To celebrate FIFA's centenary Pele has been asked for his list of the "most influential" 100 living players. He's released his first 5 (not necessarily the top five I suspect). They are: Henry, Keane, Baggio (R), Rummenigge and Hamm. See here: http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,1563,1141240,00.html
The ommision of Di Stefano and Puskas doesn't matter, because there's no way this can be his top 5. Just the first 5 he names more than likely. But then again, he's always dreadfully wrong about the World Cup, so who knows.
The same Pele who proclaimed Dejan Stankovic a surefire star in 1998 and Nicky Butt and El Hadji Diouf top stars in 2002 ? NICKY BUTT??? BUT...for 100 players who are alive, those 5 are indeed deserving..
Oh no! Even the South Americans have been hit with the politically correct bug. Hamm? Give me a break...in comparison to the van Bastens and Cantonas of the soccer world, it's a pale comparison. Sad state of affairs, really.
` He also said that France was going to win the world cup in France before the tournament started... They did.
its true though. How can someone who plays womans football be as influencial as any man as the womans game has little popularity when compared... (and i dont want osme smart remark about its growing... i dont care facts are facts and mens game > womans..)
Well... guess what, Mia Hamm has influenced womens soccer more than any man has influenced mens soccer since Pele and Maradonna. She is a great player, just because she is not as good as a man can be due to physical make up does not mean she should be excluded from a list of great players, cuz thats what she is a great player. Now, if you were creating an all time starting 11 or roster of 18 best players, she of course has no place there... but if u want an influential player... she's your man.... Anyone who does not think so, must either watch more womens soccer or consult statistics and other people's opinion because u have no right commenting on the matter. On the idea that womens soccer is growing, I agree... I watched many of the womens world cup games and cheered like hell when the U.S.A. lost... (I'm only anti-American because in 1989 we were 1 point from the world cup and u beat us at home with a late goal on Nov. 19th). There are some great players... Svensson is one of them... she is amazing... crosses, passing, dribbling, my word, the dribbling!!! and a great scorer as wel... The great thing about womens soccer is that the teams play with the same mentality of the men... Nigeria-- full of creative dribblers, Germany-- if you win 5 headers all game consider yourself lucky.
the list is for the 100 most influential players, not the best i would make fun of anyone who didn't have mia hamm on this list - you can't seriously think she has had no influence over the game of soccer worldwide, can you?
go ask someone on the street who mia hamm is next time your out. Best guess thay will just look through you. Now go say Ronaldo or someone or the sort, and they will instantly know. Like i said before, she maybe influencial in the womans game, but the womans game isnt as bg and therefore cannot be on the same scale
- I agree Mia Hamm is influential....in women's soccer, but nobody gives a hoot about women's soccer, so that means she doesn't deserve a spot on this list. Pele may be the best player ever, that doesn't mean he is the be all and end all of soccer knowledge, which should be obvious to most of us by now.
ok i just went and asked my flatmates, there are 4 lasses, and not one knows who she is, yet they know who ronaldo is. Not exactly conclusive but it paints a picture. Woman follow the mens game, and just cause they are women doesnt mean they have to be all drowling over the womans game, the majority of women i know are football fans, yet dont know anything about woman's football, they just follow the mens game.
She's the leading goal scorer in the history of Womens' International Football. Now, most people don't care about women's football and that is fine. However, it's Pele's list, and that should be enough said about the credibility of the list, or the lack thereof. She'd be on my personal list, but only because I've followed her career and know the amount of impact she's had on football here in America. She would not be Top 5, that's for sure.
Mia Hamm may play in the much less followed women's game, but she is the best player in the history of women's soccer. True, the popularity of the women's game is nowhere near that of the men's game, but it has gained plenty of popularity in the countries with successful women's teams, like the US, Sweden, Germany, Norway, China, etc. England isn't one of those countries yet, so of course few English people would have any interest at all in the women's game. FIFA is taking the women's game pretty seriously as well, though Blatter seems to have interesting ways of promoting it. That said, for Pele being the greatest player ever, he doesn't seem to know too much about the game. He seems like a good guy and all, but not too knowledgeable about the current state of the game.
If Pele considers women eligible for his list then fair play to him. Boro lad, go onto a British street and they won't have heard of her, but you go onto a British street and ask who Ocwirk, Masopust, Hector Scarone, Schiaffino, Altafini, Gunnar Nordahl or Boszik are and they won't have clue, but that doesn't mean anything. most people know sweet FA about the history of football.
Ask 100 Americans who are sports fans (maybe not huge soccer fans) to name three soccer players. I guarantee that Mia Hamm will be in 75 of the answers (and Pele will be in 95-100).
This goes back to my original point. Pele mentioned her name for the sake of political correctness, not because he really feels that she's been a great influence on the sport of soccer. She has been a great influence in the USA to the female fans, which is a very small number in comparison to the world. She is simply there to make the few women who give a crap happy. That's all. Reality - live it.