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

12 - Ronaldo
18 - Messi
25 - in a couple of years time it will probably still be Messi.
 
Would say Maradona on all of 12, 18 and 25. But that wouldn't be as fun would it? So:

12: Maradona. Though that was 1992 and I still had memories of Schillacci from WC90. Think I'd said M. Laudrup here, had he not boycotted the national team and played at the EC92.
18: M. Laudrup
25: Cristiano. His debut was still fresh in my mind and how I felt like I'd fallen in love with a girl
35: Don't know. Cristiano and Messi have been on top for so long now that it feels like the norm. I would like to say De Gea
 
This is a good one. Bearing in mind we didn't get so much football shown back then:

12 - Dalglish (wish I saw/remembered more of Zico)
14 - Maradona
18 - Maradona
21 - Romario
26 - Zidane
40+ - Messi
 
12 - R. Baggio

18 - Zidane

25 - Messi
 
12 - Zidane/Big Ronaldo
18 - Ronaldinho
25 - Messi
 
12 - Ronaldo
18 - Ronaldihno
25 - Messi
40 - Not there yet :p
 
12 Maradona
18 Romario
25 Zidane
30 Ronaldinho
40 Likely to be Messi still
 
12 (2004) - Ronaldinho. Honourable mentions to Zinadine Zidane, Alessandro Nesta, Paolo Maldini, Thierry Henry, Ruud van Nistlerooy, Gianluigi Buffon, Oliver Kahn, Roy Keane, and Paul Scholes.

18 (2010) - Cristiano Ronaldo. Honourable mentions to Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, David Silva, David Villa, Xavi, Fernando Torres, Rio Ferdinand, Edwin van der Sar, Petr Cech, Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben.

Extras because I'm only 22:

8 (2000) - David Beckham. Honourable mentions to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Dwight Yorke, Ryan Giggs, Peter Schmeichel, Luis Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Rivaldo and Luis Figo.

15 (2007) - Lionel Messi. Honourable mentions to Fabio Cannavaro, Samuel Eto'o, Kaka, Michael Ballack, Deco, Michael Essien, Wayne Rooney, Ashley Cole, Ricardo Carvalho, Franck Ribery, Didier Drogba and Iker Casillas.

21 (2013) - Cristiano Ronaldo. Honourable mentions to Arturo Vidal, David de Gea, Juan Mata, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Manuel Neuer, Philip Lahm, Robin van Persie, Mesut Ozil, Vincent Kompany, Yaya Toure, Sergio Aguero, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Angel di Maria.
 
12 - Luis Ronaldo
18 - Ronaldinho
25 - Messi
 
12 - Ronaldinho
18 - C. Ronaldo/Messi
25 - May 2017 for me, will still be Messi but Neymar should be starting to reach his peak unless he goes the way of some other Brazilians.
 
12 - Maradona
18 - Cantona
25 - Ronaldinho
30's - Messi/C.Ronaldo
 
If I understand the premise correctly, it would be the same guy, so not much point in detailing it.

The three greatest players I've experienced personally during my lifetime would probably be Maradona, Fat Ron and Messi.
 
As I can only do two I'm just going to add a a few players and seasons:

2000-2004: Ronaldo / Henrik Larsson / Figo / Zidane / Henry / Beckham / Raul / Ruud van Nistelrooy
2006-2010: Kaka / Ronaldo / Rooney / Cech / van der Sar / Vidic
2011-2015: Messi / Iniesta / Xavi / Robben / Bale / Neymar / Lewandowski / Van Persie
 
8 - Pelé (1970) First player I remember. Speed, control, vision, physique. He was unique, the Usain Bolt of football. From that moment I was in love with this game and Brazil was my second favorite team.

12 - Johann Cruyff (1974) Intellegent and visionary. Didn't have the physique but his vision made him special.

19 - Brazil 1992 - they made playing football in to and art. If I'm going to die and only have time to see one final game before its over then it's going to be Brazil - Italy 1992. Zico, Socrates, Eder, Falcao (the original), Junior. Bring tears in my eyes.

24 - Diego Armando Maradona (1986) He had more or less everything you find in Messi, but on top of that he had an aura like Michael Jordan and leader skills like Roy Keane. A true General who took his teams to another level and delivered with or without world class team mates. (This is why Armando is so much more then Messi)

39 - Ronaldo, Zidane and Ronaldinho (1996-2006) They all made me smile. Fantastic players.

50 - Xavi and Schweinsteiger (2008-2014) Xavi is probably the only world class player who in his prime never had a bad game. Extremely underrated. Basti is not the best but the way he carry himself, a true warrior, is for me the ultimate professional. Both are two role models that I admire very very much.
 
zing said:
:lol:

This thread is a convoluted way of asking the age.
Click to expand...
Also a nice way of seeing how tastes change(if they did) across a longer time span, but apparently the teenagers outnumber the older lot on here now...
 
12 : Cantona
18 : Zidane
25 : Zidane/Ronaldinho (i'm stubborn, i still prefer them to Messi as stupid as it is)
 
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12: Marco van Basten (1985)
18: A young Dennis Bergkamp
25: .....wanted to see if Cantona was 1997 and then I found Cantona highlights form 1998 but decided to look for Scholes highlights and suddenly I am watching the overtime victory against Bayern Munchen ¨Is this their moment?, ¨Into Sheringham¨, ¨AAAAND SOLKSJAER HAS WON IT¨ so basically i completely forgot what I was doing..
 
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