Bayern Munich forward Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting is often the butt of the joke – but is he unfairly treated by football fans across the world?
Choupo-Moting, who hardly set the world alight during his stint with Stoke City, has gone on to play for Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich.
Considering the calibre of the players he’s played/playing alongside at the respective European heavyweights, many consider him to be the ugly duckling.
Is that fair, though? Or has Choupo-Moting earned his spot among the greats?
Well, if you were tuning into Bayern’s 12-0 battering of Bremer SV on Wednesday night, you could have been forgiven for thinking that he was THE superstar in Bavaria.
Choupo-Moting netted four goals and notched a hat-trick of assists on the night, a total of seven direct goal contributions in a single game.
Granted, Bayern steamroll most Bundesliga sides and were last night facing a team from Germany’s fifth tier, but that’s besides the point.
You can only beat what’s in front of you, with Choupo-Moting giving Bremer SV a beatdown like nothing they will have experienced previously.
With the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year set to be announced at the Champions League draw tonight, the Cameroonian is probably set to miss out. The Ballon D’Or, on the other hand…