AC Milan
Underappreciated Greats: Twenty Players Whose Work Was Often Overlooked
Twenty players whose decisive moments and sustained contributions have been consistently overlooked..
Every era rewards certain stars with lasting spotlight. This piece re-centres the conversation on players whose decisive moments and steady output deserved greater recognition.
Keylor Navas anchored Real Madrid’s run of three consecutive Champions League titles between 2016 and 2018 and later provided Paris Saint-Germain with dependable performances as they collected domestic trophies. Romelu Lukaku’s record — his country’s all-time leading goalscorer, more than 300 club goals across Belgium, England and Italy and trophies with multiple teams — is routinely judged more harshly than it should be.
Branislav Ivanović combined physicality with football intelligence, supplying precise crosses and a genuine goal threat; he helped Chelsea to three Premier League titles, three FA Cups and the Champions League, including a decisive header in the Europa League final in 2013. Adriano, for all the talk about his career’s what-ifs, was “one of the best players I have ever played with. He was a different animal. Nobody could stop him,” said Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Mario Mandžukić delivered in the biggest moments — scoring the extra-time winner to send Croatia past England in the 2018 World Cup semifinals, netting in the final, and opening the scoring for Bayern in the 2013 Champions League final. James Milner, the Premier League’s most capped appearance-maker, has been a Premier League and Champions League winner and an adaptable presence at the top level.
Diego Milito’s brace sealed Inter’s 2009–10 Champions League triumph at the Santiago Bernabéu, yet his scant international tournament minutes feel unjust. Edin Džeko’s equaliser two minutes before Sergio Agüero’s title-sealing goal was crucial; the Bosnian amassed over 450 career goals across Germany, England and Italy.
Guti made 542 appearances for Real Madrid and helped the club to 15 trophies — three Champions League and five La Liga titles — though his output is often reduced to a single viral backheel assist. Ian Rush remains Liverpool’s top scorer with 346 goals and a record of domestic and European trophies in the 1980s and 1990s.
Elsewhere, Frank Rijkaard, Youri Djorkaeff, Bebeto and Romário, Steve Bruce (who, Neil Warnock said, would “die to get three points out there.”), Santi Cazorla, Olivier Giroud, Alessandro Costacurta, Juan Román Riquelme (for whom Louis van Gaal observed, “When we have the ball, we have the world’s best player. But when we lose the ball, we play with 10 men,”) and Matt Le Tissier all exemplify players whose influence has too often been marginalised in wider discussion.
AC Milan
Amorim Reflects on His Manchester United Missteps After Moving On
Amorim admits mistakes at United, reflects on his exit, and begins again at AC Milan.
Ruben Amorim has admitted that his spell at Manchester United came with “a lot of mistakes”, saying the experience taught him plenty before his move to AC Milan.
The Portuguese coach was dismissed in January after a breakdown in relations with the club’s hierarchy, including director of football Jason Wilcox, and the club then paid another £15.9 million ($21.2 million) to remove him and his staff. His exit brought down a turbulent 14-month stay that never found stable ground.
Amorim’s United side struggled to impose itself, with a back-three structure that often left the team short of control and vulnerable to the unpredictability of Premier League football. The numbers from his time at Old Trafford underline why the project unravelled. He leaves with the club’s worst Premier League win ratio at 32%, the worst goals conceded per game ratio at 1.53, and the lowest clean sheet ratio at 15% in their history.
Across 63 matches, United won 25, drew 15 and lost 23, with a win percentage of 39.7 and a +8 goal difference. The decline in results and the lack of a clear identity were central to the decision to move on.
Now at AC Milan after replacing Massimiliano Allegri, Amorim says the past is behind him. Speaking during a press conference on Milan’s preseason tour down under, he said: “The first thing is that it doesn’t matter anymore,” Amorim told reporters during a press conference on Milan’s preseason tour down under. “That is the feeling. There’s a history, then something happens, the context changes, and you focus on the next challenge.”
