A FORMER Rangers star has been named as one of the most underrated footballers of the 1990s… by AI.
ChatGPT was asked to come up with a list of the decades most under-appreciated footballers by the team at 90sFootball.
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However, fans think AI has got it WRONG.
Not so much with the Rangers admission, but with some of the others.
The Ibrox hero who was incldued in the five-strong list was none other than Brian Laudrup.
The Dane played for the Light Blues for four years between 1994 and 1998, winning three league titles, a Scottish Cup and a League Cup.
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Prior to arriving in Glasgow however, the skilful winger was seen as a player who was inconsistent and had struggled to live up to his early hype after breaking through at Brondby in his homeland.
He moved to Bayer Uerdingen in 1989 and was an instant hit, being named in the Bundesliga team of the year for the 1989–90 season.
His form there earned him a move to Bayern Munich (becoming the most expensive Bundesliga player at the time) where he built on his early promise but had an injury-hit second year with the Bavarian giants.
Nevertheless he earned a transfer to Fiorentina in Serie A, which was back then the best league in the world.
But he was part of a Fiorentina team that suffered relegation for the first time in 50 years and the following season he played just nine league games for a defensive-minded AC Milan side under Fabio Capello that restricted both Laudrup’s effectiveness and game time.
The story goes that he was smuggled out of Italy in the back of a car (the truth of this is in the eye of the beholder) but by the summer of 1994, both he and his Italian employers were keen to part ways.
In his first season in Scottish football, Laudrup won the Scottish Footballer of the Year and the PFA Players’ Player of the Year awards as Gers romped to the league title.
After four years in Glasgow he moved to Chelsea (despite interest from Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United) but struggled to nail down a regular starting place for the London club and left under a year after joining.
He rounded out his career with a short but controversial spell at FC Copenhagen (arch rivals of first club Brondby) and Ajax in the In the Netherlands before retiring in 2000 at the age of 31.
In addition to his hero status at Rangers, Laudrup was a four-time winner of the Danish Footballer of the Year award, was sixth in the Ballon d’Or voting in 1992 and included in the official Best XI of the 1998 World Cup.
And, of course, he won the 1992 European Championship with Denmark.
Despite that, Chat GPT has described him as one of the underrated players of the decade.
The reason for that may well be the elephant in the room that we haven’t mentioned yet: his big brother, Michael.
If Brian Laudrup could lay claim to being one of the best wingers in the world for a few years in the nineties, Michael Laudrup is considered one of the best players of all-time, period.
He was a star at three of Europe’s biggest clubs in Juventus, Barcelona and Real Madrid and played 104 times for his country, scoring 37 goals (Brian earned 82 caps and scored 21 goals).
In its assessment, ChatGPT said: “Brian Laudrup: A Danish winger who had a successful career at clubs like Bayern Munich, AC Milan, and Rangers. Laudrup possessed excellent dribbling skills, pace, and creativity, yet he might not have received as much recognition as some of his contemporaries.”
Laudrup was also considered by some as not possessing as elite a mentality as others.
Football icon Franz Beckenbauer called him world class but even Walter Smith said he was “frustrating”.
The former Rangers manager said of him: “He frustrated me. He had the capability of being up there with the greatest players of all time. There was just that little bit in him mentally that stopped him from being right at the very top.” Make no mistake, he was a fantastic player for us, but he could have elevated himself into a position where he was one of the best in the world.”
One of the other inclusions in ChatGPT’s list has a (slight) link to Rangers.
Gheorghe Hagi, dad to Rangers midfielder Ianis, was third on the list.
That’s in spite of national hero status in Romania and a starring role in the 1994 World Cup.
The description for Hagi read: “Gheorghe Hagi: A Romanian midfielder known for his exceptional passing, vision, and long-range shooting ability. Hagi had a successful career at club level, playing for teams like Real Madrid and Barcelona, but he didn’t always receive the same level of acclaim as other stars of his time.”
Premier League cult hero Matt Le Tissier also made the list, which make sense as many feel he was unlucky to never win an England cap.
Of Le Tissier, ChatGPT said: “Matt Le Tissier: A skilful attacking midfielder who spent his entire professional career at Southampton. Le Tissier was known for his exceptional technical abilities, vision, and goal-scoring prowess, but he played for a mid-table club and wasn’t as recognized on the international stage with England.”
One name that certainly raised eyebrows was Roberto Baggio.
The Italian forward was crowned Fifa World Player of the Year in 1993 and also won the Ballon d’Or.
A year later he led Italy to the World Cup final (but missed that crucial penalty).
But ChatGPT said: “Roberto Baggio: An Italian forward renowned for his elegant style of play, dribbling skills, and deadly finishing. Baggio had a stellar career with clubs like Juventus, AC Milan, and Inter Milan, as well as the Italian national team, but injuries and controversies sometimes overshadowed his talent.”
The fifth and final inclusion was one of Laudrup’s team mates at AC Milan and Chelsea, Marcel Dessaily.
The description read: “Marcel Desailly: A versatile French defender who excelled both as a centre-back and defensive midfielder. Desailly had a successful career at clubs like AC Milan and Chelsea, as well as with the French national team, but he often didn’t receive as much individual recognition as some of his teammates.”
Fans were largely in disagreement with the list.
One said in response: “Baggio & Laudrup underrated?!”
Another said: “All of the above were very highly rated by fans, and Baggio and Hagi on that list is ridiculous. Hagi still one of the best players I’ve ever seen. Would suggest Denis Irwin and Teddy Sheringham from the 90s are better options.”
A third punter said: “Not for me. I’d say someone like Stefan Effenberg was massively underrated, could really run a game.”
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A fourth said: “I wouldn’t say neither Baggio nor Desailly were really underrated, in fact they were highly regarded, I agree with Laudrup and Le Tissier though, and Hagi was amazing with his national team and Galatasaray, buth he struggled both in Madrid and Barça.”
A fifth added: “Baggio was never underrated he was a genius that most of his coaches didn’t know how to use.”
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