Our should be completed soon, just waiting for The Stain to review it once and it will be sent to @Marty1968 . Please start the game tomorrow morning at the earliest. Thanks.
La Liga/Serie A/Bundesliga Draft
- Thread starter Marty1968
- Start date
Sent mine.
Ok no problem
Defence:
Solid Aldo Raine tasch
At right-back we have Jocelyn Angloma. A very fast, strong player with endless stamina, equally adept in attack and defence. He arrived in Valencia at 32 years old but that didn't stop him from proving to be an integral part of that exciting team which finished runner-up twice in the CL.
Voted best ever right-back by the Valencia supporters. During his five years at the club he picked up a La Liga title and a domestic cup title.
Linke sporting the Aldo Raine look
He contributed with solid yet unspectacular performances which is what you'd expect from a player of his style. Adding steel to a great Bayern defence; Linke won the Bundesliga five times, seven domestic cup titles and the CL once. Also, started in that glorious defeat to Utd in '99.
An all-round central defender proficient technically as well as physically imposing, he possessed an unrivalled combative spirit.
Paolo Montero said:
The hard-man had a solid Serie A career; spending four years at Atalanta before moving to Juventus where he won the league four times. The poor bastard didn't get to pick up the CL trophy, finishing runner-up three times.
Capable of running the whole left side by himself, he loved going on attacking runs where he'd showcase his technical abilities, linking up with the other attackers. Inducted in to Roma's Hall of Fame in 2014. The man was absolutely adored by the supporters.
Francesco Totti said:
Muchly recommended watch:
He's so far won three league titles, two domestic cups and two CL titles with Barca. Named Barcelona Player of the Year 13/14.
Midfield/Attack:
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Playing on the right side of central midfield is wizard; Gaizka Mendieta. Known for his excellent ball control, vision and range of passing, he was very calm and would always find the right solution. As well as having a big engine, this made up for not being the fastest player. He was also a specialist penalty and free-kick taker.
He was the heartbeat of that joyful Valencia side that surprised Europe by reaching two CL finals. During his time at Los Che, he won the Copa del Rey once but left for Lazio before the season where Valencia won the league.
Awarded Best Midfielder in Europe two consecutive years 99/00-00/01.
On the left side of central midfield we have the pitbull; Edgar Davids. A power-house of a midfielder. Known for his energetic, aggressive, man-marking style, he (was) possessed good technique and creativity.
He picked up three league titles during his time at Juventus and later won the domestic cup with Inter.
On the right-wing we have master dribbler; Pierre Littbarski. Equally capable of playing on the left or through the middle, he is one of the best dribblers in history! Amazing close control, speed and agility.
He stayed true to Köln for the majority of his career, hence not picking up any BuLi titles. Köln finished second on three occasions. He picked up one DFB-pokal.
On the other wing we find this arrogant twat; Thierry Henry. He obviously spent the peak of his career at Arsenal but that didn't stop Barcelona from seizing the opportunity to sign this great player.
He linked up with Eto'o and Messi to form arguably the greatest attacking front trio there had ever been. During his first two seasons at Barcelona he had a goal or an assist in every league game (transfermarkt). Lethal.
He won La Liga twice, Copa del Rey once and the CL once with the club.
Rounding it all off up front is clinical striker; Roy Makaay. He was known for his goal-scoring ability as a result of his aerial prowess and quick drives to the net where he could put the ball away with either foot.
Nicknamed "Das Phantom" (the phantom), for his ability to score out of nowhere, as well as "Tor Maschine" (goal machine), for his consistent ability to find the back of the net.
He won two BuLi titles and the DBF-pokal twice with Bayern.
He was the heartbeat of that joyful Valencia side that surprised Europe by reaching two CL finals. During his time at Los Che, he won the Copa del Rey once but left for Lazio before the season where Valencia won the league.
Awarded Best Midfielder in Europe two consecutive years 99/00-00/01.
