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Underrated Premier League Players: From Man City to Wolves

From left to right: James Milner, Edin Dzeko and Benoît Assou-Ekotto. Composite: Getty Images
From left to right: James Milner, Edin Dzeko and Benoît Assou-Ekotto. Composite: Getty Images
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Underrated Premier League Players: From Man City to Wolves

From left to right: James Milner, Edin Dzeko and Benoît Assou-Ekotto. Composite: Getty Images
From left to right: James Milner, Edin Dzeko and Benoît Assou-Ekotto. Composite: Getty Images

The Guardian Sport looks at players who have been important to the their clubs but perhaps not always received the credit they deserved.

Manchester City: Edin Dzeko

Position Forward Time at club 2011-16 League apps/goals 130/50

Dzeko was never an automatic choice – as his status as an unused substitute in City’s 2011 FA Cup final triumph and 74 league starts in five years illustrates. Yet despite a prevailing view that he lacked technicality and was a little ponderous Dzeko could score a “heavy” goal when required. The most vital example of this is the 90th-minute equaliser against QPR that made it 2-2 before Sergio Agüero scored that winner to claim the 2011-12 Premier League title. Jamie Jackson.

Manchester United: Javier Hernández
Position Forward Time at club 2010-15 League apps/goals 103/37

Signing for the club when he was 22, Hernández registered 20 goals in his opening season, won two titles and started the 2011 Champions League final before fading from the first-team picture when Sir Alex Ferguson retired in May 2013. Yet Hernández’s 147 minutes per strike ratio is the same as Alan Shearer’s and better than Ole Gunnar Solskjær and Michael Owen, placing him 11th on the Premier League list. Since Robin van Persie in 2012-13 only Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Romelu Lukaku have scored 20 times for United in a campaign. His sale always appeared to be a Louis van Gaal howler. JJ

Newcastle United: James Milner
Position Midfielder Time at club 2004-08 League apps/goals 94/6

Newcastle’s then-manager, Graeme Souness, appeared unaware of the rare gem in his possession, claiming his side “would never win anything with a team of James Milners”. As Liverpool’s Mr Versatility polishes his Champions League winners’ medal, Tynesiders recall how a young winger signed by Sir Bobby Robson shortly before his sacking was consistently under-appreciated at St James’ Park. Although he was often sidelined by Souness during the 2005-06 campaign, Milner never let anyone down in the course of 136 first-team appearances. Twenty eight came in Europe where his stellar reading of the game and understated skill shone through. He eventually left for Aston Villa and after a conversion to central midfield, his talent was properly appreciated. The rest is history. Louise Taylor

Norwich: Alexander Tettey
Position Midfielder Time at club 2012- League apps/goals 215/7

Signed from Rennes by Chris Hughton, Tettey is the only player from that era to remain at Carrow Road. In each season since the Norwegian international has had to fight for his place. He doesn’t contribute goals (except the very odd pearler). He can make bad errors, his passing is unreliable and there’s always a sense he could be upgraded. But that calculation ignores the 34-year-old’s determination, dedication and ability to still learn. In 2019-20, having seen off his latest replacement – the loanee Ibrahim Amadou who was sent back to Sevilla – Tettey was having his best season for the club. Paul MacInnes

Norwich: Alexander Tettey
Position Midfielder Time at club 2012- League apps/goals 215/7

Signed from Rennes by Chris Hughton, Tettey is the only player from that era to remain at Carrow Road. In each season since the Norwegian international has had to fight for his place. He doesn’t contribute goals (except the very odd pearler). He can make bad errors, his passing is unreliable and there’s always a sense he could be upgraded. But that calculation ignores the 34-year-old’s determination, dedication and ability to still learn. In 2019-20, having seen off his latest replacement – the loanee Ibrahim Amadou who was sent back to Sevilla – Tettey was having his best season for the club. Paul MacInnes

Sheffield United: Chris Basham
Position Defender Time at club 2014- League apps/goals 238/11

The 31-year-old right-sided element of Chris Wilder’s now famous overlapping centre-halves, Basham took a long time to win hearts and minds at Bramall Lane and remains seriously underrated in the wider football world. Born in Hebburn, he joined Newcastle’s academy but ended up working in McDonald’s for two years after being released. Low-profile stints with Bolton, Stafford Rangers, Rochdale and Blackpool followed before he proved an integral part of Sheffield United’s ascent from League One. Many Blades fans feared Basham would fail to cope with the step up to the Championship and then assumed he would be replaced when the Premier League was reached. Instead he has been sensational this season. LT

