Football Ground Map
Football Ground Map
Every player wants to be in the starting eleven. Yet the truth is, some footballers were born to be subs. That is no slight on their ability, as players who can come on and turn a game around are key assets. They are prized by managers and are now commanding figures just as high as starting players. But who has really shone in the history of the English Premier League as a super sub?
Jermain Defoe is now a professional football coach, working at Tottenham Hotspur. Yet in his playing career, he moved clubs between his current squad and others like AFC Bournemouth and West Ham. Always dependable, he has a string of accolades to his name. These include being the tenth-highest goalscorer in Premier League history and the 20th player to score 100 goals.
Defoe managed to make 149 substitute appearances in his Premier League career. Of this, he pulled out 24 goals and three assists. Yet none of this includes his international statistics and those from starting.
Even football betting markets have now realised the importance of substitutions in games, and the changing rules on the pitch concerning them. Therefore, many operators will now provide a super sub offer with a selected Premier League bet. These types of offers apply to player outcome bets, such as the first goalscorer. If the player is substituted and their replacement fulfils your bet, then that offer still stands and you win via the super sub.
Giroud is a French player who has spent time around the world, recently returning to his home of France after a stint at Los Angeles FC. Yet in the UK, he started at Arsenal. He was instrumental in their three FA Cup Wins which ended a nine-year absence of silverware. He later went to Chelsea where he won even more trophies and was 2019 top goalscorer.
In his career, he managed to score 21 goals and make three assists. This was from 103 substitute appearances.
Hernandez has the accolade of being the first-ever Mexican player at Manchester United. In a quite amazing turn of events, despite his record, he was only there for five years. His achievements included two Premier League titles along with 598 goals in total. This would have been even greater had he not been plagued with injury. He would later go on to win the FIFA World Cup with Real Madrid.
Pound for pound, Hernandez beats the others in terms of consistency. He had 19 goals and one assist, with only 78 substitute appearances. That works out as a goal every 4.1 games, as opposed to Defoe with 6.2 goals per appearance and Giroud at 4.9.
The Premier League is the pinnacle of world football. Not all players can start a game, yet the depth of this league can often be seen in those on the bench. Many are players who in any other setting would be first names on the team sheet. With more fixtures, this squad depth is becoming more vital and so is the role of the super sub.
All good things have to come to an end, and the same unfortunately has to be said for football stadiums too. This article looks at the grounds which are soon to host their last match, the stadiums whose days are numbered and where fans will be watching their football from next.
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Taking my son to his first football match was one of the best experiences I've had as a father so far. I've written this article for Alex to read when he gets older.
Tony Incenzo has been to over 2,000 football grounds - is he the world's barmiest football fan? Read about his love for Non-League football and groundhopping obsession, including watching a match in prison!
