Top 10 Most Overrated Premier League Winners in Football History (Ranked)

Top 10 Most Overrated Premier League Winners in Football History (Ranked)

Every Premier League season has its heroes, and then it has the guys who somehow rode the parade float anyway. Today, we’re breaking down the champions who got more praise than performances.

Opinions will be hurt, memories will be questioned, and football Twitter may riot.

Let's get into the top 10 most overrated Premier League winners ever.

Who Is The Most Overrated Premier League Winner Of All Time?

10. Jack Grealish

After signing for Man City from Aston Villa for a fee of over £100 million, expectations for Grealish at the Etihad were high.

Despite winning the Premier League in his first season at the club, Grealish's appearances and performances were considered sub-par. With Pep Guardiola favouring the like of Raheem Sterling on the wing, Grealish struggled to get regular starting minutes and was often considered out of favour.

Do you think Jack Grealish has been a flop for Man City? 🤔#MCFC #ManCity pic.twitter.com/mmHzLDD7Xr

— DR Sports (@drsportsmedia) October 18, 2024

His second season saw his performances improve as he played his part in Man City's famous treble winning season, but he yet again fell out of favour with Guardiola.

Grealish is now spending time out on loan at Everton where has looked to recapture his old Aston Villa form, however this doesn't stop him from being one of the most overhyped players to lift a Premier League.

9. Fernandinho

Another Man City player, Fernandinho spent almost a decade at the club and lifted 5 Premier Leagues.

For someone with 5 Premier Leagues to his name, overrated may be harsh, yet the defensive midfielder was never considered one of the best in the league during his entire time in England.

#OnThisDay in 2013, we announced the signing of @fernandinho 🤝

A true City legend! 🩵 pic.twitter.com/0WUJbcYqB8

— Manchester City (@ManCity) June 6, 2025

Fernandinho did not have blistering pace, he was not the strongest, and he often struggled with injuries throughout his time. While his sheer number of titles is impressive, we are not entirely convinced his individual quality met his achievements.

8. Georgino Wijnaldum

Wijnaldum played a crucial role in Liverpool's Premier League win back in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Playing in the central midfield position, he was often considered a player who got the job done rather than excelled. His high stamina accompanied with a knack for making tackles made him appear a lot better than he actually was.

His overrated nature came more apparent after his move away from Anfield to sign for PSG. In 2 seasons, he struggled with injuries, making 31 appearances, and looked very out of place.

Who is the bigger PSG flop?🧐

Wijnaldum or Messi? pic.twitter.com/XgZHVR0pZm

— Masim (@masimgoat) August 18, 2023

Now playing for Al Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia at 35-years old, Wijnaldum will look to hang up his boots in a few seasons with a sizeable bank account.

But wages aside, Wijnaldum was an extremely overrated player.

7. Martin Demichellis

Our writer for this one has openly stated that Argentinian centreback Martin Demichelles may be his own personal worst ever defender to lift the trophy.

Martin Demichelis (€3M) - Atlético Madrid to Manchester City (2013) pic.twitter.com/mwISzEP3jv

— Transfersthathappened (@actualtransfers) October 19, 2024

Demichellis was an Argentinian defender who lifted the Premier League with Manuel Pellegrini and Man City back in 2014. Standing at just 6ft tall, the player did not have a towering presence, nor did he possess much pace.

Demichellis picked up numerous amounts of cards in the league for reckless challenges, and he often looked out of his depth. If it weren't for the sheer world-class brilliance of Yaya Toure, David Silva, and Sergio Aguero, then Man City may just have had one less Premier League title.

6. Kolo Toure

Kolo Toure was a 2 time Premier League winner, once with the invincible Arsenal, and once with Man City in 2012.

Despite these 2 titles, Toure never starred in either side's win, nor did he do anything extraordinary.

A half decent centreback on his day, Kolo Toure was one of those players who could never maintain consistency. After leaving Man City for Liverpool, his lacklustre ability became even more apparent at Anfield.

On this day in 2013, Liverpool signed Kolo Toure on a free transfer.

👊 pic.twitter.com/7oWka7mvyh

— Liverpool FC News (@LivEchoLFC) July 2, 2018

Funnily enough, Kolo Toure left Liverpool to go and join Celtic and win yet another league title, and going invincible for the second time.

