In every Premier League game, some players can’t avoid the spotlight—even when it’s for the wrong reasons. A mistake on the pitch can really affect a player’s popularity, and this weekend’s matches showed just how much a blunder can shake up rankings and public perception.
Take Ruben Dias, for example. In Man City’s match against West Ham United, he made headlines for an own goal. When Jarrod Bowen sent in a cross, Dias tried to clear it but ended up scuffing it into his own net. This mistake allowed West Ham to equalize and hit Dias’s popularity hard. After the own goal, his ranking plummeted by sixteen spots (from 17 last week to 33 this week), highlighting how one slip-up can dramatically impact a player’s standing.
Christian Romero also had a rough outing. In Tottenham’s 2-1 defeat to Newcastle United, he was caught out when a pass came into his area, leading to a goal. Romero is usually reliable, so this error was unexpected. As a result, his popularity ranking dropped from 32 to 37 this week.
Brighton defender Lewis Dunk faced criticism after he failed to win a header against Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka. This allowed Kai Havertz to score with a chip over the keeper. Despite his height advantage, Dunk couldn’t make the crucial play. Although his rank went up by eighteen places (from 244 to 226, likely due to other players’ even poorer performances), his popularity score dropped significantly by 5,324 points. This decline was steeper compared to Dias’s fall of 4,013 points.
In short, even top Premier League players aren’t immune to mistakes. While a major error might hurt their rankings temporarily, there’s always a chance they’ll bounce back to their usual form in the weeks ahead.