He picked up three league titles during his time at Juventus and later won the domestic cup with Inter.
A short reminder of how good he was:
He stayed true to Köln for the majority of his career, hence not picking up any BuLi titles. Köln finished second on three occasions. He picked up one DFB-pokal.
Check him out, flippin' brilliant:
He linked up with Eto'o and Messi to form arguably the greatest attacking front trio there had ever been. During his first two seasons at Barcelona he had a goal or an assist in every league game (transfermarkt). Lethal.
He won La Liga twice, Copa del Rey once and the CL once with the club.
Nicknamed "Das Phantom" (the phantom), for his ability to score out of nowhere, as well as "Tor Maschine" (goal machine), for his consistent ability to find the back of the net.
He won two BuLi titles and the DBF-pokal twice with Bayern.
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Won't be able to send the write up before another 6-7 hours. @Šjor Bepo r
Ok guys, sorry for not getting the other games up yesterday and thanks to those who helped out.
Have had quite a few write-ups from various people so will get the games set up for today as soon as I can.
Have had quite a few write-ups from various people so will get the games set up for today as soon as I can.
No prob.
Also, kudos to all y'all out there taking the effort with the write-ups/profiles. It's a bit of a hassle but very interesting to read and i'm sure i'm talking for everyone of us here, as well as the scanners.
we moved our game to wednesday as there is a lot of games today and nobody plays tomorrow so no rush mate.
Any chance we can have the game today @RedTiger ? @Marty1968 .
Was scheduled for yesterday but it didn't commence due to RedTiger being busy. Fairly occupied tomorrow and would prefer it starting today if possible, although there are two matches going on already.
Was scheduled for yesterday but it didn't commence due to RedTiger being busy. Fairly occupied tomorrow and would prefer it starting today if possible, although there are two matches going on already.
Yeah I've just received Red Tiger's lineup just need his tactics and we can get started. Will set it all up now and hopefully will get that sent through in a moment....
AN ODE TO A FORGOTTEN HERO – DIETER EILTS
The former Werder player Dieter Eilts was amongst the best footballers of his time, but is often forgotten among the other stars from the 90s.
Dieter Eilts is an icon in Bremen these days. After 390 Bundesliga matches, two German championships, three DFB Pokal wins and one win in the European Cup-winners Cup Eilts decided to call it a day in 2002 at the age of 37, looking back on a career at Werder which lasted for 18 years. The sheer numbers suggest that Eilts was at least a very capable player, but that wasn’t the case: Eilts was simply magnificent!
Rehhagel’s model pupil
A 21-year-old Dieter Eilts arrived at Werder’s reserves in 1984. It took the defensive midfielder a couple of years to get into first team contention. Eilts was never a player who displayed any great technical skills, but a defensive midfielder who put in one solid shift after another, running, tackling, and winning back the ball for his team. Eilts sober and uncomplicated playing style meant that he often times went under the radar when his team was doing well.
Werder Coach Otto Rehhagel’s knack of playing a good mixture of youngsters and more experienced players meant that Eilts was given his chance in the end. The native of East Frisia had a breakthrough season in 1989/90, when he managed to get on the team sheet in 31 Bundesliga matches.
That year Werder managed to pull off a sensational 3-2 away win against Napoli in European Cup-winners Cup that, and König Otto and his team needed to defend their lead to go through to the next round when facing the Italians at the Weserstadion. Both the German and Italian media were convinced that Napoli’s dire form at home had been a slip up, and that Werder should be eliminated from the tournament.
Maradona and Alemao were both international superstars at the time, however, Rehhagel thought that he had the perfect player at hand to tame the Italians and their superstars in the return leg.
The green and whites went onto win a sensational 5-1 win, with Eilts getting on score sheet with a long-range effort.
Eilts from there on out was known by the nickname that Rehhagel had given him, beside his other nickname which was ”Iron Dieter”.
