The Most Unique Player of All-Time

[Sir Scott McToMinay]

Juan Mata.

Possesses none of the required physical attributes to play professional football and yet played a CL and Euro final.

 

[Makelele]

I think some have misunderstood the threat. Messi for example should not be mentioned here.

Zlatan. Maicon. Zidane. Makelele. Yaya Toure.

All I think has a unique skill set. Combination of skills that were unusual.

 

[Treble]

A player has a unique set of qualities if he can play multiple positions at world class level. Messi and Di Stefano spring to mind, especially the latter. C. Ronaldo could perform at world class level all attacking roles: CF, SS, both wings. Same with Cruyff who was an outstanding playmaker as well. Unsurprisingly, the very best players tend to be the players with unique sets of skills.

 

[George Owen]

 

[::sonny::]

Cantona

 

[::sonny::]

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.

He scores goals sometimes

 

[Bwuk]

Kante.

 

[GatoLoco]

Did anyone mention Zidane?

 

[Bokito]

for all his shittyness, I’d still include Suarez. I never know how he does it, but he just pushes and shoves balls past defenders. No style, no grace, and when you see him play, it looks like he has no technique whatsoever. But does deliver.

 

[giorno]

Phil Jones. His ability to plant his face on the ground and then trying the head the ball away is truly unique

 

[Joga Bonito]

Denis Law.

 

[el3mel]

Has to be Ronaldinho. I don't remember many world class players doing such insane level and amount of skills on the highest level at a big club while leading them to winning stuff. Shame about how his career ended though.

 

[elnorte]

Inzaghi maybe. Guy I know told me a story of how Totti (at least I think that's who it was) expressed his outright disbelief during a casual kick-about at how Pippo had ever made it as a professional and basically told him to his face he was crap at football.

 

[Kanu]

Kanu, very tall and a bit clunky, but a great (and slow) dribbler. He didn't really use his height all that much. Scored some unique goals and did some nice tricks. Had a couple funny celebrations as well. It always looked like he'd lose the ball, but then did something funny to get past his defender. Cult hero at many clubs he's played at.

 

[AaronRedDevil]

Always thought Rooney was unique. He could be up on the end of something in the penalty box and next bit he could suddenly be the last man making a passionate last ditch tackle in defence or vice versa. I reckon he could have played anywhere in his prime and put in a shift.

This is the perfect example even though not in a united shirt! Could you imagine a Messi, Ronaldo, Aguero and the likes doing the same?

Wow. Just wow

 

[Pow]

I think some have misunderstood the threat. Messi for example should not be mentioned here.

Zlatan. Maicon. Zidane. Makelele. Yaya Toure.

All I think has a unique skill set. Combination of skills that were unusual.

Being the best striker and playmaker in the world seems pretty unique to me.

 

[Rory 7]

Paul McGrath is not a bad shout given the performances he put in with those knees and the lifestyle he was living. Played through the pain for years and years but put in some hell of a shift. A natural.

 

[VorZakone]

Kanu, very tall and a bit clunky, but a great (and slow) dribbler. He didn't really use his height all that much. Scored some unique goals and did some nice tricks. Had a couple funny celebrations as well. It always looked like he'd lose the ball, but then did something funny to get past his defender. Cult hero at many clubs he's played at.

Which Kanu are you talking about? I feel like there were 3 good Kanu's around at a certain moment. Maybe I'm remembering it wrong.

 

[Angry Virginian]

Berbatov: can trap any ball coming his way.

 

[BrianMcClair'sBarnet]

Recoba. Technically one of the best players ever but he was soooooooooooooo fecking lazy.
He absolutely detested training and tactical drills.

 

[Schmeichel's Cartwheel]

Jamie Vardy. I would say going from playing in the Conference at 25 to being a Premier League winner at 29 is pretty damn unique.

