Darwin Nunez & the five most MOCKED players in the world

Updated: 1 Nov 2022 09:15 GMT
5 min read

Darwin Nunez Liverpool 2022-23 — © ProShots

For footballers, it’s part of the job to get mocked for their actions on the pitch, with so many eyes on them as they try to do their bit on the field.

From poor performances to big price tags, inconsistency to strange mistakes, fans can find a variety of reasons to mock a footballer, and when given the chance, they are happy to take it.

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It can sometimes only take one action for the mocking to begin, and that can last for a long time, especially if things don’t change and the player continues in that vein.

READ: Darwin Nunez is the world's most entertaining footballer

Here are five of the most mocked footballers in the world.

Darwin Nunez

Last season, Darwin Nunez was on fire for Benfica, but things haven’t quite been the same since his move to Liverpool. He hasn’t been helped by the fact that the club paid so much money to get him, and that he hasn’t hit the ground running immediately.

There are often jokes about his often-awkward running style, and his wastefulness in front of goal isn’t reflective of a player that was bought for a €100 million fee. Despite the occasional goal, rival fans have enjoyed his rather slow start and will be hoping it continues.

READ: Pogba agreed Man Utd exit in April

Darwin Nunez trying to score like: pic.twitter.com/b6DdI2wZBf
— Football Transfers (@Transfersdotcom) November 1, 2022

Harry Maguire

Harry Maguire remains the world’s most expensive defender, and for much of that time, he hasn’t performed like it. Between 2019 and 2021, one could suggest there were glimpses of his best form, but since then, it’s not been the greatest time for him.

He’s been dropped by both Ralf Rangnick and Erik ten Hag at Manchester United, and his constant errors, strange decision-making, sloppiness and general style of play have often been part of the joke. He’ll be hoping to make amends for that at the World Cup, but for now, the mocking continues.

Romelu Lukaku

No player has cost more in combined transfer fees than Romelu Lukaku, but despite showing his class in his first spell at Inter and for the Belgian national team, he remains the butt of the jokes for some of the attributes he has as a forward.

His first touch has been a long-running cause, as the jokes first started when he was at Everton, then enhanced at Manchester United. After that, his two failed stints at Chelsea, featuring that one interview where he revealed his admiration for former club Inter haven’t helped.

Alvaro Morata

This happens for two reasons: firstly, Alvaro Morata is constantly moving clubs. For the casual fan, it’s hard to remember which club he’s at. It could be any one of Juventus or Atletico Madrid, while he’s often linked back with a move to England, with Chelsea and Manchester United.

To add to it, he was one of the world’s most expensive forwards, and he didn’t play like it when he moved to Chelsea, with his wastefulness often being criticized, and by fans, made fun of. He’s still proven to be quite important, though, especially for Spain.

TRUE✅ Ralf Rangnick told me: He tried to get for @ManUtd Alavaro Morata, Dusan Vlahovic, Christopher Nkunku, Josko Gvardiol, Luis Diaz & Erling Haaland. But the Club refused Winter-Transfers pic.twitter.com/hJ5fhM3dpE
— Christian Falk (@cfbayern) October 26, 2022

Paul Pogba

Paul Pogba was, at one point, the world’s most expensive footballer and a supremely gifted player as well, but his inconsistency at Manchester United made him an easy target for jokes. He didn’t often play well, showing patches of form and that was called out.

Factor in that his constant change in haircuts didn’t sit well with the purists and that often made him the butt of jokes – for a long time, many believed that he had more hairstyles than good performances for Manchester United, and that wasn’t the best thing for him.