Who comes to your mind when some body asks you to name the former greats of the beautiful game?? Pele? Maradona? Gullit?Cantona?Yashin?Platini?Beckenbauer?
Here is a list of gifted players who are probably overshadowed by the brilliance of their fellow countrymen
Sir BobbyCharlton - England
There have been few attacking players as versatile as him.Starting out on the left wing, he moved to an inside-position and the then played most of his career in the central midfield.Charlton was at his peak of powers during the 1966 World Cup where they defeated West Germany in the finals.He was the core of that team which came to be known as the ‘wingless wonders’ with Nobby Stiles anchoring behind him and two box to box players in Alan Ball and Martin Peters on either side; Charlton used to suddenly go forward in support of the strikers Geoff Hurst and Roger Hunt.
Beckenbauer said after the loss”England beat us because Bobby Charlton was just a bit better than me”
Garrincha- Brazil
Born with a deformity where the left leg was 6 inches shorter than the right leg and the left foot that curved outwards, Garrincha is arguebly the best wingers of the game and certainly the most unfettered dribbler ever. He was one of the team members of Brazil’s haloed squads which won 3 out of 4 world cups between 1958-1970.In a 1958 WC warmup match, he dribbled past 4 defenders and the keeper and then waited for another player to come in so as to drible the ball past him and score a goal, an act which led the coach suspend him for the next 2 matches.
Gordon Banks- England
Gordon Banks was one of the greatest goalkeepers of his or any other generation and he will forever be remembered for his heroic part in England’s triumphant 1966 World Cup campaign.His save of Pele’s header is still the greatest save of the century.
Just Fontane- France
Just Fontane’s tally of 13 goals in six matches in the 1958 World Cup remains a record at a single World Cup.Fontaine, a clinical finisher, was to provide the perfect foil to the more famous Raymond Kopa. The duo struck a telepathic understanding during the entire tournament before losing to the terrific Brazilian side 5:2.
He was named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers in March 2004.
Johan Cruyff- Netherlands
“If the Dutch team played Total Football, Cruyff was The Total Footballer”
Amidst the powerhouses of European football nations like Germany ,Italy,England and France, the Dutch national team with Cruyff as its conductor and coach, impressed everybody in the world cup in 1974. Their “Total- Football” style where every player moved position all the time somehow made the Dutch outnumber their opponents in every area of the field.This gave the Dutch great results as “oranje” marched towards the final in Munich in great style before losing to the Germans.
This ‘flying dutchman’ features in the prestigious FIFA 100, a list of Pele’s choice the greatest living footballers.