Where are the great players/teams?

[Section_31]

A post I just read on another thread indicates a major problem with football at the moment, there have to be as few 'brilliant' footballers in the world as at any time i can remember. In the upcoming world cup, how many teams or players are you genuinely looking forward to watching?

 

I can think of only Brasil. Argentina have no star anymore, neither do France (Zidane is past it - heartbreaking)

 

Ronaldhinhio, erm...can't think of any others...

[LiverpoolFreak]

Holland and the Czechz, their brand of football is just a joy too watch.

[lifetime fan]

The Czech Republic play great football and the media would be wanking over them if they were a more fashionable country. Holland under Van Basten will play good football and Argentina no stars? Messi and Requilme (sp) will be a joy to watch.

[Fink]

Who will be this years Zicooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! ?

[GeoffM]

there is only a shortage because apparently england have got all the superstars :whistle:

[Karl_b]

Gerrard, Owen, Rooney, Terry, Trezeguet, Gilardino, Gattuso, Pirlo, Ballack, Henry, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Kaka, Messi, Tevez, Robinho, Adriano, Riquelme, Nedved, van Nistelrooy, Robben, Schweinstiger (sp?), Viera to name a few players on show at the World Cup. None of these are brilliant though.

[RedinSweden]

Who will be this years Zicooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! ?

 

[Big Noel]

People look back on previous World Cups through rose-tinted specs.

 

Argentina were a one-man team in 1986.

Brazil may have had Zico and Socrates in 1982, but they had possibly the worst Brazilian striker of all time up front (Serginho). In 94 they had Romario but little else of note.

The great German teams- you could possibly call Matthaus, Beckenbauer and Gerd Muller great players. But apart from that? Klinsmann maybe?

 

Granted, the days of Brazil 1970 are long gone.

[Tom R]

It's probably more to do with the standard in general rising and therefore it being more difficult to stand out from the crowd than it was in the days of ten pints after a game.

[Section_31]

People look back on previous World Cups through rose-tinted specs.

 

Argentina were a one-man team in 1986.

Brazil may have had Zico and Socrates in 1982, but they had possibly the worst Brazilian striker of all time up front (Serginho). In 94 they had Romario but little else of note.

The great German teams- you could possibly call Matthaus, Beckenbauer and Gerd Muller great players. But apart from that? Klinsmann maybe?

 

Granted, the days of Brazil 1970 are long gone.

 

Fair point, but every generation has had at least one 'great' player. Cruyf (Snr), Zico, Marradona. The only true great in the past ten years was Zidane IMO, with others falling just short like batistuta and rivaldo...

I'm looking hard for the next one but can't see him - put it this way, if I still collected stickers, there's no one i'd swap my nan for!

[Gav]

It's probably more to do with the standard in general rising and therefore it being more difficult to stand out from the crowd than it was in the days of ten pints after a game.

very true , also some of these players were labellled despite the vast majority of people not seeing them play....there was a almost mythical aura around some players and the myth/legend grows constantly ...for instance,you never see a video of pele or zico's bad games , all those compilations only show the goodbits ,whereas nowadays ,with the constant media and tv coverage , we see players over and over thus dampening the legend

 

for the record ,Messi has the potential to be one of the greats,Zidane may be old but he's still one of the best in the world ,its surreal watching him live ,the whole stadium nearly inhales in anticipation as soon as he gets on the ball,Henry if he gets out of the right side of bed,Ronaldinhio is a given ,the czechs,the dutch and the spaniards for their style of play

[Ronnie Whelan]

Rooney,Henry,Alonso,Ronaldinho,the Dutch,the Czechs,Lucas Podolski,Riquelme and possibly some of the African nations.

 

Always enjoyed watching the Mexicans because they've always got great skills(Blanco) and they're dirty little snots on the field(though they're lovely people in general).Would love to see them wind up Neville with their dirty tricks! 8)

[Nunavut Patrick]

Rooney,Henry,Alonso,Ronaldinho,the Dutch,the Czechs,Lucas Podolski,Riquelme and possibly some of the African nations.

 

Always enjoyed watching the Mexicans because they've always got great skills(Blanco) and they're dirty little snots on the field(though they're lovely people in general).Would love to see them wind up Neville with their dirty tricks! 8)

 

Blanco- what a weapon. Mexico is Chelsea, two times worse.

[Ronnie Whelan]

Blanco- what a weapon. Mexico is Chelsea, two times worse.

