Confidence on the ball

[mr_nool]

Le Tisser was absolute class.

i was always a huge fan of bergkamp.

The goal at Newcastle where he spun Dabizas the wrong way and then slotted it past the keeper (Shay?) is probably my favourite ten seconds of football as a neutral observer.

I still think he didn't mean to play the ball on that side of the defender. He wanted to take the ball on the inside of his foot and turn in one movement. That doesn't take away much from the accomplishment, though - the composure to reassess the situation, go around the defender and put it behind the keeper is quite remarkable.

Hmmmmmmmm.......

I can't entertain the possibility that he wasn't 100% in control of what was going on. Just amazing awareness to send the ball and the defender one way and himself another. He just weights the touch perfectly and meets back up with the ball. Exquisite.

[youtube]WDMTNN0tmL0&NR=1[/youtube]

I've watched that goal thousands of times, mate, and if it is indeed deliberate, it is completely out of this world. I think the natural instinct of every player would be to turn with the ball, thus bringing the ball with him with the inside of his foot and shielding off the defender in one move. The result would have been the same, i.e. he would've been alone with the keeper, and it would also have been much easier to pull off. Why Bergkamp would choose for the near impossible is beyond me.

[Alioune DVToure]

Le Tisser was absolute class.

i was always a huge fan of bergkamp.

The goal at Newcastle where he spun Dabizas the wrong way and then slotted it past the keeper (Shay?) is probably my favourite ten seconds of football as a neutral observer.

I still think he didn't mean to play the ball on that side of the defender. He wanted to take the ball on the inside of his foot and turn in one movement. That doesn't take away much from the accomplishment, though - the composure to reassess the situation, go around the defender and put it behind the keeper is quite remarkable.

Hmmmmmmmm.......

I can't entertain the possibility that he wasn't 100% in control of what was going on. Just amazing awareness to send the ball and the defender one way and himself another. He just weights the touch perfectly and meets back up with the ball. Exquisite.

[youtube]WDMTNN0tmL0&NR=1[/youtube]

I've watched that goal thousands of times, mate, and if it is indeed deliberate, it is completely out of this world. I think the natural instinct of every player would be to turn with the ball, thus bringing the ball with him with the inside of his foot and shielding off the defender in one move. The result would have been the same, i.e. he would've been alone with the keeper, and it would also have been much easier to pull off. Why Bergkamp would choose for the near impossible is beyond me.

Embrace the mystery, Nooly :)

[mr_nool]

I might have to, mate, but it just doesn't make sense to me. Maybe I just lack imagination (or faith).

[Ted Hughes]

Re the Bergkamp thing, I think it's deliberate, he sets off moving knowing where the ball will go.

I've seen Marsh beat a player in a similar manner but with more comedy; he took a heavy pass with his back to the player, flicked the ball to the side like SWP does when he gives it away blindly, but he'd put backspin on it. Player came flying in to 'do' Marsh with nastty tackle from behind only to see Marsh jump over his legs one side & the ball screw back the other like a snooker ball just landing nicely in his path as he jogged away at 2mph.

Henry v Ronaldinho; Henry better striker, Ronaldinho better almost everywhere else.

[CityFanFromRome]

The Ronaldinho of the first Barca years was out of this world with the ball at his feet, he was really a joy to watch; Messi is unplayable now but for different reasons, he's faster and has the ball glued to his boots so you either clobber him down or you ain't getting the ball 99% of the time; however, he rarely pulls off tricks like Ronaldinho did, I'm sure he could do them just as well but he goes for the less spectacular and more practical way of going past a player, while Ronaldinho loved to wrong-foot them with little flicks and tricks.

[Alioune DVToure]

The Ronaldinho of the first Barca years was out of this world with the ball at his feet, he was really a joy to watch; Messi is unplayable now but for different reasons, he's faster and has the ball glued to his boots so you either clobber him down or you ain't getting the ball 99% of the time; however, he rarely pulls off tricks like Ronaldinho did, I'm sure he could do them just as well but he goes for the less spectacular and more practical way of going past a player, while Ronaldinho loved to wrong-foot them with little flicks and tricks.

That goal that Ronaldinho scored at Stamford Bridge a few years ago where the ball was dead at his feet was unbelievable. Stood on the edge of the area, dropped one shoulder, dropped the other, Terry and Ferreira went separate ways and he flashed it into the corner before Cech saw it.

[youtube]npGqKpgHv-U[/youtube]

In terms of having complete control over where the ball's ending up, it reminds me of this effort by Maradona at USA '94 (versus Greece).

[youtube]jyekACZBMeU&feature=related[/youtube]

[CityFanFromRome]

I can't help adding Totti to the list. I've been watching him play week in week out for more than fifteen years now and while he's got worse with age in the last two seasons, when in his prime he was one of the coolest players I've ever seen. Here's some youtube clips of his best goals/moves:

[youtube]pe-fLTkuaZM[/youtube]

[youtube]jN6ABvp6MBU&feature=related[/youtube]

[youtube]Ut8cXAkyRgU&feature=related[/youtube]

[Kladze]

Le Tisser was absolute class.

i was always a huge fan of bergkamp.

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This was imo his greatest goal - world cup quarter final versus Argentina ......... last minute :-)


[youtube]x4vVC6OYLu0&NR=1[/youtube]

[Rag_hater]

Messi now. Now HE is unplayable. By far the best player that's been alive in my 25 years of existence.

Henry > Ronaldinho.

Mainly cos he did everything Ronaldinho did but scored shit loads more....just my opinion.

Disagree. The genius of Ronaldinho was his perfect balance and upper-body strength. He seemed to favour neither side nor either foot. He could change direction, change foot and change pace like no other player I've ever seen. The ball just seemed to follow him.

Thierry Henry was a great player and a prolific striker. Ronaldinho's mastery of a football was something I'd never witnessed before, and haven't since.

What you say about Goofy I think is 100% right.For me Zidane was the best I had ever seen until Goofy came along and then IMO he overtook him.And the Ronaldinho in his pomp for me was the best player I have ever seen.Better than Messi and Tranny now.
Our David, as good as he is is nowhere near the standard of these guys although what you say about his confidence with the ball is something to be marvelled at.

[Mikhail Chigorin]

Just a few more names to add to the mix :-

Johan Cryuff
Michel Platini (grieves me to say it)
Gianni Rivera
Paul Gascoigne
Stan Bowles (a dark horse maybe ??)

Always thought when, in the 1980s, we had Gordon Smith, he always looked very comfortable in possesion but that could be because he stood out in a poorer side.

Don't quite think Tony Coleman would have quite got his name on this list though, but he had other qualities to compensate.

[1950]

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