EWB Top 25 Footballers

[timbawolf]

At the end of the day if you see Roy Keane go down injured, you know he's fuckin injured! You don't go up to another player who's lying on the floor in agony and start telling him to get up. Incidentally, wasn't the injury Keane picked up against Leeds the same injury that had him sidelined for prolonged spells of his career? It's one in the same! And best beleive if i've got a potential career ending injury and some tit comes over to me and starts telling me to get up, Imma get the bastard too!

Also, who the fuck was Haaland, he'd have been another schmuck in the lower leagues anyway. So not much of a career lost and don't tell me Roy Keane ended Haaland's career, Haaland did!

Anyway back on topic, I'm glad Gazza's been included in this list because if anybody in the whole world had the natural ability to be the best player ever, this man had it. He's basically my generation's 'George Best', I just hope he doesn't end down the same road that Bestie paved. And I can't comment on Kevin Beattie, too old for my time.

Edited April 30, 2008 by timbawolf

[supergrass]

At the end of the day if you see Roy Keane go down injured, you know he's fuckin injured! You don't go up to another player who's lying on the floor in agony and start telling him to get up. Incidentally, wasn't the injury Keane picked up against Leeds the same injury that had him sidelined for prolonged spells of his career? It's one in the same! And best beleive if i've got a potential career ending injury and some tit comes over to me and starts telling me to get up, Imma get the bastard too!

Also, who the fuck was Haaland, he'd have been another schmuck in the lower leagues anyway. So not much of a career lost and don't tell me Roy Keane ended Haaland's career, Haaland did!

Nobody claims he did, it's a fact that Keane didn't end Haaland's career as I pointed out. I'll have to forgive Haaland for perhaps not knowing Keane's history of injuries, or for getting caught up in the heat of the game - because that's what Haaland's was, not a premeditated and cowardly attack.

And your last point makes absolutely no sense. What do you mean by "Haaland would've been stuck in the lower leagues anyway"? He was already an established Norway international and had built a career at Forest, Leeds and Man City before any of this with Keane took place.

[stokeriño]

I missed this. I would have put Zola right at the top.

[METALMAN]

Closely followed by Pierluigi Casiraghi I presume?

[stokeriño]

No, although that little piece of nostalgia is welcome on a dull Wednesday such as this.

Zola's technical skill was among the best, but really his unmatched professionalism is what elevates him for me. If I were to point to one man and say "that is what a footballer should be like", it would be the little Italian wizard himself.

Edited April 30, 2008 by Gul Stokeriño

[Animal]

21. Michel François Platini

Country of Origin France

Teams AS Nancy, Saint-Étienne, Juventus

Style Captain Dribble

Description

Platini was always viewed as a big talent but a failed medical test at his favorite team FC Metz prohibited young Platini from ever going there. Instead he started his career at AS Nancy were struggle against relegation was normal. After seven years Platini was brought into Saint-Étienne who were looking to extend their big successes of the early 70's. This didn't work out completely and Platini was transferred to Italian side Juventus. After a rather bad start at the team, the media was all over Platini putting him down whenever they could, a change in tactics suggested by Platini and teammate Boniek caused Juventus to play supurb and in five seasons Platini and Juventus won 8 trophies including the Italian League and the European Cup.

Platini was a tactician, he absorbed the game and read it like no other. Combine that with an excellent dribble, the finishing of a great striker(scoring 312 goals in 580 games) and free kicks out of this world (and into the goal) and you can understand why Platini was feared by all opposition.

And did I mention he became European Champion with France in 1984, and that that could be largely contributed to him being top scorer with 9 goals? I did now!

Video

Fact When he was young, Platini was believed to have serious heart problems and that he could never play football professionally.

20. Gianfranco Zola

Country of Origin Italy

Teams Nuorense, Torres, Napoli, Parma, Chelsea, Cagliari

Style Technical Hitman

Description

Zola's big breaktrough came when he went to play at Maradona's Napoli, sweeping the title and becoming Maradona's protogé. It wasn't long before the young player from Sardinia attracted the attention of other big European squads. but Zola chose to go to Parma where he won the UEFA Cup in 1995. In 1996 Zola, already 30, made a move to Chelsea where he would shine like never before. Chelsea wasn't the filthy rich club it is today but the team that played during the seasons Zola was there is still amongst the fan's all time top favorites. Zola was a key player with his technique and ability to direct the play. He was a fan favorite and an Icon for the club.

