Who are the worst footballers to win the Premier League? Title-winning flops from Arsenal, Man United and Man City
Winning the Premier League is one of the most prestigious accolades a footballer can pick up in their career.
Arguably the most competitive domestic league in the world, players come to England dreaming of lifting the league title. It cements players as club heroes, turns superstars into legends and etches teams into the history books forever.
But not everyone who collects a Premier League winners medal at the end of the season is always deserving of one. In fact, there are some players who almost seem determined to sabotage their team’s title-winning campaign.
Others, while not necessarily damaging their club’s title chances, were merely along for the ride when their team lifted the trophy.
Here are some of the worst footballers to ever win the Premier League - and what happened to them since taking home their winner’s medal.
Igors Stepanovs - Arsenal (2001/02)
A central defender, Stepanovs was signed the previous year as an interim replacement to the injured Tony Adams. Thankfully, he was never called upon on a consistent basis, but when manager Arsene Wenger did have to rely on him, it had disastrous consequences.
Most notable among his catalogue of errors were a plethora of blunders that led to a 6-1 drubbing by rivals Manchester United. Quite literally, not his finest hour.
Jeremie Aliadiere - Arsenal (2003/04)
It’s hard to belive that Jeremie Aliadiere was part of Arsenal’s historic ‘invincibles’ team, which went unbeaten on their way to winning the 2003/04 season. The French striker played 10 games during their Premier League campaign, but did not score a single goal.
Naturally, he was way below the likes of Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp in the pecking order, but hardly proved himself worthy of contending for a place in the starting XI.
Mikael Silvestre - Manchester United (2006/07)
In previous seasons, Mikael Silvestre actually got quite a bit of gametime at Manchester United, helping them win three Premier League titles since joining in 1999. But here, the Frenchman began showing his age.
Mistakes and injuries plagued his campaign, and he fell behind up and coming left-back Patrice Evra in the pecking order at Old Trafford. He quickly transitioned out of the starting XI and into more of a coaching-esque role. Manager Sir Alex Ferguson said: “His experience at the club will help the younger players as they develop.”
Anderson - Manchester United (2012/13)
It remains my honestly-held opinion that winning the Premier League this season was Sir Alex Ferguson’s greatest achievement - because the squad he had was dreadful. Anchoring the whole team (or rather, weighing them down) was Brazilian midfielder Anderson, who was a disgrace to the number eight shirt worn formerly by Wayne Rooney, Nicky Butt and Paul Ince.
Yes, he had some flair, but half the reason Man United played so counter-attacking this season was because Anderson would frequently lose possession while trying to do stepovers in the middle of the park.
Alexander Buttner - Manchester United (2012/13)
He didn’t get too many minutes this season, but left-back Alexander Buttner was brought in as competition to Patrice Evra in the starting XI. He had a few opportunities this season - and when they presented themselves, he failed to impress.
Just one year later and Buttner was moving on to Dynamo Moscow, and his career sadly never reached the same heights again. Age 36, he’s still playing professional football for Vitesse, in the second division of Dutch football.
Javi Garcia - Manchester City (2013/14)
Nowadays, the defensive midfielder position at the Etihad is spearheaded by Ballon d’Or winner Rodri. Before him, it was Fernandinho who protected the defensive line.
But in the 2013/14 season, that responsibility also fell on the shoulders of Javi Garcia, who partnered the Brazilian in the midfield. His best attribute, frustratingly, was fouling any player who came anywhere near him, picking up seven yellow cards over the course of the season.
Danny Simpson - Leicester City (2015/16)
Leicester City’s fairytale Premier League title certainly wasn’t an easy one. Certainly, they didn’t have the dominant squads that the likes of Liverpool and Man City have had in previous seasons, although the trio of Riyad Mahrez, Jamie Vardy and Ngolo Kante absolutely shined through.
While not necessarily a poor player - Simpson was a physical presence at right-back, and could pocket some wingers quite comfortably - his lack of pace really left Leicester exposed in some games. In many cases, it became their rivals’ entire game plan; expose Simpson and force an opening in the Foxes defence with a burst of pace past him.