Geoff Hurst's 50 Greatest Footballers of All Time E-Book

Geoff Hurst

• Herausgeber: Icon Books
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 252

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2014

Beschreibung

Half a century on from his Wembley hat-trick, England World Cup winner Sir Geoff Hurst risks controversy as he narrows down football's finest to a select 50. Which of his 1966 teammates have earned their place among the all-time greats? Would he have had Franz Beckenbauer in his XI ahead of Bobby Moore? What are his memories of playing against Pelé and Eusébio? And which England stars of later generations would Sir Geoff have loved to play alongside? With first-hand tales of former teammates and rivals, along with tributes to those he's admired from the terraces, Geoff Hurst's Greats is essential reading for football fans of all ages.

Leseprobe

GEOFF

HURST’S

50 GREATEST FOOTBALLERS OF ALL TIME

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

TIMPSON

GEOFF

HURST’S

50 GREATEST FOOTBALLERS OF ALL TIME

SIR GEOFF HURST

Published in the UK in 2014 by Icon Books Ltd, Omnibus Business Centre, 39–41 North Road, London N7 9DP email: [email protected]

Sold in the UK, Europe and Asia by Faber & Faber Ltd, Bloomsbury House, 74–77 Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DA or their agents

Distributed in the UK, Europe and Asia by TBS Ltd, TBS Distribution Centre, Colchester Road, Frating Green, Colchester CO7 7DW

Distributed in the USA by Consortium Book Sales & Distribution 34 13th Avenue NE, Suite 101 Minneapolis, MN 55413

Distributed in Australia and New Zealand by Allen & Unwin Pty Ltd, PO Box 8500, 83 Alexander Street, Crows Nest, NSW 2065

Distributed in South Africa by Jonathan Ball, Office B4, The District, 41 Sir Lowry Road, Woodstock 7925

Distributed in Canada by Publishers Group Canada, 76 Stafford Street, Unit 300 Toronto, Ontario M6J 2S1

ISBN: 978-190685-079-1

Text copyright © 2014 Sir Geoff Hurst The author has asserted his moral rights.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, or by any means, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

Typeset and designed by Simmons Pugh

Printed and bound in the UK by Clays Ltd, St Ives plc

To my wife, Judith, daughters and grandchildren for all they give to me and to whom I hope this possibly but only very occasionally grumpy old man has shown and will continue to show more than just a token of his great appreciation, thanks and love.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sir Geoff Hurst MBE is the only man to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final – for England in their historic 4-2 victory over West Germany at Wembley in 1966.

Having shown an early flair for cricket – playing a first-class match for Essex against Lancashire in 1962 – Hurst opted for a career in football, and with West Ham United he scored 248 goals in 499 first team appearances. There he won the FA Cup in 1964 and the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1965. He was selected by Alf Ramsey to lead England’s attack between 1966 and 1972, the longest run of any forward under Ramsey, scoring 24 goals in that time. After three seasons with Stoke he finished his Football League career with West Bromwich Albion in 1976.

Hurst enjoyed stints in the USA (Seattle Sounders) and Ireland (Cork Celtic) before returning to England to manage non-league Telford United and then Chelsea, and in recent years he has travelled with the England team. He lives in Cheltenham.

