Recently there's been a lot of players bandied about in different top player threads and it has come to my attention that certain players are never mentioned by anyone but were in fact at one time or other in the top 3 players in their position in the world. Here, list those you feel fall into that catergory and maybe mention why they have become the forgotten men of whatever generation they played in. I'll list a few that spring to my mind as I created this thread. 1. Stefan Effenberg This guy was a fantastic central midfielder with huge range of passin, both short and long range a very strong shot and an excellent engine. Although fiery he was undoubtedly one of the very best in the world in his position for almost 5years yet he never gets any mention. I've always wondered why? Media exposure? or Because of the fact he was a bit of a loon and very outspoken? 2. Marc Overmars Overmars used to be dynamite. In the mid 90's before his injuries he was what all these young aspiring wingers (Robben, Ronaldo, Joaquin) hope to become one day. Very dynamic and with an unerring ability to cut infield from either wing and assist or score. He was often seen in best xi's for about 3years and then...no one mentioned him ever again. Don't forget Barca paid £26million pounds or so for his services...there was a reason for that. 3. Jose Luis Chilavert Another guy that has been so easily forgotten. As good as Peter Schmeichel for a period in the late 90's and backed this with a solid display for his NT at the '98 World Cup marshalling them and making their defence the 2nd best of the tournament after France. Not to mention his speciality FK's and perfect FK's. I find it strange that he never gets any airtime either. He was top 3 GK in the world for at least a 2years. 4. Christian Vieri People seem to only remember him from WC '02 onwards not seeming to recount he was a top 3 striker in the world for a good 5-6years and ran with the likes of Ronaldo , Batistuta, Shearer and Shevchenko for the title of #1 for absolutely ages. I find it shocking that people remember only the last few years of what was a very solid career from him. A great disservice imo. 5. Zvonimir Boban Very similar to Stefan Effenberg with a greater FK technique. He was solid for a number of years and didn't let himself down at Milan. I'm surprised he has never been mentioned, ever, on this board if memory serves me. Any particular reason why? 6. Davor Suker Another fantastic talent of the mid 90's and was often tied in with Baggio and then pre Injury Del Piero as the best supp striker in the world. Had a mecurial Euro '96 and revitalised Real Madrid's attack when he went there. Strange that Stoichkov is held in such esteem yet, Suker is not. Their talent level was very similar imo. 7. Matias Almeyda Dependable and rock solid for a number of years. Maybe not a shining light on the pitch but he did his job, well and rarely gave fouls away or made mistakes. 8. Gaizka Mendieta Was well on the way to something special as far as status is concerned...and then...decided he'd go to Italy and fall apart! Was instrumental to Valencia and really was a top 3 contender in his position for a few years. What could have been for him and what he is now...is quite the tragedy.. 9. Carlos Valderrama I'd rate this guy as one of the best passers I've ever seen. There is no one playing right now who could pass like Valderrama. I'm sure if had played for a bigger nation he would have gotten more attention for his game rather then his hair and the fact Pele tipped him to take Columbia to the WC gold, lol. I suppose he gets no airplay because of the time he played and being in the shadow of two true legends in Romario and Baggio. *Shrug. What are peoples thoughts on this guy. I'm curious. Especially those who saw him at his peak. I'll end it there. I have a few others but I guess they'd be classed as personal favourites. These 9 though, I am surprised how they get no words whatsoever. Anyone care to explain why. Feel free to add your own on.
sir marcus is one of my favorite players of all time, and certainly the one i most tried (or still try lol) to emulate - the first time i saw him in person (94WC v ireland), he was an absolute sonic blast on the wing - he was literally everywhere, playing the first half on the left and the second half on the right (which allowed me to see him up close in both halves) - of course by that time, i was already well aware of him from watching AJAX on espn every sunday morning - during his prime of 93 to 99, there were few men faster, few wingers more frightening, and nobody who wanted to win more - he got off to a decent barcelona beginning, but he was a highbury/de meer hero of a high order - unfortunately, injuries began to wreck his career very quickly, forcing him to retire a bit prematurely boban was another favorite of mine - an insanely competitive midfielder with bite AND ideas, the perfect traffic director in the middle of the park - i would assume he gets mentioned a lot on the milan forum - if i had to guess, i would also presume that guys like baraja and gerrard probably looked up to him as kids
If you are German, he may not fit he the descritption of "forgoten," but Bernd Schuster-what wonderful player. Another player that comes to mind is Reinaldo the Brazilian striker in the mid/late 1970's.
