Retiree Showcase

GreNoLi

Thought it would be neat to have a thread to exhibit players that are no longer active.

Players don't have to be legends but here's one of my favourite's:

The Masticating Marauder

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cy4ZQCwKkBA

Moneymaker

Continuing the Serie A trend.

Loved this guy. Absolute beast.

billymitchell

Nothing but mullet and aeroplane celebrations(who both also seem to have retired from football), my favourite footballer ever in the Italian league , Ruben Sosa.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8dd-HeYQH0

keeponhurling

Gone, but not forgotten

HalloweenJack

This man is the reason why I first started following Chelsea. The guy was a legend from start to finish and was always there in the big games. Can't think of anybody who's ever had a bad word to say about him. A legend through and through.

Gianfranco Zola:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OaALdCtGyo

LeeJM

My hero, the reason I became a Goalkeeper and he is the best GK in PL history IMO

Skylinehead

For the day that's in it:

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/15118/9888906/dennis-bergkamp-20th-anniversary-the-man-who-changed-arsenal

You will never convince me that there was a better player to play in the Premier League. Not a great goalscorer, but a scorer of great goals, and a creator to boot.

gosplan

LeeJM wrote: »

I became a Goalkeeper and the best GK in PL history IMO

Wow. Well done

LeeJM

gosplan wrote: »

Wow. Well done

Hahaha just spotted that :eek: Im not that good!!

The Backwards Man

Not much footage on YouTube unfortunately, but this is a homage to one of my heroes with a perfect hattrick, one twos himself in the first, sets up the half volley off his teammate's arse with the second, and absolutely mallymuters the ball in the third. Ladies and Gentleman, I give you Ian Marshall, more than just a battering ram

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rKiOkb8i-M

RayCon

keeponhurling wrote: »

Gone, but not forgotten

I was there ... *sniff* ... the memories

gosplan

The master of chipping the keeper

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c33sUtjPVxs

Wichita Lineman

Back when Italian football was all the rage on C4 Roma were my favourite team but oddly enough Beppe Signori of Lazio was my favourite player!

Billy86

One of the all time highlight kings.

Super-Rush

Wichita Lineman wrote: »

Back when Italian football was all the rage on C4 Roma were my favourite team but oddly enough Beppe Signori of Lazio was my favourite player!

I'm pretty sure that i read somewhere years ago, that he wore boots one size too small so he could get a better contact on the ball.

Super-Rush

I loved him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeO-Bzc_oOg

GreNoLi

One of the best individual performances I've ever seen:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBge_W2GsBk

kfallon

The best clip ever on youtube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZ2976_rR_s

gosplan

kfallon wrote: »

The best clip ever on youtube

Yeah love that clip. However my favourite of all time is this.

It's stepping outside the parameters a bit and is dedicated to a former great team rather than player.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlJVCxt_QgQ

smileyj1987

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lv5JLJ-i8L0

Nalz

Legend!

Dirty Dingus McGee

Tony Yeboah.What a legend.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfLz-WgbqY8

killwill

Dirty Dingus McGee wrote: »

Tony Yeboah.What a legend.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfLz-WgbqY8

To do that at 65 years of age!!!!!
Tony was some legend ha

adox

Predictable choice maybe but still an unbelievable montage.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8bZhNBQktQ

Lamper.sffc

Gary Speed

Just a quality player full stop. Was part of the best midfield I have ever seen at Leeds. When you have a midfield of Gary Speed, David Batty, Gary McAllister and Gordon Strachan of course you are going to win the league.

Schwiiing

He could have been the best.:mad::(

Ulysses Gaze

One of my Favs from Serie A

GreNoLi

Gunnar Gren,Gunnar Nordahl,Nils Liedholm:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIbp16J40L4

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gre-No-Li

Just a little Samba

To keep the theme of Serie A players of a certain generation, I throw a man I feel is massively under rated and easily the best centre back of his generation. Alessandro Nesta.

The most composed, stylish and intelligent centre back I've had the pleasure of seeing play live. Just seemed like the sort of player who had the nautral talent to play almost anywhere but his footballing brain made him a peerless centre back.
I think that back 4 of Cafu, Nesta, Stam and Maldini is bordering on perfection.

Dirty Dingus McGee

Just a little Samba wrote: »

To keep the theme of Serie A players of a certain generation, I throw a man I feel is massively under rated and easily the best centre back of his generation. Alessandro Nesta.

The most composed, stylish and intelligent centre back I've had the pleasure of seeing play live. Just seemed like the sort of player who had the nautral talent to play almost anywhere but his footballing brain made him a peerless centre back.
I think that back 4 of Cafu, Nesta, Stam and Maldini is bordering on perfection.

Is Nesta really underrated? I would have thought that him and Cannavaro were widely considered to be the 2 best centre backs of their generation.

Just a little Samba

Dirty Dingus McGee wrote: »

Is Nesta really underrated? I would have thought that him and Cannavaro were widely considered to be the 2 best centre backs of their generation.

I've read people rate the likes of Puyol, Terry, Carvalho, Cannavarro and even Sol Campbell ahead of him back in the day and could never understand it.

Dirty Dingus McGee

Mark Viduka

Pure class at times, strong, good in the air, good touch and a rocket of a shot.If he actually bothered his arse he would have been an unbelievable player.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwYwwags7Uo

SEPT 23 1989

Billy86

Just a little Samba wrote: »

I've read people rate the likes of Puyol, Terry, Carvalho, Cannavarro and even Sol Campbell ahead of him back in the day and could never understand it.

That's just silly - though I might put Campbell as the second best on that list (it's a tough call though, but Puyol is definitely the lowest of the lot). For me, Cannavaro was a great defender but also very overrated due to WC'06. Obviously there is bias here as I am a Man Utd fan, but for me Rio Ferdinand was the best CB of the last 10-15 years... except for Nesta. That should be obvious, regardless of who else people rate.

