Who are the worst Premier League players ever?

The best league
Worst players
Ali Dia (1996)
Didn't last long
Massimo Taibi (1999)
Pressure
Eric Djemba-Djemba (2003-2006)
Sold
Savio Nsereko (2009)
Worst Hammer
Milton Núñez (2000-2001)
Eduardo Bennett
Bebe (2010)
Not so 'CR7'
Igors Stepanovs (2000-2003)
How difficult the league is
The best league

The Premier League is one of the best leagues in the world. It has some of the best teams and biggest resources, subsequently attracting the greatest players.

Worst players

Wayne Rooney, Thierry Henry, and Sergio Aguero have all been phenomenal during their Premier League careers. However, that doesn't mean every player has been good. Here are the worst players to play in the Premier League.

Ali Dia (1996)

Ali Dia is one of the most fascinating figures in Premier League history. In 1996, he infamously conned Southampton manager Graeme Souness into earning a Premier League spot by alleging he was the cousin of George Weah.

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Didn't last long

The striker, who played for non-league Blyth Spartans before joining Southampton, lasted 52 minutes before getting subbed and never playing again. He was released two weeks into his one-month contract.

Massimo Taibi (1999)

Massimo Taibi is the worst goalkeeper in Premier League history and was tasked with filling Peter Schmeichel's gloves after Manchester United's treble-winning campaign.

Pressure

The Italian goalkeeper made four appearances for United in the league and became famous for his catastrophic blunders and terrible shot-stopping. He is most infamous for letting Matt Le Tissier's tame shot through his legs in United's 3-3 draw.

Eric Djemba-Djemba (2003-2006)

Brought in to succeed Roy Keane, one of the greatest midfielders in Premier League history, Eric Djemba-Djemba fell far short of that mark for Manchester United, making 20 appearances in two seasons and scoring zero goals.

Sold

His performances in the middle for Manchester United were so bad that Manchester United fans yearned for Roy Keane to return to Old Trafford. He was moved to Aston Villa 18 months later before ending up in the Championship with Burnley.

Savio Nsereko (2009)

Player of the Tournament while playing for Germany at the European U-19 Championships, Savio Nsereko joined West Ham from Serie B outfit Brescia in 2009 for close to £10 million.

Worst Hammer

West Ham fans argue that he is the worst West Ham signing ever. He played ten games, scored no goals, and looked way out of his depth in the Premier League. After six months, he was shipped to Fiorentina for a £3 million loss.

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Milton Núñez (2000-2001)

Milton Núñez made one solitary appearance for Sunderland against Wimbledon in April 2000, lasting only 15 minutes. GiveMeSport reports that manager Peter Reid signed Núñez because of a mistaken identity.

Eduardo Bennett

Núñez always denied the rumours that he was a mistaken identity, but in 2017, he admitted that Reid may have confused him with two of his teammates at PAOK. Sunderland confused Núñez with Eduardo Bennett, but Bennett never played for PAOK.

Bebe (2010)

A Portuguese winger who signed for Manchester United in 2010, Bebe had some lofty expectations to succeed following the success of Cristiano Ronaldo at Old Trafford, but Sir Alex Ferguson quickly worked out he wasn't going to fit the bill.

Not so 'CR7'

Bebe made seven appearances across all competitions. He scored two goals and was loaned out three times during his four-year stint at the club. The winger eventually found a steady home with a Spanish outfit, Rayo Vallecano.

Igors Stepanovs (2000-2003)

When Igors Stepanoves joined Arsenal in 2000, the North London team built a Premier League superpower. However, Stepanovs didn't fit that bill and failed to bolster the Arsenal backline.

How difficult the league is

His years at Arsenal proved how difficult the Premier League is for even seasoned international players. He made 31 appearances for Arsenal and failed to make any positive impact. His underwhelming career in London was summed up when he was part of the Arsenal team that lost 6-1 to Manchester United.

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