Southampton: Jack Cork
Position Midfielder Time at club 2011-2015 League apps/goals 114/2

You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone, the saying goes. Cork did not miss a league game en route to the Premier League in 2012 and, a steady if not spectacular performer, he quickly established himself as a regular in Mauricio Pochettino’s first season at the helm, a calming influence in the heat of the midfield battle. But Cork was deemed dispensable by Ronald Koeman, signing for then top-flight Swansea, before joining Burnley in the summer of 2017 and making his England debut later that year against Germany at Wembley. Just as Dusan Tadic and Graziano Pellè did, Cork left a void that proved difficult to fill. Ben Fisher

Tottenham: Benoît Assou-Ekotto
Position Left-back Time at club 2006-2015 League apps/goals 155/4

Like a lot of left-backs, Assou-Ekotto tended to fly under the radar. Perhaps it was because he had no interest in building any sort of profile as a footballer. To him, his work was his work and that was it. Yet it would be foolish to underestimate his commitment when he put on his game face. Assou-Ekotto was a fixture in one of the best Spurs teams of modern times – the one that finished fourth in 2010 under Harry Redknapp and swept to the Champions League quarter-finals the following year. He was quick, tough to beat and made 202 appearances in all competitions across seven seasons at the club, before being loaned to QPR. David Hytner

Watford: Adrian Mariappa
Position Central defender/right-back Time at club 2005-2012; 2016- League apps/goals 278/4

The last time Mariappa played a top-flight game for Watford in the month of August was in 2006. In four Septembers since his return to the club in 2016, he has made six appearances. Every summer Watford recruit and rebuild, and as the season starts the manager – often a new appointment – does not have Mariappa in his plans. Even at his own club he has been undervalued, but season after season he fights his way into the team, and now he sits 18th in the list of all-time appearance makers. There was also a phenomenal shoulder-high first touch in the home game against Burnley this season that was good enough to earn him a place on this list on its own. Simon Burnton

West Ham: Hayden Mullins
Position Midfielder Time at club 2003-09 League apps/goals 180/4

Mullins was a player who sometimes suffered because of his versatility. When he joined West Ham it was hard to pin down his best position and he struggled when he had to fill in as a full-back, particularly when he went up against Crystal Palace’s Wayne Routledge in the 2004 Championship play-off final. After a torrid spell at right-back, Mullins found his feet after linking up with Nigel Reo-Coker in central midfield, helping West Ham regain their place in the top flight in 2005. It did not feel right when he missed the 2006 FA Cup final through suspension. Jacob Steinberg

Wolves: Romain Saïss
Position Midfielder/defender Time at club 2016- League apps/goals 110/8

Every hero needs a trusty sidekick. Saïss has served as exactly that to several players since arriving at Molineux four years ago. He did the dirty work in midfield when Rúben Neves got the acclaim for leading Wolves out of the Championship and he has continued to make his presence felt in the top-flight, both in midfield and in central defence. He is a wholehearted utility man who brings rousing spirit and deceptively tidy passing but tends not to get the attention he deserves. Except, in fairness, from referees, who nearly always spot a reason to take his name. Paul Doyle

The Guardian Sport

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Sports

From Rocafonda to the World Cup: Lamine Yamal’s Meteoric Rise

Football - Euro 2024 - Quarter-final - Spain v Germany - Stuttgart Arena, Stuttgart, Germany - July 5, 2024 Spain's Lamine Yamal celebrates after Dani Olmo scores their first goal. (Reuters)
Football - Euro 2024 - Quarter-final - Spain v Germany - Stuttgart Arena, Stuttgart, Germany - July 5, 2024 Spain's Lamine Yamal celebrates after Dani Olmo scores their first goal. (Reuters)
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From Rocafonda to the World Cup: Lamine Yamal’s Meteoric Rise

Football - Euro 2024 - Quarter-final - Spain v Germany - Stuttgart Arena, Stuttgart, Germany - July 5, 2024 Spain's Lamine Yamal celebrates after Dani Olmo scores their first goal. (Reuters)
Football - Euro 2024 - Quarter-final - Spain v Germany - Stuttgart Arena, Stuttgart, Germany - July 5, 2024 Spain's Lamine Yamal celebrates after Dani Olmo scores their first goal. (Reuters)

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will play at a record sixth World Cup in 2026, but years from now the tournament may instead be remembered as Lamine Yamal's first.

