The Most Unique Player of All-Time

[killerboi2]

Zidane.

 

[Jibberjabber]

Ronaldinho, genius level ball control without seemingly concentrating on it, coupled with total awareness of what was happening around him.

 

[Pierluigi Casiraghi]

The ex-Chelsea midfielder Ramires was a really weird player. Never seen a player so regularly pull off magnificent pieces of skill yet also regularly look like they've literally never played football before. Really pacey, which in and of itself is kind of odd for a CM (less so now I guess) and a great knack for getting himself into goalscoring positions, just remarkably average at actually finishing them. On top of this, his main job was akin that of a workhorse cos he had great stamina!

David Luiz surely deserves a mention as a completely oddball of a footballer too. I, like many others thought he'd make a better DM than CB due to his outrageous long range passing and shooting with both feet and error prone nature at the back, but when he played there he looked even more out of sorts and even more of a defensive liability than at CB.

 

[Gehrman]

Cryuff?

 

[AdNani]

Roy Keane

 

[WolfInSharp'sClothing]

There are very few truly unique players.

Ronaldo is close. He does most things better than most players.

But Messi is unique. He can do things other players can't.

 

[Sir Scott McToMinay]

Jay Jay Okocha

 

[SadlerMUFC]

Jesse Lingard

Managed to fraudulently earn himself a guaranteed starting spot at one of the worlds biggest club despite not being able to do anything well that a player in his position should.

Never known the like before.

When has Lingard ever been a guaranteed starter???

 

[Canagel]

Pogba.
A rare combination of physical and technical ability. Unique passing with both feet and great control of the ball. I'm certain he could play in 4/5 different positions like when he went to CB vs Newcastle and orchestrated our comeback as ball player.

 

[Bestietom]

Pele.

 

[walkinhop]

Berbatov

 

[Karel Podolsky]

Yaya Toure
Marek Jankulovski

 

[harms]

Messi. He is incredible goal scorer, final passes, play making/ general passing, dribbling. I have seen players excelling in 1 areas while sort of lacking in others, but this guy is near 10/10 in almost all areas except physicality. Even the free tacking ability is just amazing.

So scores like a striker, assists like a #10, pings long passes to wings like a proper midfielder, dribbles like a winger.

Pelé (even more complete — two-footed and a fantastic header), Maradona (yeah, he is an inferior goalscorer, but he was his league's top scorer in 6 seasons, and also Napoli's all-time leading goalscorer until 2017) and Zico had the same skill-set. Perhaps some were 9/10 and not 10/10, but it's not really a huge difference.

Only Pelé matches him in consistency though.

 

[MyOnlySolskjaer]

Garrincha surely. Hate to be one of those YouTube fans but he’s surely one of the most one of a kind players there has ever been.

 

[roonster09]

Pelé (even more complete — two-footed and a fantastic header), Maradona (yeah, he is an inferior goalscorer, but he was his league's top scorer in 6 seasons, and also Napoli's all-time leading goalscorer until 2017) and Zico had the same skill-set. Perhaps some were 9/10 and not 10/10, but it's not really a huge difference.

Only Pelé matches him in consistency though.

I didn't watch any of them, so went with the players I watched.

Read what you said about Pele on various articles though, very complete player and all that.

 

[MyOnlySolskjaer]

In a way, Sergio Ramos.

If you list his virtues (scoring prowess, good passer and shooter, phisicality, leadership) he should''ve been a midfielder, and if you list his defects (too impulsive, not really good at a tactical level, too prone to join the attack) he shouldn't have any business being a centreback, let alone one of the bests in the world.

But there he is, he has the skillset of a fullback, a DMC or even a CM and he's made it in the position that should've been harder for him to shine on.

I don't really think he's good enough to be considered amongst the best defenders ever by pure defensive arguments, but he's there because everything else he does on the pitch, find that extremely weird, and difficult to say another CB with his same style.

Good shout but I feel since Ramos there has been a wave of defenders coming through who are firstly ball players and then defenders.

But I do agree in terms of goal scoring, personality he’s one of a kind. If he was playing for your club you’d love him bar the contract fiascos.

 

[MikeUpNorth]

Cantona

 

[The Urban Goose]

Neville Southall. Combining the body of a sumo wrestler, the acceleration of a sumo wrestler and the spacial awareness of a sumo wrestler, he managed to carve a niche out as the best goalkeeper on Merseyside for a good 10 years or so.

 

[SiRed]

When has Lingard ever been a guaranteed starter???

Last season - season before!

 

[WolfInSharp'sClothing]

Zidane.

You may have a point here.

He was a play-maker, a finisher, an amazing dribbler, could run from deep, could play with his back to goal, was strong as an ox, took incredible set-pieces and was astonishingly good in the air.

I think we probably have a winner.

 

[Josep Dowling]

Surely Ronaldinho. Played like he was on the streets of Brazil whilst being the best player in the world (around 2005).

 

[11101]

Ronaldinho for me. Nobody could even come close to his style. Totally unique.

