The Pick: Johan Neekens was a dutch delight and he deserves a place on my list of the 100 Best Soccer Players Ever. He treated fans of Clockwork Orange to only 49 of his performances, but still managed to muster nearly 20 goals. His pro career was also legendary, as he took the pitch for the best team in his homeland @ the time (Ajax), a successful side in Spain (Barca), and even a new crew in NY, NY (the defunct Cosmos, for whom he played close to 100 games).
From the category archives:
Top 100 Players
The Pick: The most famous player during the era of the USSR (which we Yanks tried to ensure was as short as possible) was Lev Yashin, who is remembered today as perhaps the greatest GK of all-time. He played between the posts for the Soviets in 78 matches and ceded only 70 goals. His pro career was also stellar, and Dynamo Moscow supporters celebrated each of his +400 clean sheets. Yes, you read that correctly. That’s four, zero, zero. 400.
The Pick: You can look at the fact that I – the Bard - placed Cafu in the #57 position on my ranking of the 100 Best Soccer Players Ever many different ways. If you are a Brazil fan, you likely believe that it is absolutely criminal that I have him so far from the top. You would point out to me that with his 2 freakin’ World Cups and 142 caps for Brazil (a national record), he has a damn impressive resume, and you would be right. But I already have too many BRA guys.
photo credit: indigoprime
The Pick: I know many of you are shocked I have Daei not only on this list, but ahead of Garrincha, Messi, etc. you are thinking that I’ve suffered a head injury and my rankings are delusional. Well, I promise you, that is not the case. The reason Daei is here is because he deserves to be. After all, he is the all-time leading (male) scorer of all time in international play. His 109 goals for Iran tops everyone with testes. A couple US Lady Nats have notched more though.
photo credit: JoelZimmer
The Pick: I will admit that my rankings are flawed. I have to, I have Garrincha at #62. I suppose it’s because even though he was brilliant for Brazil in two World Cups (1958 and 1962), he only scored 12 international goals in his entire career. He did score over 200 goals as a pro, but he did it for a Brazilian superpower against a few suspect sides (and it took him +600 games to do it). So, even though he was one of the best ever, his stats have held him back a bit.
![[champions] Chelsea x Juventus : 12](http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3560/3310823384_b115917c25.jpg)
photo credit: Crystian Cruz
The Pick: Pavel Nedved was undoubtedly one of the best midfielders of his generation, so I – the Bard – have decided to provide you all with a soliloquoy about his sizeable talents. The Czech checked into almost 500 matches in his pro career (499 to be exact) and notched 110 goals while on the pitch. He was also a fine international player, scoring 18 goals in 91 appearances for his homeland. He proved that Czech players could hold their own in Europe’s best leagues.
The Pick: Great men of the past are honored in the present when we name things after them. Giuseppe Meazza was so impressive on the pitch that the Italian people have run out of things to name after him. Awards? Check. Stadium? Check. Soccer moves? Yes, check mate. Meazza is still remembered today as one of the best Italian strikers ever even though there are few people left who were eye witnesses to his majestic marches to two World Cup titles with Italy.
The Pick: Turkey is delicious. It’s my favorite lunch meat. Turkey is also a country. It’s not my favorite country (see name above) but it – like many around the world – has become permeated by soccer and produced great players. Hakan Sukur is my favorite Turkish player of all-time though, so I am adding a dash of him to my Top 100. He earned it with his most famous dash of all (aka “the Fastest Goal in FIFA World Cup History”), which only took 10.8 seconds.
photo credit: anthony040
The Pick: It is I – the Bard – and I am back once again to regale you with the tale of one of my Top 100 Soccer Players of All-Time. This week’s episode explains the fantastic soccer exploits of one Lillian Thuram. The man was a wall in defense, and he deserves this fine honor, but please keep your clapping to a minimum throughout the entire montage. That’s right, Thuram played pro ball all over Europe for some great teams, but he will always be known for Les Bleus.
The Pick: Alessandro Costacurta becomes a deserving member of the Bard’s Top 100 today, and I can’t say that it has nothing to do with the fact that his wife is one of the finest specimens God has ever chiseled with his holy… um… chisel, I guess. I mean, seriously, google “Martina Colombari”. You’ll thank me. Just google “Miss Italy” while you are at it and you will see why it is very good to be an Italian soccer star. Costacurta’s career was also a beauty.
