# Which star signing was most unfairly written off at first?

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

*By YPB Team · Published July 22, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/which-star-signing-was-most-unfairly-written-off-at-first*

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## Current results (1 vote)

1. **Luka Modrić** — score 1000/1000
   Voted worst La Liga signing of 2012–13 by Marca readers — then won six Champions Leagues and the Ballon d'Or at Real Madrid.
2. **Dennis Bergkamp** — score 833/1000
   Mocked after seven goalless games for Arsenal in 1995, he became one of the Premier League's greatest ever players.
3. **Andrea Pirlo** — score 642/1000
   Deemed surplus at Inter, he moved on to define the deep playmaker role for Milan and Italy.
4. **Mohamed Salah** — score 577/1000
   Discarded by Chelsea as a flop, he returned with Liverpool to break Premier League scoring records.
5. **Cristiano Ronaldo** — score 500/1000
   Derided as a step-over show pony in his first United season before rewriting football's record books.
6. **Kevin De Bruyne** — score 500/1000
   Sold by Chelsea after three starts, he came back to run the Premier League for a decade at Manchester City.
7. **Zinedine Zidane** — score 409/1000
   Whistled early at Juventus in 1996 — within two years he was a World Cup winner and the world's best.
8. **Olivier Giroud** — score 300/1000
   Perpetually doubted at Arsenal and Chelsea, he ended up a World Cup winner and France's record scorer.
9. **Didier Drogba** — score 300/1000
   Dismissed as an overpriced gamble in his first Chelsea season before becoming their biggest big-game player.
10. **Thierry Henry** — score 300/1000
   Eight games without a goal after joining Arsenal — he left as the club's record scorer.
11. **Virgil van Dijk** — score 300/1000
   Ridiculed as a £75m panic buy, he transformed Liverpool into champions of England and Europe.
12. **Granit Xhaka** — score 300/1000
   Arsenal's scapegoat for years, he left as the heartbeat of a title challenge and a Leverkusen invincible.
13. **Rodri** — score 300/1000
   Questioned as a slow Fernandinho replacement, he became a Ballon d'Or-winning anchor for club and country.
14. **David de Gea** — score 167/1000
   Written off as too lightweight in his first Manchester United months, he became their long-time No. 1.

Tags: football, players, transfers