The Greatest Player of all time

[NYCBlue]

Maradona and Messi scored goals, but for me, the best player in my lifetime (ie who had the most influence in the team0 has to be

Cruyff.

Before my time, but Puskas and Di Stefano were rumoured to be rather good.

OK, this is a good one. If Holland had won the WC in 1974, would that make Cruyff a better player?

[bobh]

OK, this is a good one. If Holland had won the WC in 1974, would that make Cruyff a better player?

No, he was good enough already.

[splott parker]

Cruyff’s legacy is still evident today.

[ToTaL ITK]

Tony evans. You can close this thread

[splott parker]

Tony evans. You can close this thread

We are all aware that Cardiff City FC are the greatest team in football what the world has ever seen and also that Davies was better than Yashin and Toshack was better than Eusebio.

[Rontomuk]

It is John Charles for me, watched him play, read what his team mates said of him, a great player without a doubt. The late Jackie Charlton once said with him in the team it was equivalent to having a 12 man team.

[jon1959]

30 posts and no mention of Will Vaulks. Scandalous!

[Heathblue]

30 posts and no mention of Will Vaulks. Scandalous!

I'll raise you with Willie Boland.

[Dorcus]

30 posts and no mention of Will Vaulks. Scandalous!

How did you.leave.out Ojo?

[NYCBlue]

I'll raise you with Willie Boland.

Don't get him started.

[lardy]

Maradona and Messi scored goals, but for me, the best player in my lifetime (ie who had the most influence in the team0 has to be

Cruyff.

Before my time, but Puskas and Di Stefano were rumoured to be rather good.

There's a strong argument to be made that Cruyff is the most influential man in football history.

[lardy]

I think that Bob has a shout concerning Messi and Maradona because there are so many similarities involved, even down to their size and the way they played the game. To use a boxing analogy, the world winning thing could be demed the 12th round, between two brilliant performers who were, are head and shoulders above the rest. It all rests on the final round on who is deemed the best. Still not conclusive and only opinion, but perfectly reasonable when comparing maradona and messi (in my opinion)

I think it was just used as an easy and convenient way to split the difference. NYC rightly points out that it's never used with Cruyff. I haven't seen it argued that Zidane is the best European player over Cruyff because he won a world cup (and a euros too).

I'm repeating myself, but Maradona relied on his three team mates to score the goals, something they didn't do in 1990. If you're comparing players as individuals, things that their team mates do shouldn't matter to the point where that is the sole factor, as there's more than enough that Messi and Maradona have done individually to discuss.

[HiVis]

I really wish I hadn’t said anything. Are we arguing then that if you are comparing two players from the same country which has won the World Cup twice, the fact that one of them had a winner’s medal which Argentina wouldn’t have won without him and the other had been a member of arguably better squads that had all failed in the competition should not be a factor when making a comparison between them?

Nobby stiles or Gazza?

[BLUETIT]

We are all aware that Cardiff City FC are the greatest team in football what the world has ever seen and also that Davies was better than Yashin and Toshack was better than Eusebio.

What about our Dixie Dean (what was his name ?) (was it Norman ?)

[Moodybluebird]

Cruyff’s legacy is still evident today.

I'm lucky enough to have his autograph. He was hanging around in Park Street waiting for the Dutch team bus to arrive, when I spotted him. At the time his son Jordi was playing for the national team.

[splott parker]

What about our Dixie Dean (what was his name ?) (was it Norman ?)

Now you’re talking, what a European hero our Norman was.

[BLUETIT]

Now you’re talking, what a European hero our Norman was.

Apart from Hunter, I can’t think of another Norman as a footballer .

I kept on thinking of Wisdom

[splott parker]

Apart from Hunter, I can’t think of another Norman as a footballer .

I kept on thinking of Wisdom

Whiteside

[Moodybluebird]

Apart from Hunter, I can’t think of another Norman as a footballer .

I kept on thinking of Wisdom

Maurice Norman, a centre half in the Spurs double winning team of the early 60's.

[tpcnw]

Apart from Hunter, I can’t think of another Norman as a footballer .

I kept on thinking of Wisdom

Apparently there was a Norman Conquest who played in goals for Australia in the 1940s.

Cardiff had Norman Dean in the 1960s. He scored the winner against Moscow Torpedo in 1967-68 quarter final and twice in the two games against Hamburg in the semi final.

[blue matt]

plenty of people said that Messi wasnt the GOAT because he hadn't won the World Cup ( TOBW was not alone in that thought ) many said that what Maradona did in the World Cup made him the GOAT, for me and ive had this opinion for a few years, Messi has been at the very top for near 20 years, we throw the GOAT term around alot in the sports world, but its deserved in Messi's case

Ive recently got back from the US and had a interesting discussion about football and soccer with a bloke in a ride line ( interesting a few Americans spotted my daughters city shirt and knew Cardiff were in the championship and who they were ( thats a new thing, welcome to wrexham maybe ? ? ) our server on the cruise ( from the Philippines ) knew a awful lot about Cardiff ( players and recent history ) and we are his "premiership team " I did point out we were in the championship, but he didnt care

anyways, this guy in the line spotted my daughters Messi shirt ( they were the most popular shirts we saw ) and we were British I guess we got talking about GOAT's and Messi and Brady, now im a big fan on Brady, what he did in his career ( from where it began ) and his stat's were world class 7 X Super Bowl champs, 5 X Super Bowl MVP ( man of the match in a super bowl for non NFL followers ) , but I could let him have that Brady was a GOAT over Messi, 7 X Ballon d'Or's must mean something,

[Moodybluebird]

Cardiff had Norman Dean in the 1960s. He scored the winner against Moscow Torpedo in 1967-68 quarter final and twice in the two games against Hamburg in the semi final.

That's who's being referred to further up this page.

[BLUETIT]

Cardiff had Norman Dean in the 1960s. He scored the winner against Moscow Torpedo in 1967-68 quarter final and twice in the two games against Hamburg in the semi final.

That’s who’s being referred to further up this page

Let him have his moment of glory

[Des Parrot]

Interesting that the Ballon D’or winner has only come from 3 British clubs, Manure (x4), Liverpool & Blackpool, 6 times in 65 years.

[splott parker]

Interesting that the Ballon D’or winner has only come from 3 British clubs, Manure (x4), Liverpool & Blackpool, 6 times in 65 years.

3 Lancashire clubs to narrow it down as well.