Greatest European footballers In football history

Discussion in 'The Beautiful Game' started by carlito86, Oct 24, 2018.

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Who are your favourite European legends

Poll closed Jul 20, 2021.
  1. Zinedine Zidane

    11 vote(s)
    21.2%
  2. Marco Van Basten

    5 vote(s)
    9.6%
  3. Roberto Baggio

    8 vote(s)
    15.4%
  4. Johan Cruyff

    27 vote(s)
    51.9%
  5. Cristiano Ronaldo

    11 vote(s)
    21.2%
  6. Micheal laudrup

    5 vote(s)
    9.6%
  7. Michel Platini

    10 vote(s)
    19.2%
  8. der Kaiser

    6 vote(s)
    11.5%
  9. Gerd Muller

    6 vote(s)
    11.5%
  10. George best

    4 vote(s)
    7.7%
  11. Dejan savicevic

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  12. Xavi Hernandez

    7 vote(s)
    13.5%
  13. Thierry Henry

    5 vote(s)
    9.6%
Multiple votes are allowed.
  1. Wiliam Felipe Gracek

    Santos FC
    France
    Feb 3, 2024
    this community of people from World Football are very very mentally ill and totally alienated The main mistake they make is usually with Eye test " in the wrong way " They evaluate Professional Football wrongly they confuse the metrics of Free-Style Battles with the metrics of Professional Football ............. ............ ......


    Professional Football The main objective of professional soccer is to score more goals than the opposing team in a match. The team that manages to put the ball into the net opposing goal the most times wins the game. Soccer is a team sport, where two teams of 11 players each try to achieve this goal by using their feet, head and other parts of their body (except hands and arms) to move the ball around the field.





    vs


    and now


    Free-Style Battles

    The main objective of freestyle battles, whether rap, dance, football skills or other forms, is improvisation and the demonstration of skill in a competitive context. Battles serve as a form of artistic expression, where participants show their creativity, resourcefulness, juggling and ability .


    . the metrics and objectives are completely different.
     
  2. Wiliam Felipe Gracek

    Santos FC
    France
    Feb 3, 2024
  3. babaorum

    babaorum Member+

    Aug 20, 2005
    Marseille
    Nat'l Team:
    France
    Yes I suppose, except Thuram was originally a natural CB who happened to play RB 'by accident' because Desailly was a lock at that position. When Desailly retired, he came back to his preferential position.
    Thuram never really liked to play RB... and yet he's one of the best ever at that position.
     
  4. Wiliam Felipe Gracek

    Santos FC
    France
    Feb 3, 2024
    [​IMG]


    The higher level of dementia of today's football fans has reached His maximum peak. A recent survey involving younger football fans...



    hahahahaha !!!


    Look the Result !

    hhahahahaha !!


    these guys are totally crazy at all !
     
  5. Wiliam Felipe Gracek

    Santos FC
    France
    Feb 3, 2024
  6. carlito86

    carlito86 Member+

    Jan 11, 2016
    Club:
    Real Madrid
    The Avengers
     
  7. Wiliam Felipe Gracek

    Santos FC
    France
    Feb 3, 2024

    yes .. I agree with you dear Mate my spiritual brother . ! Carlito 86 !



    Unfortunately, they were forgotten forever because they didn't generate +++ billions for the media outlets. " !


    and really

    unfortunately on my own heart .
     
  8. carlito86

    carlito86 Member+

    Jan 11, 2016
    Club:
    Real Madrid
    #2083 carlito86, Sep 8, 2025
    Last edited: Sep 8, 2025
    All time top scorers for the French NT


    IMG_5358.jpeg
    The craziest stat here is that Michel Platini still has the highest goals to game ratio of any French player in the top 7

    The second craziest stat Is that Karim “regarded as one of the greatest strikers of all time” Benzema has an inferior goals to game ratio for the French NT than Olivier Giroud.