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

THE 50 GREATEST FOOTBALLERS

50. Paolo Maldini

49. Fabio Cannavaro

48. Andrés Iniesta

47. Lev Yashin

46. Johnny Haynes

45. Garrincha

44. Zico

43. Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima

42. Bryan Robson

41. Martin Peters

40. Dave Mackay

39. Kenny Dalglish

38. Alan Ball

37. Paul Gascoigne

36. Franco Baresi

35. Steven Gerrard

34. Yaya Touré

30=. Eric Cantona

30=. Dennis Bergkamp

30=. Gianfranco Zola

30=. Thierry Henry

29. Tom Finney

28. Peter Schmeichel

27. Lothar Matthäus

24=. Carlos Alberto Torres

24=. Roberto Rivelino

24=. Jairzinho

23. Gordon Banks

22. Luis Figo

21. Josef Masopust

20. Cafu

19. Luis Suárez

18. Duncan Edwards

17. John Charles

16. Ferenc Puskás

15. Denis Law

14. Gerd Müller

13. Jimmy Greaves

12. Franz Beckenbauer

11. George Best

10. Bobby Moore

9. Eusébio

8. Zinedine Zidane

7. Bobby Charlton

6. Cristiano Ronaldo

5. Alfredo Di Stéfano

4. Lionel Messi

3. Diego Armando Maradona

2. Johan Cruyff

1. Pelé

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

INTRODUCTION

Well, this was easy, wasn’t it? I have lost count of how many drafts I have produced and how many family members and friends have not so politely suggested that my choices were possibly incorrect! So, in spite of all the criticism and abuse, I have made my selection and it may be only me but I think it is pretty good.

So how did I choose my Top 50 Players? Many of course I have played with and known for a long time. And the others? Most have risen to fame since I stopped playing in 1978 and I have watched and enjoyed them on numerous occasions.

There is of course a very personal bias. The majority are forwards. Eleven of them are English. Five are teammates from the 1966 World Cup final squad. But that leaves 35 other players in all other positions and somehow, in some undefinable way, I have ranked them all.

What I think all these players have in common is that something special that elevates them above the mere mortal or indeed very good. (And that, in case you may be wondering, includes me. Yes, I may be the only person ever to have scored a hat-trick in a World Cup final and yes, I may have been an integral part of probably this country’s greatest ever sporting moment, but would I be in my Top 50? I do not think so. And this is not false modesty.)

All these players could do something special – something that could win or save a match – and they did so on a regular basis. And these are all players for whom I would happily pay the price of a match ticket – preferably the old-fashioned price – to go and watch. And it is a funny thing about ‘greatness’ – which is what I think all these 50 have to varying degrees – and that is, it is something which, when displayed in whatever walk of life, we can somehow all recognise. So I would like to think that even non-football lovers might appreciate some of the talents of my chosen!

So a big thank you to all those who have helped and abused me in creating my list and I will not take it too personally if you, the reader, disagree with all or any of it. Even now, as I look down the list of possible substitutes, I start to re-question my choice. But here it is, and I hope you enjoy reading about and recalling some of the greatest players and moments in the history of football and my personal take on them all.

I wish you very happy reading and hope I do not cause too many conflicts in the process.

All the best

GH

THE 50 GREATEST FOOTBALLERS

50. PAOLO MALDINI

Who better to kick off the 50 with than Paolo Maldini? An exemplary professional and a fantastic footballer, he’d be in the shortlist for anybody’s greatest ever XI. This is probably the time to point out that my selection has an unashamed attacking slant, and that if you were to select an XI based on this list then you’d probably end up playing a 2-3-5 formation. The upshot of this is that any defender to make it into the list is or was a class act.

Following in the footsteps of his father, AC Milan legend Cesare Maldini, when a young Paolo joined the ranks expectations were unrealistically high. Or so you would have been forgiven for thinking. Maldini senior had enjoyed more than a decade at the club, winning four Serie A titles and one European Cup during his stay. The pressure wasn’t helped by the fact that Paolo showed an early flair for defending, with his father fondly remembered as a confident ball-playing centre back for Milan.

After standing out from his teammates in the youth team, in early 1985 at the age of just sixteen he was thrust into the first team by manager Nils Liedholm. Though he never once showed signs of nerves during his long career, Maldini later admitted he’d hoped that Liedholm wouldn’t bring him on, so intimidated was he by the prospect of running out in front of the San Siro crowd. Injuries had left Milan short of bodies in defence and Paolo was drafted in for half a game as the crisis escalated. Playing at right back, he made enough of an impression in his brief debut that he was handed a starting place at the beginning of the following season.

From that point on, Maldini didn’t look back. Even at just seventeen, the composure he showed both with the ball at his feet and when defending was exceptional. I don’t mean exceptional for a seventeen-year-old either. His reading of the game far exceeded that of many seasoned professionals, and this gave him far more time at his disposal than looked possible. I remember seeing him casually weaving his way out of defence as though he were meandering over the halfway line, something any manager would berate a young defender for doing, but Paolo never looked pressured.

His third full season brought with it his first Serie A title in a fiercely competitive league and his fourth and fifth each brought a European Cup. His achievements by the age of 21 would have satisfied most people as an entire career’s worth but Paolo Maldini is not most people.