AC Milan are backing him to restore them to the top of Serie A after back-to-back finishes of eighth and fifth, having parted ways with Allegri in May. Amorim was appointed on June 15 and now begins a new chapter with a very different set of expectations.
AC Milan
Amorim apologises to Manchester United fans and admits he made ‘many mistakes’
Amorim apologised to Manchester United supporters for not addressing them after his January exit…
Ruben Amorim used his first press conference as AC Milan coach to apologise to Manchester United supporters and concede that his time at Old Trafford contained a string of errors he did not have the space to explain in full. He said he had stayed silent for six months after his sacking and only spoke after joining Milan.
On the subject of his United tenure Amorim told assembled media: “It is hard to explain the mistakes,” and added: “It is hard to tell you about every mistake, but I learned a lot.
He continued: “I made some mistakes. I didn’t have the opportunity to say something to the Manchester United fans at that moment, and I am sorry for that. I am really proud to have been their coach for a year, but now it is a different history.
Amorim acknowledged there were many things he could have handled better during his 14 months in England. “There are a lot of things that I could have done better at the last experience. But sometimes it is like that. You have to learn to find the right spots to reach a different level.” He said the period of reflection followed a collapse of a campaign that ended only after he publicly lambasted his own bosses.
One recurrent criticism in England concerned his persistence with the 3-4-2-1 shape that had delivered success at Sporting CP but that he continued to employ at United. The coach admitted he delayed a change of system until a victory at Newcastle the day after last Christmas, and explained he had held out because he did not want players to feel he was yielding to outside pressure. “When you [journalists] talk about changing the system all the time, I cannot change because the players will understand that I am changing because of you,” he said.
The press conference also highlighted wider communication issues that dogged his spell at United. The man nicknamed “the Poet” by Cristiano Ronaldo was repeatedly drawn into controversy for public criticism of individuals and the squad, a style that the article says alienated certain players, most notably Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo. Amorim accepted his biggest misstep came before his first match when he left Sporting with an unbeaten start to 2024–25 after being presented with an immediate ultimatum to join United.
AC Milan
Amorim accepts ‘even bigger challenge’ as Milan appointment follows United exit
Amorim calls Milan a big challenge after his Manchester United exit and the Rossoneri reset. fully.
Ruben Amorim has returned to management with AC Milan six months after his abrupt exit from Manchester United in January 2026. The Portuguese arrived as the Rossoneri begin a full reset following a disappointing end to 2025–26 that cost the previous coach his job.
Amorim’s time at Manchester United ended after an attempt to implement a major tactical change failed to deliver the required consistency. The club improved at stages during the second half of 2025–26 but results remained uneven and a reported disagreement with sporting director Jason Wilcox over tactics was said to have left the relationship beyond repair.
Milan dismissed Massimiliano Allegri after being pipped to Champions League qualification by Como on the final day of Serie A, a collapse that followed a title challenge that lasted until February. The club also sacked the chief executive, sporting director and technical director for “unequivocal failure.” Massimo Calvelli was appointed the new CEO in late June amid reported plans to restructure from within and uncertainty over replacements in other director roles.
On arrival in the city ahead of formally starting work, Amorim framed the Milan job in personal terms. “I am truly very happy to be here. It’s an honor to be the Milan coach. If you watch an old interview of mine, I said that this is a special club for me,” he told reporters outside Milan Linate Airport.
“It’s a big challenge,” he continued. “After the last time [at Manchester United], I told myself to choose less demanding challenges, yet here I am, it’s an even bigger challenge.
“But I am proud to be here; now I want to work with my staff and my players … I am truly happy to be here. Am I here to win? You cannot come to Milan without this mentality. We have a lot to do, but if you are the Milan coach, you must play to win.”
Amorim’s rapid return is also of financial consequence to Manchester United, limiting the overall compensation due to him and his staff. For Milan the appointment comes amid high expectations from a club that has won Serie A only twice since 2004, while Juventus have taken nine titles and Inter eight in the same period.
