Worst Soccer Players of All Time: Ranking the Top 15 | OneFootball

In soccer, players usually become unforgettable in one of two ways.

The first—and certainly the preferred method—is by being great at the sport. Think Lionel Messi dancing through defences, Cristiano Ronaldo scoring goals for fun, or Zlatan Ibrahimović defying physics with a scissor kick.

The second, and far less flattering way, to go down in history, is by being really bad.

Whether making huge defensive errors, constantly missing open goals, or falling spectacularly short of expectations after a big-money transfer—any of these can make a player a legend for all the wrong reasons.

With that in mind, we’ve compiled our definitive ranking of the 15 worst soccer players of all time. These are the names that stand out not for brilliance, but for blunders, busts, and baffling performances that fans won’t soon forget.

15. Gabriel Obertan

Gabriel Obertan. / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

"I am not [Cristiano] Ronaldo's successor," stated Gabriel Obertan after joining Manchester United in 2009.

He certainly lived up to that fact—but not in the way United fans might have hoped.

Obertan arrived with promise from Bordeaux, touted as a quick, technical winger who could develop under Sir Alex Ferguson. But what followed was underwhelming at best. In 29 appearances, he scored just once—against Bursaspor in the Champions League—and made almost no lasting impact.

Riddled with inconsistency, poor decision-making, and a complete lack of end product, he quickly faded from view. By 2011, he was sold to Newcastle, and the rest of his career drifted into obscurity, eventually ending in USL League One, the third tier of American soccer, in his mid-30s.

Not Ronaldo’s successor, as he said. But certainly one of Sir Alex’s rare transfer flops.

14. Carlos Kaiser

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Carlos Kaiser probably shouldn’t make this list—because technically, he wasn’t a soccer player at all. But for nearly two decades, he convinced the world he was.

Armed with charm, fake documents, and a Rolodex full of Brazilian football royalty—Carlos Alberto Torres, Ricardo Rocha, Renato Gaúcho—Kaiser pulled off one of the most elaborate scams in soccer history. He made a career out of signing short-term deals at clubs across Brazil, Mexico, and even France, only to fake injuries or illnesses before ever stepping on the pitch.

He forged medical reports, planted glowing newspaper articles about himself, and even borrowed boots just to look the part during training. In total, he signed for at least 10 clubs—without making a single official appearance.

His most infamous moment came at Bangu. When a suspicious coach tried to sub him on late in a game, Kaiser panicked—so he picked a fight with fans behind the bench, got himself sent off before he could enter the field. Somehow, he earned a contract extension in light of the incident.

Was he a genius? A fraud? A myth made real? Either way, Kaiser might be the worst footballer never to play the game—and the best con man to ever wear a jersey.

13. Winston Bogarde

Winston Bogarde. / IMAGO/Pius Koller

It’s honestly difficult to tell whether Winston Bogarde was ever actually good—because he barely played. And that's exactly why he earns his place on this list.

After a promising start in the Netherlands, Bogarde made just four appearances for AC Milan, followed by a stop-start stint at Barcelona, where he logged just over 60 games in three seasons—including only one league appearance in his debut campaign.

But it was at Chelsea where his name became football folklore.

Signed in 2000 under Gianluca Vialli, Bogarde found himself unwanted within weeks as new manager Claudio Ranieri arrived. Chelsea tried everything to force him out. He refused. And instead, he spent the next four seasons collecting a reported £40,000 a week, training alone, barely featuring in matchday squads—and turning down any move that would have seen him earn less.

“Why should I throw fifteen million euro away when it is already mine? At the moment I signed it was in fact my money, my contract,” he once said.

On one hand, it's understandable—he was honoring a contract that Chelsea offered. On the other, it's downright legendary levels of paid-to-do-nothing.

12. Jozy Altidore

Jozy Altidore. / Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Jozy Altidore was decent—sometimes even excellent—in Major League Soccer and for the USMNT, scoring just shy of 80 goals in 161 MLS games and 42 times for his country.