Time to shine – EURO 1996
Eilts was an integral part in the German national team’s last championship winning side before 2014 crop. The Werder holding midfielder manage to shine throughout the entire tournament, putting in one effective shift after the other. His strong performances during the tournament prompted the German press to refer to the East-Frisian as ”Lord Eilts”, also due to the fact that Eilts could solve defensive problems in a rather elegant manner.
Even Dutch legend Ruud Gullit was impressed by the Werder legend’s performance, telling the BBC:
Mehmet Scholl shared Gullit’s enthusiasm for Eilts, stating in an interview with Spiegel that Eilts ”… was simply the greatest player”.
Franz Beckenbauer went even further when he wrote in the Bild Zeitung:
Eilts himself wasn’t too concerned about the praise he received, stating later on that he was ”… simply doing my job, like the rest of the team.”
lts was amongst the leading figures at Werder and in the later underperforming years his gusto did not suffer.
Former Werder left back Victor Skripnik, also known as the Ukrainian Beckham, remembers Eilts well from his days at Werder. The defender had just arrived at the club when he noticed how committed Eilts was, even during the training sessions.
A archetypical 90s defensive midfielder, Dieter Eilts was a master of the water carrier role. Slotting in defense seamlessly when required and able to keep the game ticking with his tidy passing. The Werder Bremen legend East-Frisian Alemao called it a day after the 2001/02 season.
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Bernd Schneider:
The retirement of Bernd Schneider several years ago once again robbed German football of one of its finest exponents. Affectionately known as ‘Schnix’ or ‘the White Brazilian’, Schneider stood out in the Bundesliga for being a player of exquisite quality. He was more of a creator than a finisher and he made himself virtually a guaranteed starter for both Leverkusen and Germany throughout the decade in question here. The perennial runner-up though - twice in the league, twice in the Cup, once in the Champions League and once in the World Cup.
The midfielder proved to be a valuable squad player in his first two seasons for Bayer Leverkizen but it took until the 2001/02 season for his talents and value to fully come to fruition. In that season, the 28 year old scored five goals and assisted another 11 for Leverkusen, helping them finish runners up in the league, domestic cup and most famously in the Champions League, where Leverkusen narrowly lost to Zidane’s great Real Madrid side in the final. After that Leverkusen were tagged as the eternal runners up but there was nothing secondary about Schneider’s play. No other German player at the time displayed such fine technique and skill on the ball. That year, he also reached the World Cup final with Germany where they lost to Brazil but Schneider distinguished himself with some of the tournament’s finest individual performances. In the final, Schneider bewildered even Brazilians and their fullback, Roberto Carlos, with his skillful and clever play. Perhaps it is fitting then that football supporters outside of Germany deemed Schneider the “White Brazilian”. Schneider spent 10 years at Bayer Leverkusen, playing 263 games and scoring 35 goals and was recently voted by their supporters in their team of the century. It turns out that a million euros is sufficient to buy a club legend.
Capable of playing anywhere in midfield side, central and AM Bernd is well known for his top notch technique, great work rate and effectively contributing in both phases - in attack and defense.
Here are some great videos of his game:
and one from WC final in 2002 where he was practically everywhere:
Kaka:
In his prime, he took the world by storm, was truly unstoppable. Will be remembered as an astoundingly gifted footballer and a classy professional until the end. Kaka was a gem for both his club and his country, undoubtedly one of the best players to ever play the game. His ridiculous speed, elusiveness and darting runs straight up the middle of the pitch tormented defenders. One of the fastest players ever.
When in his time at Milan Kaka he was definitely one of the best footballers in the world. If AC Milan had won the Champions League in 2005 or 2006, he'd have won at least two Ballon D'or's but he rightfully won it in 2007. Although he wasn't the same at Madrid, his record was good with 29 goals and 34 assists in like 120 games. His vision, pace, agility, playmaking abilities, ball control, his influence was fantastic and he will undoubtedly go down as one of the legends in the game. One of the few Brazilians to consistently make a name for themselves in a big European team. Kaka didn't score every goal but he was part of almost every goal, he was a team player too.
