Who is the most unique footballer?

BobbyManc

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It's often said about Yaya Toure that's he a footballer hard to compare to anyone else in terms of the way he plays as well as the combination of abilities he has. It got me wondering who is, past or present, the most unique footballer in how they play? I'm not talking just about the best talent, so not Messi or whoever you deem to be have been the best (but you could argue he is the most unique for other reasons), I'm thinking of players along the lines of Gullit, di Stefano, Ibrahimovic, Berbatov, etc...

Who would you say it is and for what reasons? Focus primarily in terms of what they did on the pitch and not off it.
 
Ronaldinho.

Best player I've ever seen in my lifetime. fecker was outrageous in every department. The only reason I've ever looked forward to Spanish football and religiously watched it. Won everything for club, country and individual awards in such a short space of time and then, decided to sack it all off and party :D
 
Neuer in with a shout? He has an unorthodox style.
 
The one and only..

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all on the pitch
 
Shaqiri is the least footballer-like footballer I've seen. He looks like a barrel with two stumps coming out of it.
 
I don't quite understand the definition of unique you have alluded to based on your examples, Bobby Manc. Not being funny, genuinely not sure what unique means in this context

For me I was thinking of players who either have a role in a team that is unconventional and only have that role because of their way of playing the game (for example, I'd have said Ronaldo in 2007-08 when he was nominally a wide player who became the primary goal scorer), or a player who excels in his position despite not seeming to be the best physical specimen for it (in my Utd bias I would nominate Scholes who was a 5ft7 asthmatic who became one of the top midfielders in English football).

But I feel like I'm misunderstanding the unique aspect of it
 
Peter Crouch because he's got a good touch for a big man.

Chilavert maybe?

Roy Keane should have a determination rating of 26379 on Football Manager.
 
Fellaini?

Slow and can't pass but regularly gets played in areas of the pitch where good passers operate.
 
Fellaini. In the role he played last season, I've never seen anyone do that. A player who played the role of a striker/target man and centre midfielder. He did it very well too.
 
Walters_19_MuFc said:
Fellaini. In the role he played last season, I've never seen anyone do that. A player who played the role of a striker/target man and centre midfielder. He did it very well too.
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Tim Cahill? Was a fairly bog standard midfielder though

Interesting that Moyesy signed them both
 
Gazza said:
Tim Cahill? Was a fairly bog standard midfielder though

Interesting that Moyesy signed them both
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Hmm, fairly close, I guess, but he played behind the forward. Fellaini, last season, played in a midfield three, with Herrera and Carrick and did a lot of good defensive work.
 
Gazza said:
I don't quite understand the definition of unique you have alluded to based on your examples, Bobby Manc. Not being funny, genuinely not sure what unique means in this context

For me I was thinking of players who either have a role in a team that is unconventional and only have that role because of their way of playing the game (for example, I'd have said Ronaldo in 2007-08 when he was nominally a wide player who became the primary goal scorer), or a player who excels in his position despite not seeming to be the best physical specimen for it (in my Utd bias I would nominate Scholes who was a 5ft7 asthmatic who became one of the top midfielders in English football).

But I feel like I'm misunderstanding the unique aspect of it
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Nope your examples are fine. That's why I didn't try and define it as I was hoping to see a number of different responses as I have done and I wanted to see what people viewed as unique. My examples were to demonstrate what could be perceived as unique so the all-round capability of someone like Gullit or the incredibly laid-back style of someone like Berbatov.
 
Walters_19_MuFc said:
Hmm, fairly close, I guess, but he played behind the forward. Fellaini, last season, played in a midfield three, with Herrera and Carrick and did a lot of good defensive work.
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I'm sure he played as the main striker plenty of times for Everton but perhaps you're right

BobbyManc said:
Nope your examples are fine. That's why I didn't try and define it as I was hoping to see a number of different responses as I have done and I wanted to see what people viewed as unique. My examples were to demonstrate what could be perceived as unique so the all-round capability of someone like Gullit or the incredibly laid-back style of someone like Berbatov.
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Ah I get you. Never saw enough of Gullit before he signed for Chelsea, will need to educate myself there

Berbatov and Ronaldinho to me are the best examples so far then
 



Cruyff over Berbatov or other 'elegant' phonies.
 
Berbatov is unique.

Evra is also decent example I think.

But Ronaldinho wins it surely.
 
@Damien

:lol: FFS. We need more E)boue in this thread! Come on lad!

On topic, I'd say James Milner is unique in the sense that he could probably give you a solid 6 to 7 out of 10 in every position on the field, but he's never really quite good enough to hold down any of those positions (in top teams). Definition of a squad player. A very good one, IMO.
 
Rado_N said:
:mad: there are no degrees of unique, something either is or isn't.
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:lol: I thought of you and your post in the "Little things that annoy you" thread as soon as I saw this thread
 
Ish said:
@Damien

:lol: FFS. We need more E)boue in this thread! Come on lad!

On topic, I'd say James Milner is unique in the sense that he could probably give you a solid 6 to 7 out of 10 in every position on the field, but he's never really quite good enough to hold down any of those positions (in top teams). Definition of a squad player. A very good one, IMO.
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I was actually gonna mention Gareth Barry, who is kinda like Milner in that he's fairly inconspicuous at times but going back to his early days at Villa when he played left back and left midfield he has had quite the career in the Premier League
 
First thoughts were Ibrahimovic and Crouch.

Zlatan is extremely agile and technically proficient for a man with his size and strength. I've never seen anyone like him take it to his level before.

Crouch has great body control to begin with, then you consider that he has five foot broom handles for legs and it just boggles the mind.
 
Gazza said:
I was actually gonna mention Gareth Barry, who is kinda like Milner in that he's fairly inconspicuous at times but going back to his early days at Villa when he played left back and left midfield he has had quite the career in the Premier League
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Yeah, after I typed that I started thinking about all "jack of all trade footballers" - & Barry popped into my head as well :lol:

Thoug Barry was, once upon a time, so sought after, someone tried to replace a (soon to enter prime) Xabi Alonso with him! :lol:
 
Beckham 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 :drool:
 
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