Football supporters are so tribalistic it’s inevitable that they love to talk down the abilities and achievements of players at rival clubs. It doesn’t matter that Jurgen Klopp believes Trent Alexander-Arnold is a great defender, if someone on Twitter with a Kevin De Bruyne avatar doesn’t then they’ll be more than happy to let you know about it.
What is far less common is a former player of a club criticising one of that team’s current stars. Yet that is how Champions League and treble winning midfielder Dietmar Hamann has recently treated Thiago Alcantara, and not for the first time.
“I don't understand the hype about Thiago,” he wrote in a column for Sky Sports. “For me he is one of the most overrated players in European football. When things are going well and you have a lot of possession he's a good player, but when push comes to shove you don't see him."
