However, some of the names below suggest a lousy debut that doesn’t say it all.
Moses Caicedo
Chelsea broke the British transfer record to buy Caicedo for £115m. Any sense of satisfaction immediately diminished after the Ecuadorian’s debut against West Ham. He came on as a late substitute, causing the team to slow down, make many mistakes and help the opponent receive a penalty that resulted in Chelsea’s 1-3 defeat.
Lionel Messi
Arguably the greatest footballer of all time, Messi impressed when he led Argentina to glory at the 2022 World Cup, but his debut was a forgettable one.
The striker made his debut by coach Jose Pekerman in a friendly against Hungary, coming on as a substitute after 63 minutes. However, instead of impressing, Messi was sent off just two minutes later. That was for a foul on Hungary’s Vilmos Vanczak. Messi is said to have shed tears in the dressing room after being sent off.
Joe Cole
Cole’s red card on his Liverpool debut against Arsenal in 2010 was perhaps the highlight of his time at Anfield. Cole and the Red Brigade supporters were not particularly close to each other.
Gervinho
When Arsenal signed Gervinho from Lille in 2011, their fans hoped that the winger would be as good as Belgian striker Eden Hazard. That illusion lasted just one game after Gervinho was sent off for slapping Joey Barton in a goalless draw with Newcastle.
Saul Niguez
Despite falling out of favor under Diego Simeone, Saul was still considered one of Europe’s most gifted midfielders when he joined Chelsea on loan from Atletico Madrid in 2021. But he was pressured by Aston Villa’s John McGinn. turned completely and made a mistake to help Villa score. He started just four more games during his season-long loan.
Gaetano Berardi
Berardi became a cult figure at Leeds although he marked his debut with a red card after a karate kick against Accrington Stanley.
Rio Ferdinand
Leeds set a new British transfer record and made Ferdinand the world’s most expensive defender after moving to Elland Road from West Ham for £18m in 2000. But after David O’Leary rearranged Leeds defense to match the new contract, the team in the middle of the table Leicester took the lead by 3 goals in 28 minutes.
Wayne Bridge
The English defender had a bad time making mistakes in Arsenal’s first two goals. If that alone wasn’t bad enough, he also offered a late penalty to help Arsenal win 3-0.
Alex Jankewitz
Jankewitz played 79 seconds on his Premier League debut for Southampton against Manchester United in February 2021 before being shown a red card for a dangerous tackle on Scott McTominay. Southampton lost 0-9. Jankewitz never played another game for the club and was sold to Young Boys that summer.