 

[Irwin99]

Beckham. Absolutely perfected some attributes to his game (Crossing/dead ball) whilst being just decent in every other department. Not really sure there's another player like him right now or been one since. In the modern era he'd play as a CM .

 

[UweBein]

Matt Le Tissier - exceptional technical skills, when I watched him he didn't really look like he was that athletic but he did things that suggested that perception was wrong.

My first thought really, when I read the OP.

 

[Karel Podolsky]

Kanu, very tall and a bit clunky, but a great (and slow) dribbler. He didn't really use his height all that much. Scored some unique goals and did some nice tricks. Had a couple funny celebrations as well. It always looked like he'd lose the ball, but then did something funny to get past his defender. Cult hero at many clubs he's played at.

Winning Eleven 3 legend.

 

[Isotope]

Mandzukic.
A severely limited striker that play important role to every teams he's been played for on winning trophies.

 

[Patrick08]

Roberto Carlos? Never seen another one like him.

 

[Masskh]

King Eric

 

[pascell]

Rogerio Ceni, scored 65 goals, as a goalkeeper.

Jose Luiz Chilavert, goalkeeper that was very good at free kicks.

 

[B20]

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 build.

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!

Excellent shout. Gullit is one of those few where I don't think about his position, but just remember him as an outstanding footballer as a whole.

Would be ridiculous in the modern game. People talk about Pogba as a rare blend of physique and technique but he's got nothing on Gullit.

 

[B20]

Not as pronounced, but Firmino plays the game like no one else around. Never seen a player with that kind of technical ability essentially be a high intensity water carrier up front. He's somewhere between a dirk kuyt and Bergkamp, but playing from the front.

 

[B20]

Also Pavel Nedved. Some sort of box-to-box-winger-playmaker?

Can't think of any player I'd ever compare him to. Played the game completely his own way and at his own energetic pace and was basically impossible to mark out of a game.

 

[duffer]

Peter Crouch look less like a footballer than anyone else I can think of

 

[roonster09]

Not as pronounced, but Firmino plays the game like no one else around. Never seen a player with that kind of technical ability essentially be a high intensity water carrier up front. He's somewhere between a dirk kuyt and Bergkamp, but playing from the front.

Rooney played like that, superb work rate and play maker, scored goals but didn't lead the line.

 

[Ian Reus]

Kevin Moran.

Both a professional Gaelic football player and professional actual footballer for United.

Also booted the feck out of Everton and became first ever player to be sent off in an fa cup final.

 

[harms]

Peter Crouch look less like a footballer than anyone else I can think of

Nice one.

 

[Pierluigi Casiraghi]

Inzaghi maybe. Guy I know told me a story of how Totti (at least I think that's who it was) expressed his outright disbelief during a casual kick-about at how Pippo had ever made it as a professional and basically told him to his face he was crap at football.

Yeah I was gonna mention him too. If you watch a compilation showing all of his career goals, the vast majority of them are shit, and a lot of them are downright lucky. Thing is, if a player gets a good goal return one season like that you can call it a fluke. If they make a career out of it, then it can't be luck.

Javier Hernandez also deserves a mention here. Kind of crappy touch and passing for a pro and has scored some really weird goals.

 

[Rozay]

Paolo Maldini for me.

Still not sure what he really was. Was ‘the best defender in the world’ who played left-back half the time, which ended up almost like left-wing half of the time. There are ‘ball-playing centre halves’, then there’s Maldini, who was, well I dunno tbh. Just brilliant.

 

[westmeath]

Unique means one of a kind, unlike any other.

Players are either unique or they are not. One player cannot be more unique that another. There can not be a “most unique” player.

This entire thread is currently complete nonsense.

 

[The Cat]

Unique means one of a kind, unlike any other.

Players are either unique or they are not. One player cannot be more unique that another. There can not be a “most unique” player.

This entire thread is currently complete nonsense.

Having a bad day?

 

[westmeath]

Nah, just hate that “most unique” stuff. Everybody’s unique, end of story.