Best footballer you have played with or against

[Vindec]

John Toshack and Terry Yorath on Lavernock beach kickaround.

[Tuerto]

End of thread. Tuerto wins.

Schoolboy international, he was about 3ft, i think that i touched the ball three times. Remember a player named Junior Bent? A winger for Bristol City, absolute lightening. I was only 16, think he was 18 or 19-Didn't get a sniff my son... Simon Davey against the Jacks, he was an established pro, i was a kid and i had to mark him. The only reason he was in the reserves was because he was in contract dispute with Swansea and refused to play. It was great, because he wasn't interested, having the day off

[Bluebird23]

I played Sunday League football against Phil Dwyer when he was with South Wales Police, and ex-County player Paul Preece.

David Tong also guested for our Cardiff unemployed 5-a-side team in Wrexham, where he helped us win the ‘Gold’ medal.

I also played against John Parsons, in the Cardiff Combination.

My team were very good, top of the table, running away with the league.

Parsons was playing for Llanishen Wanderers.

It was at Pontcanna, he walked out he was short, overweight, and I think smoking a fag.

They beat us 3-1, he got a hat trick, we couldn’t get near him.

One thing he did particularly well, which is a big difference between pros and parks, is he could hang in the air for crosses.

I’ve also played with Layton Maxwell, a number of times.

Not the fittest, had back issues, but his touch, vision and ability on the ball, was levels above everyone.

One of the lads was shouting at him once, telling him what to do, and to track back.

I laughed and said ‘Mate the guys scored a winning goal at Anfield for Liverpool. Don’t make yourself look stupid.’

Layton’s a top guy too, no ego.

These days doing a very good job managing Gabalfa Draconians in the Welsh League.

[Steve the Tea]

When younger, I played in the same team as Terry Hubbard (who later played for Swindon Town; 1970-1976). He was exceptionally gifted at that age group and did play a couple of games against City in the Football League, I recall. I still see him from time to time about town. He's still a good bloke.

StT.
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[Pedro de la Rosa]

Was at uni and we were going to play 5s, and one of the lads asked if his mate could play. We said OK, his mate "Nathan" turned out to be Nathan Ellington. He was about 27/28, and oh my God was he good. You just had to pass it near him, it was under control in one touch and then he'd turn and lash it in the top corner. It was absolutely ridiculous.

[J R Hartley]

Played for the same junior side as Steve Jenkins and Jason Bowen but 3/4 years younger. I used to train with the Jacks on a Monday and Wednesday when I was about 13/14/15. They used to have sessions in Merthyr for kids they had scouted in the valleys. It was in a sports hall not far from my house, so I went along one night with my best mate at the time - Rob King, he eventually had a couple of years pro with them - and the coach let me join in. I didn’t disgrace myself, so he let me train every week. Brought my game on leaps and bounds. Was always a tidy passer but learned a lot about making runs, moving into space, making yourself available.etc.etc

[delmbox]

This thread reminds me of this one, some great ones in here

https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comm...eone_who_went/

[Tuerto]

Also played against Ian Bowyer when he was player manager at Hereford-2 time European Cup winner as well as a fair few other trophies.

[Optimistic Nick]

Was at uni and we were going to play 5s, and one of the lads asked if his mate could play. We said OK, his mate "Nathan" turned out to be Nathan Ellington. He was about 27/28, and oh my God was he good. You just had to pass it near him, it was under control in one touch and then he'd turn and lash it in the top corner. It was absolutely ridiculous.

that is a quality ringer!

While I was at uni, one of the guys in my halls had a schoolmate who was an electrician who for reasons I never really understood, chose to live with us in the second and third years. Anyway, this electrician was good at cricket. He was part of the England setup at youth level, and at various times in his life has earned half-decent money from the game in various countries and roles. My mate took him along to training for the uni cricket team, and he was the best by a mile. Nobody checked if he was actually a student, he didn't say he wasn't, and ended up in the first team, scoring more runs by a mile than anyone else in the team that season. This was despite him batting left-handed - he never let on that he was actually a right handed batsman. And was in fact a bowler, not a batsman.

[lardy]

Probably quite a few as a youngster, Juninho is probably the best.

Impressive!

[Feedback]

was in Cuba in a restaurant and Maradona was there. We had some photos taken with him and then had a short kickabout on the beach. The guy was a wizard - it was about ten on to 1 and none of us saw the ball at all.

[the other bob wilson]

Peter Sayer who I played against in a BT 6 a side tournament. Think it was his dad who worked for BT which was how he wangled a game. Great skill and movement on the ball, which was probably why his team won the tournament.

Peter Sayer was in the year above me in school and two boys from my year (one of whom was Phil Bater) played league football, so I played with and against them on a few occasions. Also, we'd have a weekly Sunday afternoon kick about at Waterhall school where Howard Pritchard (who played for the wurzels and Gillingham and won a senior cap for Wales) used to turn up from time to time - he was a couple of years younger than most of those taking part, but had us licked for pace and dribbling ability.

[Poolerblue]

Once played against Newport County in a charity game at the old Somerton Park

As a young centre half I was marking Brian Clarke who was just at the end of his career

Couldn’t get the ball off him all game, he had no pace but was strong as an ox and held the ball up brilliantly

Slightly off topic my brother plays a lot of charity cricket games. In the same game he once batted with Freddie Flintoff, Ricky Ponting and Michael Vaughan while also facing the bowling of Steve Harrison and Shane Warne

[the other bob wilson]

that is a quality ringer!

