Thierry Henry - footballing perfection.

[Stumpy Tim]

Greatest player I have ever seen but not live was Platini - would have been Maradonna but for a certain incident

Maradona was amazing. IMHO he's the greatest player ever - not even Pele won the World Cup on his own like Maradona did in 86. And if Lineker had scored the winner against the Argies with his hand like that, he would be even more of a national hero than he is right now. You can't blame Maradona for not owning up, it was the QF of the World Cup against their biggest footballing enemy

 

[NMH]

WTF are you on about "stop digging if you were me" ?
France weren't exactly a world force on the footballing planet (except for Plattini perhaps) until they played some 'naturalised' players. It's nothing to do with their colour (which I assume is the political correctness you lot are apparently wetting knickers about here). I could say the same about the US, who 'transmogrified' some excellent tennis players (such as Seles, and Agassi too I believe) into their association . The inviting of a great talent to play for one nationality when they might as easily play for another is commonplace. Yes, we made sure of something with Hargreaves, who might as easily have been playing for Germany, and Wales did with Giggs, and Ireland did with Lawrenson etc. and it's all allowed for within sports rules as laid down.


If Algeria could call upon anyone of Algerian descent to play for their national team, they might well have a World Cup to their name by now. That France have recently acheived so much, I will point out (without fear of the 'pc' brigade gathering like a glowering brood of Mrs Whitehouse-like old bags) that I DON'T have a problem with it and have NEVER said that I did.

So, stop reading between my lines 'digging' for shit that isn't there.

"I'd stop digging if I were you"

 

[alan partridge]

Maradona was amazing. IMHO he's the greatest player ever - not even Pele won the World Cup on his own like Maradona did in 86. And if Lineker had scored the winner against the Argies with his hand like that, he would be even more of a national hero than he is right now. You can't blame Maradona for not owning up, it was the QF of the World Cup against their biggest footballing enemy

i thought he did own up. he said something along the lines that it was so good to get that goal, like stealing an englishman's wallet. the guy is loopy and a bit of a fool. however after watching an excellent documentary on him and reading a biography of him it is incredible how much he was used as a political pawn at times.

anyway, i completely agree with you on the football side. he was incredible. personally i can't let that 'goal' get in the way of some of the football he played. it really was poetic that he scored that sneaky cheat's goal and then the best world cup goal ever in the same game. the lardy coke head.

 

[Simster]

He's better than Cantona by a long way in my opinion. Cantona played when the Permiership wasn't as strong, and he never did anything in Europe - look what Henry did to Inter Milan. He's a genius

I was thinking the same thing. Cantona was overrated. Yes he scored the odd sublime chip and could run the show when playing the likes of Coventry, but he constantly went missing in Europe, especially against French teams (where it was quite funny watching him as felt he had soooo much to prove but never actually did prove it)

 

[Gwylan]

WTF are you on about "stop digging if you were me" ?
France weren't exactly a world force on the footballing planet (except for Plattini perhaps) until they played some 'naturalised' players. It's nothing to do with their colour (which I assume is the political correctness you lot are apparently wetting knickers about here). I could say the same about the US, who 'transmogrified' some excellent tennis players (such as Seles, and Agassi too I believe) into their association . The inviting of a great talent to play for one nationality when they might as easily play for another is commonplace. Yes, we made sure of something with Hargreaves, who might as easily have been playing for Germany, and Wales did with Giggs, and Ireland did with Lawrenson etc. and it's all allowed for within sports rules as laid down.


If Algeria could call upon anyone of Algerian descent to play for their national team, they might well have a World Cup to their name by now. That France have recently acheived so much, I will point out (without fear of the 'pc' brigade gathering like a glowering brood of Mrs Whitehouse-like old bags) that I DON'T have a problem with it and have NEVER said that I did.

So, stop reading between my lines 'digging' for shit that isn't there.

"I'd stop digging if I were you"

I wasn't 'digging for shit'. It was an abbreviation for "if you're in a hole, stop digging". I thought that it was a common expression - obviously not.

I still don't know what you're getting at. I was only commenting on your argument that you couldn't defend yourself on dubious semantics, I wasn't commenting on your original assertion. I actually thought that Wozza's inference was a bit out of order myself.

I will take exception with your calling Zidane 'naturalised' - he is most assuredly not: he's French, born in Marseilles.

I'll also take exception to your saying that there's something dodgy about Giggs playing for Wales. He was born in Wales of Welsh parents and apart from playing for an English club has no reason to play for England.

I know that he would fill a problem position for England but it's extreme arrogance to say that he should play for England, presumably, because England's the bigger team.

 

[CHAPPERS]

He's okay i spose.

