Well he must have been a hell of a goalkeeper judging by how many times "Jesus saves" has been said...
Well, to be fair to him, nobody else has ever gone into retirement suggesting he would return in 2000 odd years, to pull on the old halo again.
I'm surprised the majority of the votes are for a 25 year old. An absurdly incredibly talented 25 year old, but bit early to be saying best ever.
These polls are frankly bollocks but fun nonetheless. I always answer Maradonna to this question, because I believe that in team sports it takes it a very special individual to say "give me that ****ing ball" and then go and win it on their own. I've never seen a footballer with such force of will as Maradonna in '86 - he was a winner on the greatest stage, simple as that, and a sporting legend. Botham did the same thing at Headingley. Of course this is all subjective nonsense as their have been loads of great footballers.
You may be interested to know that there is a film being made about Robin Friday. Due out next year or 2014, I believe. It won't be the traditionally badly made football film, I understand. http://www.getreading.co.uk/sport/f..._christian_bale_lined_up_to_play_robin_friday
Fascinating read TSS, I can't imagine how I've never heard of this guy before! He sounds like a cross between Matt Le Tiss and Roy Keane, with a bit of Jim Morrison/Janis Joplin/Sid Viscious thrown in. That goal sounds like a cracker, I wonder if there is any footage of it anywhere?
Messi plays for the best team in the world. Who's players happen to be the main reason Spain are the best national team in the world. I see a trend here.. that Barcelona could have Steve De Ridder upfront and be dominating and winning most games.. It is impossible to judge Messi without seeing him in a less dominant team at club level. He's not been all that for Argentina and certainly isn't the best player by any stretch for me. Nor is Cristiano Ronaldo..
For me the greatest player of all time is Maradona. Eusebio, Van Basten and Iniesta should be on the list. Everyone raves about Messi or Ronaldo and rightly so but for me the best player in the world at the moment is Iniesta.
No, not even a photograph, to my uncertain knowledge. Friday played in a far less affluent era and a far less media covered one too, as you probably well know and there is only a tiny amount of footage of him playing. From the small amount available though you can see a balance, ease and strength about the bloke. I'm sure the people who saw him play are not exaggerating, especially as the guy is top of the all-time list of fan favourites of both league clubs he played for. Possibly worth asking a few Cardiff and Reading fans of their opinions. EDIT: You mention you'd never heard of the player before, and I was uncertain myself. Back in the 1990's I saw a photo of a player who I thought was from QPR, but vaguely remembered as being someone extra special, from the 1970's. Back then, I didn't think about it too much. Only recently, having seen the same photo again have I realised how I got my wires crossed. Here's the photo: please log in to view this image That's a Reading FC strip. Well, you'd make the same mistake..?
The reason why PSF raises the point is that when you click on a player you are choosing him from a subjective point of view. For example, I bet Messi or Christiano Ronaldo get a lot of votes simply because both are from this era and get the most hype and exposure. And unfortunately, people are like sheep. They won't be objective, but will bow to peer pressure. I suffer from it myself, but I know when it's happening. Then of course therre are the parameters/qualities that some people consider important and some don't. For example, I would never ever consider putting up Maradona in a greatest player list because he was an open cheat and liar. If he had played the game properly he would probably have been the greatest player to date. EDIT: Blimey..! This is an old thread.
