oar adds goals to his game, he should consider moving to one of Europe's elite leagues, like the Bundesliga or the Premier League.
9. Andrew Robertson
22 of 30
Hull City's Scottish left wing-back/left-back Andrew Robertson, 20, is either a future world-class footballer, or Manchester United's €38.4/£30 million-valued Luke Shaw is vastly overvalued.
When you watch Robertson and then compare him to Shaw, there is hardly any difference.
Both are terrific going forward and are resolute in winning back possession.
8. Robin Knoche
23 of 30
Wolfsburg's German centre-back Robin Knoche, 22, may accomplish something his teammate Naldo has yet to do: play for one of Europe's biggest clubs.
Granted, Wolfsburg have the resources (owned by Volkswagen) to keep Knoche.
But he has all the attributes: height (6'3"), passing ability (85.3 pass completion percentage), aerial prowess (4.5 headers per game) and calmness (0.5 fouls per game) to transition into a world-class centre-back.
If big European clubs want a transfer alternative to Mats Hummels, then take a look at Knoche.
7. Karim Bellarabi
24 of 30
Bayer Leverkusen's German right attacking midfielder Karim Bellarabi, 24, has salvaged his career.
Prior to this season, he had never started six games or more in the Bundesliga for Leverkusen. Loaned out to Eintracht Braunschweig, he regained his confidence and is now a budding star.
He is technically brilliant, he is an entertainer and is a natural match-winner.
Playing as a deep-lying forward behind Leverkusen centre-forward Stefan Kiessling in a 3-3 draw against Stuttgart suggests there is potential for Bellarabi to make a permanent switch centrally.
6. Jose Fonte
25 of 30
Southampton's Portuguese centre-back Jose Fonte, 30, has remained solid, despite the club selling Dejan Lovren to Liverpool for €25.6/£20 million.
Fonte and Lovren were a strong partnership, but given Lovren's struggles at Liverpool, Southampton are winning out in the transfer.
Especially with Fonte stepping up and helping Southampton solidify their defence, whether it is partnering Toby Alderweireld or Maya Yoshida.
Fonte has heavily contributed to Southampton conceding the least amount of goals in the Premier League (five in 10 games).
5. Abdul Rahman Baba
26 of 30
Augsburg's Ghanaian left-back Abdul Rahman Baba, 20, has such high upside. A strong ball-winner, Baba is also a threat charging forward.
In 10 Bundesliga games, he has made 49 tackles, intercepted 30 passes and created three goals.
Having improved drastically since playing for Greuther Furth, he could go on to become one of the best left-backs of his generation.
4. Tony Jantschke
27 of 30
Borussia Monchengladbach's German centre-back/right-back Tony Jantschke, 24, is a dependable defender.
He may not be the tallest or fastest footballer, but he is seemingly always in the right position.
He averages 6.4 clearances per game and his leadership at the back has factored into Gladbach having the second best defence in the Bundesliga (five goals conceded from 10 games).
3. Allan Marques
28 of 30
Udinese's Brazilian central midfielder Allan Marques, 23, is a tackling machine, but receives little recognition outside of Serie A.
In 10 league games this season, he has already accumulated 51 tackles.
There is a significant gap in quality when you compare him to his teammates Guilherme and Emmanuel Badu.
Both are top-flight standard footballers, which is a testament to how great of a midfielder Allan is.
2. Loris Karius
29 of 30
Mainz's German goalkeeper Loris Karius, 21, is one of the premier shot-savers in Europe.
At 6'3" and 165 pounds, he is a big presence in the Mainz backline. This season, he leads the Bundesliga in shots saved (47) and his 3.9 saves per goal conceded is first-rate.
If he keeps up his form, he could emulate compatriot Marc-Andre ter Stegen by signing for a major European club.
1. Rubio Rubin
30 of 30
Utrecht's United States deep-lying forward Rubio Rubin, 18, could be USA's most talented footballer since Landon Donovan.
Unlike Freddy Adu, who was burdened with outlandish expectations, Rubin has slipped under the radar.
He made a brave life-changing decision to bypass the safety net of college and embark on a European adventure.
He could have easily been lost in the wilderness like compatriot Gale Agbossoumonde.
But Rubin not only has outstanding intangibles to survive in a new environment, he is a technician and his style of play suits the attack-minded Eredivisie.
Rubin regularly creates separation from his marker and finds his teammates with piercing passes. He has already accumulated four assists in eight league games.
What he needs to work on is his finishing because he is 0-17 in goals-shots taken.
Statistics via WhoScored
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