European Footballer of the Year
Dec 2nd 2008, 12:52 pm
#1
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European Footballer of the Year
Today's football debate.......... who is the worst player to win the award?? 
List of Ballon d'Or (European Footballer of the Year) winners:
1956 - Stanley Matthews (England)
1957 - Alfredo di Stefano (Spain)
1958 - Raymond Kopa (France)
1959 - Alfredo di Stefano (Spain)
1960 - Luis Suarez (Spain)
1961 - Omar Sivori (Italy)
1962 - Josef Masopust (Czechoslovakia)
1963 - Lev Yashin (USSR)
1964 - Denis Law (Scotland)
1965 - Eusebio (Portugal)
1966 - Bobby Charlton (England)
1967 - Florian Albert (Hungary)
1968 - George Best (Northern Ireland)
1969 - Gianni Rivera (Italy)
1970 - Gerd Mueller (West Germany)
1971 - Johan Cruyff (Netherlands)
1972 - Franz Beckenbauer (West Germany)
1973 - Johan Cruyff (Netherlands)
1974 - Johan Cruyff (Netherlands)
1975 - Oleg Blokhin (USSR)
1976 - Franz Beckenbauer (West Germany)
1977 - Allan Simonsen (Denmark)
1978 - Kevin Keegan (England)
1979 - Kevin Keegan (England)
1980 - Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (West Germany)
1981 - Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (West Germany)
1982 - Paolo Rossi (Italy)
1983 - Michel Platini (France)
1984 - Michel Platini (France)
1985 - Michel Platini (France)
1986 - Igor Belanov (USSR)
1987 - Ruud Gullit (Netherlands)
1988 - Marco van Basten (Netherlands)
1989 - Marco van Basten (Netherlands)
1990 - Lothar Matthaeus (Germany)
1991 - Jean-Pierre Papin (France)
1992 - Marco van Basten (Netherlands)
1993 - Roberto Baggio (Italy)
1994 - Hristo Stoichkov (Bulgaria)
1995 - George Weah (Liberia)
1996 - Matthias Sammer (Germany)
1997 - Ronaldo (Brazil)
1998 - Zinedine Zidane (France)
1999 - Rivaldo (Brazil)
2000 - Luis Figo (Portugal)
2001 - Michael Owen (England)
2002 - Ronaldo (Brazil)
2003 - Pavel Nedved (Czech Republic)
2004 - Andriy Shevchenko (Ukraine)
2005 - Ronaldinho (Brazil)
2006 - Fabio Cannavaro (Italy)
2007 - Kaka (Brazil)
2008 - Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
List of Ballon d'Or (European Footballer of the Year) winners:
1956 - Stanley Matthews (England)
1957 - Alfredo di Stefano (Spain)
1958 - Raymond Kopa (France)
1959 - Alfredo di Stefano (Spain)
1960 - Luis Suarez (Spain)
1961 - Omar Sivori (Italy)
1962 - Josef Masopust (Czechoslovakia)
1963 - Lev Yashin (USSR)
1964 - Denis Law (Scotland)
1965 - Eusebio (Portugal)
1966 - Bobby Charlton (England)
1967 - Florian Albert (Hungary)
1968 - George Best (Northern Ireland)
1969 - Gianni Rivera (Italy)
1970 - Gerd Mueller (West Germany)
1971 - Johan Cruyff (Netherlands)
1972 - Franz Beckenbauer (West Germany)
1973 - Johan Cruyff (Netherlands)
1974 - Johan Cruyff (Netherlands)
1975 - Oleg Blokhin (USSR)
1976 - Franz Beckenbauer (West Germany)
1977 - Allan Simonsen (Denmark)
1978 - Kevin Keegan (England)
1979 - Kevin Keegan (England)
1980 - Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (West Germany)
1981 - Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (West Germany)
1982 - Paolo Rossi (Italy)
1983 - Michel Platini (France)
1984 - Michel Platini (France)
1985 - Michel Platini (France)
1986 - Igor Belanov (USSR)
1987 - Ruud Gullit (Netherlands)
1988 - Marco van Basten (Netherlands)
1989 - Marco van Basten (Netherlands)
1990 - Lothar Matthaeus (Germany)
1991 - Jean-Pierre Papin (France)
1992 - Marco van Basten (Netherlands)
1993 - Roberto Baggio (Italy)
1994 - Hristo Stoichkov (Bulgaria)
1995 - George Weah (Liberia)
1996 - Matthias Sammer (Germany)
1997 - Ronaldo (Brazil)
1998 - Zinedine Zidane (France)
1999 - Rivaldo (Brazil)
2000 - Luis Figo (Portugal)
2001 - Michael Owen (England)
2002 - Ronaldo (Brazil)
2003 - Pavel Nedved (Czech Republic)
2004 - Andriy Shevchenko (Ukraine)
2005 - Ronaldinho (Brazil)
2006 - Fabio Cannavaro (Italy)
2007 - Kaka (Brazil)
2008 - Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
Dec 2nd 2008, 1:43 pm
#2
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Re: European Footballer of the Year
That is a very strange question. Do you have a hidden agenda?