Ronaldo would be another one. He was the only totally complete package I've ever seen in world football, pre injury he could do everything.

 

[montpelier]

I always thought Romario was a bit strange.

 

[UnrelatedPsuedo]

Probably Ruud Gullit for me. He was built like a proper number 9, but played on the wings/in attacking midfield, was a fantastic dribbler and possessed incredible workrate. His stamina levels were insane, if you consider how much additional weight he had to carry on him, compared to your usual winger/midfielder. Look at how Lukaku runs — and they are very much comparable in terms of their built.

Not to mention that he moved deeper and deeper as his career progressed, and played in central and defensive midfield before moving to the sweeper position. There are stories of ridiculous all-rounders, but most of them played in a pre-TV era — Sarosi, Valentino Mazzola, Zizinho... the only one we've seen (and not that much anyway) was Di Stefano, who also has a claim in this thread. But Gullit did all that in the late 80's/early 90's, when football was so different!

I hate it when people say ‘This’... but Gullit is probably the answer.

The most exceptionally weird footballer I’ve ever seen. He had the lot. Not the best at any one thing, but he was spectacular all over the pitch. Stunning first touch, physical, fast, two good feet, could carry the ball, play short, or spray it around.

This leaving aside the fact he topped it all by being a player manager too.... absolute freak.

Possibly topped by Rijkaard (on reputation. I never saw that much of him)

 

[Reiver]

Socrates: doctor, heavy drinker, heavy smoker, footballer, political activist

 

[krautrøck]

Kerlon

 

[Giggsyking]

Eric (djemba)*2

 

[Saf94]

I would say Lukaku is pretty unique. The guy is absolutely huge but doesn’t play like a target man at all. He can’t really hold up the ball either but he’s a fantastic poacher and gets you a ton of goals if given the service. He’s like the body type of Drogba but more the style of someone like Chicharito weirdly

 

[Physiocrat]

I would say Lukaku is pretty unique. The guy is absolutely huge but doesn’t play like a target man at all. He can’t really hold up the ball either but he’s a fantastic poacher and gets you a ton of goals if given the service. He’s like the body type of Drogba but more the style of someone like Chicharito weirdly

That's true. I'd not thought of it like that before. An odd player

 

[rotherham_red]

Garrincha.

Possibly the only disabled player to ever make it to the pinnacle of the sport.

 

[UnrelatedPsuedo]

Socrates: doctor, heavy drinker, heavy smoker, footballer, political activist

*philosopher

 

[BlackBen]

Ronaldinho

 

[lysglimt]

In the UK - 2 players spring to mind for me

1) Duncan Edwards - never seen him play, but those who did - described him as a rock with the silkiest feet ever seen. You could hammer the ball straight at him and he would kill the ball with any part of his body. And he was so strong that noone dared to go into tackles with him.

2) Gazza - overweight, didn't take the game serious at all - still he looked like he could glide across the pitch with the ball at his feet. At one stage probably the most gifter player with the ball at his feet in the 1 division.

 

[LVGWay]

Ashley Young. The only player to play right back, centre back, left back, right winger, left winger and striker

 

[sajeev]

Ashley Young. The only player to play right back, centre back, left back, right winger, left winger and striker

Johnny played goal-keeper too.

 

[antohan]

Gullit. To this day I can't work out how it was even possible to play like him while being built like that.

Platini was exceptional in that for 3-4 years he was, simultaneously, the best DLP, #10 and false 9 in the world.

Zico was capable of doing all that as well but I don't think he ever was the best at all three at the same time. The DLP in particular was something he would resort to if needs be, but not a role he would naturally take on for an entire game like Platini would in away European legs.

Luis Enrique was a veritable Swiss Army Knife, but one from 90s Barca that probably would go under the radar here is Jose Mari Bakero. Really odd player, hard to pinpoint one discernible standout trait. Played at the tip of a midfield diamond in 3-4-3 but you could hardly call him a #10 or playmaker, this despite the fact he was the one that kept things ticking. He made the tactics work, yet you couldn't tell how or why and only realised how crucial he was when he wasn't on the pitch.

A bit like another pretty unique one: Thomas Müller. Guy looks awkward, runs funny, and frankly doesn't even look like a footballer. For years he was one of the best in the world but you could hardly explain him other than putting it down to movement and finding/creating space. So much so that when he was rumoured as a target most cafites didn't want him because he didn't fit the job description.

 

[Fergie Steps In]

Very interesting thread so far. I have a few others I can add. These players used their skill so well that they could practically walk around the pitch while everyone else was running:

- Valderrama
- Pirlo
- Totti

Also, lets not forget the GK that used to play as a striker from time to time:

- Jorge Campos

 

[Galactico]

Easy one. Cantona. The aura around this player was like no other. Plus, that collar...!!!

 

[Vialli_92]

Messi, Ronaldinho and R9

Incredible players, can unlock defences and make openings out of nothing the best players to watch ever

 

[tidraKS]

Easy: MESSI!