    ——————-
    IMG_5359.jpeg Karim Benzema - Wikipedia

    —————————-


    Benzema played just shy of 100 games for his country

    It is not a small sample size
     
  9. SayWhatIWant

    SayWhatIWant Member+

    Jan 10, 2015
    Giroud who scored 0 goals in the 2018 world cup. Let's not kid ourselves here. I would agree with the Platini stat being impressive. The rest is modern stat-padding.
     
  10. Delvecchio 19

    Delvecchio 19 New Member

    Fluminense
    Argentina
    Sep 2, 2023
    Hahahaha, what’s the higher peak here? It’s pretty easy to rack up trophies when you’re basically just carrying the piano for Modrić and Toni Kroos. I honestly find it incredible that people even compare him to Fernando Redondo, who was a far more complete player. On top of that, in every title Redondo won with Real Madrid, he was the main figure in the midfield. If you ask any Brazilian journalist over 50 about Redondo or Casemiro, most would pick Redondo. In Brazil, Casemiro still carries the reputation of a brucutu (a brute, limited player) and is remembered as being cocky, especially during his time at São Paulo.
     
    Gregoire repped this.
  11. Isaías Silva Serafim

    Real Madrid
    Brazil
    Dec 2, 2021
    Nat'l Team:
    Brazil
    Redondo is better technically but Casemiro is greater. Also his Peak in 16/17 I would say were better than Redondo's peak season. Redondo suffered a lot with injuries so he couldn't have a greater career
     
  12. Delvecchio 19

    Delvecchio 19 New Member

    Fluminense
    Argentina
    Sep 2, 2023
    Paco Gento is greater than Michael Laudrup, Neymar, among others, for having 6 Champions Leagues, but that doesn't make him better Or in some cases even comparable. Casemiro's career is great, but that doesn't make him comparable to other players, He was very good as "Pitbull" plus a medium/good regular technique and that was it, nothing more.
     
  13. Isaías Silva Serafim

    Real Madrid
    Brazil
    Dec 2, 2021
    Nat'l Team:
    Brazil
    Casemiro is a different type of player. We don't compare apples to oranges. Redondo must be compared to Pirlo, Xavi, Kroos, etc... Casemiro must be compared to Edgar Davids, Makélélé, Kanté, etc...
     
  14. carlito86

    carlito86 Member+

    Jan 11, 2016
    Club:
    Real Madrid
    #2089 carlito86, Sep 26, 2025
    Last edited: Sep 26, 2025

    Was Gento really a greater player than Neymar?

    Dani Carvajal also won 6 champions leagues
    Is he greater than Neymar?
    Nobody can say with a straight face that he is(better or greater)

    In his entire career Gento never finished even top 5 in the ballon dor rankings


    This was a era where Pele was not even eligible to compete
    Forget about Pelé,the entire South American continent was not eligible to compete for the ballon dor and Gento still couldn’t make top 5


    During which EC winning campaign was gento widely considered to be a top 3 player on his own team?

    Gento was maybe the Ryan giggs of the 1950s and 60s.
    A very successful player with a long playing career but never challenging for best player in the world status at any point


    A fair person cannot compile a list of the 10 best players of the 2010s and exclude Neymar

    Gento on the other hand was absolutely not a top 10 player of his era

    who does he replace ?
    Nándor Hidegkuti
    Raymond Kopa
    Young Pelé
    Omar sivori
    Didi
    Alfredo Di stefano
    Luis Suarez
    Ferenc Puskas
    László Kubala
    Sándor Kocsis


    Was he even a better winger than any of these players?
    Kurt Hamrin
    Julinho
    Garrincha
    Zoltán Czibor


    As far as Micheal laudrup is concerned
    In 1999 Micheal Laudrup was voted the best La Liga player of the 1974-1999 period.
    He was competing for that accolade against Johan Cruyff,Diego Maradona,Ronaldo nazario,Romario,Rivaldo,Johan neeskens,schuster,Hugo Sanchez,Santillana, emilio butragueño,Hristo stoichkov,Ronald Koeman etc


    He won 5 La Liga titles in a row playing for Barcelona and Real Madrid (and he was an integral player).

