Agreed. Eder (Brazil close 2nd)
Bobby Moore
Franz Beckenbauer
Diego Maradona
Pelé
Garrincha
Paul McGrath
Johann Cruyff
Zico
Roberto Baggio
Ferenc Puskas
Gerd Muller. His record speaks for itself. Probably the greatest international player ever.
Agreed. Eder (Brazil close 2nd)
Gerd muller has a serious goalscoring record plus he won everthing there is to win in football
Senior clubs Years Club App (Gls)*
1963-1964 TSV 1861 Nördlingen 32 (51)
1964-1979 FC Bayern Munich 453 (398)
National team apps goals
1966-1974 62 (68)
Titles with Bayern Munich
- Bundesliga: 1969, 1972, 1973, 1974
- German Cup: 1966, 1967, 1969, 1971
- European Champions’ Cup: 1974, 1975, 1976
- Intercontinental Cup: 1976
- Cup Winners’ Cup: 1967
Titles with the national team
Personal honours
- German top scorer: 1967, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1978
- European top scorer: 1970, 1972
- World Cup top scorer: 1970
- European Championship top scorer: 1972
- Eurochampionscup Topscorer 1973 ,1974 ,1975 ,1977
- German Footballer of the Year: 1967, 1969
- Voted best Player 40 Years Bundesliga 1963-2003
- European Footballer of the Year: 1970
- World Football's Greatest Goalscorer of All Time (awarded in 2000)
Last edited by seanog2001; 14/05/2008 at 1:36 PM.
No Sig is a Good Sig!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How this thread has gone 5 pages without mentioning Lothar Matthaus is beyond me..... the man played 5 world cups be to jaysus!
European Footballer of the Year, World Soccer Player of the Year and the first ever FIFA World Player of the Year. Captained West Germany to victory in the 1990 World Cup, most world cup appearances...
Lothar Matthaus
Zinedine Zidane..
so because you have 10 other good players on your team sorry you lose out on your ability .. don't think so did pele have 10 other exceptional players with him for his 3 world cup wins !! maradona had a few exceptional players on that argentina team also..
but pele's world cup record is streets ahead of him .. 1958 youngest player ever to play in a world cup final at 17 and he scored 2 goals.
only footballer ever to be part of 3 world cup winning squads. 1958 / 1962 / 1970..
"Brazil played Italy in the final 1970,with Pelé scoring the opener on a header over defender Tarcisio Burgnich. He then made assists on Jairzinho's and Carlos Alberto's goals, the latter one after an impressive collective play. Brazil won the match 4–1, keeping the Jules Rimet Trophy indefinitely. Burgnich, who marked Pelé during the match, was quoted saying "I told myself before the game, he's made of skin and bones just like everyone else — but I was wrong"............................................ ........................................... compare this to maradona who i will admit was brilliant during argentina cup win even with his infamous handball against england .. on later world cup record he also got sent off for a terrible tackle against brazil , and was sent home in disgrace in 1994 for failing a drug test ..
" football is a simple game "
My previous comment was not questioning Pele's ability. I was responding to the comment that just because Pele had won 3 world cups his performances/record were so much better than Maradonas. I debated that because Pele played in such great teams that of course he was more likely to win more World Cups, whereas Maradona bascially single handedly won the World Cup in 86 for Argentina and very nearly again in 1990.
Diego Armando Maradona - The best there ever was!
Just to settle that Pele Maradona thing lads, Pele's record is streets ahead and he is the greater World Cup player. And for me, the better overall of the two. He is the greatest ever to be frank and few can have any arguement about it..
Lothar Matthaeus (West Germany)
5 World Cups, Won 1 in 1990 as captain and at same time Euro and World Player of the year.
[COLOR=#002bb8]Maradona[/COLOR] said about Matthäus "he is the best rival I've ever had. I guess that's enough to define him"
Pele's record is only marginally better than Maradona's. 2 wins versus a win and a runner-up. Remember Pele played very little part (due to injury) in the 1962 tournament where Garrincha and Amarildo(?) were the stars in Brazil's win. Also, Pele played with better teams than DAM. I must admit I'm not old enough to remember seeing Pele play but DAM is my top man due to his ability perform magic and pull games out of the fire at will. His pass to Cannigia (v Brazil 1990) was something else, at a time when his pace was going. He had the skills but also an edge that refused to be beaten. He wasn't a show pony like some playing today!!!
All fair points. But for me Pele at 17, to do what he did, it's just unheard of in this sport. Wayne Rooney scoring against Arsenal at 16 was made to be like the second coming of Jesus the way people carried on. Imagine if a 17 year old in todays media crazy world came along, scored a hat trick in a semi then two brilliant goals in a World Cup final!!!
It's an achievment without equal. Ever. By anyone. Then to come back, at 29, after being kicked out of the last competition, and to do what he did in Mexico... It's just incredible. As much as I love Diego, it's always gotta be Pele no 1.. Always..
Pele is/was the greatest player ever, no equal. Maradona close but not enough. And the best player NEVER to play in the world cup is, as the title suggests, George.
By the way, no one mention Gerd Muller. Kinda sad that someone like Ronaldo would break his record of goals in the World Cup. The guy dosen't deserve it. Maybe someone with more integrity will come along soon.
I also like the post about Paul Mc Grath.
Esse Quam Videri
Completely agree.
I constantly find myself reminding people how good the original Ronaldo was. His goalscoring record really speaks for itself.... but he is the greatest footballer I have ever seen (between him and Zidane really), though he has sadly fallen to some terrible injuries and also lost the plot.
From around 1996 to 2003 (aside from injury) he was unquestionably the greatest striker on the planet, he had everything, skill, pace, balance, power, finishing.... to see him play football was beautiful, an incredible talent... the reason I watch football.
Maradona and Zidane are the stand out players for me, Oliver Kahn too was immense in 2002. If I was to include a Brazilian it would be Garinncha ahead of Pele.
This will always be one of the iconic images of the World Cup for me...
http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/P...5/MaravBel.jpg
Maradona taking out over half the Belgian team, and then the other moments like the goal against England and the lay off for Caniggia against Brazil in 1990.
Zidane scored those 2 headed goals which gave France their first WC, and you have the game vs Brazil in 2006. He totally ran the show, the Brazilians were beaten at their own game.
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/f...il-406473.html
It has to be the one match wonder Oleg Salenko. Scored 6 goals in 8 matches for Russia and they all came in 94 in the States!!
Best WC player is probably Pele but in my generation (say from 1990-) the best have been the following:
90: Lothar Matthaeus. honourable mention (Roger Milla)
94: Roberto Baggio/Romario. honourable mention (Paul McGrath)
98: Zinedine Zidane. honourable mention (Michael Owen)
02: Ronaldo. honourable mention (Oliver Kahn mistake in Final though!!)
06: Fabio Cannavaro. honourable mention (Zinedine Zidane)
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10: Glen Whelan. honourable mention (Darron Gibson)????????!!!!!!!!
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Last edited by DeLorean; 22/01/2009 at 10:46 AM.
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