Greatest ever player.

[hibs#1]

Who do you think was/is the greatest ever player,not your favourite player just the greatest I'm going Messi never seen Pele,Maradona,cruyff,best or the likes
Honorable mentions for in no order
Zidane
Ineista
Maldini
Both Ronaldo's (original one was outstanding)
Del piero
Henry
Bergkamp
Xavier
Gerrard
Lampard
Puyol
Could go on for hours but I think I'll stop at that.
Would like to here what older posters think if they think any of the newer generation compares to older playears.

[cleanyman]

Its got to be Maradona

[Tricla]

Haji

[HoboHarry]

I'm old enough to remember Cruyff and Best but I still think that Maradona was the best of the lot. My favorite though was Zidane by a long way....

[lord bunberry]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Its got to be Maradona

By a long way.

[SRHibs]

David Gray

[northstandhibby]

Claudio Gentile Italy - one of the hardest defenders of all time.

Franz Beckenbauer Germany - World Class Sweeper

Eric Cantona - France - Class.

Kevin Keegan England - Class

Kenny Dalgleish Scotland - Class

And as an aside the whole of the 91-92 Skol Cup winning team.

[lord bunberry]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

David Gray

I was making the assumption that it was apart from David Gray

[LustForLeith]

I was talking about this recently with someone and I made the argument that you can't be a really great footballer unless you've won the World Cup as a p!ayer.

From that argument I created a starting eleven which had many players I'd never had the chance to see p!ay. But this discussion took place in a pub when I was drunk so I was right!

[HoboHarry]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

I was talking about this recently with someone and I made the argument that you can't be a really great footballer unless you've won the World Cup as a p!ayer.

From that argument I created a starting eleven which had many players I'd never had the chance to see p!ay. But this discussion took place in a pub when I was drunk so I was right!

So Nobby Stiles would be up there with a shout at being the world's greatest ever player?

[SRHibs]

I don't think winning the World Cup should be a prerequisite for being titled the best player ever. Most achieved, yes, but in a game of 11 men there's a limit to what one player can do.

For me it has to be Messi. Realistically, because of the changing times there are probably numerous players playing just now who would be the best in the world if they were to go back 30 years.

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

Lothar Matthaus

[fat freddy]

Messi. No one comes close. Close the thread.

[northstandhibby]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Messi. No one comes close. Close the thread.

Claudio Gentile would have torn Messi a new one.

[patch1875]

Maldini for me.

[Viva_Palmeiras]

Older Folks - how close to perfection was our own Gordon Smith?

[Marco G]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

I don't think winning the World Cup should be a prerequisite for being titled the best player ever. Most achieved, yes, but in a game of 11 men there's a limit to what one player can do.

For me it has to be Messi. Realistically, because of the changing times there are probably numerous players playing just now who would be the best in the world if they were to go back 30 years.

Well Gordon Smith for me! Everything now is covered by slo mo and multiple angles rather than a bit of grainy film for those that never saw Gordon playing.

[lord bunberry]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Messi. No one comes close. Close the thread.

He couldn't lace Maradonna's boots. Maradonna won the World Cup with a decent, but not brilliant Argentina team. Messi is a genius, but he isn't good enough to carry a team when the chips are down.

[HoboHarry]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

He couldn't lace Maradonna's boots. Maradonna won the World Cup with a decent, but not brilliant Argentina team. Messi is a genius, but he isn't good enough to carry a team when the chips are down.

Agreed. Messi (for me at least) has never carried his national team the way Maradona did his. Maradona was outstanding at both club and national level and I don't think the same could be said of Messi.....

[truehibernian]

It's all subjective and when you grew up - my Hibs hero was Ally MacLeid - but being honest, as poor as my club were (Hibs) I had a gran who lived next door to Eric Black in Aberdeen - he was my hero - he took me training at Seton Park in Aberdeen and my hero halo changed and was handed to a player many won't know - John McMaster - I played football for years after, but he's the best player I've seen close up - job wise I saw Gascogne ruin Hearts at Tynie and that was the most complete midfield performance I've seen - but McMaster was class - but I've still got a beer mat with super Ally's faded signature on - that wins !

[snooky]

I've always liked Cruyff but for class and cool Bergkamp's the man.
Look at the video on youtube of all his great goals. Half of them are deft chips.
Good tribute programme here...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-E4-OQJPsc

[IberianHibernian]

Of the players I`ve seen live definitely Zidane but that`s cause I saw him at his peak whereas I saw Best with us when he was well past his best and Maradona several times for Sevilla in the late 80s when his disciplinary problems always seemed to shadow his class . I`ve seen Messi and C Ronaldo too but at the beginning of their careers . These votes tend to focus on forwards and attacking midfielders but I think Beckanbaur deserves a mention and Liam Brady and Paulo Futre ( ex Atletico Madrid and Portugal ) deserve to be mentioned for top 20 in last 20 - 30 years .

[Andy74]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Messi. No one comes close. Close the thread.

Maybe recently but the record of Pele takes some beating. Messi hasn't achieved a great deal at international level. Pele was influential in World Cup winning teams from the age of 17!

In his first World Cup aged 17 he scored the winner in the quarters, a hat trick in the semi and two in the final.

[Bostonhibby]

George Best

Sent from my HTC One mini 2 using Tapatalk

[HibsNutter]

Messi for me. He makes me gasp in front of the tele like no player ever has. Capable of magic that nobody else can produce.

[monktonharp]

Maradonna

[B.H.F.C]

Messi takes some beating but I loved the original Ronaldo. And Zidane as well but partly because I grew up watching them. I dont think the likes of Messi would have scored quite so many goals, certainly at champions league level, which was a higher standard back then with the good Italian teams etc.

[Dashing Bob S]

Brazil

[Mibbes Aye]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Messi takes some beating but I loved the original Ronaldo. And Zidane as well but partly because I grew up watching them. I dont think the likes of Messi would have scored quite so many goals, certainly at champions league level, which was a higher standard back then with the good Italian teams etc.

Pele was mentioned earlier, pretty much the epitome of a player leading his team to a World Cup and Ronaldo is probably the closest the Brazilians came to a successor.

I love Van Basten for his sheer goalscoringness, but Ronaldo was almost certainly the best forward in my time, pound for pound.

Agree with earlier post, Messi against a Gentile or even a Scirea or Baresi would be interesting

He's not going to be in the final running, but one of the most sublime players I recall, mostly based on Mexico '86 was Michael Laudrup.

[northstandhibby]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Brazil

That's nuts