    He is the best through baller of all time on par with Lionel Messi
    I think he is definitely better in this regard than Maradona and possibly better than Zico


    And if someone was bothered enough I’m sure they could also prove that Micheal Laudrup was the best chance creator of his era.
    He does not have a empty resume and in fact far from it.

    This is 1 hour and a half of him creating chances and that was only one aspect of his game(he was also a world class dribbler)


    Micheal Laudrup was the wet dream of every striker and if anything he is actually underrated now.
     
  15. Isaías Silva Serafim

    Real Madrid
    Brazil
    Dec 2, 2021
    Nat'l Team:
    Brazil
    Do you think Laudrup were a better assist provider than Míchel?
     
    Wiliam Felipe Gracek repped this.
  16. carlito86

    carlito86 Member+

    Jan 11, 2016
    Club:
    Real Madrid
    #2091 carlito86, Sep 26, 2025
    Last edited: Sep 26, 2025
    Assists are an overrated gauge of creativity
    and truth be told Hristo stoichkov might need to be put on a fraud investigation.


    It never sat well with me his low goalscoring numbers in La Liga(yeah he was more than just a goalscorer but still)


    Micheal Laudrup arguably played behind only one elite striker in his entire career(Romario) and that partnership only lasted for a single season.


    I’d also like to know how many of michels assists were from set pieces and how many of his assists were to Hugo Sanchez.

    Micheal Laudrup was an all time great creator from open play
    Taking set pieces was the role of Ronald Koeman at Barcelona,Michel Platini at Juventus and when Laudrup played with Lazio it was arguably the worst team of all time

    In Serie A 1984/85 Lazio
    played 30 games
    Won 2 games
    Drew 11 games
    Lost 17 games
    1984–85 Serie A - Wikipedia

    You’d be mistaken for thinking it couldn’t get any worse

    These were the 2 games that Lazio won in Serie A 1984/85

    IMG_7005.jpeg
    IMG_7004.jpeg
    1984–85 SS Lazio season - Wikipedia

    That team was so shit it almost sounds fake but it was not.Nobody could do anything with this team except cry.


    Diego Maradona scored the only hattrick of his Serie A career against this team BTW
    The “greatest sporting moment ever”
     
    Wiliam Felipe Gracek repped this.
  17. carlito86

    carlito86 Member+

    Jan 11, 2016
    Club:
    Real Madrid
     
    Wiliam Felipe Gracek repped this.
  18. Wiliam Felipe Gracek

    Santos FC
    France
    Feb 3, 2024

    ...........












    ...
    Why they lost the 1992 Ballon d'Or France Football ..

    to Marco van Basten...

    It's funny this...

    When
    I went to watch
    the entire games
    of the European Champions Cup

    1991-1992 season

    I was super happy
    to see... Michael Laudrup and H. Stoichkov...in action ..

    But I was surprised...

    by the greater performances in the decisive Matches

    from Bakero, Richard Witschge, Ronald Koeman in the offensive part of the game, Txiki Begiristain
    and Andoni Zubizarreta the best season ...


    ....
    ..

    both of them
    were complete frauds

    in this competition in 1991-1992 season...




    but ;;;..

    in 1993-1994 .. season ....

    due to the stronger competition between them
    due to the limit on foreigners.

    Everyone played
    a lot of football
    before from the Final
    against AC Milan;

    Everyone said...
    that Barcelona
    would beat AC Milan

    5-0...

    but the opposite happened

    a lot of arrogance
    before this match




    but..

    does not erase
    the brilliance
    of the previous matches and before from this final



    but in 1991-1992 ...


    They lost the Ballon d'Or to Van Basten precisely because of their lack of decision-making power.

    Of course, also...

    The Italian league
    was seen
    as the best league in the world at that time.

    Van Basten

    played very very well...
    against Sampdoria...
    Home game
    and

    Away game...



    ...

    unbeatable champion... 1991-1992 ...season..