A quote that probably describes him best:
and of course obligatory youtube highlights:
and one personal favorite - destroying Pool in the CL final:
96 goals and 56 assists in 271 games during his stay in Milan.
Personal accolades:
Serie A Foreign Footballer of the Year 2004, 2006, 2007
Serie A Footballer of the Year 2004, 2007
UEFA Champions League Top Assist Provider 2004–05, 2011–12
UEFA Club Midfielder of the Year 2004–05
UEFA Champions League Bronze Top Scorer 2005–06
UEFA Team of the Year 2006, 2007, 2009
FIFPro World XI 2006, 2007, 2008
Pallone d'Argento 2006–07
UEFA Champions League Top Scorer 2006–07
UEFA Club Forward of the Year 2006–07
UEFA Club Footballer of the Year 2006–07
FIFPro World Player of the Year 2007
Ballon d'Or 2007
FIFA World Player of the Year 2007
World Soccer Player of the Year 2007
IFFHS World's Best Playmaker 2007
IAAF Latin Sportsman of the Year 2007
Onze d'Or 2007
FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball 2007
FIFA Club World Cup Most Valuable Player of the Final 2007
Time 100 2008, 2009
Maracanã Hall of Fame 2008
Samba d'Or 2008
Marca Leyenda 2009
FIFA Confederations Cup Golden Ball 2009
FIFA Confederations Cup Best XI 2009
FIFA World Cup Top Assist Provider 2010
The retirement of Bernd Schneider several years ago once again robbed German football of one of its finest exponents. Affectionately known as ‘Schnix’ or ‘the White Brazilian’, Schneider stood out in the Bundesliga for being a player of exquisite quality. He was more of a creator than a finisher and he made himself virtually a guaranteed starter for both Leverkusen and Germany throughout the decade in question here. The perennial runner-up though - twice in the league, twice in the Cup, once in the Champions League and once in the World Cup.
The midfielder proved to be a valuable squad player in his first two seasons for Bayer Leverkizen but it took until the 2001/02 season for his talents and value to fully come to fruition. In that season, the 28 year old scored five goals and assisted another 11 for Leverkusen, helping them finish runners up in the league, domestic cup and most famously in the Champions League, where Leverkusen narrowly lost to Zidane’s great Real Madrid side in the final. After that Leverkusen were tagged as the eternal runners up but there was nothing secondary about Schneider’s play. No other German player at the time displayed such fine technique and skill on the ball. That year, he also reached the World Cup final with Germany where they lost to Brazil but Schneider distinguished himself with some of the tournament’s finest individual performances. In the final, Schneider bewildered even Brazilians and their fullback, Roberto Carlos, with his skillful and clever play. Perhaps it is fitting then that football supporters outside of Germany deemed Schneider the “White Brazilian”. Schneider spent 10 years at Bayer Leverkusen, playing 263 games and scoring 35 goals and was recently voted by their supporters in their team of the century. It turns out that a million euros is sufficient to buy a club legend.
Capable of playing anywhere in midfield side, central and AM Bernd is well known for his top notch technique, great work rate and effectively contributing in both phases - in attack and defense.
Here are some great videos of his game:
and one from WC final in 2002 where he was practically everywhere:
Kaka:
In his prime, he took the world by storm, was truly unstoppable. Will be remembered as an astoundingly gifted footballer and a classy professional until the end. Kaka was a gem for both his club and his country, undoubtedly one of the best players to ever play the game. His ridiculous speed, elusiveness and darting runs straight up the middle of the pitch tormented defenders. One of the fastest players ever.