From the concrete square in Mataro the Spanish 18-year-old used to play in, to the biggest stages in world football, his rise has been dazzling.

His uncle Abdul Nasraoui used to keep a small replica World Cup trophy in his bakery in the humble neighborhood of Rocafonda, a 20-mile (32-kilometer) crawl up the Catalan coast from Barcelona, telling people it was for when his nephew wins it.

Abdul had the trophy before Yamal even debuted for Spain, because he knew something special was coming. Many claim they did, in Rocafonda, but importantly for Barca it was Jordi Roura who got there first.

Alerted to Yamal by a scout, Barcelona's then youth football chief Roura and close colleague Aureli Altimira pounced. In the chaos of a trial match, Lamine stood out.

"We were there with Aureli and at the beginning we saw him and he looked a bit odd, kind of scrawny, he moved a bit strangely, and we said, 'hmm let's see...'," Roura tells AFP.

"Then once they start playing, it's difficult, right? Because imagine 20 kids of seven, eight years old, all chasing the ball.

"Even so, Lamine would sometimes do something where you'd go, 'Damn!'. Instead of just running after the ball, sometimes he would find space, wait, look for his left foot, execute really quickly."

One attribute, honed on the square where if your feet aren't fast enough to swerve defenders you can end up on the concrete, marked out little Lamine.

"Dribbling might be the most innate technical action, right?" says Roura. "It's hard to train a dribbler. He had that. He would feint, do things which made you say 'wow'.

"We thought this kid had something special, even if he looked a bit slight, and decided to sign him."

Negotiations were quick with Lamine's father Mounir Nasraoui from Morocco, and his mother Sheila Ebana, from Equatorial Guinea.

He was a quiet, even shy child, who loved to play football and spent a lot of time with his paternal grandmother, Fatima.

She was the first of the family to move to Spain, arriving on a ferry from Tangier in 1990 and slowly bringing across her children in the following years.

Fatima settled in Rocafonda and remains there, although Mounir, after being stabbed during an altercation in 2024, has since relocated to the upmarket Barcelona neighborhood of Sarria.

After Lamine's parents split up when he was three, he also lived with his mother in Roca del Valles, north of Mataro, but Rocafonda was always home.

It is represented in his goal celebration, using his hands to show the numbers 304, the last digits of the neighborhood's postcode.

Now even in the more well-to-do parts of Mataro the number appears.

Rocafonda is north-east of the elegant center, a neighborhood with a negative reputation for crime and poverty, although now it is famous for being where Lamine came from.

Glance down the right street and you can catch a narrow glimpse of sweet Mediterranean blue.

The winger and his father are spotted less frequently there now, but the games go on, with players duking it out in front of a mural of Lamine, painted in 2025.

"With all these great players... they're capable of doing the same, or more than they did when they were children, and that's very difficult, very rare, and that's why they're the chosen ones," said Roura.

"(Lamine) enjoys playing, and I think that even when he was very little, when the challenge was greater, when a game was harder, that's when he liked it the most, you know?"

- 'No limits' -

Not everyone has the accuracy of the neighborhood's "idol" and an "example" as youngsters sitting and waiting for a chance to play describe him.

The ball is lashed high over the fence that divides the concrete pitch from the road, to howls of frustration.

The kids call to a passer-by, before one player zips past on an electric scooter to retrieve it.

But for the interception, it may have rolled down the road and past the bar run by Lamine's uncle, "Familia LY 304", since he gave up his bakery.

Over the past three years Abdul has answered plenty of questions about Lamine, but with concerns over the winger's fitness heading into the World Cup, he doesn't feel like speaking for now.

On a shelf behind the bar, sits his replica trophy. Abdul's dream, just three years after Lamine made his professional debut aged just 15, could come true remarkably quickly.

"When you see the resume he already has at 18, it's scary, so what this kid can achieve has no limits," added Roura.

