Top 32 Star Signings Unfairly Written Off at First

Booed, benched and branded flops — then they made everyone eat their words. Whose early critics look silliest now?

1. 1
   Luka Modrić

   Voted worst La Liga signing of 2012–13 by Marca readers — then won six Champions Leagues and the Ballon d'Or at Real Madrid.
   1000pts

   DI
2. 2
   Dennis Bergkamp

   Mocked after seven goalless games for Arsenal in 1995, he became one of the Premier League's greatest ever players.
   833pts
3. 3
   Andrea Pirlo

   Deemed surplus at Inter, he moved on to define the deep playmaker role for Milan and Italy.
   642pts
4. 4
   Mohamed Salah

   Discarded by Chelsea as a flop, he returned with Liverpool to break Premier League scoring records.
   577pts
5. 5
   Cristiano Ronaldo

   Derided as a step-over show pony in his first United season before rewriting football's record books.
   500pts
6. 6
   Kevin De Bruyne

   Sold by Chelsea after three starts, he came back to run the Premier League for a decade at Manchester City.
   500pts
7. 7
   Zinedine Zidane

   Whistled early at Juventus in 1996 — within two years he was a World Cup winner and the world's best.
   409pts
8. 8
   Olivier Giroud

   Perpetually doubted at Arsenal and Chelsea, he ended up a World Cup winner and France's record scorer.
   300pts
9. 9
   Didier Drogba

   Dismissed as an overpriced gamble in his first Chelsea season before becoming their biggest big-game player.
   300pts
10. 10
    Thierry Henry

    Eight games without a goal after joining Arsenal — he left as the club's record scorer.
    300pts
11. 11
    Virgil van Dijk

    Ridiculed as a £75m panic buy, he transformed Liverpool into champions of England and Europe.
    300pts
12. 12
    Granit Xhaka

    Arsenal's scapegoat for years, he left as the heartbeat of a title challenge and a Leverkusen invincible.
    300pts
13. 13
    Rodri

    Questioned as a slow Fernandinho replacement, he became a Ballon d'Or-winning anchor for club and country.
    300pts
14. 14
    David de Gea

    Written off as too lightweight in his first Manchester United months, he became their long-time No. 1.
    0pts
15. 15
    Patrice Evra

    Hauled off at half-time of a 3-1 derby defeat on his Manchester United debut in 2006, he became their long-serving left-back and won five Premier League titles.
16. 16
    Nemanja Vidić

    Struggled to adapt to English football after arriving in January 2006, then became the rock of United's defence, winning five league titles and the 2008 Champions League.
17. 17
    Jordan Henderson

    Doubted as an overpriced signing and nearly swapped to Fulham for Clint Dempsey in 2012, he went on to captain Liverpool to Champions League and Premier League titles.
18. 18
    Gareth Bale

    Called a jinx after Tottenham failed to win any of his first 24 league games, he became a two-time PFA Player of the Year and a world-record signing.
19. 19
    Robert Lewandowski

    Mostly a back-up in his first Dortmund season and questioned as a finisher, he became the Bundesliga's most prolific striker of his generation.
20. 20
    Karim Benzema

    Mocked by José Mourinho as a cat rather than a hunting dog in his early Real Madrid years, he finished as the club's second-highest scorer and a Ballon d'Or winner.
21. 21
    Thibaut Courtois

    Whistled by the Bernabéu after a shaky first season in 2018-19, he was named man of the match in Real Madrid's 2022 Champions League final win.
22. 22
    Vinícius Júnior

    Mocked for his wayward finishing in his early Real Madrid seasons, he scored the 2022 Champions League final winner and was named FIFA's best player in 2024.
23. 23
    Kai Havertz

    Derided as a £65m mistake after a slow start at Arsenal, he reinvented himself as a striker and scored 13 Premier League goals in his first season.
24. 24
    Ousmane Dembélé

    Written off as an injury-prone flop after his €105m move to Barcelona, he won the Champions League and the 2025 Ballon d'Or with Paris Saint-Germain.
25. 25
    Frank Lampard

    His £11m move from West Ham in 2001 was widely called overpriced, yet he left Chelsea as the club's all-time record goalscorer with 211 goals.
26. 26
    Michael Carrick

    Questioned as an overpriced £18.6m buy from Tottenham in 2006, he became the calm heartbeat of United's midfield, winning five league titles and the Champions League.
27. 27
    Robert Pires

    Found the Premier League's pace and physicality hard in his first Arsenal months, then won the 2002 Football Writers' Player of the Year and two league titles.
28. 28
    Andy Robertson

    An £8m signing from relegated Hull who barely played in his first months at Liverpool, he became one of the world's best left-backs and a Premier League champion.
29. 29
    Philippe Coutinho

    Loaned out by Inter as a failed prospect, he joined Liverpool for £8.5m and became their creative star before a £142m move to Barcelona.
30. 30
    Diego Forlán

    Mocked for going 27 games without a goal at Manchester United, he later won two European Golden Shoes and the Golden Ball at the 2010 World Cup.
31. 31
    Serge Gnabry

    Dismissed by Tony Pulis as not up to the level during a forgettable loan at West Brom, he became a Champions League and treble winner with Bayern Munich.
32. 32
    Martin Ødegaard

    Labelled a failed wonderkid after years of loans away from Real Madrid, he became Arsenal's captain and one of the Premier League's best playmakers.

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