Worst Defenders in Premier League History

The worst defenders in the Premier League history range from Frank Sinclair, who had troublesome moments scoring own-goals, to Winston Bogarde, who was believed to have played professional soccer just for the money.

We don't know what's most disappointing for the league's fans, but its bound to happen throughout the seasons. Still known to be one of the most successful leagues in professional soccer, the Premier League was where many players ruined their reputation as a defender.

Frank Sinclair

To begin our list of the worst defenders in the Premier League history, we had to start off with Frank Sinclair. It was apparent that Sinclair's defending abilities were incredibly lacking, as he was one of the defenders to score own-goals.

One of the most memorable own-goals was against Middlesbrough in 2002. He scored a 40-yard goal on his own team after firing the back backward. This lead Leicester City to lose, 1-0, which was the final moment to solidify his worst defender reputation.

Roque Junior

Next on our list of the worst defenders in the Premier League history is Roque Junior. Junior signed with Leeds on loan in 2003, to many fans' delight. The defender from AC Milar has been a part of Brazil's 2002 World Cup winners, and the expectations were through the roof for him to perform for the Leeds.

However, the opposite happened, and ultimately, Junior couldn't perform for the team, providing little to no defense in his role. He only made five appearances, and was sent off for allowing 24 goals against the team. He was not resigned with the team.

Jean-Alain Boumsong

Jean-Alain Boumsong is yet another one of the worst defenders in professional soccer, due to his time playing for the Premier League Club, Newcastle. After an incredible 8 million euro exchange, the team certainly regretted their decision to sign the player, though he showed much potential for strength, speed, and agility.

He ultimately was deemed to be unreliable, and his concentration is the most prominent aspect of his downfall as a player altogether. Though he had his moments where he played at a decent level as a center-back before being signed to the team, he is still deemed to be one of the worst defenders in the league.

Marco Materazzi

Another one of the worst defenders in the Premier League history is Marco Materazzi, which might be surprising to some. However, his time in the Premier League club Everton displayed a playing style that was all too reckless.

During the 1998 and 1999 season, his 27 appearances for the Toffees disappointed his team and his fans, as the club sent him back home after a single season. However, he is most known for being a powerful defender after this disappointing season, and changed the tone of his career entirely, after his bad stint with Everton.

Khalid Boulahrouz

Khalid Boulahrouz is referred to as one of the worst defenders in the Premier League because he had huge expectations to live up to, which fell flat. Being signed to Chelsea in 2006, he was even nicknamed "The Cannibal."

And to take it one step further, Chelsea awarded him with Hernan Crespo's previous jersey, number nine. As one of the first choice defenders for Chelsea, he failed to own up to his expectations, which led to him spending more time on the sidelines as time went on in his career.

Pascal Cygan

Pascal Cygan is one of the worst defenders in the Premier League history due to his time with the Arsenal. Though the team was still successful with his defense, his career with the team was lacking.

His playing style represented the fact that he was simply uncomfortable in the position, and was often caught out of position, which led to a lot of nail-biting, and a lot of compensation from the other players of the team. He was never comfortable on the ball, and played as if he was always unsure of his next move.

Per Kroldrup

Signing with Everton for five million euros, Per Kroldrup was a huge disappointment to Everton fans. The Danish international player began his career with the Premier League team by suffering from a groin injury, which even required surgery. This occurred even before he has played a game for Everton, and set the tone for his season with the team.

One of the most memorable games that led him to be coined as one of the worst defenders in the league was on Boxing Day of 2005. The game was against Aston Villa and Everton lost 4-0. Many would tell you that it was due to his lack of speed as well as technique. He simply couldn't compete.

Claudio Cacapa

Claudio Cacapa is known to be one of the worst defenders in the Premier League history because of his time playing in the late 2000s for Newcastle United. With a huge reputation, fans were ultimately disappointed by his performance on the field playing for the North-East.

Though his career didn't begin as a train wreck, the begin of his downfall began in a 2-1 loss at Reading. This game was a humiliation for the team and for him as a player, as well as the match against Portsmouth to follow.

Winston Bogarde

It is believed that Winston Bogarde played professional soccer for the money. But whether this is true or not, his performance on the field definitely portrayed this mindset. For a free transfer from Barcelona to Chelsea, Bogarde began his career with the Premier League club in 2000.

However, Chelsea soon discovered that he was not fit for the team, and lacked the ability to shine on the field, not being able to defend the goal or the team's reputation. However, he had an incredible contract that he wanted to simply sit on the bench, which led people to believe he had no love for the game, and wanted to make as much money as possible.

Titus Bramble

Though his performance varied, Titus Bramble still makes it to our list of the worst defenders in the Premier League history due to his unreliable performance for the league.

Though we have to recognize that his ability on the field did have its moments, there were also crucial moments for both Newcastle and Wigan where he was caught off guard, not prepared to defend for his teams. Due to this inconsistency, his career cannot be praised for his good moments, but rather is referred to as one of the most troublesome defenders for the league.