Yamal was still studying for his exams during Spain's run to Euro 2024 glory, where he captured the world's attention with a sensational strike against France.

That moment is memorialized on one wall of the bar, along with others from the winger's short yet glittering career for club and country, along with two framed shirts.

Nearly three decades after arriving from Morocco, Abdul is still happy working. He sits and eats a few mouthfuls of vegetables before a shout comes from the kitchen and he is on his feet again, bringing dishes, olive oil and bread to customers.

"Ojala -- I hope -- ojala," he says on the prospect of Lamine bringing the real thing back to Rocafonda. "If we win the World Cup, then I'll talk."

Sports

AI Unearths Football Talent Beyond Scouts’ Radar

Brazilian football player Leonardo Veiga is seen on the screen of the Foot Bao app, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on April 22, 2026. (AFP)
Brazilian football player Leonardo Veiga is seen on the screen of the Foot Bao app, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on April 22, 2026. (AFP)
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AI Unearths Football Talent Beyond Scouts’ Radar

Brazilian football player Leonardo Veiga is seen on the screen of the Foot Bao app, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on April 22, 2026. (AFP)
Brazilian football player Leonardo Veiga is seen on the screen of the Foot Bao app, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on April 22, 2026. (AFP)

Brazilian teenager Leo Veiga had almost given up on his dream of becoming a professional footballer when artificial intelligence helped him secure a spot in the youth ranks of an Italian club.

Tech companies promising to "democratize" football are launching apps that allow young players to upload videos recorded on their phone of them showcasing their ball skills.

AI is then used to analyze and score their performance, which is sent to scouts and clubs.

The 18-year-old Veiga was stuck playing for a small club in his home state of Santa Catarina in southern Brazil when he discovered one of these apps, from Swiss company Footbao.

A YouTube video offered the highest-scoring users to train for a few days with the Italian club Lecce. Veiga was selected and caught the eye of a scout, who decided to take a chance on him.

"AI opened a new door," he told AFP from Italy, where he is now under contract with the youth academy of the club Spezia, which plays in Italy's second division.

"I thought, 'I'm going to download the app and give it a try. If nothing happens, it doesn't matter because nothing else is working out for me. But what if something does happen?'" he said.

Footbao works with videos from matches and training sessions, while another tech company in the field, German firm CUJU, uses videos of drills suggested to users through the app.

- Untapped potential -

Around 120,000 players have used the Footbao app, most of them in Brazil, the world's largest exporter of football talent.

"There are probably between 14,000 and 15,000 players with the potential to join clubs or academies," chief executive Nick Rappolt told AFP.

The company, founded in 2023, also operates in Colombia and Argentina and plans to expand into other South American countries.

According to Rappolt, AI can "democratize" football by helping identify talent that lies outside the radar of major development centers.

CUJU's app, meanwhile, was launched last year and has been downloaded around 160,000 times.

"Professional clubs have huge databases, but they mostly contain players who have already been scouted. There is no reliable data on talent at the earliest stages," Sven Muller, CUJU's marketing director, told AFP.

The goal, he said, is to turn "simple videos recorded on a phone" into "reliable performance data."

- Boost to women's football -

In Sao Paulo, Marcela Geremias de Lima repeatedly kicks a ball against a wall, one of the exercises proposed by CUJU, which focuses on technical skills such as ball control and speed.

After using the app, Marcela was invited to youth tournaments organized by the company in front of scouts.

She eventually earned a place in the Under-15 side of Corinthians, a powerhouse of South American women's football with six Copa Libertadores titles.

The exercises "help you improve" and mean "you can be seen from anywhere in the world," she said.

Brazil will host the 2027 Women's World Cup, an event that could help drive the recruitment of young female players.

The Brazilian club Santos, associated with star players like Pele and Neymar, in December announced a deal with Footbao to help identify young prospects.

It is a way to "expand our search for athletes," club president Marcelo Teixeira said.

Top prospects are usually recruited from a very young age, but AI can give a boost to players who might otherwise go unnoticed, according to Joao Paulo Sampaio, head of youth development at Palmeiras, where international talents such as Endrick and Estevao came through the ranks.

