Summary
AI has deemed an England and Manchester United legend as the most overrated player in football history.
The midfielder once finished second in the ballon d'Or rakings and played a pivotal role in one of English football's greatest teams.
The reasons for his overrated status included his status in pop culture and how he compared to teammates.
It is very easy for football fans and experts to overhype a player when they are doing well. A decent run of form, where a solid talent performs above expectations, can suddenly see them being portrayed as a world-class star. Many teams have even fallen foul of this, spending big money on names who have garnered a reputation that their ability perhaps does not actually deserve.
Of course, this is often quite a subjective matter. After all, how good a player is perceived to be is largely based on an individual's conception of them, or what that person values in a footballer. Some might argue a clinical goalscorer is overrated compared to a creative midfielder, even if the key stats would suggest otherwise.
In order to avoid human emotion and sentiment clouding such a judgement, GIVEMESPORT has enlisted the help of ChatGPT to answer one question – who is the most overrated footballer of all time? Its answer is a player who not only won almost everything there is to win in the game, but also once finished as a Ballon d'Or runner-up.
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The set-piece specialist starred for the likes of Manchester United and Real Madrid
According to the AI, David Beckham is the surprising name chosen as the most overrated player in football history. The former England captain finished second in the 1999 Ballon d'Or rankings, cementing his status as one of the most elite players of his generation. However, ChatGPT has given an alternative view on the treble winner and has listed several different factors behind its choice, while also prefacing it with some praise:
"To be clear: Beckham was a great professional, world-class at what he did best, and had a huge impact on football culture. But the gap between his media-driven fame and his on-pitch influence fuels this "overrated" label."
When discussing his strengths, the AI states that the 50-year-old was "one of the best dead-ball specialists in history" and also "tremendously disciplined and professional." It also cited some of the successes he achieved throughout his career, namely the iconic 1999 treble with Manchester United.
However, when it comes to why he was considered overrated, far more detail is given. Firstly, it was noted that "Beckham became a global icon — more famous than most players of his time — thanks to marketing, looks, and celebrity status. He was arguably more pop culture than football culture, especially after marrying Victoria Adams (Posh Spice)."
The AI also went on to list his weaknesses, including a lack of pace, limited dribbling ability, defensive shortcomings such as tackling and pressing, and an inability to consistently take control of big games in the way some of his high-profile teammates did.
His England career was also cited as a contributing factor, with his red card in the 1998 World Cup and missed penalty at Euro 2004 against Portugal seen as blemishes on his legacy. Additionally, his captaincy coincided with what many consider a period of underachievement for the national team, despite a talented squad.
Finally, comparisons were drawn to several of his teammates who were seen as more influential on the pitch. At Manchester United, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, and Roy Keane were mentioned as greater assets during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Meanwhile, at Real Madrid, players like Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, and Ronaldo were highlighted as Galacticos who had a stronger overall impact than Beckham.
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Piers Morgan's View on Overrated Beckham
The AI is not the only detractor of the midfielder
Piers Morgan.
It is not just AI that shares this opinion on Beckham either. Former Good Morning presenter Piers Morgan has previously hit the former England skipper with similar criticisms, going as far as to suggest that the former LA Galaxy star wouldn't even make the bench during Arsenal's unbeaten season.
Taking to social media, Morgan wrote: "Beckham was the most overrated player in history. Wouldn't have got onto the Arsenal Invincibles bench. Take away the crossing & free-kicks, he was a fame-hungry snail with dumb haircuts who only won that much because of the truly great players around him."
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All statistics courtesy of Sacnilk - accurate as of 22/05/2024.