Even Torres misses
(Image from AFP)

1) Ronny Rosenthal

Rocket Ronny Rosenthal made his name in football as a power striker with a hard shot but unfortunately for Ronny he is remembered most for a horrendous miss. The former Israeli international played for a variety of clubs including hometown club Maccabi Haifa as well as stints at Standard Liege, Club Brugge, Tottenham and Watford. But it was his spell as a Liverpool player that made him famous for all the wrong reasons. During the 1992-1993 season, Liverpool faced up to Aston Villa with Rosenthal starting up front. Latching onto a long punt down field from David James, Rosenthal cleared his marker and controlled the ball as the rushing Nigel Spink came to stop him. With some quick footwork, Rosenthal rounded Spink and was through on goal. What happened next needs to be seen to be believed as he hooks the ball up and off the crossbar much to the dismay of his teammates and fans. Rosenthal did recover from this and went on to have a successful career at Liverpool before joining Spurs in 1994. 

Rocky Ronny before the miss
(Image from Getty)

2) Peter Van Vossen

When Peter Van Vossen arrived at Rangers as part of an exchange deal for Oleg Salenko, he did so as European Cup winner, having won the cup with Ajax a couple of years earlier. He was also a member of the Dutch world cup winning squad so Rangers fans were forgiven for thinking they had signed a star striker. For any player joining either Rangers or Celtic, the instance way to become a legend is to score in the Old Firm derby, something that Van Vossen knew going into his first local derby. With Rangers leading their arch rivals 1-0 going into the closing stages of the game German powerhouse Jorg Albertz broke clear of the Celtic defense with Van Vossen in support and only the keeper to beat. Having drawn the keeper out as he entered the box, Albertz squared the ball to Van Vossen to tap the ball in. But the Dutch striker caught the ball wrongly, sending the ball sailing over the bar. Van Vossen was devastated and spoke to reporters the next day about how he felt to miss:

“Nobody said a word to me in the dressing room afterwards. They could all see how terrible I felt at missing and left me alone. I still can’t stop thinking about it. I hardly slept last night because I kept seeing that miss over and over again. Normally I would have looked for a hole to swallow me up, but there were still 10 minutes left and I had to keep my concentration. I felt there would be more chances for me – and I was right. Their keeper saved well but if I’d done things properly he should have had no chance”

His teammates did eventually forgive him but his time at Rangers was marred after that as the fans coined the term “doing a Van Vossen” as ways to describe a terrible miss.

Van Vossen wasn’t smiling after his miss
(Image from Getty)

3) Nicoletta den Ridder

The latest player to join the ranks, Nicoletta plays for Beerschot AC women’s team in the BeNe League. The star defender was playing in a match against Ajax last month when Beerschot were rewarded a free kick on the edge of the area. Caroline Janssens stepped up to take the free kick, curling the ball over the wall and past the diving Laura Du Ryin the Ajax goal. Unfortunately for Beerschot, who haven’t won a single game this season, the post would deny them the lead but as the ball rebounded back across the goal, Den Ridder was on hand to poke the ball home from two yards. Well that’s at least what everyone thought, until the defender, who was looking to add to her only goal this season, spooned the ball over the bar.  Ajax went on to win the match by two goals to nil thanks to strikes from Desiree van Lunteren and Eshley Bakker but it will be Den Ridder’s miss that will be remembered rather than the score line.

A moment to forget for Beerschot’s Nicoletta den Ridder
(Image from YouTube)

Nicoletta is still young and has many more years ahead of her to help erase the memory of the miss but unfortunately it will never go away. She has to move past it as Van Vossen and Rosenthal did. And she should take solace in the fact that some of the game’s greatest players – David Villa, Fernando Torres, Jean Pierre Papin and Kanu have all missed sitters in their careers and they are all strikers. Or better still, she could just watch the clips below which show that she isn’t the only one to have struggled to score from a few yards out.

To See Rosenthal’s miss, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhviGuX09i0

To see Van Vossen’s miss, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DEkKs_dj2I

To see Den Ridder’s miss, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=te33PnBrmV8

To see a host of misses, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKuEDQj7KnA

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El inicio de los años 90 supuso un cambio político y demográfico en la Europa del Este: comenzó la Guerra de los Balcanes y posteriormente se disolvió la Unión Soviética. En el mundo del fútbol, se había celebrado el Mundial de Italia 1990 y la República Federal Alemana (que compitió por última vez con este nombre) se alzó con el campeonato por tercera vez. La anfitriona, que contaba con jugadores como Maldini, Baresi, Roberto Baggio o el actual entrenador del PSG, Carlo Ancelotti, terminó en el tercer lugar al vencer a Inglaterra por 2-1 en la final de consolación.

Dos años después le tocaba el turno a la Eurocopa y la debutante Suecia era la organizadora después de ser elegida por delante de España. El país hispano contaba con la desventaja de haber albergado la Expo 1992 y los Juegos Olímpicos de Barcelona. Suecia 1992 sería la última vez en la que solo habría dos grupos en una fase final y contaba con la peculiaridad de que una de las selecciones clasificadas no era un país, sino un conjunto de naciones llamada CEI (Comunidad de Estados Independientes). Esta “selección” se creó como sustitución de la disuelta URSS en 1991 y formaban parte de ella diez de las quince exrepúblicas soviéticas: Armenia, Azerbaiyán, Bielorrusia, Kazajistán, Kirguistán, Moldavia, Tayikistán, Uzbekistán, Turkmenistán, Ucrania (no oficial) y la propia Rusia. Tres países no se integraron en el CEI ni enviaron jugadores al combinado: las exrepúblicas bálticas de Estonia, Letonia y Lituania. Georgia tampoco formaba parte, pero un jugador de esta nacionalidad fue convocado al conglomerado: Kakhaber Tskhadadze. Jugadores que conocerá el aficionado español como Korneev, Kuznetsov, Onopko o Lediakhov formaron parte de un combinado que pasó por el torneo sin pena ni gloria, quedando en último lugar en un grupo en el que Países Bajos y Alemania se clasificaron como primera y segunda e incluso Escocia superó a la CEI. Esta selección quedó eliminada en la primera fase con dos empates y una derrota. Antes de la desaparición de la Unión Soviética, el país comunista ya se había clasificado para esta Eurocopa y su billete fue utilizado por la CEI. Lo cierto es que, salvo Rusia y Ucrania, el resto de países que formaron parte del combinado no ha participado nunca en una fase final de una Eurocopa o Mundial hasta el día de hoy.