 

:D Gotta love the video of the worlds worst tackles that was going around the internet a while back.Half of them were from Mexico.

They make Souness look like a ballerina!

[ScouseJim]

Agree with LiverpoolFreak, Czech's and Dutch. That match between the two in last European Championships was most entertaining international I'd ever seen. 3-2 think it was to the Czechs. The first match between neutrals that I'd wished had been longer.

[Nunavut Patrick]

:D Gotta love the video of the worlds worst tackles that was going around the internet a while back.Half of them were from Mexico.

They make Souness look like a ballerina!

 

When Canada plays them in WC qualifying the match starts at 1PM no matter what day in the smog infested Azteca in 45C heat.

 

Have to say it was funny as fuck when they came up here once to King George V Stadium in St Johns, Newfoundland and it was -2, snow fluries and a norwester blowing fierce. In the second minute a Canadian just clattered one of them- poor feckers with their skidoo gloves and tights on. Never heard a peep from them again and we won, one of teh few times.

 

We played Cuba once in the fall in Edmonton and they were gonna refuse to play unless the CSA went to Sears and bought them gloves and woolly hats. We snotted them 4-0.

 

And besides holding a French side with Platini in '86 to 0-0 in the first half and winning the Gold Cup once, that is it for glorious Canadian football.

[Nunavut Patrick]

Agree with LiverpoolFreak, Czech's and Dutch. That match between the two in last European Championships was most entertaining international I'd ever seen. 3-2 think it was to the Czechs. The first match between neutrals that I'd wished had been longer.

 

We are forgeting the Dutch have horseface and Robben, the sooner they are sent packing the better. A fucking disgrace to a nation that produced Cruyf, Arie Haan, vandeKerkhoef (both of them) and others I can't recall. Was in Holland in '78 when the bent Argies (remember Peru capitulation) won. Very sad say after. RVN was disgrace at Euro's.

 

Now the Czechs, would love to see Milan and Vladi win, just so Baros can do that thriller pose.

[Erik T]

We are forgeting the Dutch have horseface and Robben, the sooner they are sent packing the better. A fucking disgrace to a nation that produced Cruyf, Arie Haan, vandeKerkhoef (both of them) and others I can't recall. Was in Holland in '78 when the bent Argies (remember Peru capitulation) won. Very sad say after. RVN was disgrace at Euro's.

 

Now the Czechs, would love to see Milan and Vladi win, just so Baros can do that thriller pose.

 

Or the "stupid grin and hat-combo" I think it was called in the caption section.

 

Forgetting Neeskens from the teams of 74 and 78 is almost unforgivable...

[RoboRiise]

I know some people will think "Championship Manager knobhead" when I post this because the player concerned is one of those CM legends, but this is strictly based on real-world performances. Kim Kallstrom. OK, not the most glamourous name in world football maybe, but every time I've seen him he's impressed the hell out of me. Hmmm, now who are Sweden playing...?

[andyfm]

I know some people will think "Championship Manager knobhead" when I post this because the player concerned is one of those CM legends, but this is strictly based on real-world performances. Kim Kallstrom. OK, not the most glamourous name in world football maybe, but every time I've seen him he's impressed the hell out of me. Hmmm, now who are Sweden playing...?

 

He's brilliant in Champ Man. Get him signed! ;)

[RedKnight]

Don't we usually see who is a great team after the competition has been played? It's usually in hindsight that the repuatations of great teams are forged; especially in international football.

[Scouse_Datcha]

Tom R point of "the constant media and tv coverage” is a huge difference and so true.

 

They first build you up and then they try to find anything, they even make stories happen, last against Sven. The Norwegian coach say: unbelievable, the guy is so dry, grey and boring and now that paper made him looks like Don Juan! He is jealous ofc :)

 

I hope that the Spaniards, because of our players, will have their best WC. They have skills and now they have learned to play hard. Garcia and Alonso won’t back out and they are trained to fight. They have always had skills but they didn’t make it in WC. IMO because of the La Liga and its lack of physical play. Now they have players who can deal with that too.

 

Garcia will have a brilliant WC. When I saw the tackles Alonso did vs. scum I saw the big difference from his first games.

 

My team will be Spain and my player will be Garcia. Nr 2 player: Alonso

[Hermes]

People look back on previous World Cups through rose-tinted specs.

 

 

Maybe they should play it in winter, or only have evening kick offs.