Favourite Football Player

[sledger]

Was somewhat surprised after running a search that there doesn't seem to be a thread on this topic, so thought I'd throw the question out there.

But, if you had to choose one (just one) player to nominate as being your favourite of all time, who would it be?

Bit of a tough call for me, am a bit spoilt for choice considering I grew up watching an Arsenal Team, made up by a group of players who many can now be considered all-time club greats. Despite Thierry Henry pushing hard for top spot, I think my favourite is without question Robert Pires. There was something about him that I always really liked, and I'd say between 2002-2004 there was probably no better player in his position in the entire world. Him being substituted off in the Champions League final is probably one of my worst sporting memories, even worse than losing the match itself.

Anyway...the floor is open....

Edit: Will always love him for this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04Vmxpy0Kmk

[GingerFurball]

Originally Posted by sledger

Was somewhat surprised after running a search that there doesn't seem to be a thread on this topic, so thought I'd throw the question out there.

But, if you had to choose one (just one) player to nominate as being your favourite of all time, who would it be?

Bit of a tough call for me, am a bit spoilt for choice considering I grew up watching an Arsenal Team, made up by a group of players who many can now be considered all-time club greats. Despite Thierry Henry pushing hard for top spot, I think my favourite is without question Robert Pires. There was something about him that I always really liked, and I'd say between 2002-2004 there was probably no better player in his position in the entire world. Him being substituted off in the Champions League final is probably one of my worst sporting memories, even worse than losing the match itself.

Anyway...the floor is open....

Edit: Will always love him for this

spurs fans vs pires - YouTube

Thought that was going to be him making a donkey face at a defender who'd been reduced to bringing him down. Who was that btw? Something tells me it was Gary Neville but I can't remember. Loved him at Arsenal, apart from his ****ty beard.

My favourite is tied between Ally McCoist and Brian Laudrup. I honestly can't seperate them, Laudrup is the best player I've seen in a Rangers shirt but McCoist was my very first childhood hero and who I first pretended to be in the school playground. It's a shame they never shared a peak, as Laudrup only arrived when McCoist was in his twighlight years and fading thanks to injuries.

Non-Rangers player it's probably between Roberto Baggio, Ronaldo and Juan Roman Riquelme.

[flibbertyjibber]

Tony Kelly, being a lower league supporter he is the best player I have seen in a Shrewsbury shirt. As for top level stuff I loved watching Fabregas at Arsenal and Henry.

[Goughy]

As a Liverpool fan, I loved Ian Rush and of non-Liverpool players I pretended to be Paul Walsh and Mark Hateley the most (I had the hair) but the answer to the question has to be Kenny Dalglish for me. Outside of Liverpool players, my favourite is probably Matt Le Tissier.

[grecian]

Kellow.

Some interesting parallels with Socrates actually....

[Nnanden]

Dario Vidosic.

There's a favourite XI thread around somewhere.

[sledger]

Originally Posted by GingerFurball

Thought that was going to be him making a donkey face at a defender who'd been reduced to bringing him down. Who was that btw? Something tells me it was Gary Neville but I can't remember. Loved him at Arsenal, apart from his ****ty beard.

I can't remember actually, can remember him making the face, but nothing else.

[GingerFurball]

Originally Posted by sledger

I can't remember actually, can remember him making the face, but nothing else.

Something is telling me Leicester now.

I can't see anything else except Pires when I picture it though. A YouTube search for 'Robert Pires donkey face' threw up nothing.

[sledger]

Could it have been Ben Thatcher perhaps?....

[TT Boy]

Matt Jansen or Djalminha.

[ripper868]

Does me. Met Dwight last NYE actually. Cool customer.

[Uppercut]

The World's Angriest Man:



With Jaap Stam looking like his pet orc.

Or as Surreal Football described him:

A great and terrible dark force, a clockwork bundle of rage, despair, anger and dread, taking out every minor pain ever suffered and the anticipation of injustices to come on his opponents. It was human anger so condensed and focus as to become robotic – the point where, like a youth throwing bricks at a train, all ideas of fear and mercy evaporated to leave a pure, condensed release of righteous indignation. A machine with no off-switch, which could only ever be pointed forwards – unleashed rather than controlled, that would never stop in any eventuality other than the death of its opponents or itself.

[GingerFurball]

Always liked Roy Keane after his outburst at the World Cup and after injuring Haaland.

[wpdavid]

Originally Posted by grecian

Kellow.

Some interesting parallels with Socrates actually....

Possible the only time Tony Kellow has been compared to Socrates
Fondly remembered for that FA Cup run in 1981 though.

For me - Moore, Cruyff, Platini and Van Basten

More locally, Don Rogers in 1972, Peter Taylor in 1976, Kenny Sansom from 1977-1980 and Ian Wright.

[Neil Pickup]

Have never really had a massive favourite - never had a shirt with a name on the back.

As a kid, I loved Shearer and Sutton (which you can ascribe to youthful plasticity as much as you wish), and then as I grew up there were a few other players whom I admired by way of performance and attitude - Jaaskelainen and Mellberg. As a City fan, Stansfield obviously has his place - but I can't really think of any one player who I'd definitively give as a favourite.