Video Is it Maradona? No! Is it Ben Stiller? No! It's Gianfranco Zola!

Fact He has been voted Chelsea's best player of all time!

[IAceI]

If I'd had a bit more of a think I dare say;

Oleg Luzhny

Alessio Tacchinardi

Bosko Balaban

Eyal Berkovic

Steve Bould

Pegguy Arphexad

Tomas Repka

Scott Minto

Jesper Blomqvist

Ruel Fox

Sasa Curcic

Julian Joachim

Alen Boksic

Egil Ostenstad

Could have all been close to the list.

[METALMAN]

Alen Boksic was good :@

[supergrass]

Three time league winner Steve Bould was fantastic, until he slightly ruined it by packing off to wind his career down with a small club not worthy of his contribution.

[stokeriño]

20th will do.

[IAceI]

Out of them, Eyal Berkovic was head and shoulders above the lot. He was absolutely phenomenal when he played well, but he was just a bit of a moody cunt it seems, and didn't have the best times with injuries.

Give him the ball though and things were going to happen. Berkovic was just great.

[Liam]

Aljosa Asanovic > Eyal Berkovic

As did Georgi Kinkladze.

Edited April 30, 2008 by rvdwannabe

[Pesci]

Also, who the fuck was Haaland, he'd have been another schmuck in the lower leagues anyway. So not much of a career lost and don't tell me Roy Keane ended Haaland's career, Haaland did!

This isn't Survivor Series 1997 and Roy Keane's a twat.

Glad to see Zola on there, he's one of the better players I've seen in my time. Have only seen clips of Platini so I can't really vouch for his talent, but he's universally accepted as a great so it's good to see him on here to give the list some legitimacy. We all know the Top 5 is gonna be dominated by Dutch players and Ronaldo anyway, so the filler is clearly what's going to make this list fun.

Edited April 30, 2008 by Pesci

[timbawolf]

And your last point makes absolutely no sense. What do you mean by "Haaland would've been stuck in the lower leagues anyway"? He was already an established Norway international and had built a career at Forest, Leeds and Man City before any of this with Keane took place.

Egil Ostenstad was a Norway International who had spells at Blackburn & Southampton and where the fucks he? Haaland would of just floated into obscurity is what I mean, Championship or Norwegian First League most likely. Hell, poor old Alf Inge's names only ever mentioned for that incident.

The fact remains, what did Haaland ever win? He was a nobody in a team full of nobodies! Keane was the Captain of one of the world's most prestigious clubs. Anyway enough talking about Haaland, this is the Top 25 footballers thread so let's talk about the situation at hand.

And yeah Lil Zola was a world class player in an otherwise average Chelsea team, and I'll always remember his cheeky little mid-air backheel flick goal. Pure class.

And if Maradona doesn't win this it's a travesty, greatest player to ever step foot on a blade of grass.

[METALMAN]

That Chelsea team was far from average. They had the likes of Ruud Gullit, Mark Hughes, Gianluca Vialli, Marcel Desailly, Roberto Di Matteo and Gustavo Poyet.

I really liked Poyet at Chelsea. He was a fantastic player.

[brenchill]

What about Merse? Villa legend AND he fucked up Walsall. Happy days.

[new_era]

And your last point makes absolutely no sense. What do you mean by "Haaland would've been stuck in the lower leagues anyway"? He was already an established Norway international and had built a career at Forest, Leeds and Man City before any of this with Keane took place.

Egil Ostenstad was a Norway International who had spells at Blackburn & Southampton and where the fucks he? Haaland would of just floated into obscurity is what I mean, Championship or Norwegian First League most likely. Hell, poor old Alf Inge's names only ever mentioned for that incident.

