Best player you've seen play 'in the flesh'

[SO16_Saint]

Excluding Le Tiss?

 

Would it be Cantona, Hoddle, Di Canio, Zola, Beckham, Best?

 

Just curious as to who the best player is you've ever seen play.

 

Guess it depends on your era, but who is it??

[FarehamRed]

I saw Gullit play for Holland against England at Wembley, and he was something special.

I also once went to the Den as a nutural to see Millwall play Spurs. Gasgoine was sensational, scoring a hat-trick. (I was lucky to get out of that one alive, but that's another story).

 

Against Saints, probably Liam Brady for Arsenal.

 

Tiss was better than the lot of them though.

[Window Cleaner]

Platini

 

closely followed by Zidane and Cantona (who I was lucky enough to see when he was about 16 at Auxerre)

Edited 21 October, 2010 by Window Cleaner

[hamster]

**** Tydeman. Poetry in motion.

[lambertsrightleg]

Idiakez.......joking aside probably Owen in 98/99 or Henry

[paris]

Tommy Jenkins ...

[warsash saint]

Bergkamp, Wright, Gazza, Giggs, Cantona

[Nutwood2]

George Best by a country mile. Also saw Tony Currie in his prime play brilliantly. Peter Osgood of course. Stan Bowles deserves a mention.

[marc_saint]

Maradona.

 

In about 87 there was an FA Centenary match at Wembley and England played the Rest of the world. He was an absolutely awesome talent and it's a shame he became the characature that he did.

[West End Saint]

Good question

 

Against Saints Rooney, Lampard destroyed us at St Marys & Henry

 

I saw Ronaldo have a amazing game for Inter Milan

[Thedelldays]

Zola, Henry, Gazza, Cantona, Beckham, Bergkamp

[del boy]

Duncan McKenzie in his Everton days - had jaw dropping footballing skills

[Shropshire Saint]

I remember George Best totally detroying us at The Dell when United won 5-2 ( I think!). Possibly the same year we won 4-1 at Old Trafford.

['00']

Not rated Roy Keane until I saw him play....came on against Saints at Old Trafford on 77 mins at

0-0,10 mins later 0-2.

[positivepete]

In the last 10 years - Zidane, saw him in Madrid near the end of his career, but his first touch was awesome. Despite that Real lost 4-1 at home, Eto on loan from Madrid got a hat-trick!

 

This summer I was really impressed with Sneijder, I saw him play for Holland against Cameroon, a very modern player who combines incredible work rate with great vision.

[dubai_phil]

Messi for Barca v Real Madrid in Nou Camp when Barca came back to draw with 10 men

[sambosa75]

Peter Beardsley is up there for me. Watched him a number of times and his work-rate, touch, vision, passing ability etc... was just worlds apart from anything else on the pitch.

[Ken Tone]

Best, Charlton, etc.. seen them, but all modern fly-by-nights!

 

When I was a little kid I was taken to see Stoke reserves v Chelsea reserves as my first ever pro football match. Why? Because a 50 year old Stanley Matthews was playing for Stoke.

 

Mind you I can't remember a thing about it!

[Toomer]

:lol:Ali Dia:lol:

[SuperMikey]

Against Saints would probably be Shearer. Such a goalscoring machine.

Just in any game would be Henry, he's just such a presence on the pitch, and when he gets the ball you know something special is going to happen.

[Glasgow_Saint]

Gazza!

[SFKA South Woodford]

For me it has to be Klinsmann, saw him in his first spell at Spurs in a game where Tiss had put us ahead and he equalised late on. Every time the ball came near to him you could feel the excitement from the Spurs fans and he certainly gave off an aurora of a pure predator who would score if you gave him half a chance. Have also seen Beckham in his prime and Weah, Viali, Lampard, Drogba, Zola, Di Canio, Gazza, Juninho, Henry, Shearer, Overmars and Bergkamp. Bergkamp and Zola were a bit special as well. Remember Bergkamp not having scored for the Arse until we played them and he broke his duck against us in the usual fashion.

[Scudamore]

Hristo Stoichkov for me i think...

[jam]

For me it has to be Klinsmann, saw him in his first spell at Spurs in a game where Tiss had put us ahead and he equalised late on. Every time the ball came near to him you could feel the excitement from the Spurs fans and he certainly gave off an aurora of a pure predator who would score if you gave him half a chance. Have also seen Beckham in his prime and Weah, Viali, Lampard, Drogba, Zola, Di Canio, Gazza, Juninho, Henry, Shearer, Overmars and Bergkamp. Bergkamp and Zola were a bit special as well. Remember Bergkamp not having scored for the Arse until we played them and he broke his duck against us in the usual fashion.

 

Wasn't that just after he elbowed David Hughes in the face?

[John B]

Johan Cruyff I saw him play for Barcelona in the 1970s

[The Cat]

Saints played Everton at St Mary's when Rooney was 17, and I remember spending a lot of the game just watching him. His movement, touch, skill, reading of the game and anticipation at that age was just ridiculous.

 

Hoddle was quite amazing, saw him a few times in his pomp. Gazza, Bergkamp, Zola, Ronaldo, Henry, Beckham, Cantona etc etc. Giggs was incredible against Saints most times. Have to say Essien is one of the best players in the world right now, there's very few players as complete as him.