Exceedingly accomplished in defence, he was just as much of an asset going forward. As well as chipping in with a few goals in most seasons, his overlapping play on the left was particularly key to Milan’s success. Often favouring a narrow midfield, his pace and crossing ability in his early years was invaluable. Having said that, in terms of his career span, his ‘early years’ could stretch into his thirties, which just goes to illustrate the longevity of his tenure in one of football’s most steely defences.

In recent years Sir Alex Ferguson admitted that he had made a number of sustained approaches to recruit him to Manchester United but to no avail. In true Italian fashion, Maldini’s commitment to his club extended beyond that of an employee, regarding his colleagues almost as family. This was partly due to his father’s career before him at the club and Paolo remained staunchly loyal for 24 years, making 647 Serie A appearances, winning seven Serie A titles and five European Cups.

One thing that evaded Paolo in his long career was international success with Italy, just missing out on the victorious 2006 tournament as he was deemed to be surplus to requirements. This might have been somewhat harsh but Italy’s victory appeared to justify it. After 126 caps, 74 as captain, it was an agonising turn of events. Despite numerous other disappointments, his spell with the national side was anything but dull.

Italy were beaten finalists in 1994 but the 1998 World Cup was noteworthy for different reasons. Extending the scope of their footballing dynasty, Maldini senior and junior linked up for the Azzurri, with Cesare taking the reins as manager. Unlike most father/son management arrangements, there was absolutely no danger of claims of favourable treatment with Paolo firmly established as an essential pick. A penalty shootout defeat against hosts and eventual winners France in the quarter-finals sent them packing. A disappointing if respectable end.

His was a one-club career that is almost out-dated in the modern era. An evergreen player of the utmost quality, Paolo Maldini left a legacy to trump all legacies. The left back of choice in world football for two decades, he continued Milan’s proud European and domestic traditions, leaving the famous club with a reputation even more distinguished than when he signed.

49. FABIO CANNAVARO

Okay, so maybe I’ve been more generous to defenders than I’d let on, but in Fabio Cannavaro we have another stellar Italian talent. In 2006 when Italy lifted the World Cup in Germany, Cannavaro was utterly peerless. I will always prefer the sight of a goal scored over a successful challenge, but when he was at his peak it was hard not to enjoy the sight of him completely disarming forwards who were visibly panicking at the prospect of having to find a way past – if only because I wasn’t said forward.

The entire 2005/06 season was an astonishing story in itself, and Cannavaro took centre stage in a year that ended in absolute chaos. Having played a starring role as Juventus walked to the title, he was voted Serie A’s Defender of the Year for the second season running and won the Serie A Player of the Year title too. He had been a rock for them all season, something that nobody disputed.

However, with all tied up in the league and as the World Cup neared, whispers about match-fixing began to spread through the Italian media. Five teams found themselves under scrutiny: Fiorentina, AC Milan, Lazio, Reggina and Cannavaro’s Juventus. The allegations refused to go away and in early July as the World Cup began it became clear that serious wrongdoing had occurred, the suggestion being that the clubs had used bribes to ensure favourable refereeing. Of course, Cannavaro had nothing to do with this.

As the tournament in Germany gathered pace, so did the media storm back home, spreading across the globe as football’s greatest show vied with one of its most shameful episodes to grab the headlines. All the while, Cannavaro and his Italian teammates played on, with several of them not knowing what state their club sides would be in when they returned. Admittedly, Cannavaro’s form was enough to ensure that there would be no end of potential suitors lining up should Juventus face the suggested punishment of relegation, but it was still a hugely unwelcome distraction during one of the most important months of his life.

If he was preoccupied with the scandal, it certainly didn’t show on the pitch. In fact the longer Calciopoli raged on, the more determined the Italian team became. Topping their group with only one goal conceded, Cannavaro’s influence in the defence was telling. As team captain, he showed the type of resilience that you can’t help but admire, even when the fallout escalated in Italy as Gianluca Pessotto, a former teammate and a director at Juventus, attempted to commit suicide.