Dec 2nd 2008, 2:04 pm
#3
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Re: European Footballer of the Year
It's an interesting question because to have won the prize in the first place you will have to have been a fantastic and consistent footballer that year.
So finding the worst of the best will be a task that causes hours of debate.
From that list I'd say...
Paulo Rossi - because his win was based on his World Cup exploits and not a whole season.
He was a great player (legendary at Vicenza), but he had been banned (coming back just before the WC) so was not firing on all cylinders in the world cup group stages, then suddenly clicked and fired Italy to the title.
However, his goalscoring record at club level was not great in the season after the world cup (which doesn't mean he wasn't an excellent player, just not for the whole of 1982)
So not because he wasn't a great player - because he was - but because he did not prove for the whole year his worth.
So finding the worst of the best will be a task that causes hours of debate.
From that list I'd say...
Paulo Rossi - because his win was based on his World Cup exploits and not a whole season.
He was a great player (legendary at Vicenza), but he had been banned (coming back just before the WC) so was not firing on all cylinders in the world cup group stages, then suddenly clicked and fired Italy to the title.
However, his goalscoring record at club level was not great in the season after the world cup (which doesn't mean he wasn't an excellent player, just not for the whole of 1982)
So not because he wasn't a great player - because he was - but because he did not prove for the whole year his worth.
Dec 2nd 2008, 2:04 pm
#4
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Re: European Footballer of the Year
Hidden? No not really - but I think the quality of the winner reflects the general level of football played in that era.
........ but OK - I see what you're saying ............
OK then - a willing and energetic workhorse like Kevin Keegan wouldn't have come close to winning if he had played in the era of Platini/Gullit/Van Basten (ie the mid-1980s). He was helped by being surrounded by a very good Liverpool/Hamburg team for most of the 1970s.
I also feel that selection for the award has often been distorted by a single outstanding match or tournament rather than a consistently good twelve months (e.g. Stoichkov in 1994, single-handedly taking a limited Bulgaria team to the World Cup semi-final, or Michael Owen in 2001, scoring a hat-trick in England's 5-1 away win v Germany).
That was all I was getting at.
Of course you can do the boring old 'who was the best player of them all?' thing..............
........ but OK - I see what you're saying ............
OK then - a willing and energetic workhorse like Kevin Keegan wouldn't have come close to winning if he had played in the era of Platini/Gullit/Van Basten (ie the mid-1980s). He was helped by being surrounded by a very good Liverpool/Hamburg team for most of the 1970s.
I also feel that selection for the award has often been distorted by a single outstanding match or tournament rather than a consistently good twelve months (e.g. Stoichkov in 1994, single-handedly taking a limited Bulgaria team to the World Cup semi-final, or Michael Owen in 2001, scoring a hat-trick in England's 5-1 away win v Germany).
That was all I was getting at.
Of course you can do the boring old 'who was the best player of them all?' thing..............
Last edited by The Dean; Dec 2nd 2008 at 2:05 pm. Reason: i
Dec 2nd 2008, 2:20 pm
#5
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Re: European Footballer of the Year
Hristo was also banging them in at Barca when he won the award...a goal every two games at club level, la liga title, golden boot at the world cup...
Dec 2nd 2008, 4:43 pm
#6
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Posts: 7,646
Re: European Footballer of the Year
The guy in 26th place should be the best.Funnily enough that's Platini.
You can't compare Mathews with Ronaldo
Sponsorship, training,diet,opportunity...........
In there time, thery were all great and should
enjoy the kudos of that fame.
You can't compare Mathews with Ronaldo
Sponsorship, training,diet,opportunity...........
In there time, thery were all great and should
enjoy the kudos of that fame.
