The phrase, ‘streets won’t forget’ is a way of recognising a separate genre of football that highlights those players whose individual skill and crowd-pleasing cameos made all fans come together to show love for them.
So without ado, here are my top 5 players that fall under the ‘streets won’t forget’ category…
5. Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse
When talking about the players who fall under the category of the ‘streets won’t forget’ you would usually list them as one player for each rank but this is different. This pair was different from the rest.
The duo took the Premier League by storm as a duo scoring an impressive 29 goals in the league in 2011/12. When you think about Papiss Cisse, many people instantly cast their minds to the goal of the season in 2012 against Chelsea. An audacious volley from the left side of the pitch with the ball ending in the top right of the goal against arguably the league’s best ever goalkeeper is outrageous, and chances are we'll never say a goal of that nature happen again.
This duo is the definition of fun and both players had the ability to produce something out of the ordinary. Arguably, up there with the elite duos the Premier League has ever seen and for good reason.
4. Michu
The saying ‘Michu walked so Erling Haaland could run’ couldn’t have been put any better.
When Haaland was asked who inspires his play style , it may come as a surprise to some, but not for me. The Norwegian goal machine mentioned Michu as one of his inspirations as a child, which just goes to show how influential he was for Swansea in the 2012/13 season.
After arriving at Welsh side Swansea for a measly £2 million from Rayo Vallecano, nobody really batted an eyelid, but what was yet to come was truly mesmerizing. The Spaniard really took the Premier League by storm scoring 18 goals, helping Swansea secure the League Cup trophy and who could forget the iconic ear twisting celebration.
It truly is a shame to see that Michu suffered ‘second season syndrome’ and consequently returned back to Spain in 2015. The fans of the Premier League will never forget.
3. Dimitri Payet
Payet is one of those players who had the ability to kick on but sadly didn’t.
After joining West Ham from League 1 giants Marseille in 2015, he had the world in the centre of his hands. The Frenchman was a class above the rest for West Ham in 2015/16 to the points defenders would fear when he would next strike.
Payet, a class act who spent his two seasons east of the capital and was regularly nothing short of incredible had the potential to develop into one of the division's next great talents. Instead he let his ego get in the way and saw him move back to Marseille in 2017 and hasn’t yet been able to recapture his previous form for the Hammers.
2. Hatem Ben Arfa
The Frenchman got his Newcastle career off to a rocky start when he broke his leg in his first season. It wasn’t looking promising for the attacking midfielder, but he defied all odds and bounced back in the 2011/12 season bringing a different level of flare that has never been seen before.
The man had the ability to turn the game upside down on his own, turn defences inside out and make the opposition teams life a misery. When you think about the magic footwork that Ben Arfa had at his disposal, his solo run and finish against Bolton stands out over the rest. His form didn’t just die out in one season but continued up until 2014, when attitude issues saw it start to fade away.
Hatem, you will forever be remembered by the streets for being one of the finest showmen in the history of top-tier English entertainment.
1. Adel Taarabt
And in first place is the undisputed 'king of the streets': Adel Taarabt.
Taarabt is among the most outstanding players of the Premier League era in terms of raw skill. Those who were able to watch him play- whether that be in person or on the TV would vouch for this assessment.
His time at QPR will live on for the foreseeable future. The Moroccan would torment the opposition's back lines week in week out just for the sake of it. He bought with him an unforgettable level of skill that will never be replicated to that standard. Although he was playing at the highest level, he did see a fall in form, but since he has resurrected his career at Benfica surprisingly adopting a more disciplined box to box midfielder role.
They just don’t make them like him anymore. Truly one of a kind.
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Honourable mentions
Andrey Arshavin
Arshavin served as a wonderful footballer at the height of his talent who secured a move from Zenit Saint Petersburg to Arsenal in 2009 as a consequence of his spectacular performances for Russia at the 2008 European Championships.
The Russian never really got to the level of potential that he once had but on his day he was a force to be reckoned with. He single-handily earned Arsenal a draw in a 4-4 thriller at Anfield scoring all 4 and earning a well-deserved 10 rating on L'Equipe, an achievement that only a few have managed to achieve.
Roque Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz is arguably one of the greatest one-season wonders known to man.
He spent a considerable amount of time at German giants Bayern Munich before Blackburn managed to snap up the Paraguayan signature.
Santa Cruz would leave defenders dizzy throughout the season and managed to bag himself 19 goals and 7 assists in the 2007/08 season. He did manage to get himself a big move to Manchester City but struggled to put a run of form like that together again.
Rory Delap
Throughout this list players have been listed based on their technical ability to finesse their way into this list, but this man mastered the art of the long throw.
The saying, “But can they do it in a cold rainy night in Stoke” really was the case. Teams would rather give away corners than give away throw-ins when Delap was on the pitch. The man could make throw in his side's main source of attack. That is seriously impressive. It got to the point Arsene Wenger pleaded to the FA to get the long throw banned but the attempt didn’t pay off. As soon as you saw the ball go out of play you instantly knew that there was danger on the rise.
Genuinely there was no need for it. We need someone like that in the Prem now, but I doubt it will happen again. Truly one of a kind.
