Who was your favourite player as a kid?

Wasn't big into playing football but as a very young kid, Peter Schmeichel and on the back of Euro 96, Andreas Köpke. As I got older, van Nistelrooy.
 
Not who I pretended to be, but who I liked the most was first R9 and then Ronaldinho.

The first United player that young me really had as his favorite player was Cristiano, loved him from the very start
 
I loved Shevchenko at AC Milan & Nedved at Juventus.

Then Ibrahimovic at AC milan but then disliked him after moving to PSG.

I think this was because I loved Serie A football as it was better than PL at the time. I dislike quite alot of La Liga players as its never been at the level of peak Serie A or Peak PL so i find alot of la liga legends to be slightly overrated personally though i know many would disagree and it's purely personal. For example i found Pirlo & Gattuso more interesting to watch than Xavi & Busquets.

My Dad who is not a big football fan liked Baggio & Zidane the most so i used to love watching Zidane play for France as he was so smooth the way he played almost at his own tempo, slow but graceful.

I think the most overrated player that was still one of my favourites is Andrei Arshavin after the Euros & was gutted Arsenal signed him!
 
As a kid Bryan robson/Ryan giggs and big Pete. As I got older my appreciation of Scholes came through.
 
When I was like 7 my mum bought a book about the 78 World Cup to me - and there was a picture there of a young Italian striker who became my first favourite. His name was Paolo Rossi and he was the reason I supported Italy in the 82 World Cup when everyone else I knew, supported Brazil

Then around 1980 (I was 7 years old) I started collecting football cards - and I found another player I really liked - Frank Stapleton. I started supporting Arsenal - because of him. But when he joined United the season after - I started supporting United. But in my defence for swapping clubs - I was 8 years old :)

But these are my only 2 players I really idolized. Afterwards I always took a liking to Whiteside, McClair, Sharpe and Nistelrooy - the latter I loved watching for PSV so I really liked when he joined us
 
First kit I got as a kid was Rui Costa at Fiorentina. Loved the guy.
 
Steve Bruce said:
As a kid Bryan robson/Ryan giggs and big Pete. As I got older my appreciation of Scholes came through.
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Agree about Scholes - I don't think he's a typical player that younger ones would appreciate. I only appreciated Carrick after an analysis by a pundit showed me how brilliant he was. Then I started to notice it too, and he became a bit of a favourite of mine.

I wasn't young enough, but Evra and Rio are also favourites both for their performances, but also for their personalities. Football is littered with automatons these days saying all the correct things but nothing interesting.
 
United
1.Robson 2. Hughes 3. McGrath

Non-United
1. Gascoigne 2. Waddle 3. Steve Bull
 
Coppell was my first but Norman was close to my age and I loved everything about him. I was gutted when we sols him to Everton.

Had the pleasure of meeting him for a pint in NYC in 96. I was wearing the new gray (Southampton) top that'd just arrived that day, he signed it but he wasn't a fan of it.
 
Scholes, without a doubt, would dominate against today's pressing teams, watching him play was like a symphony to me, erasing every ounce of stress. His playstyle is so rare that I play FIFA manager mode just to find and develop young talents like him.

Next is Cristiano, an absolute monster, capable of netting any type of goal at any time. He was an adrenaline rush, never boring me for a single minute of play, always leaving me with the feeling that he could score at any moment.

Lastly, I thoroughly enjoy watching Messi's highlights. he reminds me of how unfair natural talent can be. He is definitely the best football player of all time, but I would never put him above Scholes and Ronaldo. They gave me beautiful football moments, true enjoyment, and even sadness during my 20s. I don't think I will ever get those feelings again from watching football as I get older.
 
After watching Olympics 96, I fell in love with Ronaldo de Lima, Watched him again at the 98 WC in France then I confirmed he was the real deal.

Ronaldo to me is the reason I fell in love with football, and he is to me the most naturally gifted footballer I've ever seen, His swagger was unmatched.
 
Footage of Pele always held some kind of magic for me, even as a child.
Gazza and Roberto Baggio.
 
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