As the old saying goes, a team is as strong as its weakest player.
For a team to become legendary, it must be filled with talent. Those few individual parties that have recorded themselves in history textbooks as the best of all time have had a long list of world-class stars.
But not everyone can be a shining light – there are some who fall under the radar and get lost among the sea of stars. On that note, Daily Star Sport look at the six members of the legendary teams that you have completely forgotten about.
Danny Simpson
Sir Alex Ferguson was spoiled by the choice of Manchester United the team he had between 2006 and 2009, each position was filled Premier League large. This made it difficult for young team members such as Danny Simpson to break through.
The defender got a chance at the start of the 2007/08 season and played eight games under Fergie, scoring in the league and Champions League double. But he eventually left the club in search of regular playing time, and became part of a great team that won the Leicester City title.
Despite this, his spells at Old Trafford remained pathetic. “It’s good, but at the same time sad,” he said UTD podcast last year.
I think I could have done more. I think I only had eight or nine games, but it’s sad because I think I could have had more of those moments at United if you weren’t fond of output and stuff. ”
Who did we miss? Let us know in comments section.
Graham Stack
(Image: Action Images)
Goalkeeper Graham Stack found himself in the 2003/04 season Arsenal the team accidentally after Jens Lehman’s backup Stuart Taylor was injured and he was called in for a replacement. He did not appear in the Premier League during their excellent Invincible campaign.
Just five appearances for the League Cup means his name does not come to mind for most, when they remember Arsene Wenger’s invincible team, but part of it was him. Stack said Daily Mail in 2018: “Quality was scary, and training was always competitive, they had the advantage, but that’s why we had such a successful team.
“Looking back on it, I realized what a great set of players we had there. It doesn’t happen until you go back in time and think I was sitting with him or I was training with him. ” now I appreciate it much more than then. ”
Alexey Smertin
(Image: Popperfoto via Getty Images)
Jose Mourinho went into English football like a duck on the water in his first season Chelsea, winning his first league title in 50 years, and raising the League Cup. Among those who helped him achieve this was Russian Alexei Smertin.
The midfielder was loaned to Portsmouth last season, but played 25 appearances in all competitions throughout the two-time campaign. The next loan in Charlton followed, which means that Death’s involvement at Stamford Bridge is easily forgotten.
“Chelsea is not like Portsmouth or Charlton,” he said Athletic last year. “Even if you sacrifice yourself for 90 minutes, it’s not enough for a club like Chelsea for the top level.
“You have to be more useful. It’s not enough to just keep the ball without mistakes. You have to build things and be sharper, smarter. Sometimes I couldn’t be at that level.”
Eliakim Mangala
(Image: Manchester City via Getty Images)
Manchester City spent staggering sums of money to form a super team that has proven to be one of the best in recent years. However, not all of these investments worked.
Perhaps the worst was the £ 42 million fee they splashed out on Eliakim Mangala. The central defender quickly fell out of favor with Etihad after his move from Porto in 2014.
However, he played a small role in the historic 2017/18 City season, as a result of which they scored 100 points, which was the highest figure in the history of the English first champions, with nine appearances in the league. Mangala is a player that fans have most likely decided to forget about, not the one they slipped out of.
Alexander Gleb
(Image: Getty Images)
BarcelonaThe Russian team in the 2008/09 season was a joy to watch. Pep Guardiola led them to the first trouble in the history of Spain, as their antics tiki-taka proved too numerous in the Copa del Rey, La Liga and the Champions League.
Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, Thierry Henry – the list goes on. But former Arsenal midfielder Alexander Gleb was very prominent in the team, which he admitted was his own business in 2020.
Speaking to the Spanish newspaper Marca, he said: “It was entirely my fault, not Guardiola’s. He did his best to help me adapt quickly to the country and the group and learn the language. I behaved like a fool. The group was very good.
“Training with these players was incredible, they were stars. [Xavi] made no mistakes. How is this possible? I made a few mistakes, but I have good memories from all the clubs. “
Jonathan Greening
(Image: Getty Images)
Just over two years before United’s iconic Champions League final victory in 1999, Jonathan Greening played for York City and then found himself on the bench for the Red Devils against Bayern Munich.
He told talk SPORTS: “The Champions League should be there, I just turned 20. I didn’t know if I would be on the bench. It wasn’t from me and John Curtis because there were a few injuries and deviations like Keane and Scholes who missed the final.
“I learned an hour before the game that I would be on the bench. You can only imagine it as a “United” fan at the “Camp Nou” on the bench of the Champions League final and win it the way we did in the last minute of the game, all the festivities after and lift this iconic trophy ”.
After a three-year stay at Old Trafford, Greening has gone in search of regular playing time and is often forgotten as part of the three-time United team.