When in his time at Milan Kaka he was definitely one of the best footballers in the world. If AC Milan had won the Champions League in 2005 or 2006, he'd have won at least two Ballon D'or's but he rightfully won it in 2007. Although he wasn't the same at Madrid, his record was good with 29 goals and 34 assists in like 120 games. His vision, pace, agility, playmaking abilities, ball control, his influence was fantastic and he will undoubtedly go down as one of the legends in the game. One of the few Brazilians to consistently make a name for themselves in a big European team. Kaka didn't score every goal but he was part of almost every goal, he was a team player too.
A quote that probably describes him best:
Italian football commentator Gabriele Marcotti.
and of course obligatory youtube highlights:
and one personal favorite - destroying Pool in the CL final:
96 goals and 56 assists in 271 games during his stay in Milan.
Personal accolades:
Serie A Foreign Footballer of the Year 2004, 2006, 2007
Serie A Footballer of the Year 2004, 2007
UEFA Champions League Top Assist Provider 2004–05, 2011–12
UEFA Club Midfielder of the Year 2004–05
UEFA Champions League Bronze Top Scorer 2005–06
UEFA Team of the Year 2006, 2007, 2009
FIFPro World XI 2006, 2007, 2008
Pallone d'Argento 2006–07
UEFA Champions League Top Scorer 2006–07
UEFA Club Forward of the Year 2006–07
UEFA Club Footballer of the Year 2006–07
FIFPro World Player of the Year 2007
Ballon d'Or 2007
FIFA World Player of the Year 2007
World Soccer Player of the Year 2007
IFFHS World's Best Playmaker 2007
IAAF Latin Sportsman of the Year 2007
Onze d'Or 2007
FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball 2007
FIFA Club World Cup Most Valuable Player of the Final 2007
Time 100 2008, 2009
Maracanã Hall of Fame 2008
Samba d'Or 2008
Marca Leyenda 2009
FIFA Confederations Cup Golden Ball 2009
FIFA Confederations Cup Best XI 2009
FIFA World Cup Top Assist Provider 2010
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All the games done?
Ours is set for tomorrow, not sure about the other one I thought it was due today?
I dunno about that claim. Ronaldinho was miles ahead of him and pretty much everyone else during 2004/05 and 2005/06.
Ronaldinho was better, agreed. If they won it against Liverpool tho that would've probably won it for him given the performance and how it is voted being the top tournament in 2005(with no WC or EURO's). 2006 probably tougher with Italy winning the WC. Made the top 10 in both years (I think). Otherwise I agree Ronnie was better during those two years and Kaka was in 2007. That's why I put rightfully in the end - was for 2007 specifically rather than the two years before. But probably should paraphrase it a bit.
Aye. A lot of folk on here reckon Ronaldo should have won it in 2007. My hipster choice for that year was Totti, but Kaka was a worthy winner for his significant influence on Milan's Champions League campaign.
Yeah Kaka was the real winner and the difference in vote was quite telling. Drogba was mine hipster choice I think he had a great year as well then but he and Totti didn't win anything worth of note, so it would made it pretty hard to get that accolade.
Ronaldo was close to his peak level with us, but that difference in class during our game vs Milan decided it that year.
Mine as well, though don't think it was that hipsterish. He was sensational that year, certainly better than Kaka.
@Šjor Bepo @Marty1968 Will have to postpone this for the day. Battling crippling back pain right now to write something up. If I can't do it by tomorrow, I will just send in a line up formation to start it.
back pain is the worst, take your time mate and just write it when you feel better.
Some interesting matches so far, and some interesting players who have been given deserved attention. *
On a different note, there have been plenty of odd and spurious arguments in the match threads too. Now, personally I won't necessarily knock that - as this isn't an educational institution: If people find petty bickering amusing, and neutrals find it entertaining, then who are we to moralize?
But one thing does strike me: It is possible to force the debate in the match threads in certain directions - and this is something one might want to experiment with: Operate with a moderator of sorts in those threads (the draft master himself or someone he appoints) - who demands that Manager A deals explicitly with a proposed problem rather than rambling on in a general way, posting YouTube vids of limited worth, and so forth.