Somehow, amidst all of this disturbance, Cannavaro continued to perform as Italy forced their way into the final against France, a repeat of the Euro 2000 final six years earlier. In their three knockout games en route to the final they kept three further clean sheets, including a 2-0 victory over Germany that stretched to 120 minutes.

The final was overshadowed by another scandalous act, a momentary loss of cool from Zidane with an astonishing headbutt on Marco Materazzi, but by this time I’m not sure anything could have stolen the Italians’ focus. The game was decided on penalties after goals from the headbutter and the headbuttee and saw the game end 1-1. Italy didn’t miss a single penalty, completing the most unlikely of triumphs.

As many had believed necessary but didn’t think likely, in addition to their relegation to Serie B, Juventus were stripped of their title and that from the previous season. Cannavaro promptly moved to Real Madrid and continued to win plaudits, escaping relatively unscathed from the whole sorry affair.

The World Cup win was no more than Cannavaro deserved as his two years with Juventus were effectively erased from the history books. Even so, it’s important to stress that his performances throughout his time in Turin were not the product of match-fixing; the opposition’s attackers would still have failed to get past him had the referees remained completely impartial.

While a whole host of figures from the Italian footballing scene were shamed by the events, it was most pleasing to see that Cannavaro was recognised as an unwitting pawn in their game. He finished 2006 with the Ballon d’Or and FIFA’s World Player of the Year award to his name, as he exerted the same steadying effect over Real Madrid as he had over the Italian national side. The leadership skills he showed over the course of that turbulent year surpassed all expectations, revealing a strength of character that is only found in the very greatest of players.

48. ANDRÉS INIESTA

Throughout Barcelona’s reign of supremacy under Pep Guardiola’s management and beyond, three players were hailed above all others as symbols of perfection. Countless articles and hours of television analysis were dedicated to three men with a wide range of qualities but the same core strengths. Having each risen through the ranks at Barcelona’s famous La Masia academy, the trio had learned to play football ‘the Barcelona way’, beautifully, often simply but always devastatingly effectively.

The star of the generation – both at Barcelona and in football as a whole – was Lionel Messi, but the two supporting men haven’t been far off. For more than a decade now, Xavi Hernández and Andrés Iniesta have been a bewitching presence in two of the most successful midfields ever. For Barcelona and for Spain the pair have displayed the near-telepathic understanding that can usually only be nurtured over the course of a lifetime.

Like all good partnerships in football, they each bring something very different to the game. Xavi has become renowned for his passing, both short and long distance. His vision, first and foremost, to read the game and to know where gaps are going to appear, where channels are going to close up and where teammates are going to move cannot be taught. Then to have the ability to act on this understanding, well, that just makes for something quite extraordinary. The result of this, especially when talents such as Messi, David Villa or Samuel Eto’o have been playing ahead of him, is that even the tightest of defences can be left in tatters from the most innocuous of situations.

Rather frighteningly, while Xavi was long considered the best in the world when it came to passing, Iniesta really wasn’t that far behind, although excelling particularly over shorter distances. Iniesta’s box of attacking tricks is essentially bottomless. He has long delighted in making defenders look quite simple as he jimmies his way through invisible gaps, leaving them dumbfounded as he emerges on the other side.

The most endearing element of the duo, and of Lionel Messi, is their absolute lack of ego. For all their wondrous talent, they exude an air of humility, and this is to the credit of Barcelona’s youth system. When you look at exactly what they’ve achieved in an era when even lower league footballers can become minor celebrities it’s astonishing that they’ve kept such a level head. This has of course been vital to their consistency, never pausing to revel in their success.

At the age of 21, at the end of his first full season in the starting line-up, Andrés Iniesta had a La Liga title to his name. By the end of the following year he had added another along with his first Champions League winner’s medal. And so it continued until in 2008 the Midas touch of Barcelona’s core spread to the international scene with Spain winning the European Championships, their first major trophy in more than four decades.

His crowning glory came two years later in 2010, as Spain again found themselves challenging for a major honour – this time with the chance to claim their first ever World Cup. It was a bitterly close match against the Netherlands in which tempers frayed, chances were squandered and the game entered into extra time. With fewer than five minutes separating them from a shootout that was starting to look inevitable, Iniesta showed he had other ideas. Finding himself in space inside the area, his agile mind still ticking over while others had slowed through exhaustion, he calmly swept the ball beyond Maarten Stekelenburg to complete his set: Spanish league and cup, Champions League and Super Cup, European Championship and World Cup.