Para jugar la fase final de este torneo, tendrían que clasificarse el primero de cada grupo de un total de siete incluyendo el pase automático de la organizadora Suecia. Uno de estos países se había clasificado pero no podría participar en la competición: se trataba de Yugoslavia. El 30 de Mayo de 1992, el Consejo Nacional de Naciones Unidas decidió sancionar a la selección balcánica con motivo de la guerra civil y por lo tanto, quedó excluida de la Euro 1992. Los plavi, con un equipo de ensueño con jugadores de las diferentes repúblicas yugoslavas (Prosinečki, Boban, Šuker o Jarni por Croacia, el actual entrenador Srečko Katanec por Eslovenia o Pančev por Macedonia) y otras estrellas del propio país como Savićević, venían de hacer una gran fase de clasificación con siete victorias, ningún empate y una derrota ante el que, por sorpresa, sería el campeón del torneo: Dinamarca. La selección danesa acabó en segundo lugar y no se clasificó por méritos propios, sino por la sanción a Yugoslavia. Ni el ilustre escritor danés Hans Christian Andersen podría crear un cuento como el que le sucedió a la selección danesa en Suecia 1992.

Mayo de 1992. Con la eliminación de Yugoslavia por el Comité, y a pocos días de empezar la Eurocopa, la UEFA informa de que Dinamarca ocupará su lugar. Los miembros del combinado danés tendrían que presentar en pocas horas a veinte jugadores que serían convocados para el torneo. Los futbolistas que no pertenecían a la liga danesa como Flemming Poulsen, Henrik Larsen, el capitán Lars Olsen o el portero red devil Peter Schmeichel venían ya de unas semanas de descanso con motivo vacacional, y varios de ellos planearon ir a un hotel en Grecia para disfrutar de unas semanas de relax. Como anécdota, John Jensen dijo que no tenía ganas de ir a Suecia a jugar al fútbol y que su cabeza estaba pensando en playa y vacaciones. La estrella Brian Laudrup, hermano de la leyenda Michael Laudrup, reiteraba que no estaban preparados para jugar la Eurocopa y que en lugar de que Dinamarca hiciese el ridículo, preferiría quedarse en casa. Con la sorpresa del momento, en el primer día de entrenamiento, antes de la Euro, el entrenador Richard Moller Nielsen reunió a los jugadores a su alrededor en el campo y dejó una frase: “Vamos a ir a la Eurocopa y vamos a ir a Suecia para ganar”. Lógicamente, con la inesperada noticia, la plantilla no hizo otra cosa que carcajearse de aquella declaración de intenciones del técnico.

En la Eurocopa, Dinamarca fue encuadrado en el Grupo 1 junto con otro país escandinavo, Suecia, además de Francia e Inglaterra. En el primer partido, el combinado danés sacó un punto (0-0) ante la Inglaterra de Gary Lineker. El otro partido de la jornada se saldaba con un Suecia 1-1 Francia (con goles de Eriksson y Papin). En el segundo partido, el conjunto de Moller Nielsen perdió ante la gran Suecia de la dupla Dahlin-Brolin. Este último sería el autor del 1-0 que dejaba sin puntos a los daneses. Por otro lado, Francia firmaba tablas con Inglaterra en un partido sin goles. En la jornada final, Dinamarca se enfrentaba a la todopoderosa Francia de Platini y con emblemas como Boli, Deschamps, el hispano-francés Luis Fernández, o sus dos delanteros Eric Cantona y Jean-Pierre Papin. Se adelantaría Henrik Larsen antes del minuto 10 y Papin igualaría en el minuto 60. En el minuto 66, Moller Nielsen introdujo al delantero Lars Elstrup y su entrada al campo fue efectiva, pues fue el autor del 1-2 final y la posterior clasificación del equipo danés a Semifinales.

El rival sería el vigente campeón: nada más y nada menos que los Países Bajos de Ronald Koeman, Frank Rijkaard, Marco Van Basten, Frank de Boer, el capitán Ruud Gullit o el máximo goleador de la competición con 3 goles y referente en la historia del fútbol neerlandés y europeo: el exjugador ajacied y gunner Dennis Bergkamp. Brian Laudrup confesó que, al saltar al campo, la mirada de los neerlandeses hacia el conjunto danés era la de ganar fácilmente por 2, 3 o 4 a cero. El partido fue muy igualado, tan igualado que tuvieron que acudir a una prórroga después de empatar a dos tantos. Larsen hacía el 0-1 y Bergkamp el 1-1. Antes del descanso de nuevo Larsen pondría en ventaja al equipo escandinavo pero en el minuto 86 un remate de Frank Rijkaard tras un córner parecía poner punto y seguido al cuento de hadas de los de Moller Nielsen. Tras los 90 minutos llegaba la prórroga con la impresión de los jugadores daneses de tener tan cerca la gloria pero a la vez tan lejos. La eliminatoria llegaría a su punto final en la tanda de penaltis. Tanto Koeman como Larsen habían marcado desde el punto fatídico y el turno le llegaba a Marco Van Basten. Peter Schmeichel adivinó sus intenciones tirándose al lado izquierdo, convirtiéndose así en el héroe nacional de Dinamarca. El resto de penaltis fueron acertados por cada conjunto y el decisivo lo lanzaría el danés Christofte ante las provocaciones del meta tulipán Van Breukelen. El defensa danés no dudó en lanzarlo y tiró sin necesidad de coger impulso en su chut con la total confianza de que lograría la clasificación histórica de Dinamarca a la Final de una Eurocopa. Y así fue. El resultado final fue de victoria danesa 4-5 por penaltis con el único fallo de Van Basten que daba así el pase a la última oportunidad del conjunto de Moller Nielsen de tocar el cielo. La otra Semifinal se saldó con la victoria de Alemania por 2-3 ante Suecia.

Partido final. David contra Goliat. La ya no tan cenicienta Dinamarca se enfrentaba a la reciente campeona del mundo Alemania que solo había perdido ante los Países Bajos y que venía de eliminar a la anfitriona clasificándose así a la Final del torneo. Los teutones se presentaban con estrellas como Thomas Hässler, Matthias Sammer, Steffan Effenberg, Jurgen Klinsmann o el meta que recordará el aficionado madridista, Bodo Illgner. La sorpresa llegaba en el minuto 18 con un golazo del danés Jensen. Con la obligación de la selección danesa de proteger el marcador, tendrían que sufrir durante una hora más. El olimpo llegaría en el minuto 78: Kim Vilfort recibía un pase de cabeza del defensa Klaus Christensen. El centrocampista recortó a un defensa alemán para finalmente batir a Illgner con un disparo imposible de parar que rozaba en el palo y pasaba la línea dando así el definitivo 2-0. Una historia con un final feliz: Dinamarca se proclamaba Campeona de Europa en el año 1992.

En los años siguientes, Dinamarca no tuvo el mismo éxito, pues su mayor logro fue clasificarse a Cuartos de Final en el Mundial de Francia 1998 y en la Eurocopa de Portugal en 2004, pero aquel cuento de hadas de 1992 pasó a formar parte de la historia de Dinamarca y del fútbol europeo como aquella selección que abandonó la playa para alzarse con el mayor logro continental.

Photo http://www.magliarossonera.it

“Christmas brings out the best in people”. Perhaps, that was the main idea conceived at AC Milan headquarters in via Turati in early December 1992. Milan was at the time the home of one of greatest sides in European football. On the other hand, it hit the headlines as the epicentre of Tangentopoli, a huge bribery scandal involving prominent political parties. The image of Italy’s industrial capital city absolutely needed to be purified and AC Milan board decided to couple football and charity with a friendly match between the Rossoneri and a team made up of foreign crackerjacks. For the game was supposed to be held in late December, this special team would bear a particularly appropriate name – Christmas Stars.

