Underrated EPL Players Who Shine in Champions League Finals

Several unexpected players in the Premier League surprisingly stole the spotlight and shone in the Champions League finals.

The UEFA Champions League 2023/24 is held this weekend. At the club level, UCL is seen as the most prestigious moment any player would be dreaming of. It is undoubtedly not easy to thrive in such a final when everything is at stake. The pressure is high and making errors in such critical moments would be disastrous. Such could put an abrupt end to the glorious start.

The star players are often expected to be the protagonists of their team. They have the experience to thrive under pressure. However, they do not always succeed. On the contrary, the underrated figures who never take centre stage could make a difference or even steal the stoplight at the summit. 

Manchester City’s Rodri is one of the most recent examples. He is never the one in the spotlight in The Citizens’ squad, despite his crucial role in the team. The fans and the opposition sides would always hope to see Erling Haaland, Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva, Kevin de Bruyne, Jack Grealish or even John Stones shine in the Champions League final last season against Inter Milan, which was staged in Istanbul. Yet, when none was able to break the deadlock, the Spanish defensive midfielder came to save the day. He was the hero for The Citizens when they thumped Inter Milan 1-0. Rodri even scored the only goal of the game to secure Manchester City’s first-ever UCL trophy, as well as being rated the highest in the final.

There are certainly other underrated names who did the same as Rodri, whose consistency helps keep Manchester City tickets in high demand. Here are those underrated names who surprisingly step up and make the difference in the Champions League final.

Divock Origi (UCL Final 2019)

Vladimir Smicer and Jerzy Dudek (UCL Final 2005)

Underrated EPL players who shine in the Champions League Finals

Several unexpected players in the Premier League surprisingly stole the spotlight and shone in the Champions League finals.

The UEFA Champions League 2023–24 is being held this weekend. At the club level, UCL is seen as the most prestigious moment any player would be dreaming of. It is undoubtedly not easy to thrive in such a final when everything is at stake. The pressure is high, and making errors in such critical moments would be disastrous. Such could put an abrupt end to the glorious start.

The star players are often expected to be the protagonists of their team. They have the experience to thrive under pressure. However, they do not always succeed. On the contrary, the underrated figures who never take centre stage could make the difference or even steal the stoplight at the summit. 

Manchester City’s Rodri is one of the most recent examples. He is never the one in the spotlight in The Citizens’ squad, despite his crucial role in the team. The fans and the opposition sides would always hope to see Erling Haaland, Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva, Kevin de Bruyne, Jack Grealish, or even John Stones shine in the Champions League final last season against Inter Milan, which was staged in Istanbul. Yet, when no one was able to break the deadlock, the Spanish defensive midfielder came to save the day. He was the hero for the Citizens when they thumped Inter Milan 1-0. Rodri even scored the only goal of the game to secure Manchester City’s first-ever UCL trophy, as well as being rated the highest in the final.

There are certainly other underrated names who did the same as Rodri, whose consistency helps keep Manchester City tickets in high demand. Here are those underrated names who surprisingly step up and make the difference in the Champions League final.

Divock Origi (UCL 2019)

The Belgian international might have been considered one of the most wasted talents, as he has been unable to reach his potential despite being dubbed a promising youngster in his early years. The Reds were the first to pounce on him from Lille after his positive display in the 2014 FIFA World Cup when he was still 19 years old.

Unfortunately, Origi had never been able to break into the first team. He merely had a super-sub role instead. Back in the 2018/19 season, the current Nottingham Forest striker demonstrated such a role in crucial moments, including the Champions League semifinal and final. In the second leg of the semifinal, he bagged a brace to help Liverpool make a stunning comeback win by four goals to nil in Anfield after suffering a 3-0 loss against Lionel Messi’s Barcelona on the road. Origi did it again in the final as he doubled their lead to secure their historic 2-0 win over Tottenham in the Wanda Metropolitano, Madrid.

Such a performance was in contrast to his form in the Premier League. He only made 12 appearances in that campaign, registering only three goals and one assist. Overall, his goal-scoring record in the English top flight was only 22 goals and eight assists in 127 matches. What’s worse, his tally and form did not improve when he applied his trade to AC Milan or Wolfsburg. This season, the 29-year-old forward played 22 games in all competitions but only found the back of the net once and provided one assist.

Vladimir Smicer and Jerzy Dudek (UCL 2005)

These two names were the unlikely keymen in Liverpool’s shocking triumph while beating AC Milan in the 2005 Champions League final. Smicer was never a first-team player in the Reds’ starting XI, despite joining the club in 1999, whereas Dudek had never been impressive in Anfield. Yet, both of them were instrumental in the Istanbul final.

The 2004–05 season was meant to be his last at Anfield. He was known for his lack of physical fitness and being prone to injuries. He only played 10 games in the Premier League without contributing a single goal or assist in that season. His only goal came in the UCL final after Steven Gerrard and Co. were trailing by three goals before the interval. The skipper himself scored a lifeline through his header, followed by his long-range shot before Xabi Alonso’s goal from a penalty rebound to level the score. Smicer, who came off the bench only due to Harry Kewell’s injury in the 23^rd minute, also converted the penalty successfully in the shootout.

Meanwhile, Jerzy Dudek demonstrated his quality at the right time when his team needed it the most. After conceding three times easily in the first half, the former Poland international magically showed his positive side, solid and unbreakable at the backline. He even made several clinical saves, including Andriy Shevchenko’s clear chances in front of the goal. The former Feyenoord man also denied two penalties from Milan’s best executioner, Andrea Pirlo, and their Ukrainian goalscorer, Andriy Shevchenko. It was a moment to remember.

Such form was in contrast to his display between the sticks throughout the 2004–05 season. He only made 24 appearances in the league, keeping only five clean sheets. He even did not feature in one of the toughest games of Liverpool’s UCL campaign that season, a narrow 2-1 win over Juventus in the quarterfinal.

Teddy Sheringham (UCL 1999)

The former prolific striker in the Premier League era was not the first choice when he joined Manchester United back in 1997. He knew he would not be the main option upfront, as there were already Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke in the squad. Sheringham, who was 33 years old at the time, did not have his best season. He was only fielded 17 times in the league during the 1998–99 campaign. The former Spurs skipper only netted twice and set up three times throughout the season. 

Yet Sheringham did make the difference when he was needed the most. He contributed superbly in the big games. In the 1998/99 Champions League final versus Bayern Munich. At that time, the Red Devils were already one goal behind and ran out of time. Sheringham came off the bench with only about 20 minutes left from the normal time. He surprisingly netted an equaliser before providing the assist for the winning goal by Ole Solskjaer. Those were decisive goals as they bounced back and snatched a 2-1 win over the Bavarian side in less than four minutes. 

The frontman who became Alan Shearer’s duet in EURO 1996 did it not only once but twice in that season. Previously, he also did the same thing, coming off the bench, scoring, and setting up one in the FA Cup final against Newcastle United. What an incredible season for the first top scorer in the Premier League era!