To what extent this is viable - well, it's up for debate. I think it is - and I think the threads would be better for it. I'm not talking about forcing the managers to stick to some sort of script - but simply having a moderator of sorts step in when this is appropriate to demand some more focused, detailed responses to certain questions that have been raised. This is in line with the "realism" principle too, I think - in a real match you won't win by cleverly ignoring obvious problems.
* So much, in fact, that I'm liking my water carrier idea less and less - it seems a bit redundant, and certainly not the right theme to follow this draft.
So, I'm going to scrap that idea for now and focus on a bamboozle draft (which is, after all, what I wanted to do in the first place).
On a different note, there have been plenty of odd and spurious arguments in the match threads too. Now, personally I won't necessarily knock that - as this isn't an educational institution: If people find petty bickering amusing, and neutrals find it entertaining, then who are we to moralize?
But one thing does strike me: It is possible to force the debate in the match threads in certain directions - and this is something one might want to experiment with: Operate with a moderator of sorts in those threads (the draft master himself or someone he appoints) - who demands that Manager A deals explicitly with a proposed problem rather than rambling on in a general way, posting YouTube vids of limited worth, and so forth.
To what extent this is viable - well, it's up for debate. I think it is - and I think the threads would be better for it. I'm not talking about forcing the managers to stick to some sort of script - but simply having a moderator of sorts step in when this is appropriate to demand some more focused, detailed responses to certain questions that have been raised. This is in line with the "realism" principle too, I think - in a real match you won't win by cleverly ignoring obvious problems.
* So much, in fact, that I'm liking my water carrier idea less and less - it seems a bit redundant, and certainly not the right theme to follow this draft.
So, I'm going to scrap that idea for now and focus on a bamboozle draft (which is, after all, what I wanted to do in the first place).
Yeah I think that's got mileage. It would need a dedicated and authoritative moderator to get stuck into it.
Argentina's 'Son of the Wind' - Claudio Caniggia
"To me, Cani's like a soulmate....I love him as a brother....he replaced me in the heart of the people" - Maradona
Once capable of running 100 metres in less than 11 seconds, former Argentina striker Claudio Caniggia deserves his nickname El Hijo del Viento (Son of the Wind). Yet it was on the football pitch rather than the athletics track that the blond flyer put his electrifying speed to use, making a unique mark on the game with his trademark runs, which invariably left opposing defenders trailing in his wake. Caniggia was a truly dynamic player, widely regarded as one of the fastest footballers ever. He was renowned for his explosive pace which enabled him to burst past defenders with ease. As a teenager he regularly participated in provincial athletics tournaments. His main event was the100 metres sprint and his personal best was an astonishing time of 10.70seconds. As a player he was timed at 11.2 seconds over the same distance.
A footballer whose career is filled with controversy and adulation in equal measure. Nurtured in the once-prolific River Plate youth academy, Caniggia burst into the Millonario first team as a fresh-faced 18-year-old in 1985. With his explosive running and intricate dribbling skills, El Pájaro (The Bird), as he was also known back then, was an important squad member of the team that made history in 1986 by winning the league, the Copa Libertadores, the Copa Interamericana and the club’s maiden Intercontinental Cup title.
Following consistently eye-catching performances for both River and the national team, Claudio was offered a prestigious move to Hellas Verona in Italy's Serie A. Italy had arguably the best domestic league in the world at the time and clubs such as Hellas, were under huge financial pressures to survive. Caniggia was quickly sold to Atalanta, in Bergamo, where he made nearly one hundred appearances and helped the Lombardians secure a place in the UEFA Cup.
In 1992, he moved again, this time to the Italian capital, where he had a brief but highly impactful spell at AS Roma. His pace was acknowledged and appreciated by the fans in the Stadio Olympico, who affectionately knew him as ‘Il Figlio del Vento' (Son of the Wind). However, this successful spell with Italian giants (AS Roma) was overshadowed by controversy when in April 1993 he failed a random doping test. It transpired that he had been using cocaine and was handed a 13 month ban. Luckily, the ban ended just prior to the 1994 World Cup in the USA, and Caniggia found himself thrust back into the national set up.