The population of Somalia would benefit from the gate receipts of the odd friendly match. A dramatic civil war was still taking place in this corner of Africa, due to the succession to Siad Barre, the man who had taken the power thanks to a coup d’etat in 1969. The instability of the situation required an external intervention by the United Nations through the two UNOSOM operations, with a number of Italian soldiers participating in one of them.

Photo http://www.forzaitalianfootball.com

It was in those days that Christmas Stars played AC Milan at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on 30 December. The game was mainly conceived for families, as tickets for children and women were available at very low prices. Although the match was live broadcasted on Italia Uno, one of the private television channels owned by AC Milan chairman Silvio Berlusconi, many football fans decided to come and the stadium was almost packed. Final gate receipts of 282m of Italian lire were collected, so that AC Milan could send more than 100 tons of foodstuffs to the children in the village of Baidoa.

Coached by Swedish master Nils Liedholm, Christmas Stars borrowed the greatest foreign footballers from AC Milan for the first half only, but the Rossoneri eventually won 4-2. French international Jean-Pierre Papin superbly finished a manoeuvre orchestrated by talented Dejan Savicevic and gave Christmas Stars the lead before half time. The real gap between the two opponents finally emerged, though. AC Milan soon shifted the score in their favour thanks to a dazzling 25-metre drive by midfielder Alberigo Evani and a goal by striker Daniele Massaro. Parma deep-lying forward Sergio Berti temporarily equalised, but Massaro struck again, subsequently emulated by Aldo Serena. The victory enabled AC Milan to end with a good result a year marked by joy and triumphs.

In the last quarter-of-hour of the game, manager Fabio Capello gave a chance to promising goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini, son of former AC Milan legend Fabio. Foreigners of the Italian league such as Claudio Branco, Antonio Careca, Gheorghe Hagi and Claudio Taffarell formed a consistent part of the Christmas Stars team, where also a then young and unknown Brazilian striker Giovane Elber, at the time a player in the Rossoneri academy. All the footballers who took part into the game were reimbursed by Motta, the ice cream company that sponsored the event, which gave them a Cartier watch or a television set.

Milan, 30 December 1992

MILAN-CHRISTMAS STARS 4-2

MILAN: S. Rossi (74′ C. Cudicini), Tassotti, Gambaro, De Napoli, Nava, Baresi II, Lentini I (64′ Serena), Donadoni, Simone (46′ Albertini), Evani, Massaro. Manager: Fabio Capello

CHRISTMAS STARS: Taffarel (46′ Casanova), Sivebaek (80′ Dubovski), Blanc (80′ Panadic), Boban (46′ Ginola, 74′ Rosenthal), Glonek (46′ Germain), Sabau (46′ Sforza, 74′ Berti), Savicevic (46′ Hagi), Rijkaard (46′ Sammer), Papin (57′ Elber, 74′ Oliveira), Gullit (46′ Detari), Careca (46′ Suker, 74′ Raducioiu). Manager: Nils Liedholm.

REFEREE: Trentalange

GOALS: 7 Papin, 50 Evani, 61, 85 Massaro, 79 Berti, 90 Serena

NOTES: attendance 40.339, gate receipts L. 282.782.000.

The idea turned out to be a successful one, as Milan families filled the stands of San Siro and helped the Somali population. Not surprisingly, Motta opted for a re-match between AC Milan and Christmas Stars to be played at Stadio Meazza on 29 December 1993 as a single-game final of the Premio Bontà trophy. The receipts would be destined to fundraising event Telethon and ticket prices remained low.

Once again, about 282m of Italian lire were gained and families enjoyed a 5-3 victory by the Rossoneri.

Despite being a friendly match, the game was significant for several reasons. It was the first match Gianluigi Lentini played as he recovered from a tremendous car accident which definitely conditioned his professional career. On a second note, it was also the time when Brigate rossonere, one of AC Milan’s most ardent groups of fans, booed Christmas Stars captain Ruud Gullit as he had moved to Sampdoria.

Savicevic scored the opener 15 minutes in the first half, but Mexican striker Hugo Sanchez immediately levelled. Savicevic proved to be the undisputable hero of the match, though, as he scored a brace and successfully fed midfielder Angelo Carbone for the second goal. Shortly before half time Papin drilled in, becoming the first player to score in a AC-Milan-v-Christmas-Stars series for both teams.

As the outcome was somehow already outlined, the second half coincided with 45 minutes of pure amusement. Belgian-naturalised Luis Oliveira netted for Christmas Stars, Alessandro Orlando led again AC Milan to a three-goal advantage and Morocco international Rachid Daoudi converted a penalty kick in the dying minutes. The game gave a juicy sample of the World Cup about to be staged a few months later in the United States. Christmas Stars featured Mexico’s flamboyant goalie Jorge Campos, Roumanian winger Ilie Dumitrescu, Swedish forward Thomas Brolin and Greek striker Nichos Machlas.

Milan, 29 December 1993

MILAN-CHRISTMAS STARS 5-3

MILAN: S. Rossi (46′ Ielpo), Tassotti (73′ Sadotti), Al. Orlando, De Napoli, Nava, F. Galli, Lentini I, Desailly (46′ Panucci, 56′ Costacurta), Papin (46′ Massaro), Savicevic (66′ D’Aversa), Carbone. Manager: Fabio Capello

CHRISTMAS STARS: Campos (46′ Wilfred), Martinsen (46′ Rimba), Chamot (46′ Sabau), Gullit (35′ Sforza, 61′ Kalusha Bwalya), Sensini (46′ Lasas), Onopko (35′ Shin Hong Gi, 61′ El Khalej Tahar), Laudrup (61′ Daoudi), Dumitrescu (46′ Makanaki, 82′ Rapaijc), Sanchez (46′ Machals, 82′ Vlaovic), Rincon (46′ Brolin), Miura (50′ Oliveira, 78′ Stanic). Manager: Francisco Maturana.

REFEREE: Treossi

GOALS: 15, 34 Savicevic, 17 Sanchez, 27 Carbone, 41 Papin, 68 Oliveira, 70 Al. Orlando, 82 Daoudi (pk).

NOTES: attendance 42.569, gate receipts L. 281.533.000.

In the following year, Christmas Stars played even two matches for charity purposes, as a company named Sports Events took over the organisation of the friendlies. The special team was meant to play Roma at Stadio Olimpico on 28 December 1994 and, for the third year in a row, AC Milan at San Siro a couple of days later.

The atmosphere in the capital city was quite aloof, despite the plea by Paulo Roberto Falcao, the Brazilian holding midfielder who won a Scudetto with Roma in 1983 and coached Christmas Stars on that day. Just 25,000 people showed up at the stadium, this yielding 80m of Italian lire to be devolved to the city of Alessandria, struck by a dramatic flood, for the purchase of new school buses.