I can't believe I forgot my main man growing up: Dominique Rocheteau-fantastic striker on those French teams in the 1980's.
Of those you have mentioned so far 1.Effenberg- He was a supreme competitor and some of his tussles with Roy Keane were incredible. Two men who absolutely hated to lose. He is a real great, but is often forgotten (as I proved myself yesterday). 2.Overmars-Very quick, but I never rated him as highly as Giggs. the fact that he played for arseanl didn't help his cause. 3.Chilavert- I didn't really rate him. He was a bit of a loony and the fact that he played for Strasbourg must have hindered his recognition. 4.Vieri-He is a great-no doubt about it. A phenomenal WC record coupled with great league performances. 5.Boban- He was a superb player, one of my favourites. He and Weah almost won Serie A single handedly for Milan in 1999. 6.Suker-A brilliant striker, but not for long enough. To be right up there you need longevity. 7.Almeyda- Not in this class I'm afraid. He is basically just a journeyman. Excellent player but a bit like a Butt or Makalele, no-one will remember him. 8.Mendieta- he was supreme around 2000-1. He is still an excellent player for Boro, why he hasn't gone back to Valencia I don't know. 9. Valderamma- I remember the first time I saw him with that hair. He was a wonderful player, but just not quite of the real greats level. Playing for Colombia and average club teams doesn't really help his cause. Some of my own. John Barnes Matthias Sammer Roberto Donadoni J-P Papin Gaetano Scirea I don't think any of these get the credit they deserve.
Ohh, I don't know about that (forget bias) Before his injuries Overmars was very special, imo especially at the WC of '94 and even before he went to Arsenal. I think that's a bit harsh on him. He played in the era when the CM first became an established/recognised position and I think he had some really great players ahead of him - Redondo, Keane, Davids, Effenberg maybe Vieira as well. He wasn't as dynamic as any of them but I wouldn't worry with him covering my CB's. I liked how clean he was in the tackle and how he always kept it moving. More Makalele then Butt I suppose but a better technical footballer then both imo. When I think Valderamma I just recount the endless thru balls he could put thru per game. The stream was endless and I'm sure with competent/better strikers up front he would be remembered mopre for his football then his hair. I'm not sure about Barnes to be honest. He was one of my favourite players of the 80's and the way he played when he was 'on' would have had him a true legend. All he had to do was reproduce it for England and things would be different now. Also playing in the era of the ban has definitely wrangled him of his place in history, sadly. I suppose he'll always be 'just' a domestic great to me rather then a world one. Papin I definitely agree with. The guy was fantastic and if he had ever have been accompanied by the types of teams Platini and Zidane were in he would have done great, great things I always remember his hair before the player, lol. As for Sammer.. I've never really thought about that...Most people I've conversed with here mention him somewhere along the line so I think it's a bit hard to think of him as a forgotten man.
Another player who I really liked growing up but I don't see people talk about outside of the Juve/Italian boards, was Roberto Bettega. Tremendous player.
Another is one of the most underrated Italian players ever...Giuseppe Signori...he could've been a superstar if wasn't injured alot. No one ever talks about him.
Hey, Real Ray...long time...we must have been watching the same players growing up. L'Ange Vert...my first vivid recollection of him was coming in to electrify the last 8-10 minutes or so of the St. Etienne - Bayern Munich 1976 European Cup final in Glasgow. He had unfortunately picked up an injury a few days earlier in the French league. Bettega. One of the best offensive headers I've seen. His partnership with a young Rossi - a more complete player than he was in 1982 IMO - during Arg '78 was a thing of beauty. Hansi Muller anyone? As Ruminegge was my fave player in the early-mid '80s, I got to see a lot of Bundesliga. Always thought Hansi was a transplanted S.American such was the refined nature of his game. Played well for RFA in winning Euro '80, but lost his place in what should have been his talent showcase, Spain '82.
i always loved watching beppe play, he was vey exciting from the old ORANJE powerhouse, a lot of people forget how good johnny rep was - i also loved the wingbacks krol (now asst coach of AJAX) and rensenbrink
A personal favourite of mine was Dragan Stojkovic, who was up with the best attacking midfielders in the world for a couple of years in the late 80's but injuries really hit him hard. Nandor Hidegkuti always seems to be forgotten behind Puskas and Kocsis from the great Magyar team of the 50's. He had a fine international goals record (39 in 69 games, with 36 in the first 50) and he also played (and defined) a new position - that of the withdrawn centre forward.