 

I did see George Best, although he was about 38 at the time and playing in a charity match so well past it!

[The Cat]

Wasn't that just after he elbowed David Hughes in the face?

 

Think you're right there.

 

Henry also broke his duck against us. Serves us right for singing "what a waste of money" at him!

[supersonic]

Giorgiu Kinkladze. That goal He scored against us at Maine Road was incredible

[Hatch]

Gullit

 

Seemed he was on a different planet to everyone else on the pitch.

[chocco boxo]

Patrick Viera at SMS one year looked like he was Under 15 Schoolboy playing against Under 11's. They beat us 0-2 but could have been 0-12.

[South Londoner]

Robin Friday from when my Dad took me to see Reading when I was a wee small lad.

 

Overall, Le Tiss is/was the best by a country mile. (No bias there of course.)

[Glasgow_Saint]

Gullit

 

Seemed he was on a different planet to everyone else on the pitch.

 

[Thedelldays]

Saints played Everton at St Mary's when Rooney was 17, and I remember spending a lot of the game just watching him. His movement, touch, skill, reading of the game and anticipation at that age was just ridiculous.

 

t!

3-3 game..?

I was there and he was superb

[The Cat]

3-3 game..?

I was there and he was superb

 

That's the one.

[Saint Stimp]

Went to watch Barca last season so Messi then Xavi I guess.

[Leyton Lundekvam]

Paul Gascoigne.

 

Kenny Dalglish.

[Leyton Lundekvam]

Ooh, I forgot... Romario.

[Give it to Ron]

Banks - best goalkeeper

Moore - world class defender

Best - the most natural footballer I have ever seen.

 

Recent times Henry....

[supersonic]

It's a bit weird that nobody has mentioned a defender or a goalkeeper so far.

Best keeper I've ever seen was probably Niemi, and defender was Maldini, he was a class above everyone else, in fact (as a defender myself) I'd say he was the best player I've ever seen

[Dog]

Dalgleish

Brady

Karl Riley

[Right sider]

Dalglish, Gazza, Cantona, MLT, Bergkamp, Hoddle off the top of my head

[georgeweahscousin]

Ruud Gullit tearing us apart single handedly at Stamford Bridge in his first season there.

 

A memorable game. A 3-0 defeat but great fun, as it was Chelseas centenery year or something, and they paraded former stars on the pitch. Speedie and Dixon were introduced and the we all went mental. Booing and jeering as they waved to the crowd.

[Greedyfly]

Ronaldo (Brazil). Without a shadow of a doubt the best striker of the 90s. Anyone want to challenge that then look at his strike rate for each and every club he played for. Including international. Had it all.

[Saint_Ash]

I remember a few years ago when we played Arsenal, Theirry Henry was just truly awesome. He skipped past players with ease and just looked different class. Henry at his very best has to be one of the best players I've ever seen in the flesh.

[hughieslastminutegoal]

George Best by a country mile. Also saw Tony Currie in his prime play brilliantly. Peter Osgood of course. Stan Bowles deserves a mention.

Without a doubt.

 

What amazed me about GB was that you could really feel the heightening of tension everytime he got the ball, and somehow with a hip wiggle gaps all around him just seemed to appear. He was so hard to get near and disposess. And he did it in an era of cloggers, thugs, Ron Harris and Leeds United (note the elevating scale of dirtiness).

[Eastcowzer]

Nandor Hidekuti, (Hungary), the original perpetrator of what was later called 'The Revie Plan'

In fact any of the 1956 Hungary side. Can't say where I saw Hidekuti play for fear of reprisals, but it was local.

[hughieslastminutegoal]

Best, Charlton, etc.. seen them, but all modern fly-by-nights!

 

When I was a little kid I was taken to see Stoke reserves v Chelsea reserves as my first ever pro football match. Why? Because a 50 year old Stanley Matthews was playing for Stoke.

 

Mind you I can't remember a thing about it!

Didn't you see 50 year old Stan play for Stoke against Saints at the Dell? Running was barely part of his game by then though, he just kind of stuttered on the spot.

[Foxstone]

Maradona.

 

In about 87 there was an FA Centenary match at Wembley and England played the Rest of the world. He was an absolutely awesome talent and it's a shame he became the characature that he did.

 

We were at the same match although it was the Centenary of the Football League and not the FA. A barmy August evening as I recall.

 

We also were in awe of the same player.

 

I remember watching him warm up, doing effortless "keepy uppys" kicking the ball 10 yards or more in the air each time, and not letting the ball drop once.

I thought it was impossible to do - Until Don Diego did it !

[Plonko]

Franny,without a doubt.

 

Edit: Although possibly CMFG.

[Lets B Avenue]

Against Saints - Best. Not only the 5-2 mentioned earlier, but in the 3-0 home defeat when the Dell's record attendance was set. He laid on all 3 and was basically playing us on his own as Saints dominated but lost. He also took us apart at Old Stretford in extra-time in a cup replay in72.

 

However, I saw a 19 year old Maradona run rings round england in 1980 and found this. http://www.life-in-england.info/?p=345