Re: All-Time Favourites

Simple story: your all-time favourite players on 4 positions:
- keepers,
- defenders,
- midfielders,
- forwards.

You can choose your personal top-3, top-5, top-7, depending how much players you liked

You can drop in a few lines about each of them.

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EPISODE 1: Forwards



Gabriel Batistuta
Definitely my favourite player of all time. Was playing for my favourite national team. No wonder Gabriel has got a statue while he is still alive...
Several years ago there were rumours that Barca is interested in contracting Batigol... That would be a dream coming true. Finally they bought... Larsson. Well - good choice anyway.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriel_Batistuta

Hristo Stoichkov
Mighty Bulgarian. I remember watching him in World Cup 1994, really looking like he was twice as fast as his opponents. Plus all those seasons for Barca. Awesome.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hristo_Stoichkov

Thierry Henry
Elegant gamestyle and incredible goals. He came to Barca a bit too late, but he got what he wanted most.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thierry_Henry

Henrik Larsson
A goal scoring machine through his whole career. A great joker at late years. Henka!
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henrik_Larsson

Alessandro Del Piero
Alex Del Piero - an icon of Juventus. Many SWOS-alike banana shots.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alessandro_Del_Piero


And guess what? - All those forwards are present in SWOS... coincidence?

Of course this is not a coincidence:




TBC...

Nice topic.

Here come my top 3 forwards:

1. Diego Armando Maradona

I was only 7 years old watching him play England, Belgium West Germany in 1986 World Cup Finals. He is the reason why I got interested in football in first place.

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2. Robbie Fowler

His Anfield nick name The God speaks for itself. Natural born striker, to be blamed for me becoming Liverpool fan. Scoring hat-tricks against ManUtd Arsenal for fun. It was really great to have him at Anfield for a second spell when Rafa signed him.

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3. George Best

Retired from professional football long before I was even born but his legend lives on. First ever celebrity among footballers paid an ultimate price for living most of his life in the public eye.

EPISODE 2: Midfielders



Diego Maradona
The one and only. Divine Diego. The best player in the world in the times my interest in football started, thus the best player ever for me. This picture speaks for itself: www.cianboland.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/maradona.jpg.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diego_Maradona

Josep Guardiola
The brain of FC Barcelona in Dream Team Era and further on. No wonder he became a successful trainer.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josep_Guardiola

Ruud Gullit
Fantastic versatile player. One of the Dutch 3 musketeers of Milan that I always liked most.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruud_Gullit

Youri Djorkaeff
Some greatest acrobatic goals I have ever seen. Take this one for example: .
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Youri_Djorkaeff

Fernando Redondo
Great Argentinian player, very popular in SWOS as well... Unfortunately he chose to play for the wrong team in La Liga. Nevertheless, this action is one of the best I have ever seen: .
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernando_Redondo

EPISODE 1: ATTACKERS

1. Bebeto



He was my favorite player from Brazil 94 world cup winning side. Always loved his almost cute technical style of playing football.
Also off the pitch a real role model. No scandals of the likes as Romario...
Most famous for inventing the baby-rock-celebrating in World Cup 94 vs Holland, which was such a cracking match:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bebeto

2. van Basten



It was my first ever stadium visit, when van Basten kicked out Germany in EURO 88 with a last minute goal in Hamburg.
Anyway, his style of playing lifted that part of playing football to another level. Played football of 21st century, and that back in the late 80ies/ early 90ies.
Scored my favorite goal ever. I really think this is the best goal ever, in EURO 88 final vs USSR:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Basten

3. Gerd Müller



He is the first ever embodiment of a goalscoringsuperstar hero and don t need much words.
Always on the right spot to finish, by pure instinct. No other player ever had that natural gift. Never...
He almost didn t take part in the game itself (unlike Pele, Best or Eusebio...) but just acted like a phantom.
Created a definition of a kind of a striker. His record of 40 goals in 34 league matches will never be beaten.
The first of his race with many players to walk in his footsteps. It took almost 30 years to equalize his European Cup goal record (Inzaghi finally did it).
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerd_Muller

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EPISODE 2: Midfielders

1. Lothar Matthäus



Don t need much words. Last German world footballer of the year (1990 1991).
Captain of Germany s last world cup winning side in 1990. 150 apps for Germany, still a record.
Power, dynamics, shooting, passing... only heading wasn t his greatest strenght...
Great persona, adored by many, hated by even more. One of the last characters in German football.
Greatest goals:
Goal of the year 1992 in Germany:
(blasting volley from a corner into triangle)
Solo run in WC 90 vs. Yugoslavia.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lothar_Matthaus


2. .... coming soon

3. .... coming soon

EPISODE 3: Defenders



Paolo Maldini
A perfect example of a professional player. I am not a fan of AC Milan, but I don t remember a season of weaker form of him. Respect.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paolo_Maldini

Carles Puyol
Puyol means the captain. A heart of FC Barcelona. Can you imagine this club without him? Just take a look at the picture.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carles_Puyol

Sergi Barjuan
If Puyol is now the heart of Barca, Sergi was the lungs . The offensive wingback, who run like a wind.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergi_Barju%C3%A1n

Roberto Carlos
Another player of Blancos in my list - impossible? No. In my opinion the best wingback, one of few players I envied to play for Madrid.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Carlos_(footballer)

Lilian Thuram
The rock in defence. Only came to Barcelona for a retirement... I definitely started to admire that player after that semifinal vs. Croatia in 1998. By the way - can anybody post a link to the picture of Thuram s pose after scoring the second goal?? I will request it in the Football Picture Contest thread...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilian_Thuram

EPISODE 4: Goalkeepers



Peter Schmeichel
I believe the best goalkeeper ever. King Peter.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Schmeichel

Jozef Mlynarczyk
Poland always produces fine keepers. For me the best is Mlynarczyk. I remember watching that final Porto vs. Bayern.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%B3zef_M%C5%82ynarczyk

Sergio Goycochea
Everyone who watched WC 1990 in Italy and supported Argentina must agree with this choice.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergio_Goycochea

Iker Casillas
Yes, there is a madridista on my list... I really have to admit he is currently the best goalkeeper out there.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iker_Casillas

Rene Higuita
One-man show in the goal (and sometimes far away from it). Scorpion kick it man! From the master of unpredictible:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ren%C3%A9_Higuita

hehehe

sorry mate! this is All-Time Favourites topic, not All-Time Best ^^

btw - Michel Who?