Before the RAI videocameras, Roma overcame their opponents 2-1. Following a series of goal chances, they eventually took the lead with a 20-metre shot by winger Francesco Moriero and briskly added a second courtesy of midfielder Francesco Statuto. Only late in the second half Croatian striker Goran Vlaovic scored for the Christmas Stars, who also fielded Kazu Miura, the first ever Japanese to play in the Serie A.

Rome, 28 December 1994

ROMA-CHRISTMAS STARS 2-1

ROMA: Cervone, Annoni (46′ Colonnese), Benedetti, Statuto (46′ Piacentini), Petruzzi, Carboni (68′ Borsa), Moriero (46′ Maini), Thern, Cappioli, Giannini, Totti. All. Mazzone.
CHRISTMAS STARS 1st HALF: Ladic, Zeman, Balboa, Jovanovski, Štimac, Cruz, Oliveira, Ramos, Papin, Hong Myung Bo, Miura. 2nd HALF: Eriksson, Zeman, Balboa, Berger, Li Bing, Cruz, Kenneth Andersson, Dely Valdés, Harazi, Machlas, Vlaović. All. Falcão.
REFEREE: De Santis di Tivoli.
GOALS: 32 Moriero, 35 Statuto, 89 Vlaović. Attendance 25.120.

Two days later the game was staged at San Siro for the third consecutive friendly match against AC Milan. The event was promoted by car giant Opel, new official sponsor of the Rossoneri, and the income of gate receipts (180m of Italian lire) would eventually be allocated to Unicef. Liedholm curiously replaced his pupil Falcao on the Christmas Stars bench and called up the likes of Hristo Stoichkov, who had just won the Golden Ball, Hong Myung Bo, Tab Ramos and Marcelo Balboa to name but a few.

Photo http://www.magliarossonera.it

The Rossoneri, who worn an unusual yellow kit, ensured a one-goal lead at half time thanks to Croatian talent Zvonimir Boban. Back from the changing room, the match became definitely more lively and entertaining. Christmas Stars, who displayed a sky blue jersey sponsored by Italian-State-owned railway company Ferrovie dello Stato, found the equaliser as Ramos beat second goalie Mario Ielpo and even overturned the result with a goal by future Golden Foot winner Nikos Machlas. A superb scissor kick by young Paolo Di Canio seemed to save AC Milan from their first loss in the series of friendlies against Christmas Stars, but their hopes vanished in injury time. An inspired Machlas had the chance to celebrate the brace and his effort was slighlty deflected by Gianluca Sordo just into the net.

As it happens in many natal stories, the Christmas Stars saga had its happy ending. The last-gasp victory in Milan coincided with the last ever match played by them. Since then, Christmas Stars have always shone on tree tops and decorations. Not any longer on a football pitch.

Milan, 30 December 1994

AC MILAN-CHRISTMAS STARS 2-3

AC MILAN: Rossi (46′ Ielpo), Panucci (70′ Coco), Maldini (54′ Tassotti), Boban (46′ Albertini), Costacurta (46′ Nava), Baresi (31′ Galli), Lentini, Stroppa (46′ Eranio), Melli (46′ Sordo), M. Orlando, Di Canio. Manager: Capello.
CHRISTMAS STARS 1st HALF: Tacconi, Arteaga, Kinder, Štimac, Kalitzakis, Balboa, Lardín, Stoičkov, Hélder, Asanović, Witschge. 2nd HALF: Ladic, Kinder, Hong Myung Bo, Kalitzakis, Zeman, Berger, Lupu, Ramos, Asanović, Li Bing, Machlas. Manager: Nils Liedholm.
REFEREE: Beschin di Legnago.
GOALS: 38 Boban, 70 Ramos, 73, 90+2 Machlas, 83 Di Canio.

There have been many fairytale stories from the Football Manager series; a young manager takes over at a penniless, struggling League 2 side and years down the line they are battling Barcelona in the penalty shootout of the 2025 Champions League final held in a stadium that doesn’t even exist yet. It’s a great feeling to hold such an accolade but pinch yourself and you remember, it is just a game, nothing more.

Back in the real world, groups of friends in bars and offices claim to be able to do a better job at managing their side, questioning team selection or the gaffer’s overly defensive tactics. It’s commonplace to hear things like, “Oh what’s he doing, if I was in charge…”

Some mean it hypothetically, others slightly less so.

At some point or another on the internet we have all seen a youngster chance his luck by submitting an application for a vacant managerial position quoting their ability to play the game Football Manager. They are generally written tongue-in-cheek, just waiting for the hilarious rejection letter to drop through the door and be framed on the wall like a trophy.

What if, just once, that letter never came?

I’m sure 21-year old, Boston University graduate, Vugar Huseynzade, never expected his application to FK Baku in Azerbaijan to be accepted. He was initially hired as an advisor to the side due to the ‘extensive knowledge’ he displayed whilst playing the game. Yet eight months down the line he has been taken on as the manager of their second string side.

It is an improbable tale but it begins to border on the unbelievable when you consider that the other front-runner for the job was former European Footballer of the Year, Jean-Pierre Papin. That is a man with genuine footballing credentials.

So what is this story? Is it a beacon of hope to millions around the world that they too can follow in Huseynzade’s footsteps and make the game a reality? Or should we focus more on the fact that it was still only an Azerbaijani club’s ‘A’ team that had been manager-less for two years prior to his appointment?

Either way, it is still an interesting anecdote to tell your friend next time he thinks he can do a better job than Sir Alex or Mr. Wenger.

But for one lucky fan, 21-year-old Vugar Guloglan oglu Huseynzade, the dream became a reality this week as he was appointed the manager of FC Baku in the Azerbaijani Premier League, based on his impressive track record on Football Manager.

Huseynzade applied for the position after Baku terminated the contract of then manager, Serbian Bozdar Bandovic. FC Baku, who have won the Premier League title twice in 2005 and 2008, won the Azerbaijan Cup last season by beating local rivals Neftchi Baku PFC in the final, but a poor start to this league season, saw owner Hafiz Mammadov lose patience with Bandovic and sacked him earlier this month. Applications for the vacancy have not been hard to come by with some familiar names like former French striker Jean Pierre Papin applying but it was Huseynzade who impressed and was given the role. Huseynzade’s connection with the club is not as fairytale as it may seem. He has been working as an advisor for FC Baku for the past year so hence why he was considered for the job. However his lack of any real management experience would have made most clubs dismiss the application and go for someone of calibre like Papin (who has managed several clubs such as Strasbourg and Lens) instead but Mammadov decided that the youngster had all the qualities he was looking for.

Back to the drawing board for Papin

In his application, Huseynzade explained that he had 10 years of management experience through Football Manager and talked about his ambitions to take FC Baku into the Europa League within 3 years.

