09 May 2021 14:36:26
Right guys if anyone wants to play. Too 10 players who made then fall in love with the game.

1 . Maradona- talent, nastiness and shoots paps with a pelet gun. How good could he have been without his lifestyle
2 . Barnsie. I'm a red and he was the big star of the team that my dad took me to watch
3. Paul Walsh again my dad took me to watch and he came on as a sub and his cool look with his long hair, his shirt out and socks down plus the way he wrecked people with pace and skill made me idolise him and annoy my dad when he couldn't take me but I'd ask him if Walsh played.
4. Franco Baresi. Channel 4 got Italian football, Baresi was getting on but he was just so good at keeping the ball away from his goal, he was also devious and my god he could play with it,
5, Ronaldo. The Brazilian. Pace strength goals and dodgy hair cuts
6. Roberto Baggio. Mesmerising skill and a great PC game in Roberto Baggios magical kicks
7. Robbie Fowler. The great hope after liverpools decline. Lived round the corner from me and scored some of my favourite goals.
7. Batistuta. I only watched him In the world cup and the c4 serie a but my word what a finisher
8. Sorry but Peter Schmeichel (spelling) hated that he played for a rival but loved watching him play
9.

09 May 2021 14:59:33
As a poor scouse child I grew up watching Italian league on channel 4 was it.

Just loved Baggio, piero, Maldini, ronaldo.

Goalllllll lazio.

09 May 2021 15:00:37
Hey baz, might be giving my age away here lol.

Kenny, Terry Mc, Hansen, Souness

A couple of my earliest memories were Bob Latchford scoring 30 goals in a season for the Blues and Teofilio Cubilas scoring a free kick with the outside of his boot in WC78. Those two things blew my mind as a young kid.

Add to them Zico, Boniek, Rummenigge, Rensenbrink.

09 May 2021 15:04:26
A bit younger than you I think but mine are as follows:

1) Maradona, grew up watching videos of him. Without a doubt the best player of all time.
2) R9 - unstoppable before the injuries and even after.
3) Zidane - most graceful player I’ve ever seen.
4) Messi
5) Gerrard - all of my good memories from Liverpool Until recently involve him. Had everything, would have loved to have seen him in this team.
6) Ronaldinho
7) Torres at Liverpool, unstoppable
8) Owen - reason I started supporting Liverpool. Goal at 98 WC one of my first memories. Was unbelievable at Liverpool
9) Baggio - too young to remember fully but used to love watching him on channel 4
10) Bergkamp - absolute baller.

09 May 2021 15:17:03
I started watching in about 2004 but wouldn't say i fell in love with the game until about 2007. So they're all players who played in that time frame really. Torres was the one though. Changed me from a casual fan to a full blown supporter. Mostly Liverpool players to be honest but there you go 😂

1. Fernando Torres. My childhood hero and my favourite ever Liverpool player.
2. Steven Gerrard. The reason i chose Liverpool and the best scorer of great goals to play for us in my lifetime.
3. Xabi Alonso. The way he played the game at his own pace was unreal.
4. John Arne Riise. The coolest name ever and an absolute cannon of a left foot.
5. Dirk Kuyt. His attitude was unmatched.
6. Daniel Agger. What a guy. No explanation needed.
7. Morten Gamst Pederson. No idea why, but i just loved him!
8. Clarence Seedorf. Probably the best all round player i've seen live.
9. Pavel Nedved. Another who i can't explain why. I just absolutely loved to watch.
10. Djibril Cisse. If he hadn't broken his leg i still think he'd have been unreal for us. Loved him.

09 May 2021 15:18:54
I was born in 1995 so mine are:

1. Nedved
2. Messi
3. Totti
4. Torres
5. Bergkamp
6. Ronaldo number 9
7. Del Piero
8. Cannavaro
9. Shevchenko
10. Pirlo

Serie A was massive when I started watching football so I have always romanticised Italian clubs from that era.

09 May 2021 16:08:55
Good thread.

Not in any order and for context, 98 world cup was my early memories of football where I understood a bit more.

Zidane
Batistuta
Berkamp
Henry
All so gifted and a joy to watch

Gerrard club legend
Alonso also satisfying to watch him spray passes

Owen because I was young and he was the next big thing, balon d'Or winner etc, but now I can't stand the bloke

Aspiring right back so Ste Finnan was such a solid player.

Maldini

Roberto Carlos for his run up at freekicks alone


Looking back though now without the hatred I had for United, Scholes would definitely make my list for similar reasons to Alonso.

Honourable mention to having memories of thinking Patrick Berger, Matt Le Tissier and of all players, Darren Anderton were great to watch but I can't remember why, too young To remember if they were even good players or not 🤣.

09 May 2021 16:10:21
Started watching football in 1980 so mine is:
(1) Maradona - I don’t want to hear any noise about Christiano Ronaldo or Messi, they can’t hold a candle to Maradona, he was another level.
(2) Souness - The ultimate midfielder, if you wanted a fight, he’d batter you, if you wanted a game of football, he’d give you that too. Truly an iron fist in a velvet glove.
(3) Michael Laudrup - We messed up in not signing him. He was graceful on the ball, rapidly quick and had intelligence in what he did.
(4) van Basten - The ultimate modern centre forward, people can talk about Haaland or Lukaku or whoever but they look like John Fashanu compared to MvB. The way he destroyed England in 88 was mind blowing.
(5) Dalglish - Greatest Scottish footballer ever. Incredible player. Vision, skill, knew what was going on around him and could make things happen, feet and brains so quick that he didn’t need to be lightning quick.
(6) Molby - Built like a tank but immensely gifted with the ball at his feet, could not be shifted off the ball either.
(7) Beardsley - Brilliajt player, quick, skilful and intelligent on the ball. Looked like Quasimodo mind you.
(8) Barnes - Probably one of the best of his generation. Under appreciated and poorly used at international level. But quick, strong, skilful and intelligent.
(9) Grobelaar - Made the game fun, spaghetti legs in Rome was unforgettable.
(10) Gentile - An utter person of a defender. The sh*t house’s sh*thouse. Loved the job he did on Maradona in 82.

