Wow what a journey this has been. We've reached the final part of this four-part write. If you've missed the previous three, don't be alarmed, here they are.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Full steam ahead then.
Francesco TOTTI. Captain from the Capital. No coincidence that he dons the no.10 shirt for his beloved AS Roma. The attacking midfielder is as much a goalscorer [all time leader at the club], as a creative-mind, his vision and eye for a pass are there for all to see. It's not every day you get mentioned in the same sentence as masters like Giuseppe Signori. It makes perfect sense though, when you consider he has been crowned Italian Footballer of the Year, no fewer than 5 times. A sublime talent and it will take a while for Rome to see another player, with the talent AND passion, he possesses.
Juan Sebastian VERON. Personal favourite. The conductor of the orchestra. Influential in the successes of Parma, Lazio and most recently Estudiantes La Plata - the club where it all began, with an unfortunate time at MUFC followed by a short stay at Chelsea FC, in between the memorable Serie A and Argentina's Primera Division campaigns. La Brujita has experienced league victories in England [MUFC], Italy [Lazio, Inter] and in his native Argentina [Estudiantes]. You would note, the holding-midfielder, always straps just below his right knee...a superstition, since he injured it in '97. Another bit of info, of his 153 passes against Greece, he completed 131, the most at a FIFA World Cup since '66. The Little Wizard sure does know how to find a teammate.
How about Gianluca VIALLI, then. Was it his memorable partnership in attack with Roberto Mancini, which saw Sampdoria win their first Serie A and also a Cup Winners' Cup. Maybe it was his contributions to The Old Lady, taking her to victories in the UEFA Cup, Serie A and most significantly the UEFA Champions League. A short-er spell at the Blues of London ended an illustrious career for the striker from Cremona. Wherever the bald-headed forward set foot, he scored. This was the nature of the man.
Ruud VAN NISTELROOY [Rutgerus Johannes Martinus van Nistelrooy]. Prolific goal-machine. If you've followed the red side of Manchester, you'd know. Clinical in front of goal, scoring from just about anywhere [in the box...in fact, he actually banged one in from outside as well]. There aren't many who could register a goal every [other] game consistently. The all-time second highest goalscorer in UEFA Champions League football, says it all really. Winning leagues in England, Holland and Spain with him being at the forefront, is another achievement not to be scoffed at. If it ain't Dutch, it ain't much [right Ruud?!]
George WEAH. The Liberian started his career in France at Monaco, where he played under Arsene Wenger. His next move, was to the capital [PSG] where he helped in winning the Ligue 1 title. On a personal [achievement] level he also ended top scorer in the UEFA Champions League for the 94-95 season, a great achievement considering he was in the company of Stoichkov, Romario and Jari Litmanen [then at Ajax]. At the end of that season he was rewarded for his exploits, picking up the FIFA Footballer of the Year award ahead of Maldini and Klinsmann as well as the EU Player of the Year. Towards the end of his career, he had short spells at both Chelsea and MCFC. For me, it was amazing to see how he awakened people, to what Africa had to offer
the footballing world.
XAVI [Xavier Hernández i Creus]. 15years at one club. Mesmerising us and more so, his opponents, with some breathtaking passing and even chipping in with the odd goal as well. Besides his extensive winners' medal collection with FCB, he has also been at the centre [literally] of Spain's recent success, helping them to EURO Championships and FIFA World Cup victories. His contribution at the Euro's was worthy of the Player of the Tournament award. Xavi seems to have cultivated a winning mentality from early on, with a FIFA World Youth Cup success back in '99. At 32yrs of age, there's still a year or two of his brilliance to come [barring injury]. Sit back and enjoy.
Let's look at another African talent. Anthony 'Tony' YEBOAH. Darn could he hit a football. Not only could he hit it, but he was quite prolific as well. His career saw him play in Germany [FC Saarbrücken, Eintracht Frankfurt and later for Hamburger SV] with a spell at Leeds United in between ze German spell. Two things to note. 1. He was only the 2nd black player to play in the Bundesliga, a notable and brave feat, considering he ventured there in the late 80's. 2. He is the 2nd all-time scorer for Ghana, behind another legend Abedi Pele. On two occasions he ended [joint] top scorer in Germany. His impact at Frankfurt was that significant that fans made T-shirts with the words "Zeugen Yeboahs" emblazened on them, which is Yeboah's Witnesses [as opposed to Jehovah's Witnesses of course]
Z is for Javier ZANETTI. The Argentine fullback/defensive-midfielder who has stayed faithful to Internazionale Milan and represented his country with great aplomb. Having spent almost 20years at the Nerazzurri, and at 38yrs of age, still capable of 'smoking the pipe' with the whose who of footballing talent...it's easy to see why he earned the nickname "El Tractor"
Gianfranco ZOLA. The diminutive Italian. Only thing small about this guy was his stature...he was a footballing giant. Early spells at Napoli [Serie A, Supercopa Italia] and Parma [UEFA Cup UEFA Supercup, UEFA Cup Winners Cup] followed by a memorable stint at Stamford Bridge with Chelsea FC. He was signed by Ruud Gullit for a measly sum of £4.5 million. With over 300appearances for CFC, and loads of highlights to show from that, it's easy to see why he's a cult-hero among the Blues.
Lest we forget Zinedine ZIDANE aka Zizou! How good was this guy? I'd swear, he made going bald in the centre of your head, fashionable. Such mastery of the football. His finesse in even the tightest situations, his ability to turn a game on it's head with a single strike [see goal in UCL final vs Leverkusen] or that famous Marseille Roulette to bamboozle oponents. Before Messi, there was Zidane...and despite the continued magnificence of Lionel, we would be fools to forget what Zizou contributed to The Beautiful Game.
That brings to an end this 4part series. You may claim, i forgot U? No, i did not...It's you that carries the message of this game we love. It's you who will continue to remember great players and speak about them for years to come. It's you [the football fan].
Thanks.
I'd like to make mention of Piermario Morosini, who literally gave his life to/for football. My thoughts go out to all those affected by his death.
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