5. Gary Cahill (2016/17)

In what feels like a stab in the back for our write (Author's note: I am a Chelsea fan, but I can't get away from what I saw), Gary Cahill sits at number 5 for Chelsea's 2016/17 title winning season.

Cahill was a rock in the 2014/15 winning campaign under Jose Mourinho, but the same cannot be said when playing under Antonio Conte in a back 3.

Cahill played left centreback and was prone to many mistakes. If it were not for the brilliance of David Luiz and Cesar Azpilicueta next to him, accompanied by the powerhouse of N'golo Kante in front of him, then Cahill's true form would have been exposed more.

After this season, Cahill began to fall out of favour with the club and was dropped to the reserved by Maurizio Sarri, he subsequently left the club and went to play for Crystal Palace and Bournemouth before retiring.

4. Filipe Luis

Filipe Luis signed for Chelsea in the 2014/15 season from Atletico Madrid. Widely regarded as one of the best left backs in Europe at the time, Luis barely played for the Blues this season before returning to Atletico in the 2015/16 season.

Luis only made 15 appearances for Chelsea, with the majority of them coming from the bench, with Jose Mourinho preferring to use Azpilicueta on that side. When Filipe Luis did play, he looked out of his depth.

The one time Premier League winner is now carving out an impressive career in management with Flamengo, putting in a decent display at the Club World Cup, and lifting the Copa Libertadores trophy last month.

December 2023: Retired from football

June 2024: Flamengo’s U20 manager

Aug 2024: Wins the U20 World Cup

Sept 2024 Flamengo’s senior manager

Nov 2024: Wins the Copa Do Brasil

Nov 2025: Wins the Copa Libertadores

The insane story of FILIPE LUIS! 🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/P1UHyT0GM7

— Brasil Football 🇧🇷 (@BrasilEdition) November 29, 2025

3. Joleon Lescott

Lescott played in the defence for Man City during their 2011/12 campaign. Mistake prone, it was Vincent Kompany who bailed him out most weekends.

On this day in 2009, @JoleonLescott signed for City ⏪🩵 pic.twitter.com/P8EhWl7t3j

— Manchester City (@ManCity) August 25, 2025

Lescott enjoyed a decade long career in the Premier League, but for it to be capped off with a winner's medal seems a little farfetched. Lescott was not a towering defender and he would often be caught out by attackers.

His starting position at the Etihad did not last much longer though as he was soon found out, and he signed for West Brom back in 2014.

2. Dejan Lovren

Dejan Lovren was a Croatian centre back who played for Liverpool and lifted the Premier League in 2020.

Laughed at around the world, Lovren was in the same category as Lorius Karius when it came to calamitous mistakes that cost the team.

Dejan Lovren joined the Reds 11 years ago 🇭🇷🔴 pic.twitter.com/CXAup0W7xg

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) July 27, 2025

It is unbelievable to say that at the end of his Liverpool career, not only did Lovren walk away with a Premier League, but also with a Champions League medal. Had it not been for Virgil Van Dijk, then Liverpool may not have been as successful.

1. Danny Drinkwater

(Author's note: I have avoided Leicester City players for this list, yet this player is inexcusable).

Danny Drinkwater won the Premier League with Leicester City back in 2016. A product of the Man United youth academy, Drinkwater formed a formidable partnership in the midfield with N'golo Kante. After Kante signed for Chelsea off the back of the 2015/16 season, Drinkwater was exposed.

His sheer mediocre ability was showcased to everyone when he lost the legs of Kante, and somehow he still managed to secure a £35 million move to Chelsea in the summer of 2017.

Danny Drinkwater (€37.9M) - Leicester City to Chelsea (2017) pic.twitter.com/POPtsoeUto

— Transfersthathappened (@actualtransfers) June 9, 2024

His move to Chelsea was as expected, and he did not do much during his time at Stamford Bridge. During his time at Chelsea, he was loaned out 4 times, spending time at Burnley, Aston Villa, Kasimpasa, and Reading.

After making only 12 appearances for the club in 5 years, Drinkwater was released in 2022.