I am Albanian, so definetly not taking sides . Even though all those names are fantastic players, and definelty Zvonie Boban's name should be among them, there's one name above all that deserves it most ; Pavel Nedved ! As a lifelong Milan fan, normally I'd voted for Boban (I also admire creative playmakers), but Nedved is the true team leader and a true difference maker ! I'd also like to add that from what I've seen him play recently, Modric has the talent to surpass all! The same goes for Arshavin! Football is getting harder by the day, and I think to be a creative force like them in modern football is extremly difficult!
Suker had a brilliant left foot. He was an outstanding finisher, and very skilful. Check out these goals and tell me he was a 'boring' finisher. He was one of the most elegant forwards I've seen. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPMeoiCYgqg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ktd-M-Vtdw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMcw2LFeJps http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmagUpl67RA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTmmiWtzbWA
Pedja Mijatovic deserves a mention. He was brilliant for Valencia and Real Madrid, as well as his national teams (Yugoslavia, Serbia & Montenegro)
people stop arguing. realize that it's a question, that "sells", but doesn't mean anything. comparing the best footballer on a team is already impossible.
Mostovoi... Great, great player. But I don't think he is ahead of: Hagi, Mijatovic, Suker, or Savicevic.
Mostovoi's underrated because he never played at a big club, I think that if he played for a major team that he would be rated much higher.
Mostovoy - Huge talent with an ego to match. Shouldn't be in the list IMO. Kanchelskis was a MUCH better career if you need some Russian (Ukrainian) flavor in the list. Stoichkov? An asshole. Great Barca career and even better WC94. Still an asshole. Hagi? Had an opportunity of his life to lead Barca after great WC94, didn't do it. Mija? Very good career in pre-Galactico Real Madrid. Same for Suker. Savi? Red Star forever??? Cmon... Mijatovic at Suker in Real Madrid, with slight edge for Suker for his heroics in the WC 98.
In the 90's the best players in Eastern Europe were in my opinion 1) Hagi 2) Stoichkov 3) Suker The best players from this area in the whole football history: 1) Puskas 2) Yashin 3) Hagi
I'm Colombian so i know very well Hagi hehe, i pick him. What about this Ranking? http://www.rankopedia.com/ZID=3/16/Ranking-Best-Eastern-European-Soccer-Player-Ever/Step1/5206.htm
I like this rankopedia and I think its realistic rating! Probably Hagi was the best player in 90s,after him a great scorer Suker!
Prosinecki if nothing else he had the best beard of the 90's. Hagi was great but only when he wanted to. When he got his chance at the biggest clubs in Spain he stopped trying because all of the sudden he had to share the ball with other good players. He did well at Galatasaray and the national team where everything revolved around him.
Very accurate list! I was thinking of including Nedved in relation to this thread, but his peak was indeed in the early 2000s rather than in the 1990s. Good call on Balakov, he tends to be underrated by Bulgarian supporters. With regards to pure strikers, Zlatko Zahovic probably also deserves a mention, as he really put Slovenia on the football map (but it was again in the early 2000s).
As a born serb, in native belgrade as much as I love pancev and even though he won the golden boot when we won the Ecc he was just worthless at inter and thus not in that group of players. Dont get me wrong... Strasan igrac za zvezdu brate...
I agree. For sure Zahovic belongs in the top 5 eastern eurpean players of 2000's..... He was as good as Suker and Mijatovic were in the 90's. I would also put Vidic and Arshevin (for the 2000's) Berbatov is a longer-shot, but also a candidate. Hamsik is for the 2010's......
христо стоичков. Honorable mentions: Davor Šuker, Zvonimir Boban, Дејан Савићевић, Андрій Шевченко and Pavel Nedvěd.