However, it was his performances in the national side that would raise Caniggia’s profile and make him one of the country’s leading players. He achieved hero status at the 1990 FIFA World Cup Italy when, following a magnificent run by Maradona, he scored the goal that took the Argentina into the last eight at the expense of Brazil. “That was the most important goal of my career, because we were really on the back foot and because of the rivalry we have with them,” he said afterwards.
The subsequent semi-final against the host nation provided yet more landmark moments in Caniggia’s blossoming career. As well as scoring the goal that forced the game into extra time and a penalty shootout that Argentina would go on to win, he also picked up a yellow card for a handball incident, a caution that would rule him out of the Final against Germany. “It was one of the most frustrating moments of my career,” he lamented. “That and failing to win the World Cup”. After the 1-0 defeat from Germany Maradona claimed that Argentina would have won a third World Cup had his friend 'Cani' been playing.
The following year he contributed two goals as Argentina won the Copa America in Chile, where he formed a fearsome strike partnership with Gabriel Batistuta, who made the most of his sidekick’s searing pace. In 1994 world cup his searing pace was at display again
Apart from having great speed Caniggia was a great dribbler and a fantastic finisher and is rightfully remembered as one of the Argentina's best forwards and one of the most popular players in the country.
Some more of Cani compilation -
Finally -
Charlotte Caniggia (his daughter)
ohh feck it, will put my Gazza staff in here....
I'd probably be able to run that fast too if I were on coke all the time.
Dino Zoff (Lazio manager) said:
Season 92/93:
Gazza Debut
Yet Gazza nearly didn’t make it and despite Lazio already agreeing terms with him, in his last game for Tottenham Hotspur in the 1991 FA Cup Final, he suffered a serious knee injury and the move was almost called off.
He eventually arrived in Italy and made his Serie A debut on September 27, 1992. Wearing that beautiful but simple light blue Banca Di Roma shirt, the Gateshead-born boy took to the field against Genoa in front of 50,000 fans at the Olimpico. It was 16 months since his fateful game at Wembley and his knee, which had a terrible scar and four operations on it, was soon to be tested by hard-man Mario Bortolazzi.
Yet for 40 minutes on ‘Speciale Gazza Day,’ as it was billed, no-one could get near Lazio’s No 10 as he embarrassed the visitors’ defence with his unique change of pace and direction, his body-swerves and wonderful balance. Two times Gazza’s lung-busting surges saw him find space inside the opposition’s area but on both occasions the inadequacies of his teammates’ passing failed to exploit his genius.
Then a few minutes before half-time, in one heart-stopping moment, Bortolazzi came crashing into him from behind.“I went down like a sack of spuds,” said Gazza in his autobiography.The whole stadium held its collective breath with the medics like a quartet of Usain Bolts reaching the fallen Eagle in seconds. Gazza lay on the ground for a few minutes then bravely got up, shook his head to clear it, then amazingly shook Bortolazzi’s hand and said: “Thanks mate.”
Limping for the next few minutes Gazza was withdrawn for the second half. Thankfully it was only a dead leg and he resumed training two days later. Claudio Bartolini, the Lazio doctor, described the injury as “only an abrasion” yet added rather ominously that Gazza must get used to this sort of tackling.
The following Sunday the Geordie ace made up for the disappointment of ‘his’ big day with a hand in three of the goals and a Man of the Match performance in the 5-2 defeat of Parma.
Yet Gazza nearly didn’t make it and despite Lazio already agreeing terms with him, in his last game for Tottenham Hotspur in the 1991 FA Cup Final, he suffered a serious knee injury and the move was almost called off.
