GotabeTrue ,
Maradona is one of the greatest strikers in world football . Thats why i have him in my original team . People have Eusebio , Muller , Romario , van Basten , Bergkamp ( even Htaem has Gary Breen haha ) all great strikers .
But Ferenc Puskás scored 84 in 85 appearances for Hungary , 514 in 529matches in the spanish and Hungarian leagues . La Ligas top scorer 4times , scored 7goals in 2european cup finals . He was named in the greatest ever Real Madrid 11 and part of the " Mighty Magyars " Hungarian side that is credited as the side that reinvented post war football .
Enough said

RenardRedHand (Tyrone) - Posts: 547 - 20/10/2009 11:00:45    459960

gottabetrue
County: Tyrone
Posts: 251
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I don't think that it is as easy as saying that Pele, Maradona & Zidane are, without doubt, the 3 best ever.

While I'd have Maradona as my No.1, I think you could very strongly argue a case for the likes of Di Stefano, Cruyff or Beckenbauer being better than Zidane or Pele, and could even bring the likes of Puskas, Garrincha, Best, Schiaffino, Matthews or Ronaldo (Brazil) into the argument at a push.

For me, it is always Maradona, just ahead of Cruyff, with 3rd place changing depending on when I'm asked.

Thomas Clarke (Tyrone) - Posts: 1002 - 20/10/2009 11:45:23    460030

"you would drop Maradona? the greatest player ever, there are 3 players on a par in world football, Pele, maradona and Zidane, everyone can argue which was best but noone else came near, simply because the played the best football and have the titles to boot."

zidane isnt close to maradona. neither is pele but he was better than zidane also. crujff was in another league to zidanea aswell. platini was also better than zidane. pure genius. could pick a pass from a mile away and execute it with perfection

32_4_1 (Meath) - Posts: 4122 - 20/10/2009 11:50:39    460034

"Would the likes of Stanley matthews been as good with defenders who are lightning quick and can cover marathon distances compared to guys who probably boozed the night before a match?"

ye but if players years ago were playing now they would also have to adapt to all the fitness training etc. just like if tadays players were around years ago they would have also been very unfit

32_4_1 (Meath) - Posts: 4122 - 20/10/2009 11:53:55    460037

RenardRedHand
County: Tyrone
Posts: 237

459960 GotabeTrue ,
Maradona is one of the greatest strikers in world football . Thats why i have him in my original team . People have Eusebio , Muller , Romario , van Basten , Bergkamp ( even Htaem has Gary Breen haha ) all great strikers .
But Ferenc Puskás scored 84 in 85 appearances for Hungary , 514 in 529matches in the spanish and Hungarian leagues . La Ligas top scorer 4times , scored 7goals in 2european cup finals . He was named in the greatest ever Real Madrid 11 and part of the " Mighty Magyars " Hungarian side that is credited as the side that reinvented post war football .
Enough said

If its stats you're after then Gerd Muller should be in your team as well.

Breffni40 (Cavan) - Posts: 12291 - 20/10/2009 13:01:22    460158

Ya i didnt realise his record was better Breffni but I will still have Ferenc Puskás in my team . I dont know why theres a debate on about him . Someone else had Bergkamp and van Nistlerooy in theres . Great strikers but i wouldnt even have them on my bench for the best premiership team in the last decade .

RenardRedHand (Tyrone) - Posts: 547 - 20/10/2009 13:19:49    460181

RenardRedHand, Gerd muller has 66 goals in 62 app. So by using your logic he is the greatest striker ever, yet his general play was non-exsistant.

Lads Zidane was not even in the same division of great players, such as Maradona, Best, Cryuff, Pele (who I don't like) or Garrincha. Zidane was very good but by no means great, and if anyone thinks Zidane was nearly as good as Maradona, well then here a peice of advice, stop typing, stop talking because you are making a fool of yourself in public again.

JFK (Wexford) - Posts: 590 - 20/10/2009 14:24:57    460284

Peyton
Morris
Phelan
Butler
Breen
Mc Goldrick
O Brien (Liam)
Waddock
Kelly (Mark)
Connolly
Elliot

denzel (None) - Posts: 452 - 20/10/2009 14:30:01    460293

JFK County: Wexford Posts: 234 Lads Zidane was not even in the same division of great players, such as Maradona, Best, Cryuff, Pele (who I don't like) or Garrincha. Zidane was very good but by no means great, and if anyone thinks Zidane was nearly as good as Maradona, well then here a peice of advice, stop typing, stop talking because you are making a fool of yourself in public again. ------------------------------------------------- Zidane may not have been Maradona or Cruyff, but he was a much better footballer than the over-rated Lothar Mattheus, who you had in your team, and Jose Brown (a very average defender at best), who you named in your squad.