09 May 2021 16:13:01
I'm going to show my age here, but here it goes

Keegan
Pele
Beckenbauer
Cruyff
Klaus Fischer
Best
Marsh
Daglish
Sepp Maier
Gerd Muller.

09 May 2021 16:33:34
Owen - well he might not be bright but I love him for us. Was a snake though. I wasnt old enough to watch fowler in his prime. So owen was the one i started my liverpool journey with

Henry - best striker in epl history. One of the goats

Ronaldinho - holy rubbish when he did that sticky foot against england twice in WC and the free kick goal. He was pure football entertainment.

David silva - nobody made football look that easy.

Gerrard - captain. Carried us long.

Jay jay okocha - there was a time Bolton was the galacticos and he was dribbling past every defender and their mother

Kaka - kaka was god for three years you couldn't touch him. He had everything.

Juninho - free kick? 40 yards out? Impossible angle? Childs play

Luca toni - of all the italian striker at the time and there were atleast all of whom were prolific Luca toni was my favourite.

09 May 2021 16:46:16
Nice question Baz
I was born in 1973
players that got me addicted

Dalglish
Rush
Craig Johnston
Clemence
Grobbelaar
Barnes
Beardsley
Zico
Platini
Gullit
Maradona

OK so that's 11, sorry.

09 May 2021 16:49:28
6times - forgot about Jan Molby (how could I) he was so good to watch.

09 May 2021 16:56:25
I started watching at 10 yo in 1990 so i started with :

1.Maradona, i cried so hard when he cried in the final and still can't believe germany got pen from a clean tackle (in my opinion), other than that maradona and the keeper goycochea was immense.
2.Robbie fowler, teenage idol, got a haircut in the season where he put neville on the ground and humiliate schmeichel (hence my nickname) .
3.Vincenzo Montella, actually he is my favourite player till now, unpredictable, wand of a left foot, comeback kings when he still playing in sampdoria with mancini, and making nesta looks like a junior footballer in derby della capitale, still holds the record for most goal scored in a derby, i don't know why italy not uses him more.

Honorable mention.
Marcelo Salas, Juan Veron, Almeyda, Fernando Redondo, Oliver Bierhoff and our own Steve Mc Manaman, most succesful export from english football.

09 May 2021 18:43:08
Had to join in.

Maradona. Top of the list by some way - if only we got to see him play on the carpets they get today! Though I dread to think of the wages he could earn and the volume of drugs it could buy!

The rest, in no order:
Fowler
Romario
Vialli
Baggio
Batistuta
Matthaus
Maldini
Gullit
Van Basten.

09 May 2021 19:24:25
Marco Van Basten
John Barnes
Roberto Baggio
Gabriel Batistuta
Paul Gascoigne
Hristo Stoichkov
Romario
Ronaldo
Steve McManaman
Ian Wright.

09 May 2021 15:31:55
In no particular order.

1. Ronaldo the Brazilian one. One of the best players to ever grace this Earth. He literally had everything, pace, power, finishing, poise, balance, positional awareness, could smash them from anywhere but was also a poacher and was also good in the air. Just a shame about the injuries but despite that still had a glittering career.
2. Ronaldinho. On natural ability he matches or even surpasses Messi. However, his love of partying etc meant he peaked early and never went onto achieve what Messi achieved. He was simply a joy to watch.
3. Robbie Fowler. All I remember was goals, goals and more goals. One of the best natural finishers the Premier League has ever seen. Have seen many interviews where current and ex players have mentioned him as the best finisher they have seen, not to mention Arsene Wenger also thought so.
4. Xabi Alonso. I will keep this short. He was the definition of class on and off the pitch. His passes where like a beautifully constructed picture. Plus he had a lovely well maintained beard.
5. Steven Gerrard. He was a big out of my life. Played right wing, right back, left back, midfield and the no 10 role. He did it all and carried us for so many years.
6. Thierry Henry. Was another player who was prominent when growing up. He was the definition of elegance and confidence that some would say was verging on arrogance but had the ability and numbers to back it up. For a number of years he was the best striker in the world and a big part of Arsenal’s dominance during that era.
7. Roberto Carlos. He made kids want to be a full back when being a full back was not the “in thing”. Great player with a rocket of a left foot.
8. Andres Iniesta. A magician in the centre of the park who shone alongside the superstars Barcelona had through that period where they appeared to be untouchable.
9. Cristiano Ronaldo. For what he has achieved over such a long period, through an unmatched determination to be the best is something to admire.
10. Lionel Messi. Much like Cristiano Ronaldo, to achieve what he has achieved over such a long period and being in a big part of my footballing life he has to make it in the top ten of players that made me fall in love with the game.

09 May 2021 19:36:50
Pele
Maradona
Van Basten
Gullitt
Baggio
Weah
Ronaldo9.

09 May 2021 23:17:52
Some greats I forgot Bergkamp and Mathaus. Honorable mentions to less talented but made the most of what he had Tony Adams. For loving playing Jay Jay Ococha and for ridiculous goals Matt Le Tissier.