12/21/24
January 16, 2006
The debate continues over Europe's greatest soccer players.: Aahhemmm...Luis Garcia? What the...
posted by Texan_lost_in_NY to soccer at 09:12 AM - 39 comments
What, no Peter Crouch?!
posted by afx237vi at 09:45 AM on January 16, 2006
Beckham would be on the list assuming you are talking about present day players and not going into the past.
posted by nowandthen at 11:18 AM on January 16, 2006
Huh? What has Beckham done in the Champions League this year or last? Luis Garcia netted 5 goals in the knockout stage, but I guess his hair isn't nearly as pretty as Becks'.
posted by sic at 11:30 AM on January 16, 2006
Uhmm...the only list Beckham should be on is "Athletes Who Sell The Most Product." These players are all currently playing...only 2 or 3 would have a chance of even getting a mention on a players-from-the-past-list. Some people don't know what they're seeing.
posted by Texan_lost_in_NY at 11:42 AM on January 16, 2006
OK, I didn't know the rule extended to players who are Mexican (Luis Garcia) who happens to be playing in Europe. Mexico is not in Europe.
posted by nowandthen at 12:03 PM on January 16, 2006
nowandthen, you seem to be confused. 1. Luis Garcia is Spanish, and Spain is in Europe. 2. It doesn't matter whether the player's home country is in Europe, anyway. Ronaldinho is from Brazil (which isn't in Europe, for those of you scoring at home), and he's been named to the team as well.
posted by blarp at 12:17 PM on January 16, 2006
Beckham...? Ya gotta be shittin' me! Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard are both better than him. Best players in Europe right now would include Gerrard, Wayne Rooney, Pavel Nedved, Andriy Shevchenko, Zlatan Ibrahimovich, Ronaldinho, Kaka, probably a few more, and yes, Thierry Henry may be showing cold(er) form right now, but he is still awesome.
posted by the red terror at 12:28 PM on January 16, 2006
Who do you all think is the best keeper in European club footbll? Is it really Cech or does he mainly look so terrific because of who's in front of him?
posted by billsaysthis at 03:14 PM on January 16, 2006
And the winner is......ZZZZZZZZ snork urk what was the question again?
posted by markhjohn at 03:26 PM on January 16, 2006
uh, yeah. go back to sleep, ignorant one. (wait, you joined just to make that one post? yikes.) I'm still learning about the Premiership, but from what I've seen, this was going to be Chelsea-&-Liverpool heavy, just because of the success and hype they've had. Good to see Nedved & Eto'o on there, but only because they've looked great in the recap shows. Past that, these are just more names I'm still getting to know.
posted by chicobangs at 03:32 PM on January 16, 2006
Beckham is the only person that a lot of people in the USA know (including me). (Chico how do you make text smaller, I can't figure that out...)
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 03:46 PM on January 16, 2006
Chico, Liverpool hasn't had a lot of success nor hype the past few years. Chelsea, Arsenal and Man United get far more hype, and deservedly so. Liverpool has been a frustrating disappointment for years --- look no further than a Champions League championship last year while struggling to only 5th in the EPL. Liverpool's shock comeback against Milan last year was one for the ages, and they've put together a nice string this season, but it's Chelsea's premiership again. Liverpool fans demand the league title above all prizes, and it's been a bloody long time since we've seen one -- you'll find very few fans hyping them until they deliver. Hopefully they have turned the corner (and thank god they re-signed Gerrard!).
posted by the red terror at 03:51 PM on January 16, 2006
ying yang> you can go into "customize" and change your text preferences.
posted by the red terror at 03:55 PM on January 16, 2006
"small" is a tag like "b" or "i". I try not to overuse them, but every once in a while, when you need an aside to someone without derailing a thread... Okay, red terror, that makes sense. I gathered that Liverpool's success is quite recent, but they have looked awful good this year. (Agreed on retaining Gerrard, by the way; Crouch, Cisse & Garcia can finish, but Gerrard is clearly a field general.) I've only started following Euro-anything since the EC championships last season, so that would follow. (Yes, that makes me a fair-weather fan. If I lived there, things would be different.)
posted by chicobangs at 04:01 PM on January 16, 2006
That's a good question bill, and not an easy answer. It's not often that Cech is peppered with shots at club level because of his defense. I've seen him make good saves but nothing spectacular. He's a huge guy with about an 8 foot armspan but how can you rate a player who's rarely challenged? In the league this season, Chelsea have allowed 11 goals in 22 games, Cech playing in 20 of those games. However, in the last round of World Cup Qualifying, the Czech Republic allowed 12 goals in 12 games and I believed Cech started all of those. I'm just hoping he's a little rusty come June 12, 12 noon ET.