Thomas Clarke (Tyrone) - Posts: 1002 - 20/10/2009 14:38:50    460307

Thomas Clarke
County: Tyrone
Posts: 203

460307 JFK
County: Wexford
Posts: 234

Lads Zidane was not even in the same division of great players, such as Maradona, Best, Cryuff, Pele (who I don't like) or Garrincha. Zidane was very good but by no means great, and if anyone thinks Zidane was nearly as good as Maradona, well then here a peice of advice, stop typing, stop talking because you are making a fool of yourself in public again. -------------------------------------------------

Zidane may not have been Maradona or Cruyff, but he was a much better footballer than the over-rated Lothar Mattheus, who you had in your team, and Jose Brown (a very average defender at best), who you named in your squad.

I'm a big fan of Zidanes, but I will admit that I often thought he was a very ineffective player. But he was so good to watch. Did even the most mundane things with a subtle flair. To be considered an out and out legend you need to have the flair and the effectiveness.

In my opinion, anyone who says anything other than Maradona for the greatest player ever is wrong. The man was a machine.

Breffni40 (Cavan) - Posts: 12291 - 20/10/2009 14:58:40    460333

Yashin
Beckenbauer
Maldini Baresi Moore
Edwards
Best Cruyff Eusebio
Di Stefano Puskas

Honourable mentions go to:
Muller
Platini
Maradonna
Zidane
Zoff
Ronaldo (original)
Garrincha
Zico
Matthews
Dixie Dean

black&white (Sligo) - Posts: 1628 - 20/10/2009 15:03:56    460340

Breffni39
County: Cavan
Posts: 1267

I'm a big fan of Zidanes, but I will admit that I often thought he was a very ineffective player. But he was so good to watch. Did even the most mundane things with a subtle flair. To be considered an out and out legend you need to have the flair and the effectiveness.

In my opinion, anyone who says anything other than Maradona for the greatest player ever is wrong. The man was a machine.
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Don't get me wrong Bref, I also rate Maradona as the Greatest, and Cruyff a definite second. But Zidane was also a great player. He scored twice in the 1998 World Cup Final, and won the 2002 Champions League for Madrid. He also dragged France through the knockout phases of Euro 2000, and did the same again en-route to the World Cup final in 2006. Even earlier in his career, I remember watching him against the great Milan side when he helped Bordeaux beat them in the 1996 UEFA Cup qtr final 2nd leg. The man was immense that night, and it earned him his transfer to Juventus (and also put the final nail in Eric Cantona's international coffin).

Zidane had all the flair in the world, but also had a sense of occasion, and almost always delivered when he was needed. Not 'The Greatest', but definitely a great.

Thomas Clarke (Tyrone) - Posts: 1002 - 20/10/2009 15:15:20    460354

There is one truely great footballer of a generation, Pele, followed by maradona, then Zidane. He was the lynchpin of all the teams he was in, even in the galactico era he stood out, was more effective than the rest and when the chips were down he invariably produced. Other greats were compared to these players. In the recent era compared to Zidane you had Ronaldo whose career unfortunately was in fit and starts, Ronadinho, who produced for 4 yrs or so at the top, Rivaldo the same. Zidane played at the same high level at Bordeaux Juve and Real. A true great from start to finish.

Plus he played at the edge like Maradona, moments of madness follows a genius around, some see it as a flaw, i see it as an trait required to be the best, he was sent off more times than Roy keane and that tipping point is what i liked about him. Pele was too nice and predictable, its why people likes Jimmy White, Higgins or OSullivan in snooker, charisma that the others lacked. Maradona said Zidane was a machine of football, continous, the same level every time with no variation, how he produced at the level he could not fathom.

Like i mentioned earlier, Cryuff and his "reasons" for not attending the 78 wc and therefore only playing in one holds him back from those 3, but if you look back, he was in my team also from the start.

Anyway enough of the Zidane love-in. The new player of this generation is ultimately gonna be Ronaldo or Messi, and I think whoever produces at the international stage will edge it, although both seem to be doing their best to blow that shot. Messi has it for me, as ironically, its Maradona who may be ruining it for him.

gottabetrue (Tyrone) - Posts: 300 - 20/10/2009 16:49:51    460525

gottabetrue

crujff is in a different league to zidane. along with maradona the two greatest footballers ever. you just cant compare zidane to crujff. different class.

32_4_1 (Meath) - Posts: 4122 - 20/10/2009 18:00:11    460622

Im going to do my team just from what I've seen since I started following soccer. 3-1-3-2-1

1. Schmeichel

2. Zambrotta 4. Canavaro 3. Maldini

5. Redondo

8. Gullit 6. Keane 7. Zidane

10. R. Baggio 11. Messi

9. Ronaldo (Brazil)


Some unfortunate players not to make it:

Romario
Stoichkov
Hagi
Kaka
Henry
Ronaldo
Sammer
Batistuta
Kaka
Nesta
Ronaldo (Portugal)
................... could go on all evening.

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9728 - 23/10/2009 16:01:20    464354