But that’s not why he’s here. He earns his place on this list because of one of the Premier League’s most memorably bad striker spells.

Altidore’s first attempt at English football came with Hull City in 2009, where he scored just once in 28 appearances—not ideal, but he was still young. After a stronger stint in the Netherlands with AZ Alkmaar, where he banged in 39 goals in two seasons, Sunderland came calling.

Big mistake. His second Premier League spell was somehow worse. In 42 league appearances for Sunderland, Altidore scored just one goal—and missed more sitters than fans could count. No matter how hard he worked or how physical he tried to be, nothing clicked. For a striker, that’s fatal—and for fans, often infuriating.

In the end, he became a symbol of wasted potential and poor scouting. A reminder that form in one league means nothing in another.

11. Afonso Alves

Afonso Alves. / IMAGO/Geoff Martin

Like a fair few players on this list, Afonso Alves had a blistering start to his career.

As a young striker in Sweden and the Netherlands, he bagged goals for fun with Malmö and Heerenveen—even joining the ranks of Romário and Ronaldo as only the third Brazilian to finish as the Eredivisie’s top scorer, netting 34 goals in the 2006/07 season.

That electric form prompted Middlesbrough to come calling, splashing a then-club record £12.5 million to bring him to the Premier League. At first, things looked promising. Alves once hit a hat-trick against Manchester City, and his arrival was meant to fire Boro up the table.

But it all fell apart quickly.

He finished his second season with just four goals in 31 games, Boro were relegated, and the dream was over. Unable to attract any more European suitors, Alves drifted out of the spotlight, playing for various clubs in Qatar, where he eventually ended his career with a goalless season at Al Gharafa.

10. Massimo Taibi

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Manchester United have had their share of shaky goalkeepers over the years—Paul Rachubka, Roy Carroll, and even André Onana on an off day. But none reached the levels of disaster that Massimo Taibi managed in just four appearances.

Signed for £4.5 million from Venezia in 1999, Taibi looked out of his depth from the start. But it was in just his third game that he secured his place in football infamy.

During a 3–3 draw against Southampton, he committed what is widely regarded as one of the worst goalkeeping howlers in Premier League history—letting a tame, slow-rolling shot from Matt Le Tissier slip straight through his legs and into the net. The press had a field day. One newspaper branded him "The Blind Venetian."

As if that wasn’t enough, in the very next match, he shipped five goals in a hammering by Chelsea. He never played for United again.

9. Yaya Sanogo

A true natural. / IMAGO/Eibner

Big things were expected of Yaya Sanogo when he arrived at Arsenal in 2013 from Auxerre, where he had just come off a breakthrough season—10 goals in 13 games. On paper, it looked like Arsène Wenger had unearthed another French gem. But a closer look at the stats—and what followed—told a different story.

Despite arriving with promise, Sanogo struggled with injuries, inconsistency, and a lack of confidence. He made just 20 appearances for the Gunners, scoring once, and looked hopelessly out of sync with Arsenal’s fluid, attacking style. His time on the pitch was often marked by heavy touches, awkward movement, and missed chances.

Loan spells at Crystal Palace, Ajax, and Charlton Athletic followed—but none changed the narrative. Eventually, Arsenal cut their losses, and Sanogo was sold to Toulouse, where he fared slightly better, managing 16 goals across three seasons. Still, he never came close to fulfilling the potential many believed he had.

Sanogo's Arsenal career wasn’t just forgettable—it became almost comedic.

8. Freddy Adu

Freddy Adu. / Matthias B. Krause/IMAGO

Oh Freddy Adu—what could have been.

Once dubbed the next Pelé, Adu was the American wonderkid who was supposed to take Major League Soccer and the USMNT to never-before-seen heights. At just 14 years old, he was scoring professional goals, signing sponsorship deals, and becoming the face of U.S. soccer’s future. The hype was immense—and relentless.

But it all proved too much.

Rather than being allowed to develop physically, mentally, and tactically among players his own age, Adu was thrown into the deep end, burdened with impossible expectations. A high-profile trial at Manchester United only added to the noise, but not the progress. With every passing year, the gap between hype and reality grew wider.

