Football may be the most popular sport in the world, but there are some forgotten heroes who made a name for themselves during their time at the top. In this list, we reveal the most underrated footballers of the 90s.
Have you ever wondered who the greatest players of all time were? There was a time when football was an absolute craze, and the game’s best players were in the public eye on a daily basis.
Nowadays, football has moved on from that era, and the names of the biggest stars are barely even known by younger fans. With that said, let’s take a look at some of the Underrated Footballers Of the 90s.
Top Most Underrated Footballers Of The 90s
Here are the most Underrated Footballers of the 90s.
| Name | Country | Position |
| Gabriel Batistuta | Argentina | Striker |
| Davor Šuker | Croatia | Striker |
| Andrea Pirlo | Italy | Midfielder |
| Ronald Koeman | Netherlands | Defender |
| Nicky Butt | England | Midfielder |
| Günter Netzer | Germany | Attacking Midfielder |
| Matthias Sammer | Germany | Defensive Midfielder |
| Hristo Stoichkov | Bulgaria | Striker |
| Gaetano Scirea | Italy | Defender |
| Michael Laudrup | Denmark | Forward |
| Gheorghe Hagi | Romania | Striker |
1. Gabriel Batistuta, Argentina
| Full Name | Gabriel Omar Batistuta |
| Date of Birth | 1 February 1969 ( Age 53 ) |
| Country | Avellaneda, Santa Fe, Argentina |
| Football Clubs | Juventus, River Plate |
| Goals | 304 |
| Achievement | Copa America Champion |
| Date of Death | — |
| Height | 1.85 m ( 6 ft 1 in ) |
| Position | Striker |
Batistuta Deserves To Be Remembered: The fact that he played for the mighty Juventus team of Italy is a testament to his talent. His nickname was ‘El Pibe de Oro’ or ‘The Golden Boy. Although he retired from football in 2003, many still consider him one of the greatest players of all time.
At the World Cup in 1990, Batistuta scored five goals in Argentina’s quarterfinal defeat to Italy. He was considered to be the best player in Argentina at the time and was named the tournament’s most valuable player.
He won several major trophies with La Juventus, including the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup in 1995. His time in the spotlight also saw him win a few awards, including the FIFA World Player of the Year in 1998. He was named to the All-Star team of the Century in 2000.
His career began when he joined River Plate at the age of 18. The striker soon became famous after a match against Juventus FC. Batistuta scored four goals and created several chances for his teammates. His hat trick gave him the nickname ‘El Pibe del Amor’ (the boy of love).
2. Davor Šuker – Real Madrid
| Full Name | Davor Šuker |
| Date of Birth | 1 January 1968 ( Age 54 ) |
| Country | Osijek, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia |
| Football Clubs | Real Madrid, Arsenal, Sevilla |
| Goals | 248 |
| Achievement | La Liga, Champions League |
| Date of Death | — |
| Height | 1.83 m ( 6 ft 0 in ) |
| Position | Striker |
Šuker was an Underrated Footballers Of The 90s Player. When we think about Real Madrid, we imagine Zinedine Zidane or Cristiano Ronaldo, but what about this guy? He was not only a great player for the Spanish club, but he was also one of the best defenders in world football.
His career with the ‘Blues’ started out badly, but after a short spell at Monaco, he became a mainstay at his new team. He helped them win the Champions League in 1998 and 2000. But it was his last season with Real Madrid in which he really made a name for himself. He scored 16 goals in 29 appearances in the league, and he was voted the Best striker of the Year by the French newspaper L’Equipe.
Šuker is considered one of the greatest strikers in the game’s history. He is best remembered for his great goalscoring abilities and his famous “Goal Dance.” he played for a number of different clubs during his career, but none of them compared to Real Madrid.
3. Andrea Pirlo, Italy
| Full Name | Andrea Pirlo |
| Date of Birth | 19 May 1979 ( Age 43 ) |
| Country | Flero, Italy |
| Football Clubs | Inter Milan, Ac Milan, Juventus |
| Goals | 73 |
| Achievement | Serie A, Italian Cup |
| Date of Death | — |
| Height | 1.77 m ( 5 ft 10 in ) |
| Position | Midfielder |
Pirlo has scored lots of goals for the Italian national team. He is one of the greatest midfielders of all time. His style of play is different from most other players. The main difference is that he likes to pass the ball rather than shoot with his feet. He is an excellent passer who uses his left foot. He is also good in the air.
Why he deserves to be on the list: The Italian midfielder is one of the best ever to play the game. He had a solid career that took him to several club teams. He won the Italian league twice at AC Milan and played for them in three Champions League finals. He was Underrated in world football.
