Nope, the greatest footballer that ever lived is Edson Arantes do Nascimento also known as Pele. He averaged almost a goal a game over his entire career. Just the bicycle kick in the horrible movie Victory should clinch this.
A close second is Mane, also known as Garrincha. I always think he would have been more popular, more famous and more successful than Pele if it hadn’t been for alcohol and women cutting short his career.
These two are then followed by Maradona.
I always thought it was Cruyff right after those two.
Nope, Cruyff comes after Maradona, but way ahead of Franz Beckenbauer (who is now politicing to follow Lennart Johansson as president of UEFA by the way. Platini was fighting mad, because he has wanted the job for a while now and already is in the UEFA Executive Commitee).
Well there’s no right answer to this but my top 10 (in my life time so no Garrincha, Mathews etc) would be:
Maradonna
Cruyff
Pele
Platini
Muller
Beckenbaur
Moore
Yashin
Jarzinho
Zidane
Purely personal opinion and all that. I think Maradonna was a man who made up for the deficiencies of a not-so-great team, where as Pele was surrounded by class. I also think that Cruyff had rather more than he did, but it’s all subjective.
What about DiStefano?
WHoops, missed the “in my lifetime” bit. Nevermind.
How about…what about Eusebio
Before my time old chap.
Man, I can’t wait for this game! US-Mexico, World Cup qualifier, Azteca, Mexico looking to revenge World Cup '02, 100,000 anger Mexicans! Major, major soccer match (for Americans, anyway!).
:bites nails:
:bites nails:
Damn, I can’t wait!
On this particular issue, you have absolutely no clue what you are talking about.
English clubs were banned from playing in Europe for five years because of the behaviour of their fans. Over 30 people were killed in a riot when Liverpool played Juventus. I was at the match in Dublin in January of 1995 when the English fans rioted and almost levelled Lansdown Road. Bags on urine (been done in Europe for years) were the least of the problems that day. Europe has spent decades combatting fan hooliganism.
Do you have any idea how bad Turkey is? Albania? Estonia or anywhere in the former Yugoslavia? You don’t so you comment on how “tough” the Americans have. Try going to a Glasgow Celtic/Rangers match and tell me how easy it is to play in that atmosphere.
America play a meaningless game in Mexico City and yet you claim that it is worse than what any European team may have to go through. We not only have the hostile atmosphere but our games mean something and they’re againt real teams. .
Playing a game in front of a hostile crowd might be good practice for a team qualifying for the World Cup, but the USSF shouldn’t schedule US-Mexico games in Southern California if they want to develop any sort of national loyalty to the team.
You aren’t going to get Joe Non-soccer Fan the least bit interested in watching a sport if his national team is being booed on its native soil.
Americans got behind the women’s national team because it was winning and there were cheering crowds in the country and the players were marketed well.
You can’t really garner a lot of support if you show the men’s national team getting pelted by debris at the L.A. Coliseum.
Is the England - Norn Iorn match the only one where same anthem is played twice?
So much for inclusiveness.
Heh, I could have scored on that 1970 Brazillian team. Gerson could have landed a ball right on my head from 30 yards and it would have gone in without me knowing any better! Pele was, of course, a magnificent player but he played on one of the greatest teams of all time. Moreover, he scored most of his goals in the questionable Brazillian league. On the other hand, Maradonna basically dragged an average Argentinian team to two World Cup Finals. Further, he won Serie A with Napoli not once but twice which is an incredible achievement.
He is, imho, a significantly greater player than Pele. I would also add Cryuff and Best to that list though I do like your addition of Garrincha. Roberto Baggio should also get a mention as should Gullit and Van Basten.
If you want a really hostile game try Greece v Turkey in qualifying group two. They hate one another.
Also; yanks, is this stadium as funny to you lot as it is to (puerile) me?
Nope - England v Leichenstein is as well (we have the same anthem). In any case (as I’m sure you’re aware) they will play Danny Boy for the Irish.
“God Save The Queen” is, of course, actually the national anthem of all parts of the UK - it’s just tradition to use other songs in this context (and the jocks changed theirs a few years ago - it used to be Scotland the Brave).
I’d quite like us to use Land Of Hope and Glory (let the rugger buggers have Jerusalem).
That stadium doesn’t look any more unusual than any other college soccer stadium in the U.S. They don’t need a lot of seats for those.
Huh? How is Eusebio before your time, but Pele is not?
Because he stopped playing internationaly in about 1968 - pele was visisible up to the mid 70s. Also as a lad I was naturally interested in the Brazilian team, but not the Portugese team (who were pants). Also the first attempt at an American League had a lot of British imports so we saw some of it over here - and thus saw some of Pele.
So yeah, he was around - but I wasn’t taking any notice.
It’s not the seats I think is funny…
I get it now. That person’s name is usually pronounced with an “oo” sound.
You had me at “agree to disagree” until you lapsed into Eurosnobbery with that last sentence. I’m not talking about hooliganism, I freely admit that the Euros have the monopoly on that. I’m talking about trying to win a game played (a) at 7200 feet altitude, (b) in a World Cup qualifier against someone in the same confederation, (c) against a team and country that hates you on every level.
About the only thing I agree with you on is including Best on the list of, well, the world’s best.