Adu’s career slowly faded into obscurity, turning into a nomadic journey that took him from Greece to Finland, Serbia, and back to the U.S.—with brief, forgettable stops almost everywhere in between. His final professional stint came in Sweden in 2021, quietly ending what had once promised to be a world-shaking legacy.

Adu's career serves as a cautionary tale of how too much, too soon can ruin even the brightest talents.

7. Royston Drenthe

Royston Drenthe, Cristiano Ronaldo. / IMAGO/Team 2

Royston Drenthe’s career started with real promise. A dynamic young winger at Feyenoord, he lit up the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Championship with the Netherlands and was quickly snapped up by none other than Real Madrid.

But that’s pretty much where the story ends—at least on the pitch.

Though Drenthe featured regularly for Madrid in his first two seasons, his performances were inconsistent and often underwhelming. Fans booed him, the press turned, and the pressure mounted. By 2010, he was loaned to Hércules, where he soon fell out with the board—a sign of things to come.

Stints at Everton, Reading, and clubs in Russia and Turkey followed, but none reignited his fading career. As his football declined, his off-pitch interests—particularly in music—grew louder. Performing under the name Roya2Faces, Drenthe spent more time rapping than scoring.

In November 2023, after a failed trial at Dutch minnows Kozakken Boys, he finally called time on his career. Once hailed as the next Clarence Seedorf, Drenthe ended up being remembered more for his mixtapes than his matches.

6. Nicklas Bendtner

Nicklas Bendtner. / IMAGO/Joachim Sielski

It feels a bit strange putting a player who made nearly 200 appearances for two of Europe’s biggest clubs—Arsenal and Juventus—on a list of the worst players ever.

But Nicklas Bendtner is a unique case.

Despite his supreme self-confidence (perhaps enough to carry him as far as he got), Bendtner never truly delivered at the top level. During his seven-season spell at Arsenal, he managed 45 goals—not dreadful, but far from prolific. What truly sealed his infamy was his penchant for missing absolute sitters, making baffling decisions on the pitch, and grabbing headlines for all the wrong reasons off it.

From drink-driving incidents to fighting teammates mid-match, the Dane’s career often felt like a reality show with a football subplot. And while he occasionally showed glimpses of real ability, those moments were few and far between.

5. Milton Núñez

Milton Nunez. / IMAGO

The tale of Milton Núñez is one of soccer’s most bizarre transfer blunders—a perfect storm of mistaken identity, confused scouting, and sheer misjudgment.

In 2000, Sunderland signed the 5'5" Honduran striker, reportedly on the recommendation of Uruguayan club Nacional. But the truth soon emerged: the club had confused Núñez with two other players—his PAOK strike partner Adolfo Valencia and his international teammate Eduardo Bennett.

Rumors swirl about how it happened. One theory suggests manager Peter Reid watched too many grainy videos and got his scouting wires crossed. Another story claims Reid, after one too many beers during a scouting trip to Greece, simply mixed up the players. In essence, Sunderland scouted Valencia, thinking it was Bennett and ended up signing Núñez—a blunder that’s become part of club folklore.

Núñez only managed a total of 15 league minutes over two and a half seasons, looked utterly out of his depth, and was never seen again in the Premier League.

A transfer so odd it borders on urban legend—but it really happened.

4. Bebé

Bebe. / IMAGO/Colorsport

Sir Alex Ferguson rarely got transfers wrong—but when he did, they could be spectacular. Enter Bebé.

In 2010, Manchester United paid £7.4 million for the Portuguese winger—just five weeks after he’d joined Vitória de Guimarães on a free. Sir Alex admitted he had never seen him play. Not even on tape. The deal was done on the advice of Carlos Queiroz, Ferguson’s former assistant.

From the moment he arrived, it was clear Bebé wasn’t United material. His touch was heavy, his positioning erratic, and his confidence nonexistent. In total, he made just two Premier League appearances before being quietly loaned out—and eventually sold.

