Extraordinary players, yet mostly regional Icons not that well known Worldwide

Fobal

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The idea it's to talk and put vids of players that even being on a similar level to world wide football icons, yet for multiple reasons, mostly perhaps period related. I know it might end with some obscure names, from also perhaps less traditional leagues, but on contrair I'm thinking more in terms of trully extraordinary fellas that just aren't that well regarded outside their homeland or continent. It's like imaging if Cantona never left France, to help explain what I mean.

I'll start with one of my favorite players ever, "El Bocha" Ricardo Bochini, more suited to be some sort of actor in some Chaplinesque movie, an office lad, the dude was one of the most intelligent, offensive oriented and unsellfish players ever. Loved by every crowd, he was just fantastic but a bit weird and very rooted to his beloved Independiente. one of Maradona's biggest Idols

Some cool vids from him:




 
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Another gem of a player, extraordinary forward, one of Zico's biggest idols

The fantastic Reinaldo:

 
When Denis Law passed away, I instantly thought about him.

a Ballondor winner but not famous outside of England
 
Aboutrika is second only behind JJ Okocha as the most naturally gifted player in African history. Great player, Egyptian Zidane. So easy on the eyes.

My shout would be Matt Le Tissier. Most outside England don't know him but he was an absolute gem of a player. If only he had left Southampton and played for one of the big boys, he'd have been revered worldwide.
 
Link
El Mágico Gonzales. Cadiz legend (according to my friends) and the best ever.
 
Hatzipanagis for Greece, I'd imagine. The video is pretty terrible, sorry


Fyodor Cherenkov for Russia and David Kipiani for Georgia. Both lack a proper YouTube compilation (and I don't think Kipiani's one is going to happen given how scarce the footage is).
 
That one guy who only ever really played in Greek vaguely comes to mind (Vasilis Hatzipanagis, apparently). And the possibly somewhat fictional legend Felipe Adao. Streltsov, maybe?

Le Tessier, Valeron, Recoba, Luc Nillis, "Magico" Gonzalez, etc. might technically all fit, though not all necessarily what this thread's about. (Okocha, to some people, very likely is. So is Carlos Gammara.)

Karlovich's really more the "streets won't forget" type, if that's inherently a contradiction here.

Cubillas (and maybe Figueroa) should surely count, too, despite minor world cup fame.
 
Querulous Megapode said:
Are we counting Hakan Sukur?
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I’d be surprised if any football fan over 35 didn’t know him. There’s definitely a few Balkan players who could fall into this category, especially with younger fans, but I would imagine most would be well known in Italy from playing there.
 
Davie Cooper is regarded as one of Rangers greatest ever players but I doubt anyone outside the UK has ever heard of him. And a fair number in the UK haven't either
 
Also, Archie Thompson a bit of an Aussie legend but it's a fair bet he'd be unknown outside of Australia.
 
Struggling to think of German examples, would assume they're all fairly well known. First names coming to mind would be Basler, Scholl or Häßler, but they're not exactly unknowns. Maybe Balakov for Stuttgart? Ulf Kirsten?
 
BootsyCollins said:
Erik Mykland.
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Absolute legend that. I've actually played against him on two occasions. First time at amateur level against his local hometown team and second time during a beach football tournament.

That IK Start team with him and Totto Dalum was some good fun.

He's generally remembered fondly everywhere he's been (Panathinaikos, FCK).
 
hellhunter said:
Struggling to think of German examples, would assume they're all fairly well known. First names coming to mind would be Basler, Scholl or Häßler, but they're not exactly unknowns. Maybe Balakov for Stuttgart? Ulf Kirsten?
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Maybe Heinz Flohe? It has to be someone who was underrepresented at the international level.
Or the Eastern guys like Croy?

Blankenburg comes to mind as well but he's probably a Dutch regional icon weirdly enough.
 
devilsadvoca8 said:
Aboutrika is second only behind JJ Okocha as the most naturally gifted player in African history. Great player, Egyptian Zidane. So easy on the eyes.

My shout would be Matt Le Tissier. Most outside England don't know him but he was an absolute gem of a player. If only he had left Southampton and played for one of the big boys, he'd have been revered worldwide.
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Aboutrika would've excelled in Spain for one of the overachieving teams in the mid-noughties. He had a weird career in Egypt early on and stayed in a relegation candidate team for too long before his move to Al Ahly at 25.
Fobal said:
I don't know Aboutrika, I'll search about him, and indeed Valdivia
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This is one of the best performances in his career.



As you're an Argentinian, he did have some fun against Brazil in the Confederations Cup in 2009. Unfortunately, it's difficult to find some high-quality extended footage of his best plays in that game.

 
harms said:
Maybe Heinz Flohe? It has to be someone who was underrepresented at the international level.
Or the Eastern guys like Croy?

