From Ibrahimovic to Roy Keane: 15 elite footballers who suffered relegation

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Winning trophies, lifting individual awards and becoming club legends do not always guarantee safety from relegation.

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Football history is littered with examples of some of the game’s biggest names suffering the ultimate disappointment of seeing their clubs drop out of the top flight.

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World-class players, Ballon d’Or contenders, Champions League winners and Premier League icons have all discovered that individual brilliance alone cannot always rescue a struggling team.

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Some rebuilt their careers immediately, winning league titles and major honours elsewhere.

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Others remained with their clubs to fight for promotion, while a few saw relegation become one of the defining moments of otherwise glittering careers.

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Here are 15 renowned footballers who experienced relegation despite their status as some of the biggest names in world football, PUNCH Online reports.

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1. Michael Owen — Newcastle United (Premier League, 2008–09)

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Newcastle signed Owen from Real Madrid in a club-record deal in 2005, but injuries limited his impact.

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The Magpies were relegated from the Premier League in 2009 after a disappointing campaign.

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Owen later joined Manchester United, where he won the Premier League title.

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2. Rio Ferdinand — Queens Park Rangers (Premier League, 2014–15)

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After winning six Premier League titles and the UEFA Champions League with Manchester United, Ferdinand joined Queens Park Rangers in 2014.

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His only season at Loftus Road ended in relegation before he retired.

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3. Gabriel Batistuta — Fiorentina (Serie A, 1992–93)

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Batistuta scored 16 Serie A goals during the 1992-93 campaign but could not prevent Fiorentina from being relegated.

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He stayed with the club, helped them secure immediate promotion and remained one of their greatest-ever players.

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4. Roy Keane — Nottingham Forest (Premier League, 1992–93)

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Keane experienced relegation with Nottingham Forest in the inaugural Premier League season before earning a then-British record transfer to Manchester United, where he became one of England’s most decorated captains.

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5. Zlatan Ibrahimović — Malmö FF (Allsvenskan, 1999)

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Long before becoming one of Europe’s most prolific strikers, Ibrahimović endured relegation with hometown club Malmö during his breakthrough season.

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He soon joined Ajax and launched one of football’s greatest careers.

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6. Erik Lamela — River Plate (Argentine Primera División, 2011)

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Lamela was part of the River Plate squad that suffered the Argentine giants’ first-ever relegation from the top flight in 2011 before securing a move to AS Roma.

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7. Oliver Bierhoff — Ascoli (Serie A, 1991–92)

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Before becoming one of Germany’s leading strikers and the hero of the UEFA Euro 1996 final, Bierhoff experienced relegation with Italian club Ascoli early in his professional career.

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8. Nwankwo Kanu — Portsmouth (Premier League, 2009–10)

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Kanu was part of the Portsmouth side relegated after the club entered administration.

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The former Arsenal striker remained one of the club’s most celebrated players after helping them win the 2008 FA Cup.

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9. Finidi George — Ipswich Town (Premier League, 2001–02)

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After successful spells with Ajax and Real Mallorca, Finidi joined Ipswich Town.

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Just a year after qualifying for the UEFA Cup, Ipswich endured a dramatic collapse and were relegated from the Premier League.

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10. Victor Anichebe — Sunderland (Premier League, 2016–17)

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Anichebe featured for Sunderland during the campaign that ended the Black Cats’ decade-long stay in the Premier League.

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11. Wilfred Ndidi — Leicester City (Premier League, 2024–25)

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The Nigeria midfielder was part of the Leicester City side relegated from the Premier League in the 2024-25 season after the Foxes struggled throughout the campaign.

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12. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink — Atlético Madrid (La Liga, 1999–2000)

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Hasselbaink finished as La Liga’s top scorer with 24 goals, but Atlético Madrid were surprisingly relegated from Spain’s top flight in 2000.

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The Dutch striker later returned to England and enjoyed successful spells with Chelsea and Middlesbrough.

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13. Paolo Di Canio — West Ham United (Premier League, 2002–03)

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Despite boasting a squad that included Joe Cole, Michael Carrick, Jermain Defoe and Frédéric Kanouté, West Ham United were relegated at the end of the 2002-03 season.

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The Hammers finished 18th with 42 points, still one of the highest points totals by a relegated Premier League club.

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Di Canio scored an 89th-minute equaliser in a 2-2 draw with Birmingham City on the final day, but the result was not enough to keep West Ham in the top flight.

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14. Georginio Wijnaldum — Newcastle United (Premier League, 2015–16)

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Wijnaldum scored 11 Premier League goals in his only season with Newcastle, but the Magpies were relegated after finishing 18th.

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He joined Liverpool that summer and went on to win the UEFA Champions League and Premier League.

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15. Andy Robertson — Hull City (Premier League, 2016–17)

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Robertson impressed despite Hull City’s relegation in 2017.

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His performances earned him a move to Liverpool, where he developed into one of the world’s best left-backs, winning the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.

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