Then came the off-field drama. Portuguese police launched a corruption probe into the transfer, questioning the huge chunk of the fee that went to super-agent Jorge Mendes. Conspiracy theories swirled, including one claiming the transfer was a payoff to thank Queiroz for allegedly helping United winger Nani avoid a failed drugs test. Nothing was proven—but the damage to Bebé’s reputation was already done.

From a homeless shelter to Old Trafford in under a year—it could’ve been a fairy tale. Instead, it became one of United’s most infamous flops.

3. Savio Nsereko

Savio Nsereko. / IMAGO/Geisser

Is Savio Nsereko the worst club-record signing in Premier League history? He certainly gets our vote.

Brought in by West Ham for £9 million in January 2009 as a replacement for Craig Bellamy, the Ugandan-born German striker was hyped as the next big thing after a handful of promising performances for Brescia. What the Hammers got instead was a player physically and mentally unprepared for the English top flight.

Though technically tidy, Savio was featherweight, timid, and collapsed under even the slightest pressure—literally. Against Premier League hard men like Nemanja Vidic and John Terry, he looked like a boy among beasts.

He made just 10 appearances (only one start) before being shipped off to Fiorentina for £3 million—marking a swift and brutal end to one of the most baffling record signings the league has ever seen.

From there, his career fell off a cliff. A series of underwhelming loans followed: Bologna, 1860 Munich, Chernomorets Burgas, Vaslui, Juve Stabia, and Unterhaching—where he was released after two months for a breach of contract. Most clubs barely saw him; others had to go looking for him after he went AWOL—once found at his sister’s house in Germany, another time turning up in London instead of Italy.

The low point came in 2012 when Thai authorities jailed him for faking his own kidnapping in an attempt to extort money from his family.

Savio then drifted through the football wilderness for years—Israel, Romania, Kazakhstan—finally scoring his first goal in five years for Atyrau, a Kazakh club that voted it Goal of the Season more out of pity than pride.

A tragic, chaotic tale of wasted talent and self-destruction—and perhaps the worst £9 million any club has ever spent.

2. Al-Saadi Gaddafi

Al-Saadi Gaddafi. / AFP/Getty

Remember that one kid you played with as a child who was absolutely rubbish—but still made the starting XI because his dad was the coach? That was Al-Saadi Gaddafi, except his dad was Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, the dictator of Libya—and the whole thing was playing out on a national, and eventually European, stage.

Despite barely being able to control a ball, Gaddafi Jr. was somehow made captain of the Libya national team. Referees would regularly skew decisions in his favor, and new laws were even passed forbidding the public announcement of any player’s name except his. It was pure football theatre—just not the good kind.

In the early 2000s, Gaddafi pulled off the unthinkable: he secured moves to Italian clubs including Perugia, Udinese, and Sampdoria. On paper, that might sound impressive—until you learn he made a grand total of two substitute appearances, failed a drug test, and was mocked relentlessly by the Italian press.

One journalist memorably wrote: "Even at twice his current speed, he would still be twice as slow as slow itself."

Brutal, but not inaccurate.

1. Ali Dia

The undisputed king of football flops—and the stuff of soccer folklore.

Ali Dia, a journeyman who bounced around the lower leagues of France and England, somehow pulled off one of the greatest cons in sports history. Via a mysterious phone call (rumored to be made by Dia himself), Southampton manager Graeme Souness was told he was signing the cousin of George Weah—the 1995 Ballon d’Or winner and one of the greatest forwards the game has ever seen.

That was all Souness needed to hear.

Without so much as a trial, Dia was given a one-month contract. His debut? Legendary for all the wrong reasons. He was brought on as a substitute for the injured Matt Le Tissier after just 32 minutes, and then subbed off again in the 85th minute—for Ken Monkou—after producing a performance that looked more Sunday League than Premier League.

Unsurprisingly, Dia was released less than two weeks later. Souness was left with egg on his face, but the soccer world was gifted one of the most hilariously bizarre tales ever told.

Ali Dia: the man who scammed his way into the Premier League. We may never see his kind again.