Your Football Idols?

[H10]

I came across an old football compilation on a friends channel which I had created circa 2006 which got me thinking about football idols and legends.

As this is a Man Utd forum most of ours would naturally be Man Utd based idols. But were there any other players who you idolised when growing up? Original Ronaldo perhaps? Maybe Zidane?

Who inspired you? And why?

 

[Nickelodeon]

Van de Beek

 

[MikeUpNorth]

Cantona.

 

[Deery]

Roy Keane

 

[Paul_Scholes18]

Paul Scholes of course. Also Van Nistelrooy a bit.

 

[RedTiger]

Non united players:

Maradona
John Barnes
Franco Baresi
Ruud Gullit
OG Ronaldo

 

[SATA]

I do not really have football idols but Becks is probably the closest to me having one. Was an absolute superstar at United, quite adored him and i’m a bloke. I’m abit bitter how it ended with him and Fergie prior to him going to Madrid but glad they had made up

 

[paulscholes18]

Del Piero

 

[Fingeredmouse]

Batigol

 

[hellhunter]

Thomas Häßler. He played for my local club Karlsruhe when I started watching football and going to matches in the mid 90s, and frankly, he was way to good for such a mediocre club.

He was extremely gifted, brilliant technician and free kick taker, seemed like a model pro always giving his all for the shirt, never complaining. Had a very good career for the national team as well. In the middle of the nineties, it felt like a rare kind of midfielder for a German, a bit like the techno midgets spain produced a decade on.

Please ignore the shitty music.

Another star of that team was a certain Sean Dundee, you may have heard of him

 

[Lynty]

#1 Beckham - demonstrated how far you could get through hard work and a professional attitude. 98 was also the first time I really got into football (which fits when he really hit super stardom) For me, he was also England's standout player for a decade period during the golden generation.

#2 Ronaldinho - demonstrated that football should be (above all else) fun/entertainment. Too many people forget that... especially on here.

#3 Messi - the Goat. What a special time to be watching football with two players who undisputedly dominated and raised expectations for over a decade. I regret not watching his earlier years enough.

 

[VivaObertan]

Cantona

 

[diarm]

Baggio
Bergkamp
Cantona
Batistuta
L.Ronaldo

 

[Invictus]

The prototypical footballer, IMO — supremely talented but also a hard worker, always fit and available, exceptional leader in terms of setting a consistently high standard, club loyalty that is matched by very few, and charitable with a fairly squeaky clean image off the pitch. They don't make 'em like that anymore, do they?

 

[Florida Man]

Ronaldinho got me into football. The man was pure magic. Though Eric Cantona in the Joga Bonito commercials was a significant factor too.

 

[BiggusCrickus]

Roberto Baggio . Del Piero and Totti. I loved proper 10s back in my youth. I hate the fact that the role has gone up in smoke these past few years

 

[united_99]

Not necessarily idol but my top 4 United players even until now and in that order:

Keane
Becks
Scholes
Giggs

Non-United it has always been Zidane

 

[Redplane]

Bergkamp.
Thanks to his retirement Arse never recovered.

On a serious note though - I wish he would have played for United. One of a kind player, class professional and most of all - winner.

Del Pierro would be my second shout for similar reasons.

 

[MemphisThePie]

Oliver Kahn, he were a beast when I grew up. May be the performance in World Cup 2002.

 

[Zen86]

Del Piero was my non United one, Beckham/Cole/Schmeichel/Giggs/Cantona etc were the United ones.

 

[MalcolmTucker]

Cantona, Giggs, Cole, L. Ronaldo, Scholes, Van Nistelrooy, Ronaldinho and C. Ronaldo were my football idols when I was growing up.

 

[Jerzol78]

Maradona, Gullit, Matthaus.
When I got a bit older (I was born in 1978) not really idols, but I admired Figo, Zidane. As I'm Polish I must say that Lewandowski is my idol now.

 

[clarkydaz]

Hughes - Roy of the Rovers
Cantona - simply Eric

Matthaus around 1990, always remember him consoling Waddle, very classy

 

[Tincanalley]

Cantona. Best.

 

[balaks]

George Best was my idol growing up. Other than that it was Klinsmann, Hoddle, Walsh and Gazza.

 

[Lay]

Ronaldo Nazario
Riquelme

Then, maybe Cantona or Ronaldinho

 

[Amarsdd]

Roy Keane. When I played for my college, I had "Keano" on my shirt even if I was a CB.

 

[horsechoker]

Beckham
Giggs
C Ronaldo
Messi
Henry
Ronaldinho
Rio

 

[Yagami]

Only Beckham. I only cared to watch United as a kid.

 

[Mainoldo]

Giggs - Beckham - Ronaldinho - CR7. Then I became a grown ass man.

Honourable mention. Romario, Del Piero, Totti, Henry(On the sneak).

 

[Abizzz]

Thomas Häßler. He played for my local club Karlsruhe when I started watching football and going to matches in the mid 90s, and frankly, he was way to good for such a mediocre club.

He was extremely gifted, brilliant technician and free kick taker, seemed like a model pro always giving his all for the shirt, never complaining. Had a very good career for the national team as well. In the middle of the nineties, it felt like a rare kind of midfielder for a German, a bit like the techno midgets spain produced a decade on.

Please ignore the shitty music.

Another star of that team was a certain Sean Dundee, you may have heard of him

Also we got relegated the season he got injured (it was a bad tackle from behind, way too many of those back then), and never truly recovered from that. The best thing about him was any time we got a free kick the grown ups would tell me to pay attention now because we have Häßler

 

[hellhunter]

Also we got relegated the season he got injured (it was a bad tackle from behind, way too many of those back then), and never truly recovered from that. The best thing about him was any time we got a free kick the grown ups would tell me to pay attention now because we have Häßler

That game in the freezing cold versus Düsseldorf. Felt like a nightmare for me as a kid seeing him in so much pain

 

[The Cat]

The original Brazilian Eder.

Did things I've never seen since. Shooting from corners, amazing goals. Yes he was a lazy bastard but he was a pioneer.

 

[DeGea]

Non United players:
Brazilian Ronaldo - in his prime, the best finisher I have ever seen. Unplayable.
Ronaldinho - the epitome of the beautiful game. Played with so much flair and fun.

 

[Dirty Schwein]

Nedved
Zlatan
Schweinsteiger
Roy Keane
Park J.S.

 

[Isotope]

Scholes, Cantona, Carrick, (young) Rooney, Stam, Schmeichel, McManaman, Nedved, Baggio, Batistuta, Van Basten, Bierhoff, Nakata.

 

[arnie_ni]

Cantona.

Same. Wore my collar up for years as kid because of him

 

[foolsgold]

United, Bryan Robson and Norman Whiteside otherwise the french team of the early to mid 80s,. Platini, Giresse, Tigana loved their football. Should have won a world cup.

 

[Chesterlestreet]

Thomas Häßler. He played for my local club Karlsruhe when I started watching football and going to matches in the mid 90s, and frankly, he was way to good for such a mediocre club.

Didn't expect to see him mentioned in a thread like this.

Wonderful player - and very underrated.

 

[Pexbo]

Beckham. I was obsessed with everything long range as a young player. Crosses, free kicks, long balls from deep, even corners