4. Ronald Koeman, Netherlands
| Full Name | Ronald Koeman |
| Date of Birth | 21 March 1963 ( Age 59 ) |
| Country | Zaandam, Netherlands |
| Football Clubs | Ajax, PSV, Barcelona |
| Goals | 206 |
| Achievement | Eredivisie Titles, La Liga |
| Date of Death | — |
| Height | 1.81 m ( 5 ft 11 in ) |
| Position | Defender, Midfielder |
Koeman made a comeback to football in 1990 as he joined the Dutch club Ajax where he quickly became a regular for the club. He stayed at Ajax until 1996, when he signed for Valencia in Spain, where he stayed until the end of 1998 when he joined Sampdoria.
During his time at Sampdoria, he played for the Italian club in the 1994, 1996, and 1998 World Cups, helping his team to win the trophy in 1996.
He left the Italian side in 2000, signing for Galatasaray for a fee of £14 million and then Everton in England for £15 million. In his eight years at Goodison Park, he led the Toffees to two UEFA Cup titles and one FA Cup title.
5. Nicky Butt, Manchester United
| Full Name | Nicholas Butt |
| Date of Birth | 21 January 1975 ( Age 47 ) |
| Country | Gorton, Manchester, England |
| Football Clubs | Manchester United, Newcastle United |
| Goals | 30 |
| Achievement | Premier League, FA Cup, Champions League |
| Date of Death | — |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in ( 1.78 m ) |
| Position | Midfielder |
Another most Underrated Footballers Of The 90s is Nicholas Butt. He may have only spent a few years at one of the world’s biggest clubs, but he’ll forever be remembered as one of the best midfielders of all time. He’s probably the most famous midfielder of the past decade even though he was never actually in the Premier League.
Butt started out at Manchester City and went on to make over 300 appearances for United between 1994 and 2001. He even won the FA Cup in 1996 and helped his side to two successive Champions League triumphs.
When he retired, he went on to form a coaching team at the Old Trafford club. He’s now responsible for developing young footballers and is still involved with the Premier League’s Future Stars Awards.
6. Günter Netzer, Germany
| Full Name | Günter Theodor Netzer |
| Date of Birth | 14 September 1944 ( Age 78 ) |
| Country | Mönchengladbach, Germany |
| Football Clubs | Borussia Monchengladbach, Real Madrid |
| Goals | 126 |
| Achievement | League Titles |
| Date of Death | — |
| Height | 1.78 m ( 5 ft 10 in ) |
| Position | Attacking Midfielder |
Netzer played for Borussia Monchengladbach in 1963 and 1973 and was a key player for the German national team and the club. He is one of the most famous players of his generation, and he also made an impression at the Euro 1984 tournament.
He never received a single award for his outstanding performance while he was playing. That is probably why the public had forgotten about him for so long.
Netzer was a very influential player at the club and is the second-highest-scoring defender in Bayern Munich’s history behind Franz Beckenbauer. He made more than 500 appearances for the Bavarian club. In total, he scored 44 goals for them.
7. Matthias Sammer, Germany
| Full Name | Matthias Sammer |
| Date of Birth | 5 September 1967 ( Age 55 ) |
| Country | Dresden, East Germany |
| Football Clubs | Inter Milan, Borussia Dortmund |
| Goals | 98 |
| Achievement | Won Bundesliga and DFL Super Cup |
| Date of Death | — |
| Height | 1.81 m ( 5 ft 11in ) |
| Position | Defensive Midfielder |
Matthias became a household name after his career at the famous Borussia Dortmund club, but many forget that he once played for Bayern Munich as well. He had a fantastic career at both clubs and scored over 70 goals in two separate spells.
At the beginning of his career, he was nicknamed ‘The Little Machine’ because of his speed. He later changed his nickname to ‘Sammer the Magician’ because of his ability to score goals with the slightest of touches. After retirement, he spent the rest of his life working for FIFA as an ambassador. He also Underrated Footballers Of The 90s in the Football Community.
Sammer is considered to be one of the greatest defenders of all time because of his amazing aerial ability and calm on the ball. His great passing ability was second only to his speed.
8. Hristo Stoichkov, Bulgaria
| Full Name | Hristo Stoichkov Stoichkov |
| Date of Birth | 8 February 1966 ( Age 56 ) |
| Country | Plovdiv, Bulgaria |
| Football Clubs | Barcelona, Parma, Chicago Fire |
| Goals | 257 |
| Achievement | Won Bundesliga and DFL Super Cup |
| Date of Death | — |
| Height | 1.78 m ( 5 ft 10 in ) |
| Position | Forward |
Most people know him for his play for the Bulgarian national team. He helped the country to win the 1990 European Championships and reached the quarterfinals of the 1994 World Cup.