     
  19. Wiliam Felipe Gracek

    Santos FC
    France
    Feb 3, 2024

    More sincere
    than this

    simply
    impossible

    on Laudrup and H.Stoichkov .. !
     
  20. Wiliam Felipe Gracek

    Santos FC
    France
    Feb 3, 2024


    .............

    ..

    For those who are interested, I give you a couple of data about Alfredo Di Stefano, Gento and the Golden Ball 50's , given that there are a few comments comparing Di stefano that won (2) with Messi that won (8).


    El BdO started in the 56th, in the second half of Di Stefano's career and Gento At His Peak .



    The first, as told by many documents of the time, was told to S. Matthews (winning by 3 votes to Di Stefano) but as a recognition of what had been his whole career. He was 41 years old, during a great season and He was a legend already when he fell a littlebit on the field.


    On the 57th we reached Di Stefano de calle " From First " .



    In 58 he could not be voted because, in principle,


    current rules in that Age :

    1-Rule

    1- intended not to repeat the winners of the last awards


    and
    2-Rule

    2- intended not to repeat voting on the players from the same club..
    .

    like Real Madrid.. in 1957 .. Alfredo Di Stefano , R. Kopa and Gento


    ....
    That's why players like Billy Wright

    ranked so higher.


    So much aplastante was his domain that this same year they changed the norms, rules and became a reality in 59.


    Then, there will always be a shadow that this idea of not repeating the last winner continued to have a certain foundation among those who voted who, in the face of doubt, sought a new winner always .


    From the 60s onwards, Madrid had a slightly decline (it was eliminated for the first time in the European Cup) and shortly after Di Stefano who was facing his last matches until 1964.


    Finally, in 1989 he wins the Super Golden Balloon (the only one that has been awarded), recognizing him as the best player of the last decades. "!


    [​IMG]
     
  21. Wiliam Felipe Gracek

    Santos FC
    France
    Feb 3, 2024

    for Djalma Santos ...

    the most difficult foreign left-winger
    he faced
    was Paco Gento !
     
  22. Wiliam Felipe Gracek

    Santos FC
    France
    Feb 3, 2024








    Gento's only major problem
    was the same problem
    as Thierry Henry's...

    he was very very hasty
    sometimes

    and very very one-footed

    in this case]

    Left foot...Gento

    in Henry's case

    right foot !

    Other than that, I don't see any major problems

    in Gento's game...

    maybe being

    very much one dimensional
    like
    Mané Garrincha



    but ...
    Gento varied more yes than Garrincha on this sense of the game . "!
     
  23. Wiliam Felipe Gracek

    Santos FC
    France
    Feb 3, 2024


    The referee of the game between
    Brazil vs. Spain
    in 1962...World Cup

    this bum
    completely sold
    out
    for Brazil to win !

    this referee is a thief
     
  24. Frank73

    Frank73 Member

    Inter Milan
    Brazil
    Mar 22, 2025
    Italy
    #2099 Frank73, Sep 27, 2025
    Last edited: Sep 27, 2025
    Tipical Maradona fanboyism. Whatever he did was "unique", "unprecedented and unrivaled", "superhuman", "godlike". Now, here you have two very precious goals by him, including one of the rarest kind, the olympic goal. But you have equally impressive (or even a bit more!) from several other players! And what is more, other players had many more "impossible" ones than Maradona! An example? Marcelinho Carioca, since I have mentioned him lately.
     
  25. Isaías Silva Serafim

    Real Madrid
    Brazil
    Dec 2, 2021
    Nat'l Team:
    Brazil
    I analyzed the 87/88 season which is his highest tally with 22 assists at laliga and those were the kind of assists he get:

    11 passes
    5 crosses
    4 corners
    2 free kicks

    And those were the players he assisted the most:

    Butragueño 5
    Hugo Sanchez 4
    Gordillo 4
    Manolo Sanchís 2
    Santillana 1
    Tendillo 1
    Llorente 1
    Vazquez 1
    Jankovic 1
    Chendo 1
    Gallego 1
     
    carlito86 repped this.

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