‘I’ve always wanted to work in football and have played Football Manager since 2002″

The ambitious new manager is bursting with enthusiasm for the role but with his new team sitting 3rd bottom of the league, within the relegation zone, the focus for the time being is on survival. He does have some experience within his squad to call on such as Serbian international midfielder Nenad Kovačević and Georigian international defender George Popkhadze, who he will likely lean on for support, but the 21-year-old certainly has a job on his hands. He is unlikely to persuade Lionel Messi to join anytime soon as he could have potentially done in the game so his new role may be a shock to his reality. Time will tell if his management skills within the game will lead to success on the real pitch but for millions of Football Manager fans watching on, everyone is hoping he succeeds and he opens the door to other fans who have tasted success in the virtual world.

It could be defined an Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale from a footballing slant. Yet, the echoing victory by Denmark football national team at Euro 1992 was characterised by a quite dramatic prologue and had no happy ending.

The format of the European Championship, held in Sweden, scheduled a final stage with eight participating teams, split into two groups. Yugoslavia was among them, as they won their qualifying round with one point ahead of Denmark. But something irrecoverable occurred.

The civil war in the Balkans blew up, with Yugoslavia coming out such dismembered that it would exist no longer as an unified nation. The conditions for taking part in the European Championship lacked. Another team had to be retrivied, as there was only one week to go before the start of the competion, and Denmark was the picked one.

Manager Richard Møller-Nielsen immediately picked up the phone, for players had to be called one-by-one whilst they were already on holidays. Michael Laudrup’s name was displayed on the list but the Barcelona star did not accept, as he had never hit it off with the national team manager. His refusal echoed in Møller-Nielsen’s ears and would echoe for a long time. Instead, Laudrup’s younger brother, Brian, agreed to join the other team-mates. Brøndby halfback Kim Vilfort did it, too, in spite of his 8-year-old leukaemic female child. Finally, the team arrived in Sweden, in that European Championship from which it was initially excluded.

The Danish inspired tenderness, as they spent the days before the kickoff gulping down pints of beer. Finally, time to play football arrived soon and the first match was scheduled in Malmö against England. What was announced as a foretold defeat, in the end, became a missed opportunity, as Denmark did not concede chances to Graham Taylor’s national team and were even close to win.

It would not be the only surprise. The second match, a Scandinavian derby against Sweden in Stockholm, ended with an 1-0 victory by the hosting country courtesy of a goal by Parma striker Tomas Brolin. Denmark impressed and did not perform as a simple supporting actor, though. Having checked the tables, the Danish could still dream to qualify for the semi-finals.

Eventually, this would occur without Kim Vilfort. He had to pack his suitcase and cross the strait between Zealand and Scania in order to stay at his little Line’s bedside, for her health deteriorated. Before coming back home whilst feeling a pang, he ensured his team-mates he would be back as soon as possible.

Once again, Malmö. Once again, another major European national football team. All chances to move forward in the competition relied on the decisive match against France, leadered by Éric Cantona. Forward Henrik Larsen, whose Italian experience in Pisa had been disappointing, scored after eight minutes, but the most exciting moments of the match came out in the second half. Jean-Pierre Papin, who had been awarded the Ballon d’Or the previous year, equalised within a quarter of hour. Then, former Luton Town striker Lars Elstrup went onto the field and soon enabled Denmark to take the lead again. This was the goal that led the Vikings to the semi-finals, just to the detriment of France.

The harshest opponent appeared to Denmark on the way to the final match. Møller-Nielsen’s team had to face Holland, the reigning European champions and, above all, main favourites for the victory. The semi-final was staged in Göteborg, where Vilfort joined again his team-mates. As many football fans predicted, the score changed almost immediately. Quite surprisingy, it was Denmark to end the goalless balance. Again, it was Larsen, too hurriedly labelled as a lemon, to net.

Punctually, striker Dennis Bergkamp tied, but Larsen scored his personal brace just past the first half-a-hour. AC Milan pillar Frank Rijkaard finally leveled four minutes ahead of the end of a match which the Netherlands had portrayed as a training session.

The semi-finalists entered into extra time and Denmark gritted their teeth and resisted until the penalty-shoot-outs. The Dutch team was a huge, orange stain attacking consistently and banging into the wall erected by Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel, a lonely man facing 11 opponents. Despite his XXXL-size, the Danish giant gracefully flew to deflect crackerjack Marco van Basten’s shot from the penalty spot. The “Swan of Utrecht” sadly ended up to be no more than an ugly duckling. On the opposite side, Denmark did not miss the target. Larsen, Povlsen, Elstrup, Vilfort, Christofte; five goals out of as many penalty kicks. It was utterly hard to believe, but Denmark reached the final match, against solid and newly-unified Germany.

Nobody could threaten the Danish side any longer, though. The Scandinavians ruled the Göteborg game and scored with a dazzling shot by central midfielder John Jensen while turning into the 20th minute. Then, Denmark wisely decided to make Germany let off steam in the struggling pursuit of the equaliser.

When a dozen of minutes was still separating the Vikings from a sensational triumph, a lethal counterattack was magnificently finished by Kim Vilfort, the man who played with his hearth in his mouth.

Euro 1992 split his figure into two different parts. For Vilfort as a footballer, it was the peak. For Vilfort as a man, it was a personal tragedy, as little Line died a few weeks after the Euro triumph.

However, nobody knows what is going on high in the sky. Line still continues to tell everybody what her father and his team-mates achieved in that summer.

And yes, there might be a really fairy element also in this dramatic story.

(Article originally posted on SportsUN)

Com sete anos de idade, o pequeno Jean-Pierre Papin começou a treinar no Jeumont. Oito anos depois, no Trith Saint-Léger. Sob cuidados dos avós (seus pais se divorciaram), Papin se concentrou na bola. Foi o começo da promessa do futebol francês nascida em 5 de novembro de 1963.

Em 1981 veio o tão esperado primeiro contrato profissional. O Vichy, time que estava na Championnat National – a 3ª divisão francesa -, investiu naquele moleque mirrado. Uma temporada foi o suficiente para que chamasse a atenção de um clube de maior escalão: o Valenciennes – à época na 2ª divisão. Papin voltou para as proximidades da Bélgica para atuar no Valenciennes. Fez o seu debute pela equipe contra o Kanna e agradou torcida e comissão técnica. Ele fez 33 jogos e marcou 15 gols. Somando sua primeira temporada como profissional, Papin já contabilizava 25 gols com apenas 20 anos.

O começo da sua glória, porém, estava em outro país. E a única coisa que precisou fazer foi pular o muro. Em 1985, o Club Brugge lhe fez uma proposta. Os fãs do Blauw-Zwart estavam deveras exaltados por contar com Papin em seu time. O rápido atacante de um chute poderosíssimo de perna direita levariam o Club Brugge ao vice-campeonato belga daquele ano, perdendo no saldo de gols para o Anderlecht. O atacante foi o terceiro maior goleador daquela competição ao marcar 20 gols. Foi também na Bélgica que Papin marcou seus primeiros gols em competições internacionais.

