Footballer who carried the whole team

[Sky1981]

Very few players can single footedly carry a team into glory. Do you know anyone who carried the whole team to glory?

Maradona / napoli
Olaf Marshall / kaiserlautern
Ronaldo / united 2008 (to a lesser extent)
Robson / united (nothing won though)
Zidane / france
Ronaldo / brazil
Laudrup / Denmark

 

[CG1010]

RVN for United?

 

[Heardy]

Van Persie - Man United in 2012/2013.

 

[Stobzilla]

The Maradona/Napoli myth continues.

 

[Pexbo]

Suarez?

 

[Rooney in Paris]

Suarez in his last season at Liv.

 

[VorZakone]

Rakitic at Sevilla?

 

[MyOnlySolskjaer]

De Gea 2013+

 

[Richard Cranium]

Messi

 

[Jagga7]

Batistuta carried Fiorentina for years! They didn't win much though.

 

[rpitchfo]

bale at spurs for a while

 

[Rockets Redglare]

Messi

No chance.

 

[adexkola]

Very few players can single footedly carry a team into glory. Do you know anyone who carried the whole team to glory?

Maradona / napoli
Olaf thon / kaiserlautern
Ronaldo / united 2008 (to a lesser extent)
Robson / united (nothing won though)
Zidane / france
Ronaldo / brazil
Laudrup / Denmark

C Ronaldo was excellent for us but he did not carry us to glory. The defense had a major part to play during that incredible streak we had in Europe.

When did Ronaldo carry Brazil?

Zidane was the best French player in 2006 but by no means did he carry them.

Don't know enough about the others to comment.

 

[Scarecrow]

Bale carried Spurs and Wales at the same time.

Ronaldo has carried Portugal for most of the last decade.

Ibra doing the same with Sweden.

Benteke single-handedly saved Villa with his 20 or so goals two years ago (or three, I'm too lazy to check).

The others I can think of (RVP, Suarez) have been mentioned.

 

[facund]

Shearer at Blackburn.

 

[Bob Loblaw]

No chance.

A few years ago he did...kinda.

 

[Lay]

Shearer at Blackburn.

Nah, he had a good team around him. Blackburn were well funded in those times.

 

[Balu]

Very few players can single footedly carry a team into glory. Do you know anyone who carried the whole team to glory?

Maradona / napoli
Olaf thon / kaiserlautern
Ronaldo / united 2008 (to a lesser extent)
Robson / united (nothing won though)
Zidane / france
Ronaldo / brazil
Laudrup / Denmark

That's an awful list. Maradona with Napoli is at least somewhat deserving of the myth because his influencing was way bigger than what your normal superstar offers. But the rest?

Olaf Thon never played for Kaiserslautern and what Laudrup do you mean with Denmark by the way? Brian played a great Euro in 1992 but didn't carry the side and Michael, the actual superstar, wasn't part of the Euro winning team.

 

[Richard Cranium]

No chance.

You really think they'd have had that period of success from 07-11 without him?

 

[Balu]

Batistuta carried Fiorentina for years! They didn't win much though.

Harsh on Rui Costa. For half a decade those two were absolutely brilliant together.

 

[Stobzilla]

That's an awful list. Maradona with Napoli is at least somewhat deserving of the myth because his influencing was way bigger than what your normal superstar offers. But the rest?

Olaf Thon never played for Kaiserslautern and what Laudrup do you mean with Denmark by the way? Brian played a great Euro in 1992 but didn't carry the side and Michael, the actual superstar, wasn't part of the Euro winning team.

No he isn't

 

[GloryHunter07]

Gerrard?

 

[Balu]

No he isn't

I think it's difficult to find a player who was more influential in his side than Maradona was at Napoli. Di Stefano in the early days at Real before the other superstars joined maybe. Obviously the notion that one player carries a whole team is an exaggeration, but if you make a list of players who came close than surely Maradona at Napoli has a great shout to top it.

 

[VivaObertan]

Yaya Toure at City (always grabs a goal when they need it)

 

[Jagga7]

Harsh on Rui Costa. For half a decade those two were absolutely brilliant together.

No way, Batty goal absolutely carried that team.

 

[Sky1981]

That's an awful list. Maradona with Napoli is at least somewhat deserving of the myth because his influencing was way bigger than what your normal superstar offers. But the rest?

Olaf Thon never played for Kaiserslautern and what Laudrup do you mean with Denmark by the way? Brian played a great Euro in 1992 but didn't carry the side and Michael, the actual superstar, wasn't part of the Euro winning team.

Olaf marshall my bad.

 

[Stobzilla]

I think it's difficult to find a player who was more influential in his side than Maradona was at Napoli. Di Stefano in the early days at Real before the other superstars joined maybe. Obviously the notion that one player carries a whole team is an exaggeration, but if you make a list of players who came close than surely Maradona at Napoli has a great shout to top it.

