As in all areas, some athletes’ achievements can be exaggerated when fans and observers alike emphasize their skills a little more than is necessary. But for every overhyped star, there is an underrated player or players. These are the silent soldiers who often don’t get the recognition they deserve. So let’s take a look at the top 10 underrated Serie A players based on our own humble opinion.
Patizan Belgrade has to be one of the best academies in Eastern Europe when it comes to producing young stars. But we mention current Serie A players who have developed in the ranks of the Serbian giants. The first names that come to mind are Dusan Vlahovic and his former Fiorentina teammate Nikola Milenkovic.
However, Sasa Lukic deserves to be on the same list. The Torino star has slowly but surely developed into one of the most complete midfielders in the league.
Although its youngest defend themselves against Spezia Gaining attention, the 25-year-old was overlooked for most of the campaign.
Since joining Lazio in 2017, Adam Marusic has been one of the most loyal servants in Rome’s blue and white army.
The Montenegrin international is a hard worker who can contribute on both sides of the pitch. At the start of the campaign, Maurizio Sarri had chosen him at right-back ahead of Manuel Lazzari.
But even as the Italian deservedly snagged a place in the starting lineup, Marusic managed to solve the manager’s problem by making a solid change to his less usual role at left-back.
His importance to the cause can sometimes be undermined.
As one would note, underrated full-backs/full-backs feature consistently on this list. Perhaps this role is underestimated in general and not just in Serie A.
In any case, Matteo Darmian is another soldier who can excel on both the right and left flank, helping his team move forward before returning to help his teammates in the back.
The ex-Manchester United man is often seen as a stopgap in Inter’s star-studded squad, but there are plenty of top sides who want a player of his skill.
When you’re playing in the middle of the park for a midfield side with no European ambitions or relegation threats, it’s easy to get lost in the group.
Perhaps that is the case with Jerdy Schouten, who is arguably one of the most underrated registers in Serie A. The Dutchman is often overshadowed by his Bologna midfield partners (Roberto Soriano and Matias Svanberg) but the 25-year-old is the one keeping it going Rossoblu.
At Torino, young Wilfried Singo and the impressive Ola Aina are arguably the club’s best two full-backs. Despite this, Mergim Vojvoda still deserves some love.
The 27-year-old is excellent at moving forward and has excellent cross talent. Let’s see if the Kosovar gets the recognition he deserves grenade or take up business elsewhere.
When it comes to Juan Cuadrado we’re talking about one of the most iconic Serie A wingers of the past decade, with memorable spells at Lecce, Udinese, Fiorentina and currently at Juventus.
So why is The Vespa on the underrated list?
Put simply, the Colombian’s influence on the Bianconeri is often overlooked in favor of others (Cristiano Ronaldo, Paulo Dybala and Gonzalo Higuain). During his time at Torino, his exploits saved the team on numerous occasions over the years, and yet he was never considered an A-lister.
Perhaps it’s his advanced age that means his position on the pitch varies from game to game, but one thing is for sure, Cuadrado deserves more credit than he’s received for his role in the Old Lady’s performances in recent years.
From the start of Faouzi Ghoulam’s never-ending injury woes, the vast majority of observers agreed that Napoli were in dire need of a new left-back.
For one reason or another, the Partenopei Management has refused to heed the call. As such, the much-maligned Mario Rui continues to be the club’s ultimate choice for the role.
Unfortunately for the former Empoli man, he was treated harshly by the club’s supporters, who constantly berated him for his shortcomings.
But to be honest, the Portuguese is far from a bad player despite his technical limitations. This man puts in diligent shifts at every step he takes on the pitch, often covering for Lorenzo Insigne when the latter can’t be traced, while occasionally supplying the strikers with decent crosses.
He’s not that bad. (But seriously, Napoli SHOULD consider buying a new left-back at some point in the near future).
When the upcoming summer transfer market opens its doors, the big boys of Serie A will definitely try their luck for some of the talented youngsters plying their trade at Sassuolo.
The Emilians own a variety of possible future stars, including Giacomo Raspadori, Gianluca Scamacca, Davide Frattesi and Hamed Junior Traorè.
However, there is one name that got lost in the equation. We’re talking about Maxime Lopez, who was arguably the architect for the Neoverdis Exploits in the middle of the park.
The former Olympique Marseille man is still 24 and would be a great profile for any top-flight side looking to bolster their midfield.
After struggling to gain a foothold in Serie A, Gianluca Caprari has cemented himself as one of the country’s top second strikers since joining Verona last summer. He has already contributed 11 goals and seven assists.
Still, the 28-year-old is still a bit of an afterthought for him Kalkio observed. Despite his great stats this season, Roberto Mancini denied him a call-up for Italy’s ill-fated World Cup play-offs last March and few made a fuss about it.
But if he continues to deliver the goods for the giallobluit would be incredibly difficult to deny him a chance to play for them Azzurri in the future.
After rising through the youth ranks at Milan, Davide Calabria’s path in the first team has not always been easy.
Slowly but surely, Stefano Pioli managed to forge a fabulous right-back. speed, endurance, grinta and the ability to go forward, the 25-year-old simply has the tools that a modern full-back needs.
While not as explosive as teammate Theo Hernandez, the Italian is more versatile. So it’s odd that he gets overlooked in favor of others when it comes to the national team – including Alessandro Florenzi who just so happens to be his understudy at Milan!
For these reasons and others, Calabria is arguably one of the most underrated players, not only in Serie A but in European football as well.