As a player who has never been one to chase individual honours, always working for the team, his individual accolades speak volumes. Placing 2nd (2010), 4th (2011) and 3rd (2012) in the Ballon d’Or voting over three consecutive years, each time with Messi winning and with Xavi finishing ahead of him on one occasion, the three players have benefited from one another’s support. It’s rare to find such talents in one generation, let alone in one team, and the combination has been absolutely breathtaking at times.

It feels almost unfair to leave Xavi out of this list but with so many greats to include, his exclusion really highlights the difficulty of the task. It will come as no surprise that Lionel Messi features higher up this list, but it’s fair to say he has Iniesta and Xavi to thank for that. Equally, Iniesta’s placement is in no small part down to this partnership. So at number 48 I have Andrés Iniesta – but with Xavi in support – his World Cup-winning striking proving to be the deciding factor.

47. LEV YASHIN

When recalling the career of Lev Yashin while working on this book, my wife Judith reminded me of the most striking thing about him – he always dressed entirely in black. It may sound daft but so much of a goalkeeper’s game is based on looking big and imposing, and he was the very best at doing that. For any striker bearing down on goal to look up and see this dark tower ahead of them, the goal would start to look very small.

Yashin’s success was based on more than just looking the part; an often unbeatable force, he patrolled his entire area in a manner reminiscent of the sweeper-keeper style that Manuel Neuer got such recognition for when playing in Brazil 2014. He reimagined a position that most thought had been fully explored and he did so solely at Dynamo Moscow. Spending 22 years with the club from his city of birth, each time the Soviet Union appeared in a World Cup the world watched eagerly to see the mysterious man in black play.

His only international honour was the inaugural European Championship in 1960, which was contested by four nations: the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia and hosts France. It was a much scaled down version of the competition as we know it today but, coming two years after their World Cup debut and their first Olympic football gold medal, it confirmed the Soviets as a new force in football, albeit as an unknown quantity.

Yashin was their star player and he became recognised as more than just the man between the posts. He was an outspoken personality, always willing to oblige with a good quote or two, and he was outspoken on the pitch too, marshalling the defence with his booming voice. On the face of it, everything he did seemed to be ahead of its time, a precursor for the modern player. That was except for his warm-up routine. He proudly advised all who would listen of his foolproof approach to conditioning, saying, ‘The trick is to smoke a cigarette to calm your nerves and then take a big swig of strong liquor to tone your muscles.’ Though he certainly wasn’t the only one who warmed up in this manner, I’d like to see the scientific research behind the muscle-toning effects he mentions.

His performances drew comment from countless players too. Italy and Inter Milan legend Sandro Mazzola once commented, ‘Yashin plays football better than me.’ These words came after an Italy vs. USSR fixture in ’63, in which Yashin had saved a Mazzola. Though the records are shaky, it is believed he saved over 150 penalties in his career. Whether this is rumour, myth or otherwise, the truth of Mazzola’s comments extended beyond the spot kick. The Soviet stopper pioneered techniques of distribution, broadening the role of a goalkeeper. Involving an eleventh player in the outfield game made for a much more comprehensive unit that could turn defence into attack in the blink of an eye.

Yashin’s contribution to Dynamo Moscow, Soviet-Russian football and the game as a whole did not go unnoticed. In 1963 he won the Ballon d’Or for his performances. To say this was unprecedented would be an understatement and even to this day he remains the only goalkeeper to win the award. It further highlights his revolution of the position, because before and largely since his playing days the goalkeeper has tended to be a support act in many people’s eyes. He showed that they could and should be far more than that.

His testimonial, held in 1971, was final confirmation of his success in transcending the expectations of a stopper. More than 100,000 people turned up to wave him off and the likes of Pelé, Franz Beckenbauer and Eusébio all turned out to play. It drew a bigger crowd than most competitive games and far more than almost any testimonial, but wherever the man in black went, you couldn’t help but watch.

46. JOHNNY HAYNES

There’s a crop of players whose names are so ingrained in English footballing history that they take on a status greater than that of a player, figures such as Sir Stanley Matthews and Nat Lofthouse who pre-dated the era of professionalism and celebrity, playing simply for the love of the game.

