Who is the most unique footballer?

Felliani. His chest control is like a video game cheat at times.

Rooney. Can drift inbetween sheer brillances and a pub player

Fellaini's not a bad shout actually. While there are plenty of lumbering players who remind you of him, there are very few who are exactly similar in that Fellaini's someone who was once an imposing defensive mid, yet has ended up as more of an attacking midfielder/striker type player. His style is also just really, really weird in general, and that memorable afro kind of adds to his uniqueness.

Rooney's not too bad either, but there are actually a lot of aspects of his game which remind me of Gerrard. Both players who were quite physical, had a lot of pace, power and drive going forward in their prime, could often drive their team on, but both had the ability to look like pub players when playing poorly. Whereas we often debated whether Rooney was most adept as a second striker or centre forward, Gerrard often seemed to drift between a second striker/attacking mid and central midfielder. Both even had spells of their career where they played out wide and were able to put in a shift, even if it was universally recognised as not being their best position. Could even go further and argue that both players' best club seasons came in years when their club was narrowly unsuccessfully and came 2nd (09/10 and 11/12 for Rooney, and 08/09 for Gerrard). Both players also ended up as captains for their respective clubs. Gerrard hit a time in his career where he had noticeably declined and was beginning to hinder the team, while Rooney has arguably seen a similar fate this season. Both players were also rumoured to have wanted to exit their respective clubs at one point, before remaining and contributing afterwards. Ended up with more than I expected there...
 
It's got to be Der Kaiser.

He had ball control class I've never seen from another defender and he was perfectly at home on every blade of grass on the pitch. He was a fantastic leader as well who never disgraced himself, at least not to my knowledge, with a single dive or undue dissent or bad behavior of any kind. A brilliant defender who could have easily been a brilliant midfielder and if he wanted to, probably a pretty decent winger or center forward.

You could name a half dozen greater footballers than Beckenbauer but apart from freaks like Fellaini or Delap who are "unique" in some oddball way Franz was the most unique of the greatest footballers we've ever seen.
 
I'd go with Zlatan. Has there ever been such a big imposing player with such agility and technique?

Either him or Garrincha, who truly was unique as one leg was shorter than the other!
 
Depay. Never seen a professional footballer who hasn't managed to master the art of running yet.
 
Ozil is unique in terms of his playing style.

There have been loads of players in Ozil style. Not necessarily at his quality, but I don't think a playmaker is unique.

Fellaini, Dani Alves(at Sevilla) are examples of unique players.
 
By far the best shout here is Thomas Muller. He is the best player in the World who does not have a natural position. He does not have the qualities you would look for in a striker, #10 or winger but, he is extremely effective at all of those positions.
 
I am not quite sure what the OP means by Unique. My first guess was the physical appearance or probably his playing style. So I couldn't decide who the most unique player was. My knowledge of football is pretty limited, so I might know about the playing styles of all the great players, but this my take on the my Unique XI

GK: Neur (redefined the sweeper keeper role)
Def: RB: Glen Johnson (Not quite sure why, but something about him doesnt sit right!)
CB: Phil Jones (Everyone knows this one)
CB: David Luiz (See Phil Jones)
LB: Cameron Borthwick-Jackson (Probably his running style)
Mid: CM: Fellaini (The most oddest looking footballer that I know of)
CM: Stevie Me (Such a daft footballer. Looks weird too)
RAM: Shaqiri (Real Life Spongebob SquarePants)
CAM: Özil (Probably those Owl eyes)
LAM: Ronaldinho (The teeth.. and Oh he's somewhat talented I heard)
Att: Carloz Tevez (Just looks like he came from a zombie movie, and a bulldog of a player)
 
There have been loads of players in Ozil style. Not necessarily at his quality, but I don't think a playmaker is unique.

Fellaini, Dani Alves(at Sevilla) are examples of unique players.

I mean his playing style, languid and elegant. The way he moves across the field. Even Mourinho said there isn't even a bad copy of Ozil.

Fellaini is a big lump and you can look at every team in the championship to find others like him.

Alves is a great pick.
 
The shadowstriking Raumdeuter The shadowstriker was already unique. An intelligent striker that worked deep out of the midfield, helped out in defence but as soon as the team went into attack he was an additional no. 10 or second striker. Di Stefano originally probably was the first one - Just Fontaine had an interview around the World Cup in which he explained his playing style that way without naming it like this. The first one named was called that name was Litmanen - but he was working more as a ten. The second, the Raumdeuter is more a winger and second striker with a real special understanding of spaces in which he moves very intelligently.
 