He eventually arrived in Italy and made his Serie A debut on September 27, 1992. Wearing that beautiful but simple light blue Banca Di Roma shirt, the Gateshead-born boy took to the field against Genoa in front of 50,000 fans at the Olimpico. It was 16 months since his fateful game at Wembley and his knee, which had a terrible scar and four operations on it, was soon to be tested by hard-man Mario Bortolazzi.
Yet for 40 minutes on ‘Speciale Gazza Day,’ as it was billed, no-one could get near Lazio’s No 10 as he embarrassed the visitors’ defence with his unique change of pace and direction, his body-swerves and wonderful balance. Two times Gazza’s lung-busting surges saw him find space inside the opposition’s area but on both occasions the inadequacies of his teammates’ passing failed to exploit his genius.
Then a few minutes before half-time, in one heart-stopping moment, Bortolazzi came crashing into him from behind.“I went down like a sack of spuds,” said Gazza in his autobiography.The whole stadium held its collective breath with the medics like a quartet of Usain Bolts reaching the fallen Eagle in seconds. Gazza lay on the ground for a few minutes then bravely got up, shook his head to clear it, then amazingly shook Bortolazzi’s hand and said: “Thanks mate.”
Limping for the next few minutes Gazza was withdrawn for the second half. Thankfully it was only a dead leg and he resumed training two days later. Claudio Bartolini, the Lazio doctor, described the injury as “only an abrasion” yet added rather ominously that Gazza must get used to this sort of tackling.
The following Sunday the Geordie ace made up for the disappointment of ‘his’ big day with a hand in three of the goals and a Man of the Match performance in the 5-2 defeat of Parma.
Won the penalty for the first goal after lovely combination play with Pepe Signori.
In the next post.
Played 90 minutes.
How to score the perfect first goal for the new team? A late 86' minute equaliser in the biggest game of the season, not bad eh?
Played 63 minutes, left the pitch at 1:0
Played 45 minutes, left the pitch at 1:0 for Napoli.
lovely pass with the outside of the foot in the build up for the first goal
nice combination play before he wins a penalty at 2:1 for Genoa
Played 81 minute, left a pitch at 0:1 for Lazio
Played 90 minutes
Played 90 minutes.
Played 56 minutes, left the pitch at 3:1 for Juve.
dont think milan players liked Gazza, not many can make them look bad...gk to the rescue though
Season 93/94:
almost scoring from a freekick
Played 75 minutes
nice pass for Pepe Signori but he misses....
Played 90 minutes.
Played 48 minutes, leaves the pitch at 1:1....
Played 90 minutes.
Played 90 minutes.
lovely assist for Signori
great assist
Injured after 24 minutes.
hold the ball a little to much but in the end created a chance for Signori
Played 90 minutes.
Gazza vs Milan
Defensive contribution:
The part of the game i was most impressed, going into the game i was expected that he wont do much without the ball and that will play only with the ball, boy was i wrong. Very good workrate and good positioning, pressed the players like crazy and when they got rid of the ball he was back in the formation. Sounds a bit daft on first as his team conceded 5 goals but first 4 goals are after long balls and the last one was down the wing. Was little surprised with the lack of quality in that Lazio side, they had 2 good players(Winter and Fuser) next to Gazza and one great player(Signori) but the rest of them were awful. Its probably harsh as it was a game tough game against great Milan side but i cant describe enough how bad they were. Every long ball and Milan had a goal chance......
Offensive contribution:
Didnt control the game as he often did at his peak, to be fair the difference between the team was enormous so cant be to much critical on that topic. Use of the ball was decent, the only player that tried to play the game right way with the occasional help of Winter. Rest of them either played long ball or was forcing things.
I admire the dedication 
attack of the gifs
I think we lost Sjor Bepo.
Impressed by your write-ups
Feckin hell, Bepovic
Great work @Šjor Bepo. That's the sort of commitment required to overturn a perception that Gazza didn't cut the mustard in Italy.
luckily for both you and me guys that there is lack of footage from early 90s so this is from a very limited source