Greatest football player of all time?

[Mr.Squishy]

I do not give a toss, and frankly I can't even see the difference between one man running around kicking ball a ball from another man kicking the same ball and just typing this is boring me more than a year's marathon of MW2's singleplayer campaign on repeat.

 

[RoyalWelsh]

Pele. Through and through. Talk of the "more demanding" modern game is just talk to big it up.

You imagine playing "the modern game" without astroturf, trainers, sportsdrinks and all the other things brought in to make it softer.

And then, would Zidane or the rest of them come out of retirement to speak about erectile dysfunction?

Pardoning the huge pun, that takes balls.

Quoted for truth!

I would also like to say John Charles, I see him as one of the more underrated greats of all time. Not as good as Pele sure, but he was equally great as a Centre Back as well as a Striker and just an all round lovely man.

 

[Soxafloppin]

George Best, Surprised he hasn't been mentioned.


Honestly, look what he is doing in this video. Looks like Messi or Ronaldo, but in a water logged pitch and with a ball that weights about 6 times as much.

He did more for Northern Ireland kicking a ball than any politician ever has, and his life was an absolute tragedy.

He also came of with an amazing quote "I spent 90% of my money on women and drink, the rest I wasted".

Maradona? good, Pele? Better, George BEST!

The same. Theres a story about Best turning up for pre match meetings while at United, but he kept getting sent away and would have a kick about with youth players. After badgering the manager he was allowed into a meeting. After discussing defensive issues (opposition danger men and the like) they started to talk about attacking tactics.

This was 'give the ball to George, he'll do something with it'.

Other issue with the players of the pre modern era; they took a hell of a lot of punishment. Bruises from kicks and stamping, so apart from the professional fitness stuff it should be remembered that the current era's preening flops get a lot of protection from referees. Apart from Messi who was stamped on the hand. Messi is the only player of the modern era that can stand up to the likes of Pele in terms of class.

Yea, Any players from that Era would be sent of in less than 5 minutes today, its sad that victory is attained by playing the referee more than playing football.

 

[deathninja]

Messi's good, but I've never liked showboaters.

Then again, the lack of a black and white shirt with a number 9 does tend to be a deciding factor in ability

 

[Glerken]

Leigh Matthews or Malcom Blight... Oh wait... You're talking about Soccer... My bad.

He's talking about Football, actually. Named first and truer to it's name than that other one the Americans play.

OT:

Thierry Henry was always a decent player, so much so that Arsenal begged him to come out of retirement to get them on the right path again.

But soccer came first [http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2010/06/the-origin-of-the-word-soccer/].
So he's plenty correct in saying we're talking about soccer.

 

[Spinozaad]

Dennis Bergkamp.

Had he been as much of an arrogant fuck as Van Basten or Cruijff, he would have been the acknowledged superior of the three.

But Dennis the Non-Flying Dutchman was just too kind. But yeah, that guy had the perfect touch.

 

[TitanAtlas]

The best football player? Pele, Maradona, Eusébio were great classics for me, but for now It's Ronaldinho, Rooney and most importantly Messi.

I am portuguese and i hate Cristiano Ronaldo. He no longer plays football, he now clows around. He thinks he's a superstar on the field, wich damaged his play. For me he no longer is a football player.

 

[LooK iTz Jinjo]

Leigh Matthews or Malcom Blight... Oh wait... You're talking about Soccer... My bad.

He's talking about Football, actually. Named first and truer to it's name than that other one the Americans play.

And I'm talking about Football. A sport played, in fact, by Australians, not Americans, our game doesn't have multiple names and is 100% true to it's single name, saying that Blight or Matthews played Gridiron is like saying that Don Bradman, Gary Sobers and Jack Hobbs played tennis.

 

[SckizoBoy]

Pele. Through and through. Talk of the "more demanding" modern game is just talk to big it up.

You imagine playing "the modern game" without astroturf, trainers, sportsdrinks and all the other things brought in to make it softer.

That and how hard the players generally were... (see what I did there... -_- )
No subs, what would now be classified as dangerous tackles, the occasional on pitch punch up, broken bones... PLAY ON!! It's like rugby without the crotch grabbing!

Did anyone watch the latest El Clasico?! Biggest display of gamesmanship ever... eesh.

My top three
Guess my team!

Everton... XD

Ryan Giggs purely because he has been able to keep up an amazing level of performance for 20 years straight.

I think as far as pure consistency, 'staying power' (as it were) and adaptability, Giggs does deserve everything he gets (and man he's going to get one hell of a testimonial when he retires...). As a schoolboy he was a striker, then left-winger and now, he's pretty much effective across the entire midfield. He could've been an SS at a stretch. The question remains: is anyone (else) going to score in 20+ (consecutive and otherwise) EPL seasons (let alone for a single club)??

George Best, Surprised he hasn't been mentioned.

And speaking of Giggs, Best once quipped "One day, they might even say that I was just another Giggs."

and personally i can't rate a modern day player till they've played in the English Premier League, Messi against Stoke? he'll be on the floor more than he'll be doing anything.

LAWL! One of my friends keeps asking the question: what would happen in Barcelona vs. Stoke? 1-0, Barcelona with 90% possession and ending the game with 9 or fewer players through 'injury' and Stoke with at least one player sent off and everyone else cautioned.

OT: I'm with everyone else who said it's impossible to answer, because they're just far too many factors that influence the perceived skill and talent of a player.

Typical example regarding team: Andy Carroll... at Newcastle, he was brilliant (to some), typical number nine, got on the end of long balls, bullied centre-backs all day and scored goals. Now, at Liverpool, gets a header marginally wide all game and that's a 'good showing'. Why? The team around him. Liverpool and Newcastle have vastly differing playstyles and Newcastle played for him, while Liverpool play with him. Big difference, but he's still a good player, he's just at the wrong club to show it. And Fernando... oh, Fernando...

A players' duration, being able to play at the top level for so long, or internationally for so long... and stats, for those so minded. Era plays a part as well, 'cos I don't think Messi would last long in a 1970's match. Still, I don't think the way Pele plays from then would look that out of place in an EPL line-up today.

Still, no Kaka? -_-

 

[Sexual Harassment Panda]

Recoba never lived up to his potential, but what potential it was! A combination of injuries, being banned for a year due to a fake passport, and probably just not being that competitive a person conspired against him.

Fantastic player.

Used to be my first purchase for Chelsea in master-league in every version of PES.