The 'Best Player Ever'

[CalmJimmers]

43 minutes ago, scram said:

Some good points

 

Regarding ZZ i'd not even have him as the best ever French player - Platini would hold that honour for me

 

Interesting @scram, for me I'm tempted to say he was the best ever. Won everything, could create and score, made players better when he played with them, almost singlehandedly dragged his team to win the WC in 2006 after coming out of international retirement.

 

I am too young to have watched Platini though, I just remember him being the fat turd in charge of UEFA.

[Drewswfc]

On 17/04/2021 at 11:57, FreshOwl said:

The greatest player to ever grace a game of football. All this in 7 matches, within summer heat at a ridiculously high altitude. 
 

An artist, a genius, an animal. The way he just charges into the defensive line, a warrior. 
 

no one comes close, nobody. 

 

With you on this one and how good would he have been with a cleaner lifestyle? Absolute genius

[scram]

7 hours ago, CalmJimmers said:

 

Interesting @scram, for me I'm tempted to say he was the best ever. Won everything, could create and score, made players better when he played with them, almost singlehandedly dragged his team to win the WC in 2006 after coming out of international retirement.

 

I am too young to have watched Platini though, I just remember him being the fat turd in charge of UEFA.

 

Yep, definitely blotted his copy book by getting involved with UEFA

 

Vut an utterly imperious player

 

As was ZZ too - but i think Platini shades it

[Lawrie Madden]

On 14/04/2021 at 18:23, 31Dec1966 said:

Pele was a colossus.  In an era before mass TV even never mind internet, he was the most famous sportsman on the planet (Ali, a close second but not everywhere followed boxing). He won the world cup at 17, and 12 years later won it again in the greatest match I've ever seen.   With modern coaching, nutrition, fitness levels and crucially, protection by referees he would have been worth a fortune and would have won everything that Ronaldo has and more. He played with a smile on his face and I'm grateful I saw him in 1973, although he hardly touched the ball!

Maradonas cheating and drug abuse rule him out for me.

Spot agree with every word 

 

Its always brought up that Pele couldn't live with todays athletes i'd maintain that Ronaldo (s) Messi et al couldn't live with the 60s and 70s hatchet men. Pele was hammered out of the 66 WC also if you want great players that barely get a mention how about Eusebio and an Englishman again never gets mentioned Bobby Charlton 

 

Having said all that its impossible to compare eras i'm not surprised that people under about 50 pick Maradona and people under about 40 always pick Ronaldo or Messi its about who you grew up idolising 

 

Pele will always be top for me with notable mentions for Eusebio, Charlton and Johan Cruyff 

[markg]

4 minutes ago, Lawrie Madden said:

Spot agree with every word 

 

Its always brought up that Pele couldn't live with todays athletes i'd maintain that Ronaldo (s) Messi et al couldn't live with the 60s and 70s hatchet men. Pele was hammered out of the 66 WC also if you want great players that barely get a mention how about Eusebio and an Englishman again never gets mentioned Bobby Charlton 

 

Having said all that its impossible to compare eras i'm not surprised that people under about 50 pick Maradona and people under about 40 always pick Ronaldo or Messi its about who you grew up idolising 

 

Pele will always be top for me with notable mentions for Eusebio, Charlton and Johan Cruyff 

Did you ever see Best play live mate?

 

if so how would you rate him? I've only ever seen video clips

[flo]

I liked Iniesta. 

I don't think he was the best but he was as good as any that have done his role. 

[Lawrie Madden]

1 hour ago, markg said:

Did you ever see Best play live mate?

 

if so how would you rate him? I've only ever seen video clips

I did but only very late on in career when he was just going through the motions because of money but obviously watching games he played in on telly he was a wonderful footballer 

[Utah Owl]

31 minutes ago, Lawrie Madden said:

I did but only very late on in career when he was just going through the motions because of money but obviously watching games he played in on telly he was a wonderful footballer 

He was an immense talent. An absolute genius who sadly ruined himself, but I would say that with Bobby Charlton, Bobby Moore and Gordon Banks, the finest players the UK has produced in my lifetime.

[CalmJimmers]

Maradona said that Di Stefano was the greatest in history.

 

Obviously a long while back, but I don't even think I've seen clips of him. Anybody any idea on how he played?

[g-owls]

He’d never get voted the greatest, but one the finest players to come from Britain was Jimmy Johnstone.

Celtic beat Real Madrid 1-0 in front of 120,000 in Alfredo di Stefano’s testimonial and Jinky was urged to stand in the centre circle at the end of the game so that he could receive a standing ovation from the whole crowd. Junquera, the Real keeper on the night said in later years that Johnstone was the best player he’d ever seen play for any opposition side.

 

As for players from my lifetime, Maradona had the most natural talent, Iniesta made the game look easy as did Xavi. The Barca side from 2011 is the best team I’ve ever seen.

 

Special mention to Paul Scholes. He couldn’t tackle but what an unbelievably gifted footballer. I think it was Xavi who said that the ginger one was of the best of his generation.

[torryowl]

On 19/04/2021 at 14:34, scram said:

Some good points

 

Regarding ZZ i'd not even have him as the best ever French player - Platini would hold that honour for me

raymond kopa would be in the mix for that accolade.....only saw the back end of his career but a fabulous player who won numerous club honours and  a shed load of individual  awards  .