The fact remains, what did Haaland ever win? He was a nobody in a team full of nobodies! Keane was the Captain of one of the world's most prestigious clubs. Anyway enough talking about Haaland, this is the Top 25 footballers thread so let's talk about the situation at hand.

And yeah Lil Zola was a world class player in an otherwise average Chelsea team, and I'll always remember his cheeky little mid-air backheel flick goal. Pure class.

And if Maradona doesn't win this it's a travesty, greatest player to ever step foot on a blade of grass.

That's your opinion. It wouldn't be a travesty at all if he didn't win, he's a cheat, remember? Great player yes, but with the likes of Pele, Van Basten, Cruyff just to name a few, all worthy of winning.

Romario retired the other day, totally forgot about him, he was awesome. The best Brazilian footballer i've seen in my life so far by far. He was something like 42 lol.

Edit: Chelsea were far from average back then.

Edited April 30, 2008 by new_era

[timbawolf]

@Metalman

Of course they were an average team, a world class/excellent/very good team dont just win FA Cups & League Cups! Good teams win the league like Chelsea of 2004-2006, Arsenal from 01-02 & 03-04, then of course Man U for the soon to be 10 times winning the Premiership. Just because they had players like Vialli & Di Matteo etc. doesn't mean they weren't average.

@NewEra

Yeah the likes of Cruyff, Van Basten etc. were World Class and deserve a spot in here somewhere, but did they ever win World Cups? No Maradona was a focal point in why Argentina did so well. Oh WOW, he took drugs! BooHoo! Most likely in a time where 90% of footballers will have been on drugs! N if you talkin bout the Hand Of God, fuck it I would have done the same. Fair play to him!

[stokeriño]

@Metalman

Of course they were an average team, a world class/excellent/very good team dont just win FA Cups & League Cups! Good teams win the league like Chelsea of 2004-2006, Arsenal from 01-02 & 03-04, then of course Man U for the soon to be 10 times winning the Premiership. Just because they had players like Vialli & Di Matteo etc. doesn't mean they weren't average.

Isn't there some middle ground between 'average' and 'world class'? ¬_¬ Finishing 3rd (4 points off the top) in the Premiership in 98/99 doesn't seem 'average'. If you have to win the league at least twice to qualify as 'good', then clearly most clubs should just pack it in now if they don't want to subject their fans to nothing but dreary 'mediocrity' for the rest of their lives.

Come to think of it, that 98/99 season pretty much emulated this year for Arsenal (top of the table at Christmas, some slip-ups in the Spring and sadly trophyless come May). Except of course that Chelsea's players tended to be rather old instead of rather young, and then it all went to pot a couple of years later.

Edited May 1, 2008 by Gul Stokeriño

[supergrass]

And your last point makes absolutely no sense. What do you mean by "Haaland would've been stuck in the lower leagues anyway"? He was already an established Norway international and had built a career at Forest, Leeds and Man City before any of this with Keane took place.

Egil Ostenstad was a Norway International who had spells at Blackburn & Southampton and where the fucks he? Haaland would of just floated into obscurity is what I mean, Championship or Norwegian First League most likely. Hell, poor old Alf Inge's names only ever mentioned for that incident.

The fact remains, what did Haaland ever win? He was a nobody in a team full of nobodies! Keane was the Captain of one of the world's most prestigious clubs. Anyway enough talking about Haaland, this is the Top 25 footballers thread so let's talk about the situation at hand.

Swiftly moving the end of your post back onto the title topic doesn't mean your points can just be overlooked. I'm quite sure that playing for Norway is a big deal in Norway, I wouldn't have thought Keane was a massive superstar over there. Most players do drift off into obscurity when age creeps up and they wind down their playing days, however if you do want to go into the merits of Haaland's career then being a part of World Cup squad isn't too bad. Didn't win anything but did alright for himself. And amongst the "nobodies" he played with are Harry Kewell, Alan Smith, Paul Robinson, Hasselbaink and Woodgate.

I think Keane's challenge was that bad that it has overshadowed Haaland's career in the eyes of the general public in England. Not the best player in the world, no, but his career exists in its own right amongst the clubs and nation he represented.

I see in your last post you've upped the ante on spurious claims. Good work.