Football debuts come in all shapes and sizes, don’t they? While it’s the dream is to score the match-winner and produce a Player of the Match performance, some just don’t go to plan. Whether it’s on the grandest stage of the Premier League or elsewhere, no one wants to start off on a sour note.
And especially in the modern game – where £50 million+ fees are commonplace – the need to perform in your inaugural game at your new employers is as high as ever. The rise of social media also means it’s important to get off to a good start, with fans eager to write players off quicker than ever.
Unfortunately, some players aren’t lucky enough to make a positive impact right off the bat and whether it’s a sign of things to come or just a rare outlier in what ultimately became a solid tenure at their club, these are the 15 worst debuts in the history of football.
15 Saul Niguez – Chelsea
vs Aston Villa (2021)
Getting hooked at the half-time interval is a debutant’s worst nightmare, but that’s the unfortunate case of Saul Niguez. The Spain international arrived at Chelsea as one of the best European midfielders despite becoming second or third fiddle under Diego Simeone at Atletico Madrid. Niguez’s Premier League debut came against Aston Villa, but the likes of John McGinn gave him a firm introduction to England by – basically – running rings around him.
Two wayward passes almost led to Ollie Watkins inflicting damage and his overall showing was lackadaisical, which meant he only plundered a further four league games following his Hall of Shame debut. Fortunately, he was only on loan at Stamford Bridge, meaning he didn’t go down as one of the team’s worst ever transfers.
14 Garry Flitcroft – Blackburn Rovers
vs Everton (1996)
Suffice to say that his career at Blackburn Rovers didn’t end on a sour note as he made over 250 appearances and became the club captain, but it certainly started on one.
Three minutes – the average length of some of your favourite songs – is all it took for Garry Flitcroft to see red and then be shown it shortly after. Everton’s notorious hard-man Duncan Ferguson, of all people, was the receiver of Flitty’s swung elbow. His teammates admitted it was out of character but rules are rules, unfortunately, and a moment of madness darkened what is typically a day to cherish.
13 Warren Barton – England
vs Republic of Ireland (1995)
The first international bow of the list, Warren Barton attempted to make his mark during a ‘friendly’ for England against the Republic of Ireland. So-called fans threw missiles on the pitch and the referee deemed it too dangerous to continue and abandoned the match just 27 minutes in.
Granted, it wasn’t his fault, but his 20 family members who had made the trip to Dublin to watch their pride and joy play out his dream would have been more than disappointed, especially as his Euro 96 hopes also went down the drain and he only played two more times for his country.
12 Gervinho – Arsenal
vs Newcastle United (2011)
Gervinho’s non-competitive debut saw him score two goals in the first 15 minutes, but that is obviously not remembered considering the Ivorian endured a difficult start to competitive life in north London. His Premier League bow ended following an altercation with Joey Barton, a player who was enthused by a tussle. A red card and a three-match ban for violent conduct was his final act on his debut.
He went on to spend two years with the north London outfit, though, playing 63 times and scoring 11 goals before moving on to AS Roma in 2013. All things considered, he bounced back after a tough start.
11 Emmanuel Frimpong – Barnsley
vs Sheffield Wednesday (2014)
Moving to Barnsley from Arsenal is enough to make any footballer behave badly on their debut, and it’s safe to say that Emmanuel Frimpong was unimpressed with the transfer in January 2014.
The Ghanaian targeted the same player twice and found himself subject to a yellow card offence on both occasions which, in turn, saw him leave the field of play. Frimpong seemingly had a knack for doing this, though, seeing as the former Arsenal midfielder was also sent off on his Premier League debut for the Gunners when he picked up two yellow cards. Old habits die hard, you could say.
10 Marcos Antonio – FC Nurnberg
vs Stuttgart (2012)
Antonio’s first game in a FC Nurnberg shirt had already been and gone, but his first showing in the Bundesliga is the headline-stealer. Inside the first 30 seconds against Stuttgart, the centre-back misplaced a pass and played the ball to the opposition’s Vedad Ibisevic who opened the affair with a goal.
Amazingly, the defender repeated his questionable action just minutes later, though a goal was not the final outcome that time around. Still, it was enough to see him hooked after just 16 minutes. He never played a single other league game for the club. At least he didn’t get sent off… right?
9 Jason Crowe – Arsenal
vs Birmingham City (1997)
It took Jason Crowe long enough to make his debut given that Lee Dixon was Arsenal’s optimal choice, so when the time came, he had to make his mark. Make his mark he did as he came off the bench to last just 33 seconds – yes, you have read that correctly – before being shown a red card from a needless challenge of Martin O’Conner.
It was the fastest debut sending off in English football history and he was afforded very few opportunities at Arsenal following the incident. He never played a single league game for the Gunners, but Crowe remained with the team for a couple of years before ultimately joining Portsmouth in 2000.