Gervinho. One game he plays like Messi and the next 10 he plays like a donkey on crack. I have never seen a player that could impress and disappoint, within the span of just two games, as much as he does.
 
The shadowstriking Raumdeuter The shadowstriker was already unique. An intelligent striker that worked deep out of the midfield, helped out in defence but as soon as the team went into attack he was an additional no. 10 or second striker. Di Stefano originally probably was the first one - Just Fontaine had an interview around the World Cup in which he explained his playing style that way without naming it like this. The first one named was called that name was Litmanen - but he was working more as a ten. The second, the Raumdeuter is more a winger and second striker with a real special understanding of spaces in which he moves very intelligently.

That doesn't make them unique does it ? That just makes them a pioneer in their art.

Gervinho. One game he plays like Messi and the next 10 he plays like a donkey on crack. I have never seen a player that could impress and disappoint, within the span of just two games, as much as he does.

Ahem.. a certain Nani would disagree.

Edit: Ricardo Quaresma- "I second that"
 
Why do so many people in this thread seem to think that unique = versatile?

Laurent Koscielny, Mesut Ozil

It's a bit dull how all arsenal fans think their players are unique when really they aren't unique at all.

Coutinho, Henderson.


Is that how it works?
 
There have been loads of players in Ozil style. Not necessarily at his quality, but I don't think a playmaker is unique.

Fellaini, Dani Alves(at Sevilla) are examples of unique players.

Dani Alves at Sevilla was a force of nature. I've never seen a team attack so focused around a full back. Barcelona utilized his abilities with devastating effect.
 
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.

Decent shout. I remember thinking he played like Xabi Alonso, just with the technique and composure to do it 20 yards higher up the pitch. The weight of his passing is the best I've ever seen.

Also a bit unique in that he needed two water carries behind him and two strikers in front of him to really excel. And was actually afforded this luxury.
 
The one and only..

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all on the pitch
Legend
 
It's a bit dull how all arsenal fans think their players are unique when really they aren't unique at all.

Coutinho, Henderson.


Is that how it works?
We're special, damnit!

I can't think of seeing anyone who plays like Ozil though, with the same strengths, flaws, style. You? Koscielny was just fishing for a reaction.
 
jonathan walters. gets into the stoke side, solely for his penalty expertise, despite having a fairly run of the mill record from the spot.
 
We're special, damnit!

I can't think of seeing anyone who plays like Ozil though, with the same strengths, flaws, style. You? Koscielny was just fishing for a reaction.

David Silva?
 
Dani Alves at Sevilla was a force of nature. I've never seen a team attack so focused around a full back. Barcelona utilized his abilities with devastating effect.

He used to dominate matches whilst playing right back. Ridiculous!
 
Pirlo or Ronaldinho for me. Honourable mention to Berbatov for making laziness work at the very highest level.
 
What's the name of that fella who signed for Chelsea and hardly every played. Just sat there, collecting wages?

Is it Bogarde I'm thinking of? :lol: Fecking stealing a living we can hardly dream of.
 
Ahem.. a certain Nani would disagree.

That isn't true. Nani after a run of games was as good in terms of output as most players, he did have inconsistency within the same game though
 
Brehme's style was quite unique and he was pretty unpredictable, which as a full-back was saying quite something. He could quite simply do it all, he could own either flank single-handedly, as two-footed as they come (could take free-kicks and penalties with either foot), was likely to either unleash one by cutting inside or playing a sumptuous cross on the outside, capable of significantly influencing play from the back with his excellent build-up play. Great defender to boot as well.

He's one of 5 full backs ever, to finish in a Ballon d'Or top 3 and he also won the Serie A POTY, in a ridiculously strong league featuring the likes of Maldini, Baresi, Gullit, Matthäus, Rijkaard, and Van Basten, as a LB for Christ sake!



The ridiculous bugger had it all. Can hardly think of such an well rounded threat at LB and someone who was such an imposing and versatile threat to opponents.

His match winning exploits at the WC as a FB were legendary to say the least. Scoring in the 86 semis against France and leading the failed comeback in the final against Argentina, with 2 of his corners resulting in goals. Repeated the feat in 1990 by scoring in the semis against England and topping it off with the WC winning goal in the final. Epic stuff.
 
That isn't true. Nani after a run of games was as good in terms of output as most players, he did have inconsistency within the same game though
That output probably lasted 1-2 seasons. Rest of the time, he was frustrating and brilliant in equal measure. I don't think that makes him unique anyways. I just argued that if gervinho can be considered unique by the poster I quoted, then Nani is no exception either.