"I receive between 30 and 40 videos every day," Sampaio told AFP, adding that tech companies that carry out "a first round of pre-selection" represent "a new tool," although the Sao Paulo club does not currently work with these firms.

Sports

For Roland Garros Youth, Quarter-Final Moment of Truth

Rafael Jodar of Spain during his Men's 4th round match against Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain at the French Open Grand Slam tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 31 May 2026. (EPA)
Rafael Jodar of Spain during his Men's 4th round match against Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain at the French Open Grand Slam tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 31 May 2026. (EPA)
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For Roland Garros Youth, Quarter-Final Moment of Truth

Rafael Jodar of Spain during his Men's 4th round match against Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain at the French Open Grand Slam tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 31 May 2026. (EPA)
Rafael Jodar of Spain during his Men's 4th round match against Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain at the French Open Grand Slam tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 31 May 2026. (EPA)

The young kings of tennis have been deposed and as the French Open reaches its quarter-finals on Tuesday, the sport's even younger princes will be strutting on the clay.

Between them 24-year-old Jannik Sinner, and 23-year-old Carlos Alcaraz have won the last nine majors. But the Spaniard is injured and Sinner could not stand the Paris heat and lost in the second round.

In their place are three striplings playing a first Grand Slam quarter-final.

The next in the line of Spanish clay monsters, 19-year-old Rafael Jodar, faces the top remaining man, Alexander Zverev.

The honor of ending the first day when all the main-draw matches can be fitted onto Court Philippe Chatrier, has been handed to 20-year-old Czech Jakub Mensik and the phenomenon of the tournament, 19-year-old Brazilian Joao Fonseca.

The third 19-year-old in quarter-final action on Tuesday is, by comparison, a grizzled veteran of Grand Slam late rounds.

Eighth-seeded Mirra Andreeva will be playing her third straight Roland Garros quarter-final when she faces Romanian Sorana Cirstea.

Of all the majors, the French Open most favors young men. Of the five youngest men to have won majors in the Open era, Michael Chang, Mats Wilander, Rafael Nadal and Bjorn Borg all did it at Roland Garros.

Of 16 women who have won majors in their teens, Monica Seles, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, Steffi Graf, Iga Swiatek, Chris Evert and Evonne Goolagong all did so in Paris.

Chang and Wilander were at Roland Garros on Monday for an annual reunion of former champions.

The American, who won aged 17 in 1989 and now coaches rising American Learner Tien, said youth gave advantages.

"I think it can be easier on some aspects if you're not dwelling too much on it," he said before adding that for some the spotlight was already bright.

"I think there's also a lot of pressure for some of these young guys because there are expectations. That doesn't necessarily give them freedom to go out there and play.

"When I was 17, nobody expected me to win. So I had the freedom to be the underdog... in the second week."

Wilander, who won the first of his three French Open crowns at 17 in 1982, was clear the youngsters had a mental edge.

"You find me a 19-year-old that does have the fear. None of them do," the Swede said.

"No pressure, no nerves. I don't think, I know."

"They don't have any history of losing," the Swede said. "So you're losing the quarter-finals? It's not gonna hurt, and then they realize that it hurts to lose. And then suddenly things change."

Wilander is a fan of Fonseca who is "going to be a great player".

Fonseca came from two sets down to beat first Dino Prizmic and then tennis titan Novak Djokovic, before conquering Casper Ruud.

"It's great to have new generations," the Brazilian declared after beating Djokovic.

"The next generation is doing pretty well. Not only Jodar and Mensik and me, but also Learner, (Alex) Michelsen. There is (Martin) Landaluce... It's good to have them around, pushing me for sure, doing some great battles."

- 'Margin of development huge' -

Chang has been impressed by Jodar.

"On the clay, he just took off," said Chang.

"He's just he's just riding a wave of great tennis right now. I don't think he's thinking a whole lot. He's going out there and playing some great tennis."

Jodar is full of confidence.

"I am trying to develop that game," he said after reaching the last eight. "But, overall, I think I still have a margin of development huge, you know?"

The other match of the day changes the focus as 31-year-old Elina Svitolina takes on 23-year-old compatriot Marta Kostyuk.

Svitolina said that she believed two Ukrainians had never met so late in a Slam.

Kostyuk said the older player had a lot to do with that happening.

"She's a legend of Ukrainian tennis... she's paved the way."