Vice-campeão no ano anterior, o Brugge teve o direito de disputar a Uefa Cup na temporada 1985-86. Na primeira rodada, os belgas encararam o Boavista, quarto colocado no Campeonato Português. Após o placar agregado de 6 a 5, o Club Brugge foi eliminado na rodada seguinte para o Spartak Moscow. Foram quatro jogos e cinco gols do francês. Antes de sair do clube, Papin conquistou seu primeiro título. Ele levou o Brugge ao tetracampeonato da Copa da Bélgica ao derrotar o arquirrival e atual campeão Cercle Brugge K.S.V. por 3 a 0. Em um ano, o francês colocou seu nome no quadro de honra da equipe.

Em janeiro de 1986, foi convocado pelo técnico Henri Michel para um amistoso pré-Copa contra a Irlanda do Norte e foi titular ao lado do craque Michel Platini, da Juventus. Papin ia voltar a França para jogar no Olympique de Marseille, mas antes disso foi integrado ao plantel que iria disputar a Copa do Mundo de 1986, no México.

Primeiro jogo da Copa, segundo com a camisa dos Blues e Papin deixou sua marca. No dia 1º de junho, contra o Canadá, o francês marcou o gol da vitória em jogo válido pelo grupo C após passe de Luis Fernandez, do F.C. Paris. Depois de atuações abaixo das esperadas contra a União Soviética e Hungria (ele fora substituído nas duas partidas por Bruno Bellone, do Monaco, e Dominique Rocheteau, do Paris Saint-Germain, respectivamente), Papin ficou de fora das oitavas, quartas e semifinal. Contra a Bélgica, na disputa do terceiro lugar, voltou a figurar entre os 11 iniciais e marcou um dos quatro gols que coroou a seleção francesa com o bronze em Puebla.

Com a medalha no pescoço, pensamento apenas no Campeonato Francês. Em sua primeira temporada, bateu na trave no campeonato nacional e na Copa da França. O Olympique perdeu a competição para o Bordeaux por quatro pontos. E os Girondins, do técnico Aimé Jacquet, campeão mundial com a França em 1998, também venceram o O’M na decisão da Copa por 2 a 0. Mais um ano passou e nada de títulos nacionais com o time de Marseille. Ao menos, um recorde individual: com 19 gols, Papin foi o artilheiro do Francês na temporada 1987-88. A equipe, que terminou a competição nacional na sexta posição, disputava simultaneamente a Recopa Europeia – derrotada na semifinal para o Ajax de Johan Cruyff.

O ano de 1989 foi especial para o mago veloz. Com sua capacidade incomum de marcar gols, Papin foi novamente artilheiro do Campeonato Francês com 22 gols e, dessa vez, elevou o Olympique ao topo da França. Além do Nacional, o time de Marseille levantou a taça da Copa da França. Dos 11 gols marcados em dez jogos na competição, Papin, eleito o melhor jogador do país, fez três deles na final. Um magnífico hat-trick na vitória de 4 a 3 no Monaco. Essa foi a última Copa da França que o Marseille venceu.

Na temporada 1989-90, o Olympique foi novamente campeão francês e Papin marcou 30 gols no campeonato. Os olhos, porém, estavam concentrados na Liga dos Campeões. Na primeira rodada, uma vitória e um empate com o Brondby (ele marcou nos dois jogos). Contra o AEK Atenas aconteceu a mesma coisa. Ao bater o CSKA Sofia por 4 a 1 no placar agregado, o O’M chegou motivado à semifinal contra o Benfica. Na primeira partida, Papin marcou e o Olympique venceu por 2 a 1, no Vélodrome. Porém, em Portugal, vitória simples dos Encarnados e eliminação do campeão francês.

Entra ano, sai ano, Marseille é novamente campeão francês com o goleador francês no topo da tabela de artilharia, agora com 23 tentos. E lá foi novamente o principal time da França tentar a sorte na Champions League. Hat-trick na primeira partida contra o Dinamo Tirana, da Albânia. O atacante Eric Cantona, que tinha passado a temporada anterior emprestado ao Montpellier, também balançou a rede. Depois de um empate fora de casa, veio o Lech Poznań, atual campeão polaco. No estádio Miejski, vitória de 3 a 2 do time da casa. Na França, foi a vez do meio-campista Philippe Vercruysse fazer um hat-trick e ajudar na goleada de 6 a 1 para avançar às quartas com estilo. O adversário era o campeão europeu Milan. E o Marseille conseguiu o que queria: um empate no San Siro em 1 a 1, com gol de Papin. No Velódrome, o time francês vencia por 1 a 0 quando dois dos quatro refletores do estádio apagaram. O jogo foi reestabelecido em 15 minutos, mas o Milan se recusou a voltar a campo. A Uefa decretou que o Olympique venceu por 3 a 0. Apesar de ter o astro Mostovoi no time, o Spartak Moscow não teve chances na semifinal. Perdeu em casa por 3 a 1 e na França por 2 a 1. O Olympique chegou a tão aguardada final da Champions.

Em 29 de maio de 1991, no estádio San Nicola, em Bari, na Itália, o Red Star, que eliminou o badaladíssimo Bayern de Munique, era o adversário do O’M. O jogo não saiu de um empate sem gols no tempo normal. Nos pênaltis, os croatas não erraram. Manuel Amoros não converteu o primeiro pênalti e o Red Star levantou a taça europeia. Papin levou o Ballon D’or naquele ano e o prêmio de melhor jogador da França.

Frustrado ou não, o Olympique foi mais duas vezes campeão francês com e fez Papin novamente artilheiro do campeonato. O “pentaartilheiro” porém, não levantou a taça com o Olympique em sua última temporada pelo time francês.

Chegou com status de craque no Milan em 1992. Porém, devido a constantes lesões e problemas de adaptação, não conseguiu se firmar no time titular rossonero, campeão italiano naquele ano. Fez 29 partidas no ano e marcou 16 gols. Chegou novamente à final de uma Champions League e confrontou a sua ex-equipe, o Marseille. Entrou aos 10 minutos do segundo tempo, no lugar de Roberto Donadoni, e não conseguiu evitar a derrota de 1 a 0 e a perda de mais um título. No ano seguinte, o Milan foi pela 14ª vez campeão nacional. E Papin conseguiu sua tão esperada medalha de campeão europeu – os rossoneri derrotaram o Barcelona na final por 4 a 0.

O atacante se transferiu para o Bayern de Munique em 1994 para recuperar seu futebol. Conquistou a Uefa Cup de 1995/96 em cima do Bordeaux, mas com apenas 6 gols em 35 jogos (em duas temporadas), o francês foi liberado para voltar a sua terra natal.

No Bordeaux, Papin voltou a jogar um futebol competitivo, levou o time à quarta posição no Francês e marcou 16 gols no campeonato. Só naquele ano. Na temporada 1997/98, viu o mezzo a mezzo Guivarc’h no topo da artilharia do campeonato com 22 gols marcados. Ele, com seis tentos, conseguiu uma mera quinta colocação com o Bordeaux no fim da competição.

Em 1998, aos 35 anos, Jean-Pierre Papin encerrava oficialmente sua carreira no Guingamp, da 2ª divisão francesa. Ele tentou permanecer nos gramados por mais alguns anos no Saint-Pierre de la Réunion e US Cap-Ferret, quando se aposentou de vez em 2004, mesmo ano que entrou para a lista dos 125 maiores jogadores de futebol feita por Pelé.

