INTRODUCTION-In a campaign packed with breathtaking goals, record-breaking statistics, and super-stardom controversy, it's easy to forget the unsung heroes—the players who don't grab the headlines but are indispensable every time they put on their boots. While the limelight remains glued to the typical superstars, there's a whole cast of footballers who've been putting in performances that deserve great accolades, yet go under the radar.These are the guys who don't always go viral on social media but without whom their team would be half as good. They make the hard tackles, set the pace, make intelligent passes, and open up space for the stars to sparkle. They might not chalk up crazy goal counts, but they add balance, brains, and grit to every game.Be it a full-back shutting down world-class wingers week in and week out, a midfielder who quietly dominates the match, or a striker who labors tirelessly off the ball—these underappreciated players are the pillars of their respective teams.This article is in their honor—the season's unsung heroes. It's about time we spoke about the ones who get their hands dirty, the ones who grind, and the ones who rightly deserve their flowers.
1) MATEO RETEGUI : ATALANTA
Well its safe to say that the "Pr" of Serie A and Italian clubs in genreal seems quite weak, I mean the quality of football in Italy is quite high and is top notch, but no one seems to talk about them.
Mateo Retegui, the 26 year old Atalanta striker just dropped 24 goals and 7 assists this season and I am suprised that no one is even talking about him. He has the most goals and most goals+assists this season in Serie A. With two games still to spare he has already equalled last year's top goalscorer Lautaro Martinez's 24 goals. He playede 10 matches in champions League and was able to bag 3 goals there. Mateo seems to be a proper old school No. 9 and I he should be talked about more. He earned his move to Atalanta from Genoa where he scored 9 goals in 27 matches in the league.
MILE SVILAR : ROMA
Mile Svilar is up next in our list, he is another player from Serie A. He plays for AS Roma, and it is safe to say that he is top 2 goalkeepers in league, if not the best.
Svilar as of now has most clean sheets in Serie-15, highest save percentage in the league- 76.7%, comes second in goals prevented- 6.1, in terms of least goals conceded per match, Svilar comes 2nd with 0.9, Alex Meret is marginally above hime with 0.8.
Mile Svilar joined Roma from Benfica
MICHAEL OLISE : FC BAYERN MUNICH
As we all know Olise was already considered a great talent when he was at Crystal Palace, then he earned his well deserved move to a bigger club -BAYERN MUNICH
And he has had a flying start to his time in Germany, but that has gone under the radar I feel
He has got 16 goals and 17 assist this season for Bayern Munich across all competitions. His 14 assits in the Bundesliga makes him the highest assist provider in the league, he also is second in terms of goals + assist with 25, second only to his fellow teammate Harry Kane.
Olise is number one in terms of chances created and big chances created in bundesliga with 88 and 31 respectively.
He comes fourth in terms of successful dribbles per 90 which is 2.8 and dribble success rate at 53.9% which puts him among the top.
He is in wonderful form, and one of the best wingers in the world
ANTONEE ROBINSON : FULHAM
Antonee Robinson is an American left-back who plays for Fulham — and oh boy, he’s quite a player.
Before we talk about stats and all I have watched him live a couple of times and the work rate he offers is insane, just running down that wing, contributing to attack and then quickly coming back, his crosses are great as well, fantastic athelticism overall.
According to opta analyst Ali Tweedale, "Antonee Robinson has embarked on more sprints than any other player", that really says a lot about how hardworking he is.
Antonee Robinson has 10 assists this season making him joint third in terms of assists in the league. He also joint second for interceptions made-57 and interceptions per match - 1.7 and lastly in the top 15 for tackles per match - 2.6
JACOB MURPHY : NEWCASTLE UNITED
So Newcastle are about to qualify for UCL and had a great season, Alexander Isak is on the top of the world and everyone is talking about him and why not he is currently one of the best goalscorers in the world, but there is another Newcastle player who has had a fabulous season - Jacob Murphy
Jacob Murphy this season has bagged 12 assits this season second only to Mohamed Salah, he also has scored 8 goals in the League.
He is among the top players in the league in terms of successful dribbles, successful crosses and chances created. It is pretty clear that Murphy has played an important role in Newcastle's successful season.
CONCLUSION:
Underrated players might not make the headlines or feature in award shortlists, but their contribution to the game is just as important. Throughout the season, these players have consistently stepped up for their teams—whether it's through solid defending, smart passing, tireless running, or just being reliable every week. They might not be flashy, but they’re the kind of players every manager loves to have.
This post aimed to highlight those names who often go unnoticed but deserve far more credit than they get. It’s easy to focus only on goals and assists, but football is about much more than just numbers. Sometimes, it’s about who keeps the system running, who puts in a shift, and who makes the team better without standing in the spotlight.
The information and stats used to support this post come from publicly available football data sources. I do not own any of the data mentioned—it has been included for research and informational purposes only.
Hopefully, this list helps bring some of these players the attention they’ve earned. Because in every successful season, there are always a few names doing the work that nobody talks about—but everyone benefits from.
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