Blankenburg comes to mind as well but he's probably a Dutch regional icon weirdly enough.
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Walter Frosch.
Famous for always carrying a pack of cigarettes under his football socks
 
Querulous Megapode said:
That one guy who only ever really played in Greek vaguely comes to mind (Vasilis Hatzipanagis, apparently). And the possibly somewhat fictional legend Felipe Adao. Streltsov, maybe?

Le Tessier, Valeron, Recoba, Luc Nillis, "Magico" Gonzalez, etc. might technically all fit, though not all necessarily what this thread's about. (Okocha, to some people, very likely is. So is Carlos Gammara.)

Karlovich's really more the "streets won't forget" type, if that's inherently a contradiction here.

Cubillas (and maybe Figueroa) should surely count, too, despite minor world cup fame.
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From all of those names, maybe Cubillas and Figueroa, specially the last one.
I thought Don Elias had a big name nonetheless, yet time it's merciless with this type of players.

And indeed it's hard to find another Reinaldo or specially Bochini because at the same time both won quite a lot, specially Bochini with his countelss Libertadores Cups and domestic titles and it's in soem way like if Xavi/Iniesta were only famous in Spain.
Yet a Recoba, Le Tissier etc that you named fit to a lesser extent, but are in such path, extrenmely talented individuals that coudl have a more wide spread fame. Others Charruas: Francescolli, Sosa, they deserve more fame too.
 
Idxomer said:
Aboutrika would've excelled in Spain for one of the overachieving teams in the mid-noughties. He had a weird career in Egypt early on and stayed in a relegation candidate team for too long before his move to Al Ahly at 25.

This is one of the best performances in his career.



As you're an Argentinian, he did have some fun against Brazil in the Confederations Cup in 2009. Unfortunately, it's difficult to find some high-quality extended footage of his best plays in that game.

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Thanks man!
 
ScholesBrain said:
When Denis Law passed away, I instantly thought about him.

a Ballondor winner but not famous outside of England
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Good call, thougth it might be more in the realm of "not THAT famous outside England" than like Reinaldo or Bochini almost cuasi unknown.
 
dazjoe said:
Davie Cooper is regarded as one of Rangers greatest ever players but I doubt anyone outside the UK has ever heard of him. And a fair number in the UK haven't either
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John Greig maybe an even better shout
 
Fobal said:
Francescolli
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I thought he's ultimately he's too famous across too many fields to warrant mentioning. His national team career and club success in Argentina should be enough to overqualify him, but he's also had a fairly long spell in Europe (and people often learn about him through following Zidane or Uruguay, at least in passing).

If he merits mentioning, someone like Abedi Pele ought to be a lock. (Certainly a Stojkovic or Dzajic would be. Perhaps they are regardless.)

I don't really see how picking Law could possibly be justified here. Time moves on eventually, but if that's the only standard, every single great pre-WWII player should bear mentioning. (Of obscure Balon d'Ors, does he even halfway threaten the top five?)
 
Alex De Souza. One hell of a talent who was largely unknown outside of Brazil and also Turkey, where he spent 8 years playing.
 
Martin Palermo? Watched a Boca documentary a few years ago and he was adored even more than Riquelme. Think his European career was average and unfortunately is known for that 3 penalties miss
 
Lay said:
Martin Palermo? Watched a Boca documentary a few years ago and he was adored even more than Riquelme. Think his European career was average and unfortunately is known for that 3 penalties miss
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I'm a Boca fan, he was really great for us, but he never was an extraordinary player interms of talent and in comparison with Bochini, he is famous around the globe.
 
Querulous Megapode said:
I thought he's ultimately he's too famous across too many fields to warrant mentioning. His national team career and club success in Argentina should be enough to overqualify him, but he's also had a fairly long spell in Europe (and people often learn about him through following Zidane or Uruguay, at least in passing).

If he merits mentioning, someone like Abedi Pele ought to be a lock. (Certainly a Stojkovic or Dzajic would be. Perhaps they are regardless.)

I don't really see how picking Law could possibly be justified here. Time moves on eventually, but if that's the only standard, every single great pre-WWII player should bear mentioning. (Of obscure Balon d'Ors, does he even halfway threaten the top five?)
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Those charruas I've named last, I was more talking about that they derserve more fame, than being fit the bill and being as unknown as Bochini or Reinaldo. BTW Recoba with his Inter days also doesn't fit the not being known, yet certainly he was quite sthg in the talent department and could have end being more known and with a better carreer.
 
Kaos said:
Alex De Souza. One hell of a talent who was largely unknown outside of Brazil and also Turkey, where he spent 8 years playing.
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Good call, even if he is massive in Turkey, Marcelinho Carioca for Timao it's sthg similar, less talented for me, less famous than Alex too. Alex was a true 10 that didn't fit the bill of his days Brazilian NT coaches.
 
Roberto Dinamite possibly? Not completely unknown but doesn't have the same level of recognition and fame outside of South America.
 
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