8 Glenn Keeley – Everton
vs Liverpool (1982)
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A loan spell in Merseyside was seen by his employers Blackburn Rovers as a way of sprucing up his career, though any chance of signing permanently were dead in the water 33 minutes into his stint. His first game couldn’t have come in a match with higher stakes as Everton faced off against their local rivals Liverpool. The centre-back flew into a challenge with Kenny Dalglish and was given his marching orders.
After the incident he never played for the Toffees again. He eventually returned to Blackburn where he remained for a further five years before eventually joining Oldham Athletic in 1987.
7 Stanley Milton – Halifax Town
vs Stockport County (1934)
The oldest debut on this list belongs to the shot-stopping Stanley Milton, who began his Halifax Town career in 1934. He faced off against Stockport County and things quickly went south. Milton had two goals enter his net in the first half, but that was just the start of a memorable day, though the 11 goals conceded in the second stage meant that his debut has been brandished as one of the worst debuts of all time.
And it’s easy to understand why! One of those etched in football folklore, which is still infamous and remembered now, 90 years after the fact. That’s pretty impressive in itself.
6 Lionel Messi – Argentina
vs Hungary (2005)
“It wasn’t the way I dreamed it would be.” the Argentine magician said. And he’d be right. Considering Lionel Messi’s exploits with his nation have made him Argentina’s all-time greatest player, it can be easy to forget just how bad his debut was. The forward came off the bench against Hungary and received his marching orders after just 40 seconds.
Albeit a legend of the game now, the 18-year-old substitute was sent off for an alleged elbow on Hungary’s Vilmos Vanczak. Even the greatest are subject to a bad day at the office, it seems. He’s more than redeemed himself with all he’s done for his country since, including that 2022 World Cup triumph.
5 Tomas Repka – West Ham United
vs Middlesbrough (2001)
Some players’ approach to the game just makes them much more vulnerable to making a howling debut. And Tomas Repka’s reputation of being physical and reckless is one of those cases. The Czech defender, who cost West Ham United a then-club record fee of £5.5m, made his league debut against Middlesbrough but ended the special occasion walking off hanging his head in shame after picking up two yellow cards.
Upon his return to the pitch, you’d assume it would be an opportunity to put his horror show debut to bed. But not for Repka, he earned another red card in his third match for the Hammers. Still, he went on to have a fine run with the Hammers, playing for the club for five years.
4 Chris Smalling – Al-Fayha FC
vs Al Raed (2024)
Having spent several solid years with AS Roma, Chris Smalling had rebuilt his reputation following a disappointing end to his time at Manchester United. All that good might be destroyed pretty quickly if his debut in Saudi Arabia is an indication for how his time in the country will play out.
The centre-back joined Al-Fayha FC in 2024 and made his debut against Al Raed that September. Having scored an own goal just six minutes into the match, the defender was then shown a red card in the second half as his new team were thrashed 5-0. Not a promising start at all.
3 Hermann Rulander – Werder Bremen
vs Frankfurt (1981)
Put yourself in Hermann Rulander’s shoes. You’re a 21-year-old goalkeeper making your debut as Werder Bremen’s first-choice Dieter Burdenski was stricken with injury. The idea? Concede as few goals as humanly possible.
In the case of Rulander, he conceded a grand total of seven. With one of these being an own goal, the manager had seen enough and the day that he had yearned for was cut short. And it’s probably for the best.
“I need more time and experience. Maybe next time,” Rulander exclaimed. Well, there was never a ‘next time’. Following his iconic (for all the wrong reasons) debut, he was given a cheque of 50,000 Deutschmarks – worth around £11,000 then and £37,000 now and asked not to return.
2 Jonathan Woodgate – Real Madrid
vs Athletic Bilbao (2005)
Oh, Jonathan. Admittedly, moving from Middlesbrough to Real Madrid seems like one of those transfers that happen once in a blue moon, but Woodgate was given that chance and, well, you know the rest. Injuries woes delayed his debut for the European giants for 17 months and Woodgate ensured to not disappoint when his chance first came.
A comical own goal followed by two bookable offences saw the Englishman granted an early shower after 66 minutes of dreaded playing time. Popular Spanish publication Marca voted him as the worst signing of the 21st century. Yep, it was that bad. He only played 14 times in total for the team before he was sold to Middlesbrough.
1 Ali Dia – Southampton
vs Leeds United (1996)
Described as “very embarrassing to watch” by Matt Le Tissier, Ali Dia’s first and final game for the south-coast side tops the list.Quite possibly the biggest hoodwink in football, Dia was claimed – to Graeme Souness – to be a relative of George Weah, who was killing it for PSG at the time. Instead, he was a university student with no experience in professional football.
With no background check, the former Scottish boss threw him in the deep end as he replaced Le Tissier, though it took 21 minutes for him to be hooked. It’s safe to say he never played for the club again.
All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt and accurate as of 16/09/2024.