While I was at uni, one of the guys in my halls had a schoolmate who was an electrician who for reasons I never really understood, chose to live with us in the second and third years. Anyway, this electrician was good at cricket. He was part of the England setup at youth level, and at various times in his life has earned half-decent money from the game in various countries and roles. My mate took him along to training for the uni cricket team, and he was the best by a mile. Nobody checked if he was actually a student, he didn't say he wasn't, and ended up in the first team, scoring more runs by a mile than anyone else in the team that season. This was despite him batting left-handed - he never let on that he was actually a right handed batsman. And was in fact a bowler, not a batsman.

When it comes to other sports, Billy Waith the boxer played parks football in Cardiff and I played against him once not too long after a game I had been watching had been abandoned after he had knocked an opponent unconscious with a single punch - the fact that I didn't get within twenty yards of him that day had nothing to do with his ability as a footballer .

I also played a few minutes of what could loosely be called rugby with Gareth Edwards when he was a student teacher.

[WJ99mobile]

Aaron Ramsey when he was about 15

[delmbox]

I roomed with a lad on a stag a couple of years ago and he said he played against some ex Premier League player in 11 a side parks football once. The guy I shared with said that he was a decent player and the ex pro was someone that you think of as "shit" like a Titus Bramble type, and being that he was now about 45 he thought he'd do well against him.

He said it was the most humiliating 90 minutes of his life, he couldn't get anywhere near him. Not that the guy was skinning everybody, he just received the ball in a way that you couldn't tackle him. Ever.

[delmbox]

Aaron Ramsey when he was about 15

I'd like to know more about this

[mrbluejay]

Played with Nathan Blake in school and Sunday league.

[WJ99mobile]

I'd like to know more about this

He was good friends with my friends and came up to play 5 a side.

Tackled him.

Still my claim to fame as Im probably the worst footballer in the CF postcode.

He had a lime green fiesta with a checkerboard roof if I remember rightly. I thought it was cool at the time.

Looking back anyone over 25 would think what a ****

[splott parker]

He was good friends with my friends and came up to play 5 a side.

Tackled him.

Still my claim to fame as Im probably the worst footballer in the CF postcode.

He had a lime green fiesta with a checkerboard roof if I remember rightly. I thought it was cool at the time.

Looking back anyone over 25 would think what a ****

He had a lime green Fiesta when he was 15?

[splott parker]

Peter Sayer was in the year above me in school and two boys from my year (one of whom was Phil Bater) played league football, so I played with and against them on a few occasions. Also, we'd have a weekly Sunday afternoon kick about at Waterhall school where Howard Pritchard (who played for the wurzels and Gillingham and won a senior cap for Wales) used to turn up from time to time - he was a couple of years younger than most of those taking part, but had us licked for pace and dribbling ability.

Jonathan Moore was your year, wasn’t he?

[the other bob wilson]

Jonathan Moore was your year, wasn’t he?

Yes, he was the other one.

[WJ99mobile]

He had a lime green Fiesta when he was 15?

Good point, he either had the car later or it was older than I thought.

Bloody hell that must have been at least 12 years ago

[Pedro de la Rosa]

that is a quality ringer!

While I was at uni, one of the guys in my halls had a schoolmate who was an electrician who for reasons I never really understood, chose to live with us in the second and third years. Anyway, this electrician was good at cricket. He was part of the England setup at youth level, and at various times in his life has earned half-decent money from the game in various countries and roles. My mate took him along to training for the uni cricket team, and he was the best by a mile. Nobody checked if he was actually a student, he didn't say he wasn't, and ended up in the first team, scoring more runs by a mile than anyone else in the team that season. This was despite him batting left-handed - he never let on that he was actually a right handed batsman. And was in fact a bowler, not a batsman.

Amazing, I've played against quite a few really good cricketers but the one that made it look the most easy was Cosgrove. He made short work of the teas too.

I remember one year there was a Sri Lankan quick and he came in and bowled about 60mph off one step, and this old bloke absolutely creamed him over square leg for six. I remember watching the game and thinking, "shouldn't have done that". The next 3 balls whizzed past his head at what must have been close to 90, called for a helmet and got cleaned up next ball.

The best is though I went to play for a mate and the ex-club captain, now just club stalwart was playing in a game vs Solanki. Solanki was touring a few local clubs for his benefit and to raise money for the clubs, and first ball was facing a medium (and that's generous) pace club stalwart, up and down seamer. You can predict what's going to happen here! There's about 500 people watching and first ball, Solanki is absolutely plum. Missing off, missing leg, hitting middle half way up. It's safe today the umpire absolutely bottled it and gave it not out. Everyone had a good laugh and Solanki to his credit, holed out intentionally to the same bowler after rattling his way to 50.

[Taunton Blue Genie]

Peter Sayer who I played against in a BT 6 a side tournament. Think it was his dad who worked for BT which was how he wangled a game. Great skill and movement on the ball, which was probably why his team won the tournament.

I played in a match with Peter Sayer at one school and later and at another school with Jon Moore and Phil Bater, both of whom became professionals with Bristol Rovers.