Dec 3rd 2008, 1:30 am
#8
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Posts: 11,370
Re: European Footballer of the Year
if you fancy a great read about 'the good old days' buy 'my father and other working class heroes', brilliant, brilliant book.
Dec 3rd 2008, 4:26 am
#10
why ayeeeee man!
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Posts: 11,370
Re: European Footballer of the Year
Gary Imlach, its about his dad Stewart Imlach who was from Lossiemouth in Scotland and played in the 50's, won the cup with forest and was totally done over by the maximum wage and committees picking the players for scotland rather then a manager,
it's a great read - the scottish lads will like it as well I'd imagine.
it's a great read - the scottish lads will like it as well I'd imagine.
Dec 3rd 2008, 4:38 am
#11
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Re: European Footballer of the Year
Gary Imlach, its about his dad Stewart Imlach who was from Lossiemouth in Scotland and played in the 50's, won the cup with forest and was totally done over by the maximum wage and committees picking the players for scotland rather then a manager,
it's a great read - the scottish lads will like it as well I'd imagine.
it's a great read - the scottish lads will like it as well I'd imagine.
.......... and thank you for pointing out that he won the Cup with Forest......
........... who did they beat in the final, I wonder??
Dec 3rd 2008, 7:20 am
#12
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Posts: 587
Re: European Footballer of the Year
Hidden? No not really - but I think the quality of the winner reflects the general level of football played in that era.
........ but OK - I see what you're saying ............
OK then - a willing and energetic workhorse like Kevin Keegan wouldn't have come close to winning if he had played in the era of Platini/Gullit/Van Basten (ie the mid-1980s). He was helped by being surrounded by a very good Liverpool/Hamburg team for most of the 1970s.
I also feel that selection for the award has often been distorted by a single outstanding match or tournament rather than a consistently good twelve months (e.g. Stoichkov in 1994, single-handedly taking a limited Bulgaria team to the World Cup semi-final, or Michael Owen in 2001, scoring a hat-trick in England's 5-1 away win v Germany).
That was all I was getting at.
Of course you can do the boring old 'who was the best player of them all?' thing..............
........ but OK - I see what you're saying ............
OK then - a willing and energetic workhorse like Kevin Keegan wouldn't have come close to winning if he had played in the era of Platini/Gullit/Van Basten (ie the mid-1980s). He was helped by being surrounded by a very good Liverpool/Hamburg team for most of the 1970s.
I also feel that selection for the award has often been distorted by a single outstanding match or tournament rather than a consistently good twelve months (e.g. Stoichkov in 1994, single-handedly taking a limited Bulgaria team to the World Cup semi-final, or Michael Owen in 2001, scoring a hat-trick in England's 5-1 away win v Germany).
That was all I was getting at.
Of course you can do the boring old 'who was the best player of them all?' thing..............
Didn't Michael Owen win 4 trophies and score the most goals in Europe that year?
didn't Stoichkov win la liga with Barca and finish runners up in Champions League (albeit being stuffed by Milan) in 94 too?
Dec 3rd 2008, 7:22 am
#13
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Re: European Footballer of the Year
Gary Imlach, its about his dad Stewart Imlach who was from Lossiemouth in Scotland and played in the 50's, won the cup with forest and was totally done over by the maximum wage and committees picking the players for scotland rather then a manager,
it's a great read - the scottish lads will like it as well I'd imagine.
it's a great read - the scottish lads will like it as well I'd imagine.
Have you read the two Forest books? - The Damned United and the other one by Nottingham journo (cant remember the name), absolutely brilliant the both of them, great stories on Cloughie...
Dec 3rd 2008, 8:21 am
#14
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Re: European Footballer of the Year
The worst in the list? Fabio Cannavaro by far...
Amazing Maradona never made it to the list in the 1980s... or back then was only for European born players?
Amazing Maradona never made it to the list in the 1980s... or back then was only for European born players?
Dec 3rd 2008, 8:59 am
#15
why ayeeeee man!
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Location: Disco Gardens...
Posts: 11,370
Re: European Footballer of the Year
It's sat at home on my bookshelf, cost a pound in HMV, meant to be a great read though...
Have you read the two Forest books? - The Damned United and the other one by Nottingham journo (cant remember the name), absolutely brilliant the both of them, great stories on Cloughie...
Have you read the two Forest books? - The Damned United and the other one by Nottingham journo (cant remember the name), absolutely brilliant the both of them, great stories on Cloughie...
And aye, both cracking books.