posted by Texan_lost_in_NY at 04:04 PM on January 16, 2006
Living in a market that alows little EPL/uefa coverage I dont get a chance to see the matches, just get to read results but from the reading it seems the fans made good choices. Givin that, the list looks pretty good.
posted by Folkways at 04:24 PM on January 16, 2006
Any real soccer Player Knows Beckham is joke. Back to the best Soccer players currently playing in Europe. They would probaly be either Wayne Roonie, Steven Gerrard or one of the Brasilians, Kaka or Ronaldino.
posted by Captinmycaptin at 04:25 PM on January 16, 2006
Anybody who gets to see Barca play regularly knows that Ronaldinho is the best player in Europe at the moment. The Ronaldinho, Eto'o, Messi trident is going to be one for the ages if they can keep them together for a few seasons. Throw in guys like Deco and Puyol and you are looking at your next European Champions (unless Chelsea finds a way to beat them). Their win streak is currently at 17 games after they beet Atletico de Bilbao over the weekend. Is there a hotter club in Europe? Now that Liverpool is getting used to Rafa Benitez' system they should cruise into second in the EPL, but I doubt anyone catches Chelsea.
posted by sic at 05:47 PM on January 16, 2006
I think that's a pretty accurate state of affairs, sic. It's hard to see anyone stopping Barca if they don't suffer a major injury. However... ...looks like Eto'o could use a lesson in manners. Spitting at someone is about as low as a person can go in my book, right there with racist comments. I'm not sure Clemente explained that one away. "Descended from the trees"? WTF?
posted by Texan_lost_in_NY at 06:20 PM on January 16, 2006
I would query the choice of full backs. Cafu and Maldini are both way past their prime, but I suspect in the absence of other big names in these positions, no-one gave much thought. Personally, I would have Thuram over Cafu if you were going for a veteran at right back, and only an injury to Ashley Cole probably stopped him taking the left back spot, especially given Arsenal's European form.
posted by owlhouse at 06:48 PM on January 16, 2006
david bekham is a joke.frank lampard is a far better player,as is steven gerrard .beckham is a rock star not a great footballer. wayne rooney could be one of the best english players ever if he keeps his head on. as for ronaldinho what can you say the guy is in a class buy himself.me being a chelsea supporter would love if roman would buy him. but after chelsea knock them out of champions league, again.
posted by ozzierules at 08:31 PM on January 16, 2006
You guys are BAGGIN' me! Georgie's been gone a month, and everyone's forgotten "the Best"? Look, he's not Pele, but Jesus, a month ago, the WORLD was shedding a tear. Today, you're crying about that bald headed monkey, Beckham. Bend THIS, Davey boy!!!
posted by Thumper at 10:26 PM on January 16, 2006
Look at the list, Thumper, and the thread...it's CURRENT players. Only one misguided person mentioned Beckham should be on the list. Have a look before you blast. We had a two George Best threads around his passing and I for one will never forget.
posted by Texan_lost_in_NY at 10:40 PM on January 16, 2006
Ronaldinho is without a doubt the best in Europe there's no question about that but trying to determine a 2nd and 3rd is difficult for anyone despite whatever team your a fan of. I know its off subject but Brazil would look like a beatable team without Ronaldinho because Henry and Shevenchenko are more than a match for Ronaldo (especialy with the way madrid is playing and his constant injuries) and Adriano (who hasn't convinced me that he's a great player) and as far as Kaka and Emerson. I would Prefer Gerrard and Lampard over these two any day. and Lets face it Cafu and Roberto Carlos won't be around forever. Terry, Crouch, Puyol and even Ferdinand and Campbell all look better than Brazil's next Gen. Defenders such as Alex, Lucio, and Roque. lol i know of subject but i think it was worth mentioning.
posted by J3sUsD at 11:39 PM on January 16, 2006
Beckham is completely overrated and Gerrard has shown he deserves his place on the national team. Other top european players are Shevchenko, Ronaldinho, Rafael Marquez, Ballack, Henry, Nedved, and Rooney. Goalkeeper- Buffon
posted by canito51 at 11:49 PM on January 16, 2006
Here you go...... GK - Dida D - Terry, Nesta & Stam M - Beckham, Lampard, Ronaldinho, Riquelme & Nedved F Eto'o & Henry I have always thought Beckham was overrated until this season. I believe he has at least partially lived up to some of the hype surrounding him. Henry is brilliant with a football and Riquelme doesn't get the coverage he deserves playing at Villareal. As a side note, I'll have to pick David Navarro in defence for Valencia for his guitar prowess.
