most talented player i've watched in person - def n/g | Vital Football

most talented player i've watched in person - def n/g

wxgill

wxgill

Vital 1st Team Regular
Bar Chris Pike / Tony Eeeles this player is the best i've ever watched on a regular basis. I worked at Highbury as match day response for 15 years.

I don't think his skill and ball control have been matched since:

 
Andy Gray for me (the ex sky one)
He was deadly in the air and i will never forget beating all conquering Liverpool in a night match 5-1 all scored before half time back in about 1975/6
Bizarrely 2 gills connections Ron Saunders manager and Charlie young played as centreback.
 
Jack Grealish is probably the one for me, but the Villa version. Utterly sublime, off the cuff player in his last 18 months in a claret and blue shirt, but become one of a number of automotons under Pep.

I've seen many great players on one or two match basis - Cristiano Ronaldo and Rooney were a stunning partnership for Man United for a time and I got to see them a few times. Wouldn't count players like Henry and Pires as even though they're undoubtedly wonderful footballers, they didn't do a whole lot when I saw them against our boys. Same goes for the likes of Gerrard, Giggs, Lampard, even Zola.
 
I saw Steve Coppell playing for Tranmere against the Gills, he ran our full back George Ley ragged all afternoon.
Saw Ian Rush come on as sub for Chester against us but the outstanding player for me was Kerry Dixon playing for Reading against us before his Chelsea days. Steve Bruce struggled all afternoon against him
 
Peak Ronaldinho for me. And that was even with (old) Henry and (young) Messi alongside him. Barca at Real Zaragoza about 15 years ago.
 
Saw Gazza score a hatrick at the old Den and saw him score two at Fratton Park both around late 80's early 90's both whilst playing for Spurs. He tore Wall & pompey apart and was applauded off the pitch at both grounds which is no easy task at either venue's.
 
I saw George Best play for Man It'd and most of the big names from that era, Best was exceptional but the one you couldn't take your eyes off was Jimmy Greaves, but you did, and suddenly the goal was at his mercy. George Weah was still pretty good when we played at Maine Road.

Andy Gray? Definitely the bravest I've seen, almost suicidal.
 
Glenn Hoddle. I wasn't at the Gills v Spurs 2-4 game but was at Wembley for the 1981 Charity Shield.

At Priestfield, it has to be Robert Prosinecki, even though Portsmouth somehow lost 2-0 to us.

Both those players seemed to have wands on their feet as they strolled/hovered around the pitch, playing a different game to the others. Could have played in carpet slippers, I reckon.

Sign of greatness.
 
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Super Bob, obviously! Scored some cracking goals for us, and where would a Man City be if it wasn’t for his goal that got them into the Premier League. And Hess of course, a true Gills legend as a player.
 
Glen Hoddle was amazing. When I lived in Essex I'd occasionally pop down to white heart lane Hoddle, Ardiles and Steve Perryman were unbelievably good. I could never understand why Ricky Villa got relatively litte game time.
I bumped into Hoddle a couple times in Harlow. He's a nice guy. By that I mean he didn't tell me to sod off straight away, he gave it a few minutes.
 
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Thinking only about recent times ( back in the day, the likes of Georgie Best etc were wonder players) i`d pick a couple of youngsters whose talent displayed on the day I watched them was immense. It was in 2021, when they were 17 and 18 respectively. Both were playing for Manchester United`s u-21`s in a Prem2 game at Lancashire FA.

Shola Shoretire, a wonderkid if ever there was one. Ball control and attacking instinct on another level. Convinced that I was watching an upcoming England (senior) team star. Scored a hat-trick.

Alvaro Fernandez, a Spaniard, unbelievable maturity and composure plus the kind of speed and accurate crossing you dream of in a wing back.

Shoretire went on to play for the senior team at Old Trafford but, only once. Inexplicable drop in form saw him loaned to Bolton Wanderers where he failed to make a solid impression scoring just once. I don`t even know what he`s up to right now - might be without a team !

Fernandez never made an appearance for the Man Utd first team and was loaned to PNE where he had a full season and played well. Subsequently loaned to Benfica where he`s appeared for the first team half a dozen times. Man Utd contract ends this May.

Just goes to show, even lads on apparent gilt-edged platforms, who appear to be world beaters in their teens, have a long and very windy road ahead to truly make it to the big time. Sometimes talent, even top-rate talent, isn`t enough.

In terms of ability and entertainment, both the lads I watched on that day treated the punters to a talent show of the highest quality. There`s a lot of talent out there right now, good luck to all the youngsters trying their best to become the most talented player you have yet to see in person !
 
jogills said:
I saw George Best play for Man It'd and most of the big names from that era, Best was exceptional but the one you couldn't take your eyes off was Jimmy Greaves, but you did, and suddenly the goal was at his mercy. George Weah was still pretty good when we played at Maine Road.

Andy Gray? Definitely the bravest I've seen, almost suicidal.
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Entirely agree about Greavesie. Saw play for Spurs a few times and vividly remember a goal he scored (against Stoke I think) dribbling into the area and rounding Gordon Banks. Could not believe it when a few years later as a young sales rep he became one of my customers. Really great bloke!

Expanding the thread (great one btw WX) I was lucky enough to see the most incredible performances by stars in other sports. Bjorg I have seen several times but his Wimbledon victory against McEnroe in 1980 was mind blowing. In later years I met him twice - a very modest and charming guy.

Another unforgettable performance was Aravinda Da Silva batting against the touring West Indies and their full formidable attack Ambrose and co, at Canterbury, scoring a century in barely two hours. They just didn't know how to bowl to him.
 
Giving it a slight Gills twist......In terms of opposition players against us..... Paul Merson playing for Portsmouth once at Priestfield was by far the best opposition player I've seen grace a Gills match!
 
I have been lucky on my travels. I have seen a lot of top rated players around Europe and South America, but only once did I see a player dominate a game without appearing to break sweat.
2002 Priestfield Stadium Paul Merson ran the game hardly running at all (if he still could) we lost 1-3 it could have been more. Without Merson we would have given them a game, but we hardly got a look in.
 
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