O técnico Papin

Foi no Bassin d’Arcachon que tudo começou. Ficou na 5ª divisão da França por dois anos até assinar com o Strasbourg, então da 2ª divisão, em 2006. Com a terceira posição no campeonato, os Racing voltavam à elite do futebol francês, mas deixou o clube devido a conflitos internos.

Tentou a sorte no Lens e no Châteauroux, porém, não teve sucesso.

O retorno

No início de janeiro de 2010, Jean-Pierre revelou que iria retornar aos gramados. Aos 45 anos, Papin atuaria pelo  time amador do Facture-Biganos Boïen, que disputa a Ligue D’Aquitaine, que equivale à 10ª divisão francesa. A decisão de retornar aos campos veio após um convite de Thierry Castets, treinador do clube e velho amigo e companheiro de profissão do atacante.

Na seleção

Michel Platini, Jean Tigana, Eric Cantona, Didier Deschamps. Franceses talentosíssimos da mesma geração de Papin e com história na seleção francesa. Artilheiro nos clubes que passou, principalmente no Olympique, Papin marcou 30 gols em 54 aparições nos Blues. Apesar disso, nunca rendeu tanto quanto era previsto e foi relegado a status de reserva, sendo preterido pelos treinadores Michel Platini, Gérard Houllier e Aimé Jacquet.

Jean-Pierre Papin
Nascimento: 5 de novembro de 1966, em Boulogne-sur-Mer
Posição: atacante
Altura: 1,76m
Clubes: Jeumont (1970/78), Trith Saint-Léger (1978/81), INF Vichy (1981/84), US Valenciennes (1984/85), Club Brugge (1985/86), Olympique Marseille (1986/92), Milan (1992/94), Bayern Münich (1994/96), Girondins de Bordeaux (1996/98), EA Guingamp (1998), Saint-Pierre de la Réunion (1999), US Cap-Ferret (2001/04)
Gols: 296 em 554 jogos
Seleção italiana: 54 jogos, 30 gols
Títulos: 1 Copa da Bélgica (1986), 1 Copa da França (1989), 4 Campeonato Francês (1989, 1990, 1991 e 1992), 1 Supercopa da Itália (1992), 2 Serie A (1993 e 1994), 1 Copa Kirin (1994), 1 Champions League (1994), 1 Uefa Cup (1996).

Aber das Allerwichtigste: Ich hab original in diesem Video endlich bewegte Bilder vom Seitfallzieher von Jean-Pierre Papin gegen Uerdingen gefunden. Wiiie lange habe ich danach gesucht?! Oh mein Gott, mein Herz!! JPP war immer der Größte für mich und er wird es immer bleiben. Wie ich mich freue, dieses Tor endlich gefunden zu haben, der Wahnsinn! Ich hüpf noch ein bißchen durch´s Arbeitszimmer, schlage dabei die Hacken aneinander und schreie inbrünstig Juhuuu! I freu mi!!

1971 Ulrik Le Fevre (Borussia Mönchengladbach) 23.10.1971 gegen FC Schalke 04 / Bundesligaspiel / Tor zum 6:0 / Endstand 7:0

1972 Günter Netzer und Gerd Müller (Deutschland) 15.11.1972 gegen die Schweiz / Freundschaftsspiel / Tor zum 4:0 / Endstand 5:1

1973 Günter Netzer (Borussia Mönchengladbach) 20.03.1973 gegen 1. FC Kaiserslautern / UEFA-Cup Viertelfinalrückspiel / Tor zum 2:1 / Endstand 7:1

1974 Erwin Kostedde (Kickers Offenbach) 27.09.1975 gegen  den Karlsruher SC / Bundesligaspiel / Tor zum 2:0 / Endstand 2:2

1976 Gerd Müller (FC Bayern München) 20.10.1976 gegen Banik Ostrau / Europapokalspiel 1. Runde / Tor zum 1:2 / Endstand 1:2

1977 Klaus Fischer (Deutschland) 16.11.1977 gegen die Schweiz / Freundschaftsspiel / Tor zum 4:1 / Endstand 4:1 (auch „Tor des Jahrzehnts 1970er Jahre, „Tor des Vierteljahrhunderts und „Tor des Jahrhunderts)

1978 Rainer Bonhof (Deutschland) 11.10.1978 gegen die CSSR / Freundschaftsspiel / Tor zum 2:0 / Endstand 4:3 (1. Länderspiel unter Jupp Derwall)

1979 Harald Nickel (Borussia Mönchengladbach) 7.11.1979 gegen Inter Mailand / UEFA-Cup Spiel 2. Vorrunde Rückspiel / Tor zum 1:1 / Endstand 3:2 n.V.

1980 Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (FC Bayern München) 18.10.1980 gegen den VfL Bochum / Bundesligaspiel / Tor zum 1:0 / Endstand 3:1

1981 Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (Deutschland) 23.9.1981 gegen Finnland / WM-Qualifikation / Tor zum 2:1 / Endstand 7:1

1982 Klaus Fischer (Deutschland) 8.7.1982 gegen Frankreich / WM-Halbfinale / Tor zum 3:3 / Endstand 3:3 n.V. (Ermöglichte das Elfmeterschießen, das Deutschland gewann)

1983 Jürgen Wilhelm Hassia (Bingen) 2.10.1983 gegen FC 08 Homburg / Spiel der Amateuroberliga Südwest / Tor zum 2:1 / Endstand 3:2

1984 Daniel Simmes (Borussia Dortmund) 5.10.1984 gegen Bayer 04 Leverkusen / Bundesligaspiel / Tor zum 1:0 / Endstand 2:1

1985 Pierre Littbarski (1. FC Köln) 25.4.1985 gegen Werder Bremen / Bundesligaspiel / Tor zum 3:1 / Endstand 3:2

1986 Stefan Kohn (Arminia Bielefeld) 20.4.1986 gegen Tennis Borussia Berlin / Spiel der 2. Bundesliga / Tor zum 2:1 / Endstand 2:1

1987 Jürgen Klinsmann (VfB Stuttgart) 14.11.1987 gegen FC Bayern München / Bundesligaspiel / Tor zum 1:0 / Endstand 3:0

1988 Jürgen Wegmann (FC Bayern München) 26.11.1988 gegen 1. FC Nürnberg / Bundesligaspiel / Tor zum 1:0 / Endstand 1:0

1989 Klaus Augenthaler (FC Bayern München) 19.8.1989 gegen Eintracht Frankfurt / DFB-Pokalspiel / Tor zum 1:0 / Endstand 1:0 (auch „Tor des Jahrzehnts 1980er Jahre)

1990 Lothar Matthäus (Deutschland) 10.6.1990 gegen Jugoslawien / WM-Gruppenspiel / Tor zum 3:1 / Endstand 4:1

1991 Andreas Müller (FC Schalke 04) 23.11.1991 gegen den 1. FC Kaiserslautern / Bundesligaspiel / Tor zum 1:1 / Endstand 1:1

