Lionel Messi teammate and Champions League winner – Sunderland’s forgotten XI since 2010
Sunderland have had some forgettable players over the years.
Under the stewardship of Regis Le Bris, Sunderland are on course to achieve something special this season.
However, things haven’t always been sunshine and rainbows on Wearside; in fact, things have been pretty horrifying over the last 10-15 years.
Sunderland’s recruitment is night and day compared to what it used to be, as Mackem News compiles a starting 11 of players you may have forgotten played in the famous red and white.
Oscar Ustari shares a pitch with Lionel Messi
Back in 2014, Sunderland signed Oscar Ustari on a free transfer, and given the reputation he had in Argentina, it was a fairly exciting signing.
However, he went on to make just three appearances in all competitions for the Black Cats, with the 39-year-old currently playing alongside Lionel Messi at Inter Miami.
The defence is arguably just as forgettable, with Marcos Alonso the only player who had a positive impact at the Stadium of Light, and then went on to win the Champions League with Chelsea.
A centre-back partnership of Sebastian Coates and Modibo Diakite is a thing of nightmares, while Emmanuel Eboue comes with a very typical Sunderland story, at least at that time.
Eboue joined on 9 March 2016, only to have his contract terminated just weeks later after receiving a FIFA suspension.
Alfred N’diaye went on to bigger things after Sunderland failure
Alfred N’Diaye made just 13 appearances for Sunderland before leaving in the same year to join Eskisehirspor on loan.
Another loan move to Real Betis followed, before he would eventually sign for Villareal, where he found a lot of success.
His midfield comrades in Jan Kirchhoff and El Hadji Ba were less fortunate in their future, with the latter almost certainly a name that no Sunderland fan has heard for years.
Kirchhoff, injuries aside, had a fantastic season on Wearside, though his career only turned for the worse after a short stint in the Premier League, with the German retiring at just 31 years old.
Adnan Januzaj was one of Sunderland’s worst-ever loans
Emmanuel Giaccherini features on the left flank, and he was a very fun player to watch.
After arriving from Juventus in 2013, he went on to make 42 appearances for Sunderland, with five goals and five assists to his name.
On the opposite side is Adnan Januzaj, who, after a breakthrough period at Man United, joined the Black Cats on loan and failed to show any of the quality that earned him the reputation he had at the time.
Leading the line is Louis Saha, who, despite making 14 appearances for Sunderland between August 2012 and January 2013, failed to score a goal.
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