posted by Ricardo at 02:08 AM on January 17, 2006
think that's a pretty accurate state of affairs, sic. It's hard to see anyone stopping Barca if they don't suffer a major injury. However... ...looks like Eto'o could use a lesson in manners. Spitting at someone is about as low as a person can go in my book, right there with racist comments. I'm not sure Clemente explained that one away. "Descended from the trees"? WTF? Comment icon posted by Texan_lost_in_NY at 6:20 PM CST on January 16 Yeah, it was suprising to see someone like Eto'o spit on another player; he really comes off as a genuinely quality human being. Not to make excuses, but I watched that game, and the Atletico de Bilbao defenders were provoking the Barca attackers quite a bit. Deco had just been sent off after retaliating (in a very sissy hair-pulling way) to some prolonged provocation. The defender Eto'o spit on was pushing him and saying something that made Samuel lose it. Still, no excuse for that. By the way, Beckham is past his prime, he's not one of the very best players in the world, his marketing machine is very annoying, but hey, he's still a great player. If he were on a real team his crosses would be better utilized. Also, he's still fantastic on the free kicks.
posted by sic at 06:18 AM on January 17, 2006
You know Beckham kinda reminds me of Mike Vick. Hell of a job selling the league to fans, Overrated like a motha...., and can't get anything done on the field.
posted by chuy at 08:53 AM on January 17, 2006
Where's Henry? In my mind, he's the second best player in the world (behind Ronaldinho). Ask 'Boro about him.
posted by trox at 10:26 AM on January 17, 2006
La Liga, would be great if FSC could get those games even if it meant losing Ligue Un. Or especially, losing LU those games are less interesting than any of the six leagues they have.
posted by billsaysthis at 10:29 AM on January 17, 2006
Dida is definatly in for goal keeping, and I have to say I appreciate agreements with Ronaldino. However, whoever is saying that Kaka is not up there with the current greats needs to have there eyes checked. Not mention the fact that he is young and motivated, I'm sure he'll yet improve. Also, Brasil is a powerhouse of talent, their "next generation" won't be around for awhile and when it comes it will again be the pinicle of soccer skills.
posted by Captinmycaptin at 10:51 AM on January 17, 2006
I used to have FSC and GOLTV, and I believe GOL picked up a lot of Spanish and Italian games..
posted by blarp at 10:53 AM on January 17, 2006
Ronaldinho is by far the best and most feared player in the world.
posted by Dallas at 01:59 PM on January 17, 2006
GK - Dida D - Terry, Nesta & Stam M - Beckham, Lampard, Ronaldinho, Riquelme & Nedved F Eto'o & Henry I like the look of the defence, although they may lack pace against a good old fashioned winger. Cole on the left instead of Stam? And 3-5-2 is more flexible than the 4-4-2 that these 'best teams ever' seem to be stuck with.
posted by owlhouse at 02:42 PM on January 17, 2006
" Where's Henry?"
FYI - at the bottom of each page in the Full Results section is a list of all candidates for that particular position and the amount of votes they received. Henry ended up with 17.3% of votes closely behind Shevchenko with 17.77%.
posted by redsnare at 04:33 PM on January 17, 2006
I agree with your assessment of Kaka captinmycaptin. I think he is a great footballer yet I can find no way of putting him in front of Lampard (since he nearly leads the EPL in goals from the midfield and contributes so much) or Ronaldinho (obvious reasons). I couldn't believe V.Nistelrooy wasn't even in the list of forwards to vote on when I looked at the full results.
posted by Ricardo at 08:53 PM on January 17, 2006
I always try to have Kaka on my CL fantasy squad, in that context he's better for points than Gerrard. But Gerrard is #1 in my heart. LFC Foreva!
posted by billsaysthis at 11:18 PM on January 17, 2006
I am seeing bad things for United this weekend from the Anfield Boys. United showed in their performance against Citeh...a team who only earned 1 point from their previous 12...that they don't have the heart to even keep Chelsea withing shouting distance. I think this is the weekend Liverpool make the second spot theirs. But I sure hope not!
posted by Texan_lost_in_NY at 09:19 AM on January 18, 2006
he probably qualifies for the best thumbsucker award ...