1992 Lothar Matthäus (FC Bayern München) 21.11.1992 gegen Bayer 04 Leverkusen / Bundesligaspiel / Tor zum 2:1 / Endstand 4:2

1993 Augustine „Jay-Jay Okocha (Eintracht Frankfurt) 31.8.1993 gegen den Karlsruher SC / Bundesligaspiel / Tor zum 3:1 / Endstand 3:1

1994 Bernd Schuster (Bayer 04 Leverkusen) 28.8.1994 gegen Eintracht Frankfurt / Bundesligaspiel / Tor zum 1:0 / Endstand 4:0 (auch „Tor des Jahrzehnts der 1990er Jahre)

1995 Jean-Pierre Papin (FC Bayern München) 30.9.1995 gegen den KFC Uerdingen / Bundesligaspiel / Tor zum 1:0 / Endstand 2:0

© 2009 Traumtorschuetze

That was the year Middlesbrough stunned the game by paying north-east rivals Sunderland £1,000 for England international Alf Common – British football’s first four-figure transfer.

Spanish reign: Cruyff cost Barca a few quid, but went on to manage them

The record stayed in Britain until 1932, when Argentina’s River Plate paid Tigre BA £23,000 for the excellently-named Bernabe Ferreyra, a player whose nickname – ‘the Mortar of Rufino’ – was even better.

Expensive mistake: Diego Maradona was a flop in Barcelona, but shone in Italy

Hans Jeppson’s £52,000 move from Atalanta to Napoli took the world transfer record to Italy in 1952 and – save for two years when Barcelona’s Johann Cruyff was the world’s most expensive player – it stayed in Serie A until 1982, when Barca shelled out £3million for Diego Maradona.

Ten years later Milan made Marseille’s France striker Jean-Pierre Papin the world’s first eight-figure footballer in a £10m deal before the record finally returned to England in 1996, when Newcastle handed Blackburn £15m for Alan Shearer.

Earning his stripes: Newcastle spent big to bring Alan Shearer home

Ronaldo, Denilson, Christian Vieri and Hernan Crespo all held the honour before Real Madrid paid deadly rivals Barcelona a massive £37m for Luis Figo in 2000.

Twelve months later Real were at it again, shelling out an eye-watering £46m for Juventus talisman Zinedine Zidane – small beer for Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour.

Big-name signing: Zinedine Zidane made history in Madrid

Since Shearer joined Newcastle the world record fee has been held outside the UK, but the British record fee has continued to rise with Manchester United the main spenders.

The European champions spent £28m on Juan Sebastian Veron (2001) and £29m on Rio Ferdinand (2002) before paying £30.75m for Dimitar Berbatov last summer – a fee eclipsed hours later by Manchester City’s £32.5m move for Robinho.

Pour prendre le relais de l’ancien Vert, il resterait trois hommes : Dominique Bijotat, Patrick Remy et Guy Stéphan. Autrement dit, également cité, Thierry Froger, l’ancien entraîneur de Reims, a été rayé de la liste.

The Association has compiled the top-100 list after analysing numerous footy facts and figures, including goals scored, clean sheets, trophies won and international caps.

Top 100? Neville

Amazingly, Neville comes in at 86th – even though fellow Premiership stars Eric Cantona and Alan Shearer miss out compeletely.

There’s no place either for Manchester United legends George Best or Denis Law.

Unknown Iran striker Ali Daei is ranked 26th, ahead of Thierry Henry and Ronaldinho.

And Diego Maradona, who many believe is the greatest of all time, comes in only sixth.

TOP 100

1.Pele (Brazil)

2.Ronaldo (Brazil)

3.Romario (Brazil)

4.Luis Figo (Portugal)

5.Zinedine Zidane (France)

6.Diego Maradona (Argentina)

7.Lothar Matthaus (Germany)

8.Gerd Muller (Germany)

9.Franz Beckenbauer (Germany)

10.Cafu (Brazil)

11.Roberto Carlos (Brazil)

12.Marco van Basten (Holland)

13.Michel Platini (France)

14.Rivaldo (Brazil)

15.Paolo Maldini (Italy)

16.Zico (Brazil)

17.Raul (Spain)

18.Ruud Gullit (Holland)

19.Eusebio (Portugal)

20.Ferenc Puskas (Hungary)

21.Johan Cruyff (Holland)

22.Alfredo di Stefano(Argentina)

23.Bobby Charlton (England)

24.Jurgen Klinsmann (Ger)

25.Kenny Dalglish (Scotland)

26.Ali Daei (Iran)

27.Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (Ger)

28.Gabriel Batistuta (Argentina)

29.Michael Laudrup (Denmark)

30.Hristo Stoichkov (Bulgaria)

31.Dennis Bergkamp (Holland)

32.Frank Rijkaard (Holland)

33.Thierry Henry (France)

34.Pavel Nedved (Czech Rep)

35.Gheorghe Hagi (Romania)

36.Peter Schmeichel(Denmark)

37.Andrei Shevchenko (Ukraine)

38.Sepp Maier (Germany)

39.Didier Deschamps (France)

40.Lilian Thuram (France)

41.Enzo Francescoli (Uruguay)

42.Hakan Sukur (Turkey)

43.Paolo Rossi (Italy)

44.David Beckham (England)

45.Jean-Pierre Papin (France)

46.Kevin Keegan (England)

47.Marcel Desailly (France)

48.Oliver Kahn (Germany)

49.Alessandro Costacurta (Ita)

50.Clarence Seedorf (Holland)

51.Dino Zoff (Italy)

52.Patrick Kluivert (Holland)

53.Jari Litmanen (Finland)

54.Daniel Passarella (Arg)

55.Bixente Lizarazu (France)

56.Gary Lineker (England)

57.Ronaldhino (Brazil)

58.Sylvain Wiltord (France)

59.Bebeto (Brazil)

60.Alessandro Del Piero (Italy)

61.Davor Suker (Croatia)

62.Ryan Giggs (Wales)

63.David Trezeguet (France)

64.Demetrio Albertini (Italy)

65.Patrick Vieira (France)

66.Jurgen Kohler (Germany)

67.Laurent Blanc (France)

68.Michael Owen (England)

69.Youri Djorkaeff (France)

70.Frank De Boer (Holland)

71.Emilio Butragueno (Spain)

72.Hugo Sanchez (Mexico)

73.Rudi Voller (Germany)

74.Djalma Santos (Brazil)

75.Giacinto Facchetti (Italy)

76.Kanu (Nigeria)

77.Franco Baresi (Italy)

78.Gianni Rivera (Italy)

79.Roberto Baggio (Italy)

80.Oscar Ruggeri (Argentina)

81.Gheorghe Popescu(Romania)

82.Jon D. Tomasson (Denmark)

83.Raymond Kopa (France)

84.Carlos Valderrama (Colombia)

85.Rui Costa (Portugal)

86.Gary Neville (England)

87.Edgar Davids (Holland)

88.Claudio Taffarel (Brazil)

89.Paul Scholes (England)