Nedved.
Footballers who should've played in England
- Thread starter FootballHQ
- Start date
Roberto Carlos.
Edgar Davids.
Seedorf.
Davor Sukar.
Edgar Davids.
Seedorf.
Davor Sukar.
Sheffield United wanted to sign Maradona - but they couldn't afford both him and Sabella, so they opted for the latter. In retrospect, perhaps not the best decision
A couple of South American centerbacks, Lucio and Walter Samuel. Skilled, composed, monsters in the air, strong tacklers and all around hard men. I remember Lucio tackling Drogba hard early in a CL match between Inter and Chelsea, as Drogba ran for the ball along the touchline. It set the tone for the rest of the 90 minutes
Nedved
De Rossi
We were heavily linked with them during the early 00s.
De Rossi
We were heavily linked with them during the early 00s.
Good shout. Smart, composed midfielder with a great work rate and overview. Could’ve excelled in the PL.
Would've loved to see Miroslav Klose play in the Prem or a bigger league than the BL in his prime years of 2006. He would've had a much better reputation than he has now.
I remember Tottenham bid for him after the World Cup but he rejected and chose to stay at Bremen.
I remember Tottenham bid for him after the World Cup but he rejected and chose to stay at Bremen.
He was so good! Incredible player!
Lothar Matthäus is an obvious one, I think...quite surprised he hasn't been mentioned already. English football has hosted a ton of highly influential dynamos in midfield positions through the years — from the likes of Bremner and Souness to Robson and Keane to Vieira and Gerrard — who were all talismanic for their respective teams and were afforded a decent degree of freedom in a somewhat loose structure. And a tour de force performer like Matthäus would be deeply appreciated for his all-encompassing heroics from the center of the pitch. Then again he was awesome in Germany and Italy, so he didn't necessarily need to move to England to improve his profile/credentials.
In fact, a lot of German or Bundesliga based footballers should've/could've played in England because they were stereotypically associated with qualities like physical prowess, grit and efficiency (which are often considered hallmarks for success in the English game). Even someone like Olivier Bierhoff would be a good match when you consider his profile — absolute unit, and an imperious header of the ball...would do well in a kick-and-rush style team alongside a “little guy” second striker from the '90s!
For centerbacks, I'd say former Werder Bremen great Rune Bratseth — 6'4" tall, rock solid in defense, technically accomplished in a sweeper role, and always up for a challenge — essentially an improve version of Sami Hyypiä. And for fullbacks, Javier Zanetti — loyalty is considered a profound virtue and Serie A is the spiritual home of the art of defending, but he just wasted soooo many of his prime years at Internazionale (won only one UEFA Cup and one Coppa Italia title in a decade before Calcipoli and the subsequent arrival of Mourinho).
In fact, a lot of German or Bundesliga based footballers should've/could've played in England because they were stereotypically associated with qualities like physical prowess, grit and efficiency (which are often considered hallmarks for success in the English game). Even someone like Olivier Bierhoff would be a good match when you consider his profile — absolute unit, and an imperious header of the ball...would do well in a kick-and-rush style team alongside a “little guy” second striker from the '90s!
For centerbacks, I'd say former Werder Bremen great Rune Bratseth — 6'4" tall, rock solid in defense, technically accomplished in a sweeper role, and always up for a challenge — essentially an improve version of Sami Hyypiä. And for fullbacks, Javier Zanetti — loyalty is considered a profound virtue and Serie A is the spiritual home of the art of defending, but he just wasted soooo many of his prime years at Internazionale (won only one UEFA Cup and one Coppa Italia title in a decade before Calcipoli and the subsequent arrival of Mourinho).
Maldini and Costacurta
I can’t open new topics yet but I would suggest to open one about which players should have played in Serie A in the ‘80s and ‘90s (and ‘00s).
Klose sprung to mind but I couldn't remember his name until somebody posted above.
Seedorf and Gatusso would have bossed premiership midfielders.
Rivaldo and Valderrama come to mind too.
Seedorf and Gatusso would have bossed premiership midfielders.
Rivaldo and Valderrama come to mind too.
Oliver Bierhoff
Totti, Nesta and Lucio
Lothar Matthäus would have been a magnificent player in the early 90s EPL.
Gattuso <- first name pop up in my head.
Then maybe..
Ronaldinho
Hulk
Kaka
Cannavaro
Then maybe..
Ronaldinho
Hulk
Kaka
Cannavaro
Gerd Muller
Davids played for Spurs and Suker played for Arsenal.
Wesley Sneijder...at United...? 
I was hoping Hulk would come to the PL after Porto. He just seemed made for it.