1.Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, (born 5 February 1985)
Cristiano Ronaldo was born in Madeira, Portugal, to his mother Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro and his father José Dinis Aveiro. He grew up with a elder brother Hugo, and two elder sisters, Elma and Katia. Katia works as a singer by the stage name "Ronalda" in Portugal. His second name ("Ronaldo") is relatively rare in Portugal. His parents named him after former U.S. President Ronald Reagan because he was his father's favourite actor, and not for political reasons.
2.Pelé good; Maradona better; George Best.
George Best (22 May 1946 - 25 November 2005) was from Belfast, Northern Ireland. He won the European Cup with Manchester United, and was himself named the European Footballer of the Year, in 1968, his annus mirabilis. He was a winger whose game combined pace, acceleration, balance, two-footedness, goalscoring and the ability to beat defenders.He is generally regarded as one of the greatest players ever to grace the game.
At the age of 15, Best was discovered in Belfast by Manchester United scout Bob Bishop, whose telegram to United manager Matt Busby read: "I think I've found you a genius." His local club Glentoran had previously rejected him for being "too small and light". Best was subsequently given a trial and signed up by chief scout Joe Armstrong.
Best made his Manchester United debut, aged 17, on 14 September 1963 against West Bromwich Albion at Old Trafford in a 1-0 victory. Two weeks later Best scored his first goal against Burnley. By the close of the season Best had 6 goals, and Manchester United finished second, behind champions Liverpool.
In his second season, 1964-65, Best and Manchester United claimed the league title.
Best hit the headlines the age of twenty when he scored two goals in a European Cup quarter-final match against Benfica in 1966, and was dubbed "El Beatle" in the press.
Best's talent and showmanship made him a crowd and media favourite. He was dubbed "the fifth Beatle" for his long hair, good looks and extravagant celebrity lifestyle, and even appeared on Top of the Pops in 1965.
3.Eric Cantona
Eric Cantona (born May 24, 1966 in Marseille) is a French former footballer of the late 1980s and 1990s. He ended his professional footballing career at Manchester United where he won four Premiership titles in five years, including two league and FA Cup "doubles". Cantona is often regarded as having played a major talismanic role in the revival of Manchester United as a footballing powerhouse and he enjoys iconic status at the club. In 2001 he was voted their player of the century, and to this day United fans refer to him alongside Denis Law as "The King".
After having originally come to England to trial for Sheffield Wednesday, in February 1992 Cantona joined Leeds United A.F.C., where he was a part of the team that won the final old First Division championship in (1991-92). He was also inspirational in the Charity Shield 4-3 win over Liverpool in 1992, scoring a hat-trick.
He however left Leeds before the end of the 1992-93 season, which saw them finishing 17th in the newly formed Premier League (one place above relegation), moving to Manchester United in November 1992 for the relatively small fee of £1.2 million, much to the disgust of the Leeds fans.
4.Bobby Charlton - The grace of a ballet dancer, the shot of a cannon
Sir Bobby Charlton, CBE (born 11 October 1937 in Ashington, Northumberland) helped win the World Cup and was named the European Footballer of the Year in 1966. He is arguably the greatest English footballer to have lived. He played almost all of his club football at Manchester United, where he became renowned for his attacking instincts from midfield and his ferocious long-range shot. He was a young member of the original 'Busby Babes' and then became part of the famous 'Best, Law, Charlton' team of the mid 1960's.
He began to play for United's first team in 1956, and over the next two seasons gained a regular place in the team, during which time he survived the Munich air disaster of 1958. After helping United to win the football league in 1965, he won a World Cup medal with England in 1966 and another football league title with United the following year. In 1968, he captained the Manchester United team that won the European Cup, scoring two goals in the final to help his team be the first English side to win the competition. He had scored more goals for England and United than any other player. He also made more appearances for Manchester United than any other player, records which are still standing at the end of 2006. He is considered by many international football experts to be one of the greatest players of all time.
5.Duncan Edwards - potentially, the greatest of them all.......
Duncan Edwards (October 1, 1936 - February 21, 1958) was an outstanding footballer, strong, skilful and mature beyond his years. Born in Dudley, he signed for Manchester United in June 1952 as an amateur and turned professional on October 1, 1953. He was one of the Busby Babes, the young United team formed under manager Matt Busby in the mid 1950s, and one of the eight United players who perished in the Munich air disaster.
Of all the tragic stories coming from that fateful day the loss of Duncan Ewards to both Manchester United and England is possibly the greatest. According to those who experienced what Duncan Edwards could do on a football field, he was the complete footballer and there wasn`t a single weakness in his game. He could dribble like a winger and pass like an inside forward. He had unrivalled stamina and could have run for days. He could shoot powerfully, with either foot, was dominant in the air and could tackle like a tank, such was the range of ability he possessed in his young body. He was a fantastic player and admired by all. Many who saw Edwards play believe that had he not died young, he would have gone on to become one of the all-time world footballing greats.
6.Denis Law -The King
Denis Law (born February 24, 1940, in Aberdeen, Scotland) signed for Manchester United in 1962, setting a British record transfer fee of £115,000.
He spent eleven years at United, where he scored 236 goals in 409 appearances and was nicknamed The King and The Lawman by supporters. He won the prestigious European Footballer of the Year award in 1964, and helped his club win the First Division in 1965 and 1967. Law left Manchester United in 1973 and returned to Manchester City for a season, then represented Scotland in the 1974 FIFA World Cup. Law played for Scotland a total of 55 times and jointly holds the Scottish international record goal tally with 30 goals. Law is also United's second highest goalscorer behind Bobby Charlton.
Denis Law was a magical football player, fast of thought as well as body. His lightening reflexes and heading skills made him a great crowd puller and favourite with United fans. Of only medium height and slim in build, Law had a lions heart and a salmons leap. Always playing with his long shirt sleeves distinctively gripped in each fist, he could frequently out-jump much taller men to score with his head. Denis could score from anywhere and close in he was lethal. If the keeper fumbled he pounced and within seconds the Law-man was wheeling off, arm up in celebration. He was tough, determined, and utterly committed to the team cause. There is a pub in North Manchester called The Kings Head. The sign outside depicts, not Charles the Second or George the Third but Denis Law - The King.
No comments:
Post a Comment