Just a little Samba

My second nomination, from the same era but from the other end of southern Europe, is Basque legend Joseba Andoni Etxeberria Lizardi, more commonly known as Joseba Etxeberria.

Started his career in San Sebastian with Real Sociedad before making the short trip down the road to join the team he supported all his life, Athletic Club in Bilbao.

115 goals in 551 games over 17 years in the heartland of Basque Country as well as 53 caps and 12 goals for Spain are a testiment to just how good he was. One of the best wingers in Europe for a long time and would have been hearlded as up there with Giggs, Nedved and Figo if he'd not refused to leave Athletic Club despite massive money being offered to himself and the club.

EiTB even made a 1 hour documentary about him a few years ago where people like Xavi, Guardiola and a hoast of other giants of the Spanish game sing his praises.

And to top it all off, for his testimonial he picked an Athletic Club XI from the people he'd played with through out his career and they played against 200 local school kids in San Mamés.

Arghus

Dirty Dingus McGee wrote: »

Mark Viduka

Pure class at times, strong, good in the air, good touch and a rocket of a shot.If he actually bothered his arse he would have been an unbelievable player.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwYwwags7Uo

I remember that, after certain a point in his career, whenever he went through a purple patch of belting in crackers, you could be fairly certain that he was in the midst of negotiating a new deal with his then club. The difference between a motivated Viduka and his usual self was astounding.

GreNoLi

The word that springs to mind when thinking of this consummate number 10 (21) is elusive:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jT-_xAatFo

Shanotheslayer

Billy86 wrote: »

That's just silly - though I might put Campbell as the second best on that list (it's a tough call though, but Puyol is definitely the lowest of the lot). For me, Cannavaro was a great defender but also very overrated due to WC'06. Obviously there is bias here as I am a Man Utd fan, but for me Rio Ferdinand was the best CB of the last 10-15 years... except for Nesta. That should be obvious, regardless of who else people rate.

You think Sol Campbell was/is better than Terry ?

Billy86

Shanotheslayer wrote: »

You think Sol Campbell was/is better than Terry ?

The Sol Campbell of around 2001-04? Yeah, and by a reasonable distance.

Ulysses Gaze

Just a little Samba wrote: »

My second nomination, from the same era but from the other end of southern Europe, is Basque legend Joseba Andoni Etxeberria Lizardi, more commonly known as Joseba Etxeberria.

Started his career in San Sebastian with Real Sociedad before making the short trip down the road to join the team he supported all his life, Athletic Club in Bilbao.

115 goals in 551 games over 17 years in the heartland of Basque Country as well as 53 caps and 12 goals for Spain are a testiment to just how good he was. One of the best wingers in Europe for a long time and would have been hearlded as up there with Giggs, Nedved and Figo if he'd not refused to leave Athletic Club despite massive money being offered to himself and the club.

EiTB even made a 1 hour documentary about him a few years ago where people like Xavi, Guardiola and a hoast of other giants of the Spanish game sing his praises.

And to top it all off, for his testimonial he picked an Athletic Club XI from the people he'd played with through out his career and they played against 200 local school kids in San Mamés.

Didn't he also waive his last years salary as well?

Just a little Samba

Ulysses Gaze wrote: »

Didn't he also waive his last years salary as well?

He took the minimum wage for his final contract yeah.

Ulysses Gaze

Sticking with La Liga, the man Maradona thinks was one of the Top 10 players he ever saw. Jorge "Magico" Gonzalez. A legendary Salvadoran footballer at Cadiz. Godly talent, absolutely no discipline or application though.

As he said himself:

"I know that I'm irresponsible and a bad professional... I know it, but I've got this silly thing in my brain. I don't like taking football as a serious job. If I'd do it, it wouldn't be me. I just play to have fun".

Bohrio

One of my favorite players of all time, "El principe" Enzo Francescoli

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWVbCXL1PS8

Not the best video I know

I still have his shirt somewhere in the closet, from what I was told it was the last shirt he wore with La Celeste, not sure if it was true or not, not that it matters

GreNoLi

Zizou's favourite player (Francescoli) if I'm not mistaken.


Here's another serie a maestro:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYhzPphhaso

Just a little Samba

GreNoLi wrote: »

Zizou's favourite player (Francescoli) if I'm not mistaken.


Here's another serie a maestro:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYhzPphhaso

That Milan team had 4 playmakers in it when they won serie a in 2004 and all 4 of them were class.

GreNoLi

Really hope serie a can reach the level it was at in the mid-late 90's to the early 00's when it was undoubtedly the best league in the world, my fondest football memories are of that period in particular, AC, Inter, Juve, Lazio, Roma, Fiorentina, Parma all had class players in their ranks.

GreNoLi

A complete bastard but what a player, the complete midfielder and the recipient of the most cards in bundesliga history (121):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxDdeHYR4A4

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stefan_Effenberg

Captain Havoc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lEkuE8BBow

GreNoLi

The last truly world class midfielder Brazil have produced, injury in the lead up to the 2002 world cup, while playing goalie in training, didn't curtail an impressive career.

One of the lynchpins of a Roma side that won Serie A in 2001:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXRIPVCylR8

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerson_Ferreira_da_Rosa

Skylinehead

As a response to the above (last truly world class Brazilian midfielder? Nah. ):

Truly great as Emersons replacement in 2002, joined Arsenal and, along with Claude Makelele, one of the cleanest and most efficient defensive midfielders I've seen. The Invisble Wall.

kfallon

One of my fav players of the early to mid 90's, monsieurs et madames, I give you Jean Pierre Papin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgTMXQ2mtfA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVQ-DNnTghk