RVP 12/13 is way out in front the very definition of taking an average side to silverware. Those Napoli sides were peppered with Itallian and Brazilian internationals, as you well know. any team that has Ferrara, Careca, Zola, Bagni, De Napoli and Giordano can be considered one that was carried. Especially when you actually look at the breakdown in the games Maradona actually had a big influence on. He was their best player for sure, but he by no means carried them.

 

[facund]

Nah, he had a good team around him. Blackburn were well funded in those times.

True and I don't really buy in to the one man team thing but he seemed just as valid (if not more so) than "Zidane / France" and "Ronaldo / Brazil" in the OP.
Let us not forget that very few of the Blackburn team went on to challenge for the biggest trophies after that season. Flowers, Sherwood and Batty were solid players but nothing more, Sutton was injury prone and I personally never saw the fuss, Henning Berg was largely a back up for us (it hurt me a little to deride his quality), Le Saux was one of the few who's reputation continued to grow afterwards but then we are left with a mixed bag of players of questionable quality.

#Edit# Forgot Colin Hendry who was a bit of a beast in his day.

 

[Mciahel Goodman]

Keane, Ireland.

 

[Balu]

Olaf marshall my bad.

Oh that makes more sense. He played a sensational season in 97/98, that's true. Wouldn't go as far as saying he carried them though and he never came even close to that level in any other season.

 

[Gio]

You need to take an axe to that list and start again. For all their quality and even accounting for many great performances, Ronaldo and Laudrup never really carried their national teams. Through the mid-1980s Denmark were loaded with attacking quality in Elkjaer, Olsen, Simonsen and Lerby and in the 1990s it was mostly Brian Laudrup that was Denmark's outstanding outfield player. As for Ronaldo he shone brilliantly for Brazil but so did Rivaldo, Cafu, Carlos, Romario and Ronaldinho amongst others.

 

[Sky1981]

Oh that makes more sense. He played a sensational season in 97/98, that's true. Wouldn't go as far as saying he carried them though and he never came even close to that level in any other season.

He won the bundesliga straight after promotion. Probably not by his own, but if my memory serves me correctly he was their top scorer.

Dont take it too literally, no man can play by himself in football, but their contribution is far greater than what a normal one person offers.

 

[Sky1981]

You need to take an axe to that list and start again. For all their quality and even accounting for many great performances, Ronaldo and Laudrup never really carried their national teams. Through the mid-1980s Denmark were loaded with attacking quality in Elkjaer, Olsen, Simonsen and Lerby and in the 1990s it was mostly Brian Laudrup that was Denmark's outstanding outfield player. As for Ronaldo he shone brilliantly for Brazil but so did Rivaldo, Cafu, Carlos, Romario and Ronaldinho amongst others.

Im not well versed, not that good of knowledge to put a grand list. Hence I'm asking for input.

 

[Balu]

He won the bundesliga straight after promotion. Probably not by his own, but if my memory serves me correctly he was their top scorer.

Dont take it too literally, no man can play by himself in football, but their contribution is far greater than what a normal one person offers.

I did say he was sensational. Came close to a goal/game and scored countless matchwinners despite missing quite a few games.

 

[Mciahel Goodman]

Zlatan is probably a good shout. Not certain though, don't follow Sweden.

 

[Gio]

Gerrard?

Easily yes.

Echo the Ibrahimovic shouts. His international record in major tournaments and over the last few years for a fairly average national team is exceptional.

 

[Balu]

RVP 12/13 is way out in front the very definition of taking an average side to silverware. Those Napoli sides were peppered with Itallian and Brazilian internationals, as you well know. any team that has Ferrara, Careca, Zola, Bagni, De Napoli and Giordano can be considered one that was carried. Especially when you actually look at the breakdown in the games Maradona actually had a big influence on. He was their best player for sure, but he by no means carried them.

I disagree with the RVP example. It's nowhere near comparable to Maradona's influence at Napoli in my opinion. There's so much more to Maradona's story, the consistency over several years with Napoli being the only Italian side to finish in the top 2 for 4 consecutive seasons and the title win against truely great sides like Sacchi's Milan and not an average City side like United in 12/13.

Fair enough if you don't want to call that 'carrying the team on his own', there's certainly a point to be made that his teammates were actually quality footballer. But it's still a lot more than pretty much every other football ever had in terms of influence on his team.

 

[Gio]

Ronaldo has carried Portugal for most of the last decade.

Aside from the play-off against Sweden, there's been a lot of mediocrity in there.

 

[Mciahel Goodman]

Neymar for Brazil.

 

[BennyBlanco]

Anyone mentioned Suarez at Liverpool a season or two back? Only a several so far
Shearer at Blackburn