George Best.
No one like him before, never will be again.
No one like him before, never will be again.
Who is the most unique footballer?
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Berbatov
Matt Le Tissier. He had the talent, the physique and the mentality of three completely different people. Two of those people probably didn't want to be a footballer.
Come on lads, it's obviously Zlatan.
Lots of players listed who aren't very unique. Cantona, Bergkamp? Ffs.
Beckham is a decent shout. Zlatan as a combo of physical immensity and ridiculous skill also. Berbatov is merely a poor imitation.
Surprised no one else has Ronaldo. A decade later, no one else has really copied his shtick of being a great goalscorer whilst playing from the wing. Maybe Neymar, but that is it.
Beckham is a decent shout. Zlatan as a combo of physical immensity and ridiculous skill also. Berbatov is merely a poor imitation.
Surprised no one else has Ronaldo. A decade later, no one else has really copied his shtick of being a great goalscorer whilst playing from the wing. Maybe Neymar, but that is it.
I'd give Park Ji Sung a vote. For the 4M price he was bought, Fergie used him in more ways than a Swiss army knife.
For me unique is something which is difficult to imitate.. One of a kind.
Ronaldinho is very easy to imitate in terms of his style, Messi is again very orthodox.. most young left footers kind of imitate his style.
Of course no one can reach their levels but I find someone like Iniesta more unique... he's very difficult to imitate. His mind works in a very unique way and he's hard to comprehend.
Ronaldinho is very easy to imitate in terms of his style, Messi is again very orthodox.. most young left footers kind of imitate his style.
Of course no one can reach their levels but I find someone like Iniesta more unique... he's very difficult to imitate. His mind works in a very unique way and he's hard to comprehend.
I thought about Messi but when I think about it, everything he is doing, Totti has done before him at a merely world class level. Can't think of anyone besides those two who can do what they do though.
Edit in response to the above: being the primary playmaker and the primary goalscorer rolled into one, not to mention doing all that as the false nine when needed, is pretty hard to imitate.
Edit in response to the above: being the primary playmaker and the primary goalscorer rolled into one, not to mention doing all that as the false nine when needed, is pretty hard to imitate.
Rory Delap
You what mate? We would be lucky to have another player with the same level of technique and execution of skills as him. With Ronaldinho, I had a feeling he could control a ball with any part of his body and make it do whatever he wanted. I don't have that trust and belief in any other player before or after him.
Iniesta and Messi are probably very comparable in styles. Both are very orthodox but have unbelievable mastery of the ball, and ability to change direction. Messi has the added speed and goal scoring ability off course.
What I mean is most skilful kids these days are like a shit spin off of Ronaldinho.. Neymar is an example of a good knock off.. his style is easy to copy but the brilliance he had was on another level.
He is one of the most original footballers I have ever seen but in hindsight he hasn't all that unique because others have come after him who can sort of copy his game.
Rogerio Ceni
Muller?
Giggs?
Giggs?
Muller is a good shout, I'm struggling to think of a player who he reminds me of.
Has to be Ronaldinho surely?
Fellaini or Cahill?
Zlatan surely
Messi in his earlier pomp actually had something very unique about the way he dribbled. I never felt the Maradona comparisons were that useful, personally. Yes, he's incredibly quick, has incredibly quick feet and is technically perfect etc etc, but that's not really what made his dribbling special. It was like he could see what was going to happen before it did, so he could left-right the ball around incoming feet almost before they were incoming. Even more so, he used to ride tackles that did make contact with the ball with ridiculous frequency. Again, it was like he knew where the ball would end up before it was there.
(All this in the past tense because whilst he's probably just as good a player now as he was back then, he doesn't dribble in that peculiar way of his quite as frequently. More often when he dribbles now it's more like what other brilliant dribblers do, pace and technique and quick feet.)
tl;dr: Peter Crouch. Lanky git, terrible header of the ball.
(All this in the past tense because whilst he's probably just as good a player now as he was back then, he doesn't dribble in that peculiar way of his quite as frequently. More often when he dribbles now it's more like what other brilliant dribblers do, pace and technique and quick feet.)
tl;dr: Peter Crouch. Lanky git, terrible header of the ball.