With only a handful of televised matches and no first-hand experiences to steer my opinion of these players, it’s hard for me to place them in a list like this. Undoubtedly they would feature in many people’s list of 50 greatest players and I feel they’re worthy of the most honourable of mentions, but any placement I could give them would be guesswork.

One player closer to my generation who I’m not prepared to overlook, however, is Fulham’s Johnny Haynes. Known as The Maestro, he became the first ever player to earn £100 a week, a sign of his worth in modest times. He was clearly in it for more than just money too as he spent seventeen years at the London club, playing 594 times and scoring 146 times.

His name is synonymous with a time when rewards for ability were deemed acceptable, when star players earned what they were worth to their fans and community (shock horror!). As the captain of England and one of the stars in the English First Division he was a genuine superstar.

Beginning his time at Fulham at the age of fifteen when they were a Second Division outfit, he helped forge a route to success for the club. Haynes was an inspirational player, leading both by example and vocally, never afraid to let his teammates know when they were underperforming. He was an exceptional passer of the ball with great vision, which also manifested itself in his wonderful attacking positioning.

It’s no surprise then that he was playing a commanding role for England while he attempted to lift Fulham to the top flight, having done more than enough to convince all who saw him of his abilities. The inside forward soon became known throughout the land and raised the profile of Fulham as a result. In a 56-game career with the national side he scored eighteen times while captaining the side on 22 occasions. Enjoying a number of very good matches in an England shirt, his finest moment came in 1958 with a hat-trick against Russia at Wembley. He was also captain throughout the 1962 World Cup in Chile where England were knocked out by the eventual champions, Brazil.

To put his ability into context, two opinions involving the great Pelé can be called on. Firstly, his and my former teammate George Cohen declared after Haynes’ death in 2005, ‘He was the best ball-to-foot player I ever saw. If you compared him to Pelé, you won’t be far wrong.’ A huge statement, but coming from a teammate, one might expect this to be skewed by personal bias and affection, in which case I’d refer you to comments from Pelé himself, who said of Haynes: ‘[He was the] best passer of the ball I’ve ever seen.’ For a player who played half his career in England’s second tier, that’s not bad going.

45. GARRINCHA (Manuel Francisco dos Santos)

In his homeland of Brazil there is little doubt that Garrincha was one of the greats, his name regularly held up alongside the likes of Pelé, Maradona and Cruyff. Elsewhere Garrincha is almost mythical, ‘The Little Bird’ who lived in Pelé’s shadow.

Born with a crooked spine, one knock-knee and the other bow-legged, it’s a miracle that Garrincha even managed to play the game, let alone to the level he did. It was almost as though his malformed gait was designed for playing football. Seven years Pelé’s senior, the two played together between 1957 and ’66 for the national side with the unbelievable occurring every time they took to the field.

With Pelé terrorising defences, Garrincha revelled in wing play. It wasn’t uncommon to see him beat his man two, three times or more, spurred on by jubilant cheers of the crowd like a bull-fighter toying with his victim. And much like a bull-fight where the torero dazzles and dazes the bull with his red rag, Garrincha’s crooked legs often looked like an optical illusion. It was often plain to see that when he gained possession the last thing on his mind was actually forcing a goal-scoring opportunity; he simply delighted in the sparring that came first.

Don’t be mistaken though: when Garrincha wanted to win he could split defences with ease. His pace was frightening and his legs gave him an unusually low centre of gravity, making it unfeasibly easy for him to weave through defences and whip crosses in when almost horizontal. He proved just how deadly he could be when he came up against England at the World Cup in Chile in 1962. The matchup came in the quarter-finals en route to Brazil’s claiming of the title.

Having scraped through the group on goal average, England were really no match for a Brazil side, even one missing an injured Pelé. It really didn’t matter with Garrincha in full flow. The misty conditions on the day only added to the mystique surrounding Garrincha. He was a soloist and for much of the game his teammates just let him get on with it, the English defence running scared. He opened the scoring with a huge leaping header from a corner before Vavá grabbed the second, tucking away the rebound from Garrincha’s shot. It was the third goal that really stole the show though.