Born on July 30th 1964 in Göppingen, Jürgen Klinsmann started his career in the second division club Stuttgart Kickers in 1982. When he two years later became top scorer in the division, the big club in the city, Vfb Stuttgart signed him. He would spend his next five seasons there and achieved much success, both … Continue reading “007. Jürgen Klinsmann”
Hendrik Johannes Cruijff, born in Amsterdam 1947, began his career at local club Ajax in 1964 where he quickly blossomed into a star. His excellent skills on the ball, great pace and ability to lift his team-mates to a higher level made him an invaluable asset to the Ajax-team that would later conquer Europe. In … Continue reading “006. Johan Cruijff”
Zbigniew “Zibi” Boniek, born in Bydgoszcz, is one of the greatest Eastern European players ever. He started his career in his birth town club Zawisza before moving to one of the great Polish clubs, Widzew Lodz. Boniek was included in Poland’s 1978 World Cup squad as a 22-year-old and impressed many with his tireless running … Continue reading “005. Zbigniew Boniek”
Home ⇒ World Football ⇒ Legendary Players England has produced a long line of goalkeeping legends over the years. The best of them all was Gordon Banks. Born in Sheffield, he joined third division side Chesterfield as a part-time pro in 1955. After four years, Banks was ready for bigger tasks and joined Leicester City in 1959 for £7,000. It … Continue reading “004. Gordon Banks”
One of Asia’s greatest players, Iranian star Ali Daei assured his place in football history when he became the all-time leading goalscorer in men’s international football. Born in Ardabil, he began his senior career with hometown club Esteghlal in 1988 before moving on to Taxirani and Bank Tejarat over the next few years. While with … Continue reading “114. Ali Daei”
Teofilo Cubillas played in two World Cups eight years apart and scored five goals in each, making him one of the most prolific scorers in World Cup history. A virtually unknown 20 year old in 1970, he was soon acknowledged after helping Peru to the quarter- finals. “Nene” Cubillas was born at Lima in March … Continue reading “003. Teofilo Cubillas”
African soccer had its first real break-through on the world stage in 1982. Cameroon held Peru, eventual winners Italy and semifinalists Poland to draws in the first round group. They only let in one goal, a lucky header by Italian forward Graziani, but it was enough to send them home because Italy had 2-2 in … Continue reading “002. Thomas N’Kono”
There can be few more controversial signings in the history of football than when Tottenham Hotspur signed Walter Tull in 1909. Walter Tull, the son of a Bajan (Barbadian Creole) carpenter and a local Kent woman was born in Folkstone in 1888. After the death of his parents, Tull was brought up in a National … Continue reading “001. Walter Tull”
One of the finest ever players in the game, Ferenc Puskas never was able to fulfill his true potential in a World Cup, despite being silver medalist in 1954. He began his career in 1943 in Kispest a suburb of Budapest, and at the age of 18 in 1945 he made his debut for Hungary … Continue reading “Legendary Player’s Page”