I thought Zidane as a player with powerful physique, height but also phenomenal technical ability, but I guess Zlatan is somewhat comparable. Maybe Pogba also.
Neuer springs to mind. No keeper is even remotely close to some of the outrageous sweeping he does.
Jorge Campos. Started as a striker for his club and played in the first team, the following season he became the clubs No.1 goal keeper. Also player over a 100 games for the Mexican national team.
Müller! The bloke is ridiculous. I know it is a cliché to keep harping on about he's got no pace or special skills but that guy has no right getting the stats he has.
He has great fundamental (Position, awareness etc) skills. Also, He is unbelievably good at finishing.
He didn't become as iconic as he was due to his footballing abilitiesBeckham I'd give a mention in this list as well, especially considering his position he played. He didn't have any real pace or dribbling ability to beat a man, but used what he had to become one of the worlds best & probably the most iconic footballer(s) of his generation.
I suppose he was "that damn good" at kicking a football
I am not arguing against any of that. I mean of course he must be good at something. Still doesn't negate the fact that players with his profile are not usually as productive or on course to becoming undisputed legends at the age of 25!
It could be argued that his football is what made him.
In my lifetime, there has probably not been a player as hated as Beckham was after World Cup 1998. Not in England anyway. His performances on the pitch reversed all that hatred and in turn he became a global icon in his own right.
John Charles.
How many footballers in the history of the game could go up top, score a hat-trick and then drop to centre back and keep a clean sheet and do it on a regular basis?
How many footballers in the history of the game could go up top, score a hat-trick and then drop to centre back and keep a clean sheet and do it on a regular basis?
I get what you mean about Toure. Does things you just don't expect from him consistently(when he can be arsed).
Closest have to be Ibrahimovic and Muller.
Dani Alves? Can't be many right backs that can do what he was doing regularly a few years back. Looked like a winger/forward playing at right back.
Closest have to be Ibrahimovic and Muller.
Dani Alves? Can't be many right backs that can do what he was doing regularly a few years back. Looked like a winger/forward playing at right back.
Wow. Didn't know much about him. Thanks. As unique as it gets.
Apparently never got a yellow or red card despite playing in Italy in the 50s and 60s.
He would be even more unique if he got yellows and reds before 1970.
I think Suarez fits that mould. Not many combine vision, moments of magic, erratic forward play and doggedness quite the way he does (maybe Tevez in earlier years though). Bale's pretty weird too, since he's proven fantastic at striking the ball while having traits that normally make up for actual footbaling talent like a ripping top speed, great height and good lungs.
Rene Higuita.
The two Ronnies. Christiano because of his unique free kick style and the way he has combined many styles all in to one. Fat Ron because I have never seen a player like him before and doubt I ever will again. He had everything you could want in a forward, pace, power, insane shooting ability and skills to die for.
Fred (the old one, not the banned one) simply because he sounds like an old dude down the pub and is probably the most un-Brazilian player I have ever seen play for Brazil.
The two Ronnies. Christiano because of his unique free kick style and the way he has combined many styles all in to one. Fat Ron because I have never seen a player like him before and doubt I ever will again. He had everything you could want in a forward, pace, power, insane shooting ability and skills to die for.
Fred (the old one, not the banned one) simply because he sounds like an old dude down the pub and is probably the most un-Brazilian player I have ever seen play for Brazil.
No worries, if you grow up following football in Wales, John Charles is a name you'll hear constantly.
Another name I would throw in the mix is Ronald Koeman.
Why do so many people in this thread seem to think that unique = versatile?
Laurent Koscielny, Mesut Ozil
Laurent Koscielny, Mesut Ozil
For me Riquelme is kind of a unique player. I can't think of a similar style of playing. The way he holds the ball with his body, the way he steps the ball was quite unique. He is the most elegant player I've ever seen, over Zidane.
Felliani. His chest control is like a video game cheat at times.
Rooney. Can drift inbetween sheer brillances and a pub player
Rooney. Can drift inbetween sheer brillances and a pub player
Müller by a country mile.
That's a fantastic description actually, spot on!
There is no uniqueness in a sport spanning centuries and the entire planet at grassroots levels. Anything you can think of regardless how special or unique can be found multiple times.
Ruud Gullit though. Supernatural.
Ruud Gullit though. Supernatural.