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10. Claude Makelele. One of the only footballers to have a position named after him, Makelele proved that height was no issue when it came to protecting the back four. The Frenchman scored only two goals during his time at Chelsea, one of which was a follow up to a missed penalty that the little man had taken himself.
9. Roberto Carlos. No matter where on the pitch a free kick was awarded, if Roberto Carlos was on the pitch, he’d be the one taking it. Powered by a monstrous pair of thighs that measured 58.5 cm in diameter, Carlos scored arguably the best free kick ever in Le Tournoi against France in 1997, when he put a seemingly impossible amount of swerve on the ball which curved like a banana before smashing into the back of the French net.
8. Nobby Stiles. Nobby Stiles may not have been the best looking footballer around, but he won us the World Cup and for that we are eternally grateful. Stiles was a hard grafting midfield player who, despite being rather unfashionable at the time, picked up two League titles and the European Cup with Manchester United.
7. Jorge Campos. If only on our list for his outrageously coloured kits and his penchant for scoring rather than stopping goals, it would be difficult to describe Campos as anything other than a pint sized maestro. The Mexican keeper scored an incredible 37 goals for Pumas during his two spells with the club. Admittedly Campos often played outfield as a striker, but the number one jersey never stopped the peacock look-a-like from trying his luck further up field.
6. Ossie Ardiles. The first of three Argentine’s to make the cut, Ardiles helped Tottenham win two FA Cups and one Uefa Cup with his subliminal trickery. His managerial stint at White Hart Lane was a rather forgettable one, but Ardiles had already cemented his place in the ‘Tottingham’ Hall of Fame and even recorded his own song with Chas and Dave.
5. Georgiou Kinkladze. The Georgian playmaker was the one bright light in what was a torrid few seasons for Manchester City in the mid nineties. And the fact he may not have been allowed on every ride at Alton Towers would have been little consolation for anyone given the duties of having to disposes him of the football.
4. Juninho. The Little Fella, as he was referred to by Middlesbrough fans, immediately lit up the Premiership with 17 goals in his first season at The Riverside, although was eventually sold when the club went down. Juninho’s full name is actually Oswaldo Giroldo Jr, but at only five foot five inches, the one time Middlesbrough legend, was never going to be able to fit all of those letters onto the back of his tiny top.
3. Lionel Messi. The Barcelona winger is probably the marked man in World football today. And he could do worse than drafting a thin layer of granite into his shins to soften the blows he now receives on a weekly basis. Doing that however may detract from the player’s ability to duck and dive past defenders, leaving them shocked, stunned, and begging to be substituted. But until he leads Argentina to World Cup glory, Messi will have to live in Maradonna’s shadow and will remain at number three on our list.
2. Gianfranco Zola. A number of West Ham players have said this season that their boss is still the best player in training, despite being on the wrong side of forty, and they quite frankly find it embarrassing. Zola was rightly accredited with attracting other star names to the Premiership after showing the foreigners that England wasn’t too bad after all. Chelsea fans won’t need reminding what he did for them, and opposition fans won’t need reminding what he did to them either as his picture adorns the finest London trattorias.
1. Diego Maradona. Love him or hate him for what he did to us, there’s no doubting Maradonna was one of the most skilful players to ever grace a football pitch, and there won’t be too many like him again. The ball seemed simply an extension of his boot at times; such was the close control the Argentine possessed. He may not be little any more but for the magician that Maradona once was, we at sport.co.uk salute him.
http://blog.sport.co.uk/Football/245..._maestros.aspx
9. Roberto Carlos. No matter where on the pitch a free kick was awarded, if Roberto Carlos was on the pitch, he’d be the one taking it. Powered by a monstrous pair of thighs that measured 58.5 cm in diameter, Carlos scored arguably the best free kick ever in Le Tournoi against France in 1997, when he put a seemingly impossible amount of swerve on the ball which curved like a banana before smashing into the back of the French net.
8. Nobby Stiles. Nobby Stiles may not have been the best looking footballer around, but he won us the World Cup and for that we are eternally grateful. Stiles was a hard grafting midfield player who, despite being rather unfashionable at the time, picked up two League titles and the European Cup with Manchester United.
7. Jorge Campos. If only on our list for his outrageously coloured kits and his penchant for scoring rather than stopping goals, it would be difficult to describe Campos as anything other than a pint sized maestro. The Mexican keeper scored an incredible 37 goals for Pumas during his two spells with the club. Admittedly Campos often played outfield as a striker, but the number one jersey never stopped the peacock look-a-like from trying his luck further up field.
6. Ossie Ardiles. The first of three Argentine’s to make the cut, Ardiles helped Tottenham win two FA Cups and one Uefa Cup with his subliminal trickery. His managerial stint at White Hart Lane was a rather forgettable one, but Ardiles had already cemented his place in the ‘Tottingham’ Hall of Fame and even recorded his own song with Chas and Dave.
5. Georgiou Kinkladze. The Georgian playmaker was the one bright light in what was a torrid few seasons for Manchester City in the mid nineties. And the fact he may not have been allowed on every ride at Alton Towers would have been little consolation for anyone given the duties of having to disposes him of the football.
4. Juninho. The Little Fella, as he was referred to by Middlesbrough fans, immediately lit up the Premiership with 17 goals in his first season at The Riverside, although was eventually sold when the club went down. Juninho’s full name is actually Oswaldo Giroldo Jr, but at only five foot five inches, the one time Middlesbrough legend, was never going to be able to fit all of those letters onto the back of his tiny top.
3. Lionel Messi. The Barcelona winger is probably the marked man in World football today. And he could do worse than drafting a thin layer of granite into his shins to soften the blows he now receives on a weekly basis. Doing that however may detract from the player’s ability to duck and dive past defenders, leaving them shocked, stunned, and begging to be substituted. But until he leads Argentina to World Cup glory, Messi will have to live in Maradonna’s shadow and will remain at number three on our list.
2. Gianfranco Zola. A number of West Ham players have said this season that their boss is still the best player in training, despite being on the wrong side of forty, and they quite frankly find it embarrassing. Zola was rightly accredited with attracting other star names to the Premiership after showing the foreigners that England wasn’t too bad after all. Chelsea fans won’t need reminding what he did for them, and opposition fans won’t need reminding what he did to them either as his picture adorns the finest London trattorias.
1. Diego Maradona. Love him or hate him for what he did to us, there’s no doubting Maradonna was one of the most skilful players to ever grace a football pitch, and there won’t be too many like him again. The ball seemed simply an extension of his boot at times; such was the close control the Argentine possessed. He may not be little any more but for the magician that Maradona once was, we at sport.co.uk salute him.
http://blog.sport.co.uk/Football/245..._maestros.aspx
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