He started out at Dynamo Kyiv, one of the world’s biggest clubs at the time. Stoichkov later moved to Marseille, where he stayed for three years and played for them in four consecutive European Championships.
Stoichkov moved to Barcelona in 1994, where he spent four seasons and two World Cups. He helped Spain win the 1998 World Cup. He also won six La Liga titles and one UEFA Champions League title with Barca.
9. Gaetano Scirea, Italy
| Full Name | Gaetano Scirea |
| Date of Birth | 25 May 1953 |
| Country | Cernusco Sul Naviglio, Lombardy, Italy |
| Football Clubs | Atalanta, Juventus |
| Goals | 27 |
| Achievement | 1982 World Cup Champion, UEFA Champion |
| Date of Death | 3 September 1989 ( Aged 36 ) |
| Place of Death | Babsk, Skierniewice, Poland |
| Height | 1.78 m ( 5 ft 10 in ) |
| Position | Defender |
Scierea was the national football team’s captain during the 1980s and was one of the greatest midfielders of his time but Underrated Footballers Of The 90s. He was only 32 when he died, which shows his tremendous career. He started playing professionally at the age of just 15, which is unbelievable.
Scirea was born in Rome on June 9, 1960. His first team was Perugia. After playing there for five years, he joined the Italian national team in 1978 and has been with them ever since.
He was a part of three World Cups between 1982 and 1990 and also played at Euro 84, Euro 88, Euro 92, and Euro 96. During those tournaments, he became one of the best midfielders in the world. On November 11, 1986, he scored the only goal in a 1-0 World Cup qualifying match victory over Yugoslavia.
Two months later, on January 25, 1987, he scored the winner in Italy’s 3-0 win over Sweden. In his entire career, he scored 23 goals, and he remains Italy’s top all-time goalscorer.
10. Michael Laudrup, Denmark
| Full Name | Michael Laudrup |
| Date of Birth | 15 June 1964 ( Age 58 ) |
| Country | Frederiksberg, Denmark |
| Football Clubs | Lazio, Juventus, Barcelona, Real Madrid |
| Goals | 156 |
| Achievement | Won League Title Of La Liga, Serie A |
| Date of Death | —- |
| Height | 1.83 m ( 6 ft 0 in ) |
| Position | Attacking Midfielder, Forward |
Laudrup, was the most famous footballer, but he was never appreciated when playing for the Danish national team. Underrated Footballers Michael Laudrup turned out to be one of the best players of his era. He played for the Danish team for eight years, scoring 31 goals in that time.
His style of play was very technical, and he would use his skillful movement to create scoring chances for his teammates. He was praised for his performance during the Euro 96 competition.
His style of play was similar to that of Brazilian legend Ronaldo. He was an extremely agile player who could make amazing dribbles and was a free-kick specialist. He also became a very valuable character in the dressing room. He helped the team achieve great success and was a leader on the pitch. His nickname was “The Dane with Golden Hands.” He played the most important role in the first season of the new Danish Superliga, and he captained the team that won the league title in 1995.
11. Gheorghe Hagi, Romania
| Full Name | Gheorghe Hagi |
| Date of Birth | 5 February 1965 ( Age 57 ) |
| Country | Săcele, Romania |
| Football Clubs | FC Constanta, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Galatasaray |
| Goals | 272 |
| Achievement | Romanian League Titles, La Liga, Turkey League |
| Date of Death | — |
| Height | 1.74 m ( 5 ft 9 in ) |
| Position | Attacking Midfielder |
Hagi is a Romanian football star who played as a central defender. He is one of the greatest players that Romania has had. When he was active, he was considered one of the greatest midfielders of all time. He played for Fenerbahce between 1992 and 2000 and was named the UEFA Cup final MVP in 1997 after his side defeated Sporting Lisbon 4-0.
However, his career wasn’t as successful as it could have been because he only scored nine goals in the Champions League and 13 goals in the UEFA Cup. He also retired early due to injury. However, he remains among the all-time greats.
Conclusions
With so many talented athletes in today’s leagues, it is important that we continue to recognize and appreciate those who have gone before us. So, there were some underrated footballers of the 90s.
Some of these players had successful careers in the football industry, while others never received the recognition they deserved. If you know someone who falls into this category, please tell them that they are worth your time and attention.
