Best first touches you've seen

Aside from the usual magic touches by the likes of Bergkamp, Zidane, Ronaldinho, et al., this one from Aimar left an impression on me way back.


Also these from Ozil deserve a mention (the audible gasps and subsequent silence from the Liverpool fans in the first clip makes the clip that much better):



 
Pow said:
Matas first touch is excellent.
Though this is one of my favourites from zizou
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It's not too difficult to just stop the ball on a sixpence from a long pass, but to actually catch it on the turn and guide it past the defender like that. I don't think i'll ever see better than that. You can even see it on the defender's face.


Bergkamp was brilliant at it too, and Ronaldino had a knack of taking it just an inch away from the defenders toes.
 
That Cruyff-clip is just really, really bad defending, lust like every other video from the 50's, 60's and 70's. It's not a magical touch because he passes the ball to himself with 40 yards of empty space behind the defender, just extremely bad ball-watching. A bit like all the clips from Pele's days... endless examples of defenders looking like postmen, carpenters and everything else but professional footballers.
 
EvilChuck said:
Theres another Berba one when he was with us, it was at half time or full time when the whistle had gone and the ball was whacked in the air and he stopped it dead in the centre circle
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Yes, yes, yes. It was against AC Milan at full
Time of a Champions League game. Have also never found it but remember it.
 
GeorgieBoy said:
Literally just came here to post it. Best quality I could find. The way he just took it out the air and dropped it dead...
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Was about to post that. Best touch I've ever seen.
 
Dennis Bergkamp. Dennis Bergkamp! DENNIS BERGKAMP! DENNIS BERGKAMP!!! DENNIS BERGKAMP!!!!! OOOAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!
 
Berbatov does it over and over again. He probably has a first touch as good as anyone.
 
Marcelo vs Bayern control

Also Zidane vs Portugal Euro 2000 that is the best move I have seen in football. Chest in the air and turn around
 
James Peril said:
That Cruyff-clip is just really, really bad defending, lust like every other video from the 50's, 60's and 70's. It's not a magical touch because he passes the ball to himself with 40 yards of empty space behind the defender, just extremely bad ball-watching. A bit like all the clips from Pele's days... endless examples of defenders looking like postmen, carpenters and everything else but professional footballers.
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I was fortunate enough to be able to watch an older Cruyff as a kid in the Eighties for a couple of years, and he is still the best player I have ever seen except Messi. Although they can't really be compared. The thing is, the videos don't tell the whole story. In earlier days, not all games were recorded, in fact it was a small minority at first. And of the recordings, much was lost. When you see highlights of Pele and Cruyff, you see the same couple of games over and over again. The best stuff was lost. And with Cruyff his most unique quality isn't even visible at all in those clips. He was the conductor of the team. Imagine a player who is real smart concerning time, space, the ball and players moving in it, and their role in it, like Zidane, Aimar, Xavi, Frenkie. Who always find the space. Who always play the team mate in the move on their favorite foot. Who see the attacking move Etc. etc. Then imagine one who sees it for the whole team, with the authority to make it happen. I've never seen that quality ever again. It's what Messi is not, he's not an operator but needs an operating team to make his star shine.
 
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Gate99 said:
I was fortunate enough to be able to watch an older Cruyff as a kid in the Eighties for a couple of years, and he is still the best player I have ever seen except Messi. Although they can't really be compared. The thing is, the videos don't tell the whole story. In earlier days, not all games were recorded, in fact it was a small minority at first. And of the recordings, much was lost. When you see highlights of Pele and Cruyff, you see the same couple of games over and over again. The best stuff was lost. And with Cruyff his most unique quality isn't even visible at all in those clips. He was the conductor of the team. Imagine a player who is real smart concerning time, space, the ball and players moving in it, and their role in it, like Zidane, Aimar, Xavi, Frenkie. Who always find the space. Who always play the team mate in the move on their favorite foot. Who see the attacking move Etc. etc. Then imagine one who sees it for the whole team, with the authority to make it happen. I've never seen that quality ever again. It's what Messi is not, he's not an operator but needs an operating team to make his star shine.
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The Frenkie hype is real! Zidane, Xavi and..... Frenkie!
 
