Ever since football was born, accepted and followed as a sport, it has spectated an almost endless list of legends who have produced magic on the pitch. Their stories of success, their style of play, their charisma; A lot of factors contribute to the reason why they are adored by many throughout the globe.
While they usually are hated by their own set of fans and rather despised by their rivals, some footballers do command respect from each and every fan, regardless of the teams of the teams they support.
With the 21st-century football becoming more demanding than ever, players can incur the wrath of fans in the blink of an eye if they fail to meet the expectations. However, even in such an era where being loathed has become rather difficult to deal with, a handful of players are still difficult to hate.
4 Mohamed Salah
Season 2017/18, for probably the first time in years, allowed a player reach and walk shoulder to shoulder boasting the same scoring exploits as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Mohamed Salah was an absolute revelation in the Premier League last season. After arriving at Anfield as a risky signing considering his history with Chelsea, the Egyptian filled the Merseyside with joy with his performances while silencing the doubters in the process. Salah spearheaded Liverpool to the UCL finals. However, it’s his winning penalty that reserved a berth for Egypt at the FIFA World Cup for the first time after 1990 which made him a darling in everyone’s eyes. His emphatic displays even garnered rave reviews from the most hardcore Manchester United supporters.
3 Ivan Rakitic
Next up is Barcelona’s clever midfield general, Ivan Rakitic. The Croatian number 7 has rightfully established himself as one of the best midfielders in the world right now, after being an able accomplice for his captain Luka Modric in their country’s adventures in Russia.
Ivan Rakitic always had talents worth being loved, however, the player always remained in the shadows of his counterparts, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos, when it came to being counted in the best crop of midfielders in the current generation. But his World Cup heroics have brought him out of the shadow and rightfully placed him on the pedestal he so richly deserves.
2 Luka Modric
With the FIFA World Cup coming to a thrilling end, Luka Modric has become the apple of everyone’s eyes. The Croatian magician guided his country to their first-ever finals in the history of the competition, performing magnificently in each game that he played.
Back in 2012 when Modric was signed by Real Madrid, he was even voted as one of the worst signings Los Blancos had ever made. Six years fast forward, the fans will be thanking Jose Mourinho for bringing him to the Bernabeu, viewing his mammoth contributions in the club’s most successful era of all time.
1 N’Golo Kante
N’Golo Kante is a player so much like Paul Scholes. He speaks volumes when on the pitch but is almost a non-entity off it, given his shy nature. However, it’s exactly this ability to perform where it matters that makes him an adored personality in the football world at the moment.
Kante is one of the consistent performers on the pitch; an omnipresent midfielder tirelessly covering every blade of grass and neutralizing the greatest of players with his tremendous work ethic. What’s more, the players in his position require to have a strong physique and a good height, yet the Frenchman carries out his role to astounding perfection even though he lacks both the aforementioned traits.