When we think of 1990s football, we think of Zidane, long-sleeved Premier League kits, the immortal Serie A squads that reigned supreme, the mercurial Sir Alex Ferguson and his treble-winning side, George Weah, Real Madrid's Teka shirt, El Phenomenon and David Beckham's sending off in the World Cup - are we missing anything?
Football has completely transformed since this period, as you'd expect, given that it was thirty years ago. Following the onset of the Millennium, we ushered in a squeakier, corporate Tiki Taka oil fantasy football that doesn't have the same grit, tenacity, or authenticity we witnessed before Y2K kicked in. We're not here to tear down the modern game, though. Instead, we're here to appreciate a time before mobile phones took over and xG was a thing, halcyon days.
What Makes a Striker Underrated?
It's a good question, where do we draw the line in the sand? Brazilian Ronaldo was a blistering, unstoppable juggernaut of a player, the closest thing we've probably ever had in real life FIFA player who had 99 for every single attribute.
The Brazilian jetted all over Europe, playing in the top leagues, picking up golden boots and domestic titles every few years. He was a magical talent and one of the greatest we have ever seen.
When Ronaldo would pick up the ball and charge at his opponents, it had all the excitement and anticipation of a highly-immersive progressive slots game where you don't know if the colossal jackpot will continue to climb or whether it will fall into your lap. So many of these games have blistering graphics, operate at a lightning pace, and keep you right on the edge of your seat, which is what El Phenomenon did every week in the 1990s, whether he was playing for club or country.
However, an immensely decorated player with a World Cup winners medal in his cabinet, 2 Ballon d'Or, and a World Cup Golden Boot wouldn't fit the underrated category. We're digging for gems, players you know of but might not have been aware of just how good they were.
Gabriel Batistuta
Batigol was Argentina's top scorer until Lionel Messi bulldozed through every Argentinian record imaginable. This strengthens our point that Batistuta was criminally underrated, Messi has swept up every conceivable solo record for Argentina, and it'll likely stand for the next few decades. Still, Batigol broke records held by Diego Maradona, and Lionel Messi's wizardry has outshone these phenomenal talents of late. Still, if there were a Mount Rushmore of Argentinian footballers, all three would be up there.
The Argentinian dynamo was underrated, as he could have played for any of Europe's top clubs. However, with tremendous respect to Fiorentina, he spent nine fantastic years there from 1991 to 2000, scoring over 150 goals in the Serie A, sharing the league with other astounding talents such as Roberto Baggio.
To say Gabriel Batistuta is loved in Florence would be the understatement of the century. Staying with the team and helping them through relegation, Fiorentina fans adore him. But, as the only striker to score a hat-trick in two World Cups, he is one of the decade's most underappreciated strikers.
Andy Cole
Outside of English football, Andy Cole is a name that doesn't carry the same weight as strikers from the same era. The ex-Manchester United man scored 148 goals in just over 250 games in the 1990s, winning the treble with Manchester United in 1999. The Nottingham-born man amassed more goals in English football than Sergio Aguero and Thierry Henry yet is notably absent when discussing the best strikers of the 1990s.
Andy didn't have an electric personality and wasn't about the glitz and glamour like many of his United teammates. As a result, he struggled internationally in the England set-up, which is probably why European pundits overlook him - but at his peak, he was just as good as any striker in Europe. Considering he was one of the first names on the teamsheet when Manchester United were at their very best, many fans and analysts downplay the true level of his ability.
Hristo Stoichkov
If you're Bulgarian, you won't be somebody who underrates Stoichkov, nor will you if you are a Barcelona fan who watched Johan Cryuff's electric Dream Team of the early 1990s. Stoichkov was a forward of immense ability, winning back-to-back leagues in Spain, scooping up a Ballon d'Or, and winning a European Cup. For Bulgarians, there is no question he is the greatest player that has ever emerged from their country.
However, if you ask people who the best Barcelona strikers of the 1990s were, they will immediately jump to Ronaldo, Luis, or Romario. Although these two Brazilians were two of the greatest strikers of all time, Stoichkov, in his day, was every bit as good as them and is the only one out of the three who managed to win the European Cup during his time in Catalonia.
