Best Debuts in Football

Bruno Fernandes joined Manchester United at the end of January from Sporting. After his brilliant performance in his first three games at the club, he was voted the player of the month in the Premier League. What a great start for the youngster, but he is not the only player who managed to become the fans favorite straight away. Let’s see the best debuts in football. 

It can be crucial to have a good start at a new club. Especially if the club has spent a fortune on the new player. Of course, not everyone can score a goal on his first game, and it is not expected. But to fit in with the team, play hard and help in scoring is. The biggest pressure is always on the strikers. The players below have all handled them easily and made a good impression even on their first games. 

Haaland, the new superstar has one of the best debuts in football

Norwegian teen star Erling Haaland had an even better debut than Fernandes. He joined German top club Borussia Dortmund at the end of last year from Austrian side Red Bull Salzburg. He got the attention of the European elite after scoring 10 goals in this season’s Champions League, against clubs like Liverpool and Napoli. Haaland continued in a similar style at his new club, scoring a hat-trick on his debut game against Augsburg in January. He was also selected the player of the month in the Bundesliga and didn’t stop after that. He has 9 goals so far from 8 appearances. Even though there is no Bundesliga at the moment, you can still make a bet on the German cup games on Unibet. 

Best debuts in the Premier League

If we go back in time, one of the greatest English strikers, Alan Shearer had a top debut as well. During his first game at Southampton at the age of only 17, he scored a hat-trick against Arsenal, helping his team to win against the Gunners. He set up a new record with his performance, but the following seasons were not as great. Shearer didn’t become a regular and had to move to Blackburn Rovers to become the goal-scoring machine we remember him. 

Big attention surrounded the arrival of a young Everton player, Wayne Rooney to Manchester United in 2004. Rooney also started with a hat-trick on his debut, in a game against Turkish side Fenerbahce in the Champions League. Turkish teams are still playing at the moment, Fener will host Kayserispor tomorrow with the odds of 1.30 to win. But back to Rooney, he became the top scorer of the club in that season. He was also given the Young Player of the Year award as online sportsbooks in the UK were reporting.

The best debut from a goalkeeper

Not just strikers, but goalkeepers can make a good impression with a great performance in their first game. That’s what Italian legend Gianluigi Buffon did. He produced several saves to stop future champion AC Milan from scoring against his team, Parma on his debut game in 1995. He managed to deny Ballon d’Or winners Roberto Baggio and George Weah at the age of only 17. No wonder, he was thought to be the most promising young goalkeeper. A prophecy which he fulfilled fully with Parma and with Juventus. 

Best international debut

One of the greatest football players, Zinedine Zidane produced a sensational debut on his first game in the French team against the Czech Republic in 1994. When Zidane entered the pitch, his team was in a two-goal deficit, but not for long. He scored two goals and helped his team to reach a draw. Of course, it was only the beginning of a long and successful career, which included two goals in the 1998 World Cup final. Also player of the 2000 European Championship and the Ballon d’Or winner in 1998. 

Not everyone had such a great start, even superstars like Lionel Messi. He was shown a red card only 47 seconds after he entered the pitch as a substitute in a friendly game between Hungary and Argentina. It was a bit harsh decision on the debut game of the future six-time Ballon d’Or winner. If you want to discover the next Messi, just watch and bet on the Argentine Superliga games on Unibet. 

The best debut of all time

There have been several other great players from Ronaldo to Romario, who all had a great debut at their new teams, from Barcelona to Real Madrid. But only one player could produce a good start at all of his new teams. Legendary English striker Jimmy Greaves. He scored on his debut game for Chelsea in 1957 at the age of only 17 against Tottenham Hotspurs. Then he moved to Italy, where he played for AC Milan and scored on his debut game against Botafogo. 

But Greaves didn’t feel too good and came back to England where he joined Tottenham this time. He scored a hat-trick on his debut, helping his team to a 5-2 win over Blackburn Rovers. He followed his tradition at his last club, West Ham United as well, scoring two goals in his first game. Amazing record from a top player, who also scored on his debut in the English team in 1959, the team’s only goal against Peru in a 4-1 defeat. Online gambling sites in the UK are hoping to see similar performances from the English team next year in the Euros, where England is the favorite. 

You can learn more about other amazing debuts in football here at Unibet Sportsbook.