Greatest player you'd seen when you were 12, 18, 25, 35, 50

Donaldo

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What the title says. The greatest you'd seen at those respective ages (whatever is applicable to you). Could be interesting with some of the older lot, and some of the foreign supporters on here.

I'll start.

At 12, I was relatively new to league football, with our part of the world only getting live feeds on occasion. The World cup is the spectacle I remember distinctly in the early and late 90s. I remember watching Luis Ronaldo at Inter and for Brazil and being astounded by his ability. Dennis Bergkamp comes a close second, the Argentina goal and snippets of performances for Arsenal (and the FIFA 99 cover) elevating him to stratospheric levels.

At 18, Thierry Henry takes this by some distance. Lit up the Premier League consistently and made professional footballers look like mugs at will, it seemed. Paolo Maldini would come in second. Superbly elegant defender, didn't give an inch. Ronaldinho ties with him for second as well, what a magician.

At 25, it has to be Lionel Messi. It's hard to believe that a human being can be as talented at anything as Messi is at playing football. My one dream is to watch him live.
 
At 12, I hadn't really watched football. Only really got into football around when I was 13 or 14. I will have to say WC 2006 and Greece 2004 were some of my earliest football memories. I have very fond memories of Zidane lighting it up with France. His masterclass against Brazil had me wonderstruck.

At 18, I will have to say Messi for obvious reasons. The best player in the world by some distance.
 
Did not start watching a lot of football until 2004/2005. Watched Euro 2004, but I only really remember Rooney's goals and then eventual injury. Ronaldinho was probably the best when I first started watching enough football to be subjective, although that was also around the time when that Milan team was at its peak, so Shevchenko was up there. I remember Zidane being relatively poor all year at Madrid and then playing out of his mind at the World Cup in 2006. Nesta was also right up there and one of my favourite players to watch. That was right around the time when the best player in the world discussion didn't simply involve two players

Obviously a few years later it was a toss up between Ronaldo and Messi, although Iniesta was close to reaching that level, but I'll say Messi

12 - Beckham/Rivaldo - can't really say I watched enough football to be qualified here, but seem to remember Rivaldo being very special at his peak
18 - Ronaldinho
25 - Messi
 
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12 - Maradona (WC 86)
18 - abysmal footy coverage in Canada at the time so N/A
25 - Zidane or Roy Keane
40 - Ronaldo or Messi
 
George Best, Zico, Maradona, Luis Ronaldo, C Ronaldo. These are players I have been to games and watched them live as opposed to via tv.
 
12 - Henry
18 - Messi
25 - Messi? (provided he's at similar level in 2019 as he is now)
 
12 Maradona
18 Original Ronaldo
25 Zidane

Though the best player I have seen is messi... Its just a big gap to 25-40 and I'm not quite that old yet... Though its not far away and it will almost certainly be messi
My top ten are:
1Messi
2Maradona
3Original ronaldo
4 plattini
5 unoriginal Ronaldo
6 zidane
7 zico
8 baresi
9 maldini
10 van basten
 
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Favourite players at that precise moment in time:

Steve Coppell, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona, Cristiano Ronaldo (even though the bastard left for Madrid the next day)
 
I started playing and watching football very young but it was the summer I turned 8, in 1994, that I truly fell in love with the game.

That amazing summer began with Giggsy, Hughesy and Eric tearing Chelsea apart in the FA Cup final and only improved when Ray Haughton did this against Italy:

houghton-italy.gif


But the real magic came from Roberto Baggio. Only for a couple of skewed penalties, he'd have won a World Cup seemingly all on his own. He was an absolute genius and I'll admit I cried my eyes out when he missed the penalty at the end. I was the only fecker in my class supporting Italy for the final and the next day was hell at school!

4 years later was the summer of France 98. By that stage I was 12 and totally football obsessed. But with Ireland not involved in France, it was all about the country I was born in - Holland, and the magician that was Dennis Bergkamp.

There are few times in my life, that I remember losing my shit at a goal as much as this one. Probably less than 5 and two of them happened a year later in 1999.

bergkampgoal.gif


Between 12 and 18, you could have kept your Zidane's and your Ronaldo's because it was all about Roy Keane - the best captain there ever was!
The semi-final in Turin, the ties against Holland to qualify for 2002 and even though it all went tits up at Japan and Korea, he was my absolute hero!

article-2310364-0217B6930000044D-737_634x432.jpg


And at 25 it was Cristiano Ronaldo and the football we played between 2007-2009. As great as it's been supporting United, that period was the most excited I've been while watching and he was the main part of that. A wonderful talent and flourished in a system that was made for him and for thrilling, ruthless counter attacking football.



8 - 1994: Roberto Baggio
12 - 1998: Dennis Bergkamp
18 - 2004: Roy Keane
25 - 2011: Cristiano Ronaldo
 
diarm said:
And at 25 it was Cristiano Ronaldo and the football we played between 2007-2009. As great as it's been supporting United, that period was the most excited I've been while watching and he was the main part of that. A wonderful talent and flourished in a system that was made for him and for thrilling, ruthless counter attacking football.



25 - 2011: Cristiano Ronaldo
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One of my favourite United goals. The fact I was going out with an Arsenal fan at the time made it even sweeter.

Counterattacking football at its finest! The sheer pace of Ronaldo was frightening.
 
12 - Cantona, Romario, Stoichkov.
18 - Real Ronaldo, Totti, Scholes, Roy Keane
25 - Ronaldinho, again Scholes, Modrić (was just stepping on the scene but I sensed he'll do great)
 
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12-Maradona(90's) though his performance was not at par with 86 it was always dream to watch him play.
and Romario in 94 world cup.
18 and above-Berkamp,Zidane,L.Ronaldo,Ronaldinho
30 and above Messi and Ronaldo
 
Heardy said:
One of my favourite United goals. The fact I was going out with an Arsenal fan at the time made it even sweeter.

Counterattacking football at its finest! The sheer pace of Ronaldo was frightening.
Click to expand...

Mine too. That one and the one against Bolton the season before always stand out for me.
 
At twelve it had to have been either Zidane or Ronaldo. At eighteen it was Cristiano Ronaldo. I'll be twenty-five later this year and I know for a fact it'll be Messi.
 
12 - Maradona .. just because I heard his name a lot during 94 WC from my cousins
18- Zidane
25- Messi
 
12 - Giggs & then Romario at USA 94
18 - Ronaldo/Zidane
25 - C.Ronaldo
30 - Messi
 
Mali_Zeus said:
12 - Cantona, Romario, Stoichkov.
18 - Real Ronaldo, Totti, Scholes, Roy Keane
25 - Ronaldinho, again Scholes, Modrić (was just stepping on the scene but I sensed he'll do great)
Click to expand...
Just cause you're Croatian ;)?
 
12 Maradona
18 Romario
25 Zidane ..and Kahn ;)
30 Ronaldinho
30's Messi
 
12. Cantona
18. Ronaldo (Brasil)
25. Ronaldo (Brasil)

Currently 29, and am finally accepting that I no longer think Ronaldo was the best player ever anymore - that will be Lionel Messi.
 
Too young to do most of them so mines is a bit different.

8 - Ronaldo
12 - Ronaldinho
14 - Cristiano Ronaldo
18 - Lionel Messi
21 - Lionel Messi
 
12: Ronaldo
18: Ronaldinho
25: Ronaldo

I don't venture away from that one name.
 
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