one player, ten years

there's been an awful lot said about the genius that is Lionel Messi. he is far and away the form player in the world at the moment and people are saying he is among the greatest to have ever played the game

who would you choose if you had to pick one player, to play for your team at their peak for 10 years? because of the age of most on here, i think the player should be from the 'champions league' era but feel free to go otherwise if you have experience of watching them

my choice is this man;

Spoiler:

just a destructive force, who had the absolute complete skill set for the role he played. Zidane was awesome but a lot more subtle than Ronaldo. with Ronaldo it almost seemed like everytime he got the ball, he would explode through the defence and score. shout out to football italia on channel 4 for letting me witness him, and to serie a when it was so very cult

so, GO!

One of the best players in the world at his prime when at Arsenal. Had pace, Skill and wonderful finishing ability.

Thierry Henry

my top 3 were Ronaldo, Zidane & Henry. honourable mention to Rivaldo

Threads like this make me miss all the players around 10 years ago :(


Hardest decision ever...

Going to go with..

Xavi





Fully believe that if it wasn't for him, Barcelona wouldn't have done as well as they have over the last decade. He's the one who pulls all the strings for them and has been doing this for the last 10 years. When Barcelona and Spain play without him, they don't play anywhere near as well. He was the most underrated player in world football up until 2008, and even then he wasn't appreciated enough.


Most definitely the best passer in football over the last decade, he see's things no other player can, reads the game better than any other player and reads the runs of others perfectly, his pass ratio is just utterly fantastic, and he's perfect on the ball as well, doesn't break a sweat when under pressure. I'd say he could arguably be one of the best passers of the ball of all time. No one comes close in football at the moment.


He was one of the most underrated players in World Football up until Euro 2008, which was when people finally started to appreciate him.. I can remember awful articles in papers about the best players in the world and they'd have '(and Xavi)' in the title, as though he wasn't good enough to be on any of the lists, ridiculous.




So many other players I wanted to say though, such as Ronaldo (Brazil), Zidane, Batistuta, Giggs, Scholes, Maldini, Zanetti, Figo, Messi, etc

A rare thing has happened in this thread Baker has got something 100% right

There is no other footballer who has ever played at the same standard other than ryan giggs

He is in the game for all the right reasons he would still play it if he was on £120 a week

Unlike most greats he has never been in the press for the wrong reasons Ryan Giggs is the greatest professional footballer of the last 30 years and i would say he would be up there with Pele had he not of been welsh

Good read Moomin. Totally agree.

My top three were Ryan Giggs, Ronaldo (fat), Maldini

thebenprice wrote:

A rare thing has happened in this thread Baker has got something 100% right

When it comes to footy, I'm always right

I really miss all the top footballers who were around and in their prime during the late 90's and early 00's

They just seem... different now

thebenprice wrote:

A rare thing has happened in this thread Baker has got something 100% right

There is no other footballer who has ever played at the same standard other than ryan giggs

He is in the game for all the right reasons he would still play it if he was on £120 a week

Unlike most greats he has never been in the press for the wrong reasons Ryan Giggs is the greatest professional footballer of the last 30 years and i would say he would be up there with Pele had he not of been welsh

paolo maldini?

Sheik Yerbouti wrote:

thebenprice wrote:

A rare thing has happened in this thread Baker has got something 100% right

There is no other footballer who has ever played at the same standard other than ryan giggs

He is in the game for all the right reasons he would still play it if he was on £120 a week

Unlike most greats he has never been in the press for the wrong reasons Ryan Giggs is the greatest professional footballer of the last 30 years and i would say he would be up there with Pele had he not of been welsh

paolo maldini?

Let's be fair, Ryan Giggs has been playing in a much more physically demanding position than Maldini.

Ronaldo all day long.

Mentions to Maldini, Henry, Zidane, Bergkamp, Ashley Cole and Van Nistelrooy. Ashley Cole may come as a surprise to you lot, but I genuinely think he's been the best left back in Europe within the last 10 years.

Baker wrote:

Sheik Yerbouti wrote:

thebenprice wrote:

A rare thing has happened in this thread Baker has got something 100% right

There is no other footballer who has ever played at the same standard other than ryan giggs

He is in the game for all the right reasons he would still play it if he was on £120 a week

Unlike most greats he has never been in the press for the wrong reasons Ryan Giggs is the greatest professional footballer of the last 30 years and i would say he would be up there with Pele had he not of been welsh

paolo maldini?

Let's be fair, Ryan Giggs has been playing in a much more physically demanding position than Maldini.

Javier Zanetti?

Baker wrote:

Sheik Yerbouti wrote:

thebenprice wrote:

A rare thing has happened in this thread Baker has got something 100% right

There is no other footballer who has ever played at the same standard other than ryan giggs

He is in the game for all the right reasons he would still play it if he was on £120 a week

Unlike most greats he has never been in the press for the wrong reasons Ryan Giggs is the greatest professional footballer of the last 30 years and i would say he would be up there with Pele had he not of been welsh

paolo maldini?

Let's be fair, Ryan Giggs has been playing in a much more physically demanding position than Maldini.

more physical as a wide midfielder than a centre half?

Not much running being a centre back is there?

Robbie Fowler?

that doesn't mean it's not physical

Yeah, but you're thinking a different side to physical.

Obviously being a centre back is a lot more physically demanding as in strength, but that's something that is easier to retain a lot longer than pace and skill which is what Ryan Giggs still has and needs in his position.

I don't think Giggs will last until he's 40. Maldini ffs <3

Zanetti needs to be mentioned in the same bracket as these players tooo

37 years old, 16 years at Inter Milan playing over 50 games a season, also one of the most underrated players about, proper professional

What about Bergkamp?
True professional.

Mules wrote:

I don't think Giggs will last until he's 40. Maldini ffs <3

Again, Maldini played in a less physically demanding (as in fitness) position.

i'm probably gonna get some shit for saying this, but dietmar hamann when on top form was like a brick wall in front of the defence, and because he was german he never missed a penalty

Centre back is probably more demanding than a winger/forward anyway. As a centre back, you're most likely to be playing against young, raw pace. Probably not as demanding physically, but mentally and technically it definitely is. Maldini's positioning = second to none.