 

[Stumpy Tim]

I'll also take exception to your saying that there's something dodgy about Giggs playing for Wales. He was born in Wales of Welsh parents and apart from playing for an English club has no reason to play for England.

I know that he would fill a problem position for England but it's extreme arrogance to say that he should play for England, presumably, because England's the bigger team.

No - Giggs's Dad is English. The reason why people are pissed off he plays for Wales is because he captained England at U18 level

 

[Timbo]

He is quality but he's a bit of a tit. I hate that thing he does when he puts his hands up and shrugs his shoulders when a ref gives a foul against him as if they've just broken the law.

He's not as good as Zidane. Did anyone see that drag back and turn last night? Shame he missed as it would have been the goal of the season anywhere.

 

[alan partridge]

i agree he isn't as good as zidane, but then, what player, still playing is? i loathe real madrid but i felt priviledged to see zidane play a few times. awesome

 

[Barnet Seagull]

No - Giggs's Dad is English. The reason why people are pissed off he plays for Wales is because he captained England at U18 level

Not entirely true...

Giggs' dad played for Wales at Rugby.

Giggs admittedly did play for England schoolboys but...
Michael Owen played for Welsh Schoolboys having lived all this life in Wales...

 

[Herne Hill Seagull]

having lived all this life in Wales...

Ahh but in his previous lives he's been as English as they come, Barnet..

 

[Gwylan]

Not entirely true...

Giggs' dad played for Wales at Rugby.

Giggs admittedly did play for England schoolboys but...
Michael Owen played for Welsh Schoolboys having lived all this life in Wales...

Beat me to it, BS. Players have no choice as to which schools international team they play for as that is decided by the geographic location of the school.

Didn't know that about Owen though.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Freddie Kanoute is an interesting case.

His father was born in Mali and emigrated to France at the age of 21. He himself was born in Paris, brought up in Sainte Foy-lès-Lyon and played his first professional football for Olympique Lyonnaise. Played for France at Under-21 level.

Now plays for Mali. About to win the African Nations Cup for them.

His attitude seems to be that, above all other considerations, he wants to play football at the highest level he can achieve. If that means Mali, rather than France, then so be it.

Fair enough, in my opinion - and a healthy attitude in a player.

It's the fans who see things exclusively through nationalistic spectacles who sometimes have a problem with this. I don't - a few more players with Kanoute's attitude would raise the standard of world football. And that can only be good.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

p.s.

Cudicini for England!

 

[Wozza]

France weren't exactly a world force on the footballing planet (except for Plattini perhaps) until they played some 'naturalised' players.

Plattini? Italian descent, mate.

It's nothing to do with their colour

But it is to do with where a player's ancestors come from presumably, or you wouldn't have mentioned Algeria in a thread about French superstars.

 

[NMH]

Of course I was referring to ancestry, but in particular regarding the French because they have not had outstanding football history with players of intrinsically French origins . That England have had players of other ancesties is beyond question, but then we won a World Cup with little else but long-rooted Englishmen.
I certainly have nothing against 'recent' countrymen representing the country they live in vs the country of their fore-fathers.

Giggs was a 'questionable' Welshman, and could have played for England - not arrogant to say that, it's just fact. More so Lawrenson, who Mullery called "as English as black pud" (and someone will now claim that foodstuff is Swedish). The trouble would be that neither Wales nor Ireland have set the World on fire as footballing nations, whereas France have - so that is why I cited Algeria as being a scource of some (of their) talent.

Perhaps some of these Polish lads (that were recently complained about for coming our way) might provide a couple of future players eh? I think we had better get on with procreating with Brasillians pronto, so we can naturalise a few world-beaters.

 

[Gwylan]

Giggs was a 'questionable' Welshman, and could have played for England - not arrogant to say that, it's just fact.

There is nothing questionable about it. Riggs was born in Wales of Welsh ancestry - there's only one country he could play for (unless you want to bend the rules). It is arrogant in the extreme to suggest he should play for England just because Wales haven't 'set the world on fire'.

It's good that good players represent smaller nations - I wish rugby would learn the lesson and then we wouldn't see so many Fijians, Samoans and Tongans playing for Australia and NZ.

 

[Stumpy Tim]

Can we ban Barnet Seagull for shattering all my illusions on Michael Owen please. We've got a bloody Welsh man up front. Bugger

 

[NMH]

There is nothing questionable about it. Riggs was born in Wales of Welsh ancestry - there's only one country he could play for (unless you want to bend the rules). It is arrogant in the extreme to suggest he should play for England just because Wales haven't 'set the world on fire'.

It's good that good players represent smaller nations - I wish rugby would learn the lesson and then we wouldn't see so many Fijians, Samoans and Tongans playing for Australia and NZ.

He 'could' have played for England, so you are wrong Gwylan - and I ain't saying he 'should', just he 'could'.