Best versions of great players

Paolo Di Canio

"we have to realise it's a doggy dog market"
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Jun 5, 2010
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Sliema, Malta
When you think of a great player at his peak what version of that player springs to mind?

Long haired Giggs in a baggy long sleeved shirt circa 96/97

Bearded Rooney with gloves

Greasy mullet Ronaldo with white boots and taped ankles

Anyone else spring to mind?
 
Ronaldinho with long hair in hair tie (no hair band) in a long sleeve Barcelona kit without any sponsor

Bobby Charlton with the combover that wasn't fooling anyone

Louis Saha with the buzzcut, long sleeve shirt and black gloves
 
Scholes is a tough one

99 - box to box midfielder with bright ginger hair

03 - long sleeve, tucked in attacking midfielder

06 - short sleeve, untucked deep playmaker
 
Long Haired Ozil with hair band (his best version 2010-12).

Petr Cech without protective helmet (2004-06)

Bale with short, fresh haircut (2012-14)
 
1) Skinhead Rooney 2008-2010. For those two seasons, the man was electricity in human form.

2) Ronaldo 2007-08. I’m probably biased but it is what it is. Took us to the Double.

3) VdS in his last season, 2010-11. Saved his best for last imo. He was absolutely sensational that season.

4) De Gea 17-18. Just wow. We were the definition of a one-man team.

5) Vidic and Rio 07-09. Rocks. What more can be said?

6) Cole and Yorke 98-99. We all know why. It was as if they shared a brain.

7) Carrick 12-13. Class.

8) RvP 12-13. This is the difference the best striker in the world can make. Led us to the title.
 
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Collar Cantona
Taped-hand Suarez
LeBouf after having his head inflated like a balloon
 
Zlatan seemed to instantly age and lose some of his dynamism once he went for the top-knot, moustache look. Youthful, alice-band wearing Zlatan seemed much more iconic (this is probably a Weird Thoughts of Football post...)
 
Bald Rooney from 2009-10. Easily the best he ever played. Complete striker.
 
Blonde brylcreamed curtains Beckham who could knock the ball past the left back and swing it in a cross while running at full pace.

Long haired Falcao at Atletico.

Broken arm Jamie Vardy
 
BFS with a bandage on his head. By the time we got him it had moved down to his legs. Ridiculously short time between the two.

Floppy haired Messi before the beard and tats. The fact he always kinda looked like a mildly irritated bank clerk from 1993 added to the aura and mystique.
 
Rooney pre minoxidil
Moustache-less Ibrahimovic at Inter Milan
Matic when he was younger at Chelsea and looked less like a turtle
 
Tough one

2009 - Long black greasy hair Messi

2012 - boycut hair Messi

2016 - blonde MessI

2017 - bearded Messi
 
Whenever I think of Pirlo, I think of the beardless version in a Milan jersey with long sleeves and white shorts.
 
R77 said:
BFS with a bandage on his head. By the time we got him it had moved down to his legs. Ridiculously short time between the two.
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2014 was the last hooray of a world class player whose body was already worn down by constant injury troubles.

He skipped most non-essential NT games since about 2012, if he wasn't ruled out anyway.
 
Pretty boy flashy hair youthful Beckham

Blonde moehawk Pogba

Rio with that unique hairstyle (which Brown also copied).

Shaved head Brown

Short hair Young

Short hair Berbatov

Youthful no-facial-hair Carrick

Slick back Blind

Spiky hair youthful De Gea
 
Robben with hair. Legend has it, that version existed once upon a time.
 
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Bandage hand Vardy
Alice band Luis Garcia
Bicep curl Valencia
Topless Forlan
Gerrard on a leash Demba Ba
 
Fat Wesley Sneijder is great too. Or fat Rafael van der Vaart or, the fat guy to rule them a, fat Theo Janssen.
 
Baggio with his ponytail still intact.
 
Infordin said:
Tough one

2009 - Long black greasy hair Messi

2012 - boycut hair Messi

2016 - blonde MessI

2017 - bearded Messi
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Severus Snape messi is my favourite by far, also biased by his likeability at that time compared to in later years..
 
Seedorf with an afro
Curly-haired Bergkamp
18-years old "Lo zio" Bergomi

(Obviously going by the looks alone)
 
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