As with other team sports, football has a tendency to share the spotlight between the team members unfairly. Forwards get it all, and even if they miss the target for the whole game straight it’s one critical strike that lands into the net and they are heroes to the fans. The others, unfortunately, have to earn the attention with sweat and tears, and sometimes even that ain’t enough despite the contribution they make to the end result. The odds on such players’ effective actions are always low and it’s an interesting angle to explore with the Betfred app, available to download through the review link. Let’s see how the unsung heroes of the 2000s made their teams better.
Claude Makélélé: The man who had a position named after him
If you thought the only way to get something named after you was to discover a new planet, think again. Claude Makélélé, the French midfielder who was so good at destroying opposition attacks that he had an entire position named after him. “The ‘Makélélé role’ became synonymous with the defensive midfielder who does the dirty work so the fancy boys up front can make stepovers and back heel passes.
Makélélé was so underrated that when Real Madrid sold him, his teammate Zinedine Zidane reportedly exclaimed, “Why are you putting one more layer of gold plating on the Bentley when you sold the engine?” Yes, Zizou, sometimes it’s the inner values that count.
Javier Zanetti: The man with eternal youth
While other players came and went faster than fashion in the 90s, Javier Zanetti stood like a rock at Inter Milan for almost two decades. His stamina was so legendary that rumour has it that even Dorian Gray was envious.
Zanetti could play every position on the pitch, possibly simultaneously if you asked him nicely. His hair remained perfectly coiffed throughout 90 minutes of intense football, leading researchers to ponder whether he might be half human, half jelly.
Michael Carrick: Football’s answer to a stealth bomber
If you’ve ever watched a Manchester United game and thought, “Hey, who was that guy who just won the ball, made a perfect pass and disappeared again?”, it was probably Michael Carrick. He was like football’s answer to a ninja – quiet, efficient and with a tendency to disappear into the shadows.
Carrick was so good at reading the game that rumour has it he could predict his opponent’s next move before they knew it themselves. He was the quiet force that kept United going while the more glamorous players took the glory and the advertising contracts.
Dirk Kuyt: The Dutch Duracell bunny
If you’ve ever watched Dirk Kuyt play and thought, “Doesn’t this man ever get tired?”, you’re not alone. Kuyt was like a human Duracell rabbit on the football pitch – he just kept going and going and going.
He could play striker, midfielder, fullback, and probably goalkeeper if you asked him to. Rumour has it that Kuyt once ran a marathon during half-time just to keep fit.
Esteban Cambiasso: Football’s answer to a chess grandmaster
Esteban Cambiasso was so intelligent on the pitch that he probably could have solved the Rubik’s Cube while playing. His tactical understanding was so advanced that even the computer game Football Manager felt inferior.
Cambiasso was the mastermind behind Inter’s success in the 2000s, and rumour has it that he could predict the opponent’s formation before they had made up their minds. He was like a cross between Einstein and Maradona, but with less hair and fewer controversial statements.
Park Ji-sung: Three lungs and a heart of gold
If you thought humans only had two lungs, then you’ve never seen Park Ji-sung play. The South Korean midfielder ran so much that scientists considered examining him for hidden extremities.
Park was Sir Alex Ferguson’s secret weapon. When Ferguson needed someone to mark an opponent out of the match, he would point to Park and probably say something like: “Go out and be annoying”. And annoying he was – to the opposition, that is.
Legacy: The overlooked heroes live on
The players we made this article about haven’t been the stars on the covers of magazines or considered in the talks for the Ballon d’Or, but they glued their teams together and made them the clubs with the “top” prefix. For the fans who still believe that football has a heart and soul these players are the epitome of such a vague idea.
And in the unfair world of glamorous goal celebrations it’s the underrated quiet heroes who do the job and make the goals happen in the first place: through surgically precise tackles, accurate passes, tactical understanding and never-ending movement. Let’s give more credit to them, be more attentive to how the game unfolds and who really contributes to the end result.