Top 10 "one season wonders" in the EPL

Consistency is frequently cited as the one quality that distinguishes average performers from those who are genuinely outstanding.

A few goals here and there and a little run of good performances are OK, but if you can't step it up and repeat it week after week, you won't succeed. The beautiful game needs cult heroes, and the best ones emerge from one season of above-average, often world-class play before going unnoticed.

Here are the top 10 one-season marvels in Premier League history.

10. PAPISS CISSE

The majority of die-hard football fans immediately think of THAT goal against Chelsea when they hear the name Papiss Cisse; if you haven't seen it, do yourself a favour and watch it right away. Although it's uncommon, Cisse is remembered as one of the greatest ever English Premier League one-season wonders. Even more astounding is the fact that we are only talking about the second half of the 2011–12 season in this article.

Cisse joined Newcastle in January 2012 to partner up with his Senegal national team teammate, Demba Ba, following a successful two and a half seasons with Freiburg in the Bundesliga, during which he scored 37 goals in 65 games. Cisse managed to score 13 goals in 14 outings during their legendary Premier League partnership. Even the award for the season's best goal went to his goal against Chelsea. However, Cisse was unable to maintain his form in the following seasons, and despite scoring 11 goals in 2014–15, he was never able to match his 2011–12 season performances.

9. ROQUE SANTA CRUZ

Santa Cruz, a 25-year-old who spent eight years in Bavaria but never managed to score more than five goals every season, was acquired by Mark Hughes Blackburn for 3.5million. Santa Cruz was fourth in the race for the golden boot after scoring 19 goals in 37 games. He astonished everyone with his 23 goals throughout all competitions, and the next year, City signed him. A complete failure from the following year, he couldn't even manage to score half as many goals in the following three seasons as he did the previous one.

8. MARCUS STEWART

Stewart scored frequently for Huddersfield Town before joining Ipswich in the second half of the 1999–2000 campaign and helping the club gain promotion to the Premier League. Some questioned if he was qualified for the top division, but the next season, he disproved them by scoring 19 goals and finishing the year as the highest English goal scorer in the Premier League, helping Ipswich earn a spot in the UEFA Cup with a fifth-place finish. However, neither the individual nor the team was able to maintain it as Stewart only hit six runs the following season and Town was sent back to the Championship.

7. AMR ZAKI

Zaki, who joined Latics on a season-long loan from Egyptian club Zamalek, started brilliantly for the club, scoring memorable goals against teams like West Ham, Hull City, Manchester City, and Liverpool as he swept the Premier League. He appeared to be in the running for the Golden Boot that season along with Robinho of City and Nicolas Anelka of Chelsea, but he ended up scoring just ten goals overall after fading at the end of the season. He lost the trust of then-Wigan manager Steve Bruce, who called him "unprofessional" for returning four times late from Egypt's international assignment.

6. ASAMOAH GYAN

Gyan, who scored three goals for his native Ghana before losing on penalties in the quarterfinals, was one of the stars of the 2010 World Cup.  His South African performances led to a transfer to Sunderland, reportedly for a club-record sum of about £13 million. Gyan appeared to be a perfect fit for the Premier League, Gyan maintained his excellent form in his first season. The Ghanaian star was an instant hit at the Stadium of Light after scoring 10 goals and dishing out four assists in 34 games but things quickly fell apart in his second season as he started acting strangely off the field and was given permission to join Al Ain in the UAE on loan.

5. Michael Ricketts

Bolton's promotion season to the Premier League was highlighted by Michael Ricketts, who transitioned to the top division with ease. Ricketts entered the 2001-02 Premier League season at the age of just 23. With 15 goals by February, he was even called up to the England team that month. He only played 45 minutes for England, and that season, he failed to score again for Bolton. He scored six goals for Bolton the next season before making a high-profile transfer to Middlesbrough, where he struggled. His tenure in the top division came to an end after scoring three goals in 32 games; the remainder of his career was spent in the second and third levels.

4. MPENJANI ‘MPE’ MWARUWARI

It took him some time to find his footing, but Mpenjani "Mpe" Mwaruwari, often known as Benjani, stormed the Premier League in 2007–08, scoring an astounding 12 goals in just 23 appearances. Benjani only added seven more Premier League goals in the five seasons after his breakthrough season, demonstrating how outstanding that one season truly was. Benjani's performance in that campaign was sufficient to secure a transfer to Manchester City, but he struggled to make an impression at the Etihad Stadium and quickly found himself in and out of the squad. Benjani didn't even want to join Man City, according to Harry Redknapp, a former manager of Portsmouth. That would at least explain why Benjani performs poorly.

3. ROBINHO

The Premier League is rife with athletes who put up extremely spectacular numbers in their debut season before suddenly disappearing the next year.

However, there has never been a one-season wonder quite like Robinho given the fanfare and status he attracted at the time.

Robinho, who was long hailed as the next Pele even by the player himself, lit up the Brazilian league with Santos, made the national team, and by the time he was 21 was playing with legends like Casillas, Van Nistelrooy, and Guti at Real Madrid. It may have been ambitious and set a serious tone for the Citizens to sign him with only 30 minutes remaining in the transfer window, but it was also a huge surprise. Robinho's alleged transfer to Chelsea had been the subject of months of rumours, with even the Brazilian saying before his own Manchester City debut that "Chelsea had made a good offer, and I had to accept"!

In the following season, 2008–09, Robinho had a fantastic year, finishing fourth in the league with 14 Premier League goals.

The following campaign, however, was not as successful due to Robinho's injury and subsequent slide down the hierarchy, which limited his time on the field. Robinho's career in the Premier League came to an end when he was loaned to Santos after making 10 appearances but failing to score any league goals. Even though he later had career highs with Milan, including winning the Serie A, it is because of his time at Manchester City, specifically the 2008–09 campaign, that he is frequently referred to as one of the greatest one-season players.

2. SAIDO BERAHINO

Saido Berahino, a striker, dominated the Premier League in the 2014–15 campaign with 14 goals in 38 games. He was primarily renowned for his lethal finishes when compared to players like Samuel Eto'o, Didier Drogba, and Jermain Defoe.

After learning about his accomplishments, Tottenham Hotspur put in a formal bid for the striker in 2015. The striker expressed his dissatisfaction with his team's inability to reach an agreement on a transfer cost with the London club on Twitter, vowing to never play for West Brom once more.

"How sad," I can't speak to how the team has treated me specifically, but I can confirm that I will never play for Jeremy Peace," he wrote in a tweet.

After receiving the Tottenham offer, Berahino's career started to decline from scoring goals for enjoyment. So much so that he experienced depression while playing for Stoke City and even went 913 days without scoring.

1. MICHU

Everyone is familiar with Michu's legendary one season of greatness, especially Man United fans.

The Spaniard led the line for Swansea in their 2012–13 season, tearing up Premier League defences like it was nobody's business and ended with 18 Premier League goals in his debut season, he set the tone with a spectacular brace against QPR on the first day of the season, as well as helping Swansea to the League Cup, scoring three goals, including one which was part of the 5-0 victory over Bradford City in the final. He joined the club for £2 million in 2012.

Before joining with Serie A powerhouse Napoli, Michu unfortunately struggled with a lot of injuries in his second season and could only muster two goals in 17 outings.

After that, however, his form actually took a dive, and he was released in 2015 before finally retiring in 2017 at the age of 31.