Ajax/Dutch fans going poetically overboard when talking about Cruyff is amazing every time. For every bit as good as he was (top 10 all time for sure), it always turns into an elaborate description of a superhuman with the highest IQ in history and telepathic powers :lol:

Not even brazilians are like that with Pele.
 
I can't judge Pele because I haven't seen him play, only seen some clips. Have you seen Cruyff? Maybe you should ask some Feyenoord fans, how he elevated the pawns like André Hoekstra.
 
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FootyGirl88 said:
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this is the one i was referring to in my compilation of his touches ;). the little hand on the defender's face makes it look so much extra disrespectful

cheeky_backheel said:
Think the ball coming over the shoulder control is the most difficult
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That reminds me of one of my favourites actually! (might not go down too well on here though)



over the shoulder shoulder touch
 
Gate99 said:
I can't judge Pele because I haven't seen him play, only seen some clips. Have you seen Cruyff? Maybe you should ask some Feyenoord fans, how he elevated the pawns like André Hoekstra.
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I'm aware, he deserves every bit of praise he gets. I wasn't really arguing against it, just enjoy reading the romanticized way in which a lot of people put it :D
 
Peyroteo said:
Ajax/Dutch fans going poetically overboard when talking about Cruyff is amazing every time. For every bit as good as he was (top 10 all time for sure), it always turns into an elaborate description of a superhuman with the highest IQ in history and telepathic powers :lol:

Not even brazilians are like that with Pele.
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I think it's different tbh. Cruijff has something ethereal because of his mind, which exhibited itself on the pitch but also off it. Because of this he basically transcends football to most Dutchmen (hence him being voted greatest Dutch person of all time), depsite having to give way to Pelé, Messi, and probably Maradona in football itself.

I think it would also be impossible to understand that aspect of it if you can't speak Dutch because a lot of the magic is lost when it's translated.

That said, I've always felt that particular goal was overrated. It is iconic because of the fact that he was doing his shinpads and so has that dangling ribbon more than anything imo. obviously a great goal nonetheless, but not one that I would rave about for decades. the other guy is right though that we simply don't have enough footage of any of the players pre-90s to make it a fair comparison. For Cruijff you mainly have the 74 world cup, his Europa Cup (semi) finals with Ajax, and then a scattering of European matches with Barca, Ajax, and some games from when he returned to the Eredivisie in his mid thirties
 
Not the best ever but this stunned me at the time



Then he did it again in training

 
Ajaxsuarez said:
I think it's different tbh. Cruijff has something ethereal because of his mind, which exhibited itself on the pitch but also off it. Because of this he basically transcends football to most Dutchmen (hence him being voted greatest Dutch person of all time), depsite having to give way to Pelé, Messi, and probably Maradona in football itself.

I think it would also be impossible to understand that aspect of it if you can't speak Dutch because a lot of the magic is lost when it's translated.

That said, I've always felt that particular goal was overrated. It is iconic because of the fact that he was doing his shinpads and so has that dangling ribbon more than anything imo. obviously a great goal nonetheless, but not one that I would rave about for decades. the other guy is right though that we simply don't have enough footage of any of the players pre-90s to make it a fair comparison. For Cruijff you mainly have the 74 World Cup, his Europa Cup (semi) finals with Ajax, and then a scattering of European matches with Barca, Ajax, and some games from when he returned to the Eredivisie in his mid thirties
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That's the best thing that could happen to him though, his reputation as a player then builds itself from the nostalgia and romanticism of what he's portraid as and what he did for the sport outside of the pitch regardless of how effective he was in it throughout the years. Which he undoubtedly was and he's worthy of any kind of praise, don't get me wrong. Not criticizing him as player, it's the way he's talked about which is absurd. This isn't just Cruyff related, similar players get the same treatment but Cruyff is probably the epitome of it. This is way off topic so let's leave it at that :lol: I'll post a few to get us back on track.







 
This thread :drool::drool:









 
just skip first 10 seconds


Insane touch, insane pass.
 
11101 said:
It's not too difficult to just stop the ball on a sixpence from a long pass, but to actually catch it on the turn and guide it past the defender like that. I don't think i'll ever see better than that. You can even see it on the defender's face.


Bergkamp was brilliant at it too, and Ronaldino had a knack of taking it just an inch away from the defenders toes.
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Its just the incredible awareness on the pitch so elegant too.
Must say the first touch here is immense
 
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