1. Michael Laudrup. It seemed like he was the glue that made the team stick together and made those around him better players. 2. Gary Linneker. I thought he was a great goal scorer. 3. Georghe Hagi. 4. Claudio Caniggia. From the 90 World Cup through the 91 Copa America and Copa Rey Fahd in 92 (?)was the most dangerous player in the world in my opinion. Had speed, quickness, acceleration, and could read the game. Too bad off field incidents and later injuries kept him from becoming I believe one of the great forwards of all time. Was never the same after his suspension for doping. The Batistuta-Caniggia partnership was lethal !!!
Yeah-that period left a big impression on me. And speaking of the Bundesliga, what about Alan Simonsen? Not to hijack the thread, but it might interesting list players you feel have been forgotten with a player(s) who in 10 years you think might not be a part of the conversation. My nominee would be Mehmet Scholl. He was a player I always looked forward to watching when he was fit. In years to come, I think people will forget what a dynamic player he was.
I will agree with you on that, I had forgotten about him myself. I am starting to worry about my memory.
Recently my vote goes for Brazilian striker Marcio Amoroso now toiling for Malaga in La Liga, yes he'll never play another match for the Selecao, but he'll always be a FC Guarani legend in Brazil. Sadly he's always seemed to suffer serious knee injury woes (and controversial attitude) which prevented him from being widely recognized as one of the top strikers in the world. 1998-1999 Serie A golden boot winner with Udinese, and that UEFA Cup hat-trick rout over AC Milan 3 years ago.
You guys missed Julen Guerrero. Widely tipped to be the next Spanish golden boy but simply faded into obscurity. Another one is Fernando Redondo who just retired today.
I think this is the appropiate thread to recognize a couple of great South Americans who don't get the recognition internationally because they were overshadowed by their more famous contemporaries: Amarildo Tavarez Silveira: This was before my time, but old-timers used to say that he was the one man who was able to put on Pele's great shoes and they fit. At the 1962 WC, when Pele got hurt, Amarildo took his place and scored two goals in a decisive match against Spain. He also scored in the final, helping lead Brazil to the title. Later he has a succesful career in Italy, first with Milan and then with Fiorentina, with whom he won the Italian League. Ricardo Bochini: Overshadowed internationally first by Kempes and then by Maradona, Bochini is remembered in Argentina as one of the great creative midfielders. He played his whole career at C.A. Independiente, where he won multiple local and international titles. Because his role was basically the same as Maradona's, he only played occasionally with the national team. Coach Bilardo had the class to put him in for the last five minutes of the final in 86, so he was on the field when Argentina won the cup. But who knows what he might have done for the country if there had been no Maradona? I watched him in person a number of time, and I can vouch for his greatness.
Careca(one of the best forward and complete in his football during the 80's) Tomas Brolin(i don't think there will be another scandinavian midfielders like Brolin) Freddy Rincon(very tall and strong in the midfield with some nice touches) Emanuelle Amunike(one hit wonder in WC 94 but what a player he was) Sergio Goycochea Enzo Francescoli(he is one of the greatest) THere are so many
A now a good one....Oliver Bierhoff! He was one of the greatest German strikers. He was a star at Udinese and led AC Milan to a scudetto in 98/99. He also scored the first ever golden goal in '96 to give Germany the European Championship. In his prime he was great...
Oliver Bierhoff is still very popular in Germany, being the manager of the national team now. But not sure about his talent. Even during his best years (if I remember correctly, there were only 3 really good years), he looked oddly clumsy on the pitch. But he did help Udinese a lot, that's for sure.
hugo sotil and cesar cueto both got overshadowed by teofilo cubillas sotil was an amazing dribbler of the ball and cesar cueto a great passer of the ball
Very true. And Oblitas could be added as well. On the other hand, Hugo Sotil may be a 'forgotten man' for Barcelona's soccer fans, but I am certain that the 'King of Mambo' will never be forgotten by Barcelona's ladies of the night. As far as the nightlife is concerned, his legacy will live forever. He is in their hall of fame, right next to Maradona