Classic Images Thread

[Sempre]

The great players have a certain 'silhouette', a certain posture as
they handle the ball, run, score a goal.

I think it would be nice to have a thread for such images, a thread
capturing these classic images of great players. I don't mean their
goal celebrations, I mean their unique playing demeanors, caught
in media res, on the field.

I'll start with Maradona, and I hope others will add more photos. It is
not easy to find the perfectly iconic image though.

Maradona:

http://www.raisport.rai.it/pub/static/3400/160602Maradona.jpg

This is pure Diego for me: the chest swollen in pride, the stocky figure,
the look of wild concentration, bursting forward, ball ready to be played
with the left foot.

[Real Ray]

:o The Dutch boys on Big Soccer are going to kill me, but...

http://discosantigos.com/Portfolio/1972_Johan_Cruyff.jpg


When I think of Johan Cruijff, the first image is of him pointing his fingers, giving directions and talking/yelling. There are other images of him that show his athletic prowess, but if we are honest, if you were painting a collage of him an image like this would be prominent in the piece.

[Real Ray]

http://www.sec.rj.gov.br/webmuseu/images/me_garrincha1.JPG


http://www.futebolthebrazilianwayoflife.com/images/askalex/garrincha.gif

[argentine soccer fan]

This picture of Florian Albert is one of my favorites.

I think if we were to believe in the existence of Plato's world of forms, and we were to look for the perfect form which defines the meaning of 'striker', this is exactly what we would find.

http://www.sportmuzeum.hu/kiallitasok/hall_of_fame/pictures/Albert_Florian.jpg

[Ombak]

Come on. No Pelé yet? Or is it heresy to post images of God himself? :p

The perfect bicycle kick:
http://sportsmed.starwave.com/media/pg2/2002/0718/photo/pele.jpg

Pelé & Moore:
http://www.farenet.org/pictures/fullsize/pele-moore.jpg

[lanman]

Enough of the style, let's go for some substance.

http://www.derby.org/jeff/derby/play/hardman.jpg

Simply put, don't mess with Dave Mackay.

http://pictures.footymad.net/upload/780/71974-5.jpg

You don't get much closer to actually wearing your heart on your sleave.

[lanman]

A couple of Sir Stanley Matthews in full flight.

http://www.24hourmuseum.org.uk/content/images/2003_0336.JPG

http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Field/3163/players/stan2big.jpg

[lanman]

Gordon Banks

http://www.chesterfield-fc.premiumtv.co.uk/javaImages/f6/2/0,,10435~262902,00.jpg

[Mr. Bee]

Difficult to get good pictures... but this (or something like this) would be the iconic image of Johnny Haynes - best passer of the ball that England (and among the best the world) has ever seen.

http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/images/%5CMain%5Chaynes_main_08022005.jpg

[Bertje]

:o The Dutch boys on Big Soccer are going to kill me, but...

http://discosantigos.com/Portfolio/1972_Johan_Cruyff.jpg


When I think of Johan Cruijff, the first image is of him pointing his fingers, giving directions and talking/yelling. There are other images of him that show his athletic prowess, but if we are honest, if you were painting a collage of him an image like this would be prominent in the piece.

I like this one better:

http://www.cruijff.com/multimedia/archive/00053/Cruyff_dirigeert_53101a.jpg

He hasn't even gotten onto the pitch yet, but he's started already. That's my hero!

[Bertje]

Van Basten:

http://www.cse.cuhk.edu.hk/~yclaw/vanBasten5.jpg

How surprising, he scored a goal.

Rensenbrink:

http://www.voetbalfocus.nl/imgs/rensenbrink-r1.jpg

Het 'slangenmens' dribbled past yet another player.

Bergkamp:

http://keinkeloel.nl/images/Bergkamp-98-Arg-3.jpg

Where his goals come from.

[Sempre]

Baggio in motion:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/39684000/jpg/_39684591_juvejink33.jpg

This is how I think of him, feet close together, a small, elusive figure,
shifting left and right like a top through the penalty area, seducing
defenses with his feints and turns.

[lanman]

Tom Finney

http://www.bigbluetube.com/dbimgs/BBT062hi.jpg

[lanman]

The Charlton brothers

http://home.interlink.or.jp/~tomikosi/BobbyandJacky.jpg

Is that some blood on Jackie's sleeve? Surely not!

[Cassano]

Baggio in motion:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/39684000/jpg/_39684591_juvejink33.jpg

This is how I think of him, feet close together, a small, elusive figure,
shifting left and right like a top through the penalty area, seducing
defenses with his feints and turns.

That's always been Baggio's 'stance':

http://www.pro-paul.net/baggio/pics/fans/milan/35.jpg

http://www.pro-paul.net/baggio/pics/fans/brescia/01/06.jpg

[Cassano]

http://tricolore15.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/maldini.jpg

Maldini takes one of his galloping runs down the left flank.

[argentine soccer fan]

I love this picture of Maradona, from the 86 WC final match.

Forster and Schumacher, two all-time great German players, almost collide as they dive at his feet, and we see another fallen German player in the background, as well as several from both teams standing around watching from a distance.

I think this picture exemplifies as well as any the dominance of Maradona during that World Cup.


http://us.news1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/fifa/en/pf/20011221/i/2416443429.jpg

[argentine soccer fan]

Here is one of Garrincha dribbling. Look at the expression on his face, and at his extended arms. Here's a player who used every trick in the book to fake out his opponents.

http://us.news1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/fifa/en/pf/20011221/i/2953543719.jpg

[Real Ray]

These are two favorites of mine:
http://www.geocities.com/castmind/lofthouse.jpg

That's Nat Lofthouse after the 1958 FA Cup. There sooo much in this photo that defines the era-the pint glass, the cigarette, the scar, his hands-it ranks among my top 5 photos.


http://www.geocities.com/castmind/smith.jpg

That's Liverpool's Tommy Smith. And I think it captures the two sides of his personality. Theres the smile-the guy who's giving the needle and taking the piss in training. But there's also something ominous as well; "yeah it's fun and games, but don't f_*k with me!"

[Ombak]

Ahhh, Garrincha.

vs. two Czech João's
http://usr.solar.com.br/~juliocba/2jooes.jpg
hitting the brakes
http://usr.solar.com.br/~juliocba/freiando.jpg
typical Brazil 1958 - Garrincha down the right, hits a powerful cross which Vavá knocks in. This one against Sweden (Brazil in blue)
http://us.news1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/fifa/en/pf/20011221/i/2953543721.jpg