thefootballfaithful 
12-04-2024 20:56
12-04-2024 20:56
The best ever Fantasy Premier League cult heroes as Leeds favourite retires
The best ever Fantasy Premier League cult heroes as Leeds favourite retires
by
Ste McGovern
12/04/2024, 19:30
Fantasy Premier League has a way of turning your average, workmanlike top-flight footballers into beloved cult heroes.
You see, millions are battling for the highest rank possible every single season and that’s often achieved by having the best available players in your team. But a limited budget means you can’t always have the cream of the crop on your team.
FPL managers have to be smart and find hidden gems, bargain buys and unfancied players who will give them the edge over their competitors. These footballers tend to be forgotten by everyone else, but remembered and immortalised as fantasy legends among the FPL community.
One such figure who falls into that category is Stuart Dallas, who had a remarkable first campaign in the Premier League after Leeds United won promotion. Sadly, the former Northern Ireland international this weeked announced his retirement from the game due to injury.
The 32-year-old has called time on his career sooner than he would have liked, but he has achieved a certain level of immortality, living forever in the hearts and minds of FPL fanatics who benefitted from his brief but glorious run of form in the top flight.
Dallas is not a one-off; there are dozens of players who are as fondly remembered for similar reasons. We’ve commemorated a few here, although this list is by no means exhaustive or definitive.
Nine of the best FPL cult heroes ever:
Stuart Dallas
When Leeds returned to the Premier League after 16 years away in 2020/21, doubts were raised over how Marcelo Bielsa’s high-pressing, ultra-attacking approach would adapt to the top level of English football.
But the Whites were a breath of fresh air and could be deadly effective too, even if they were often suspect at the back. Patrick Bamford soon became a must-have forward, but one man stole the headlines fantasy-wise.
Stuart Dallas was everything you could hope for in a bargain basement defender; he was super cheap at £4.5m, played out of position further up the pitch, and had an eye for goal in a team that scored plenty of them.
by
Ste McGovern
12/04/2024, 19:30
Fantasy Premier League has a way of turning your average, workmanlike top-flight footballers into beloved cult heroes.
You see, millions are battling for the highest rank possible every single season and that’s often achieved by having the best available players in your team. But a limited budget means you can’t always have the cream of the crop on your team.
FPL managers have to be smart and find hidden gems, bargain buys and unfancied players who will give them the edge over their competitors. These footballers tend to be forgotten by everyone else, but remembered and immortalised as fantasy legends among the FPL community.
One such figure who falls into that category is Stuart Dallas, who had a remarkable first campaign in the Premier League after Leeds United won promotion. Sadly, the former Northern Ireland international this weeked announced his retirement from the game due to injury.
The 32-year-old has called time on his career sooner than he would have liked, but he has achieved a certain level of immortality, living forever in the hearts and minds of FPL fanatics who benefitted from his brief but glorious run of form in the top flight.
Dallas is not a one-off; there are dozens of players who are as fondly remembered for similar reasons. We’ve commemorated a few here, although this list is by no means exhaustive or definitive.
Nine of the best FPL cult heroes ever:
Stuart Dallas
When Leeds returned to the Premier League after 16 years away in 2020/21, doubts were raised over how Marcelo Bielsa’s high-pressing, ultra-attacking approach would adapt to the top level of English football.
But the Whites were a breath of fresh air and could be deadly effective too, even if they were often suspect at the back. Patrick Bamford soon became a must-have forward, but one man stole the headlines fantasy-wise.
Stuart Dallas was everything you could hope for in a bargain basement defender; he was super cheap at £4.5m, played out of position further up the pitch, and had an eye for goal in a team that scored plenty of them.