Top five players who get unnecessary criticism from pundits

• Every professional footballer gets criticized at some point in their career. The criticism is because fans and pundits expect them to perform regularly. 
• However, some players get too much criticism such that their good performances do not even matter. 
• Pundits such as Jamie Carragher and Graeme Souness have made it a routine to criticize players even when it’s unnecessary. 

Criticism from football fans and pundits is part and parcel of a professional footballer’s career. However, some players get unnecessary criticism from pundits. 

Pundits analyze each game after the 90 minutes trying to find out who did a good job and who was poor throughout the match. However, they sometimes put too much criticism on certain players even when they don’t deserve it. 

The unfair criticism happens a lot to top players in Europe’s top five leagues. Pundits such as Jamie Carragher and Graeme Souness have made headlines for putting too much pressure on players. 

Players who are signed for huge prices suffer criticism the most. They are expected to perform on a regular basis. 

This article will look at some of the players who get unnecessary criticism from pundits. 

1. Cristiano Ronaldo

Most football fans will agree that Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the best players of all time. At 37, the Manchester United star is still one of the key players for the Red Devils and the Portuguese national team. Unfortunately, he is one of the players who get unnecessary criticism from pundits.

Ronaldo is one of the players who get unnecessary criticism from pundits.

Cristiano Ronaldo was arguably the most outstanding player last season when Manchester United struggled under Ole Gunnar and Ralf Ranginick. He scored 24 goals and provided three assists in 38 appearances for the Red Devils across all competitions. 

However, the Portuguese international still faced criticism. Pundits expect Ronaldo to score regularly, and they criticize him whenever he fails.

Some pundits viewed the former Juventus man as the main problem at Old Trafford last season despite Manchester United failing to win any match without him. That’s quite unfair to Cristiano Ronaldo. 

2. Neymar Jr. 

Neymar Jr. is arguably the most skilled player in the world. The Paris Saint-Germain attacker has produced several outstanding performances while representing his club and the national team. 

Since joining PSG, Neymar has been one of the best players in Ligue 1. However, he is still among players who get unnecessary criticism from pundits and fans. 

Several criticisms directed towards Neymar have been very unnecessary. However, the Brazilian international knows how to silence his critics. Since the start of this season, Neymar has scored eight goals and registered six assists in five appearances. 

3. Richarlison

Richarlison joined Tottenham Hotspurs from Everton this summer. The Brazilian international has established himself as one of the best strikers in the Premier League for several seasons bow. 

Richarlison came through for Everton several times by scoring crucial goals. However, some fans and pundits still felt that the Premier League star was still not doing enough for Everton. He is one of the players who get unnecessary criticism. 

Jamie Carragher recently criticized Richarlison on Twitter after he juggled the ball mid-match against Nottingham Forest and did a bit of ‘showboating’. The Sky Sports pundit only talked about the ‘showboating’ and ignored the fact that Richarlison had provided an assist and helped the Spurs win the match. 

4. Raheem Sterling 

Since joining the Blues this summer, Raheem Sterling has been a key player in Thomas Tuchel’s squad. Sterling has established himself as one of the best wingers in the Premier League since his days at Liverpool. 

He played crucial roles in Pep Guardiola’s squad and helped the Cytizens win several titles before his departure. Sterling was also one of England’s key players who helped the team reach the finals of the Euros tournament last year.

Raheem Sterling. Photo/ beIN SPORTS.

However, the talented winger has faced criticism several times. His efforts go unnoticed several times, but his flaws always catch the attention of fans and pundits. The England international is one of the players who get unnecessary criticism. 

5. Harry Maguire 

At some point, we can all agree that Harry Maguire deserves criticism. However, the Manchester United star faces unnecessary criticism sometimes. 

The Red Devils fans and pundits always try to blame Harry Maguire for every loss. The amount Manchester United paid for his transfer is one of the main reasons for his criticism. 

Pundits expect Maguire to perform on a regular basis without flaws. The 29-year-old definitely needs to improve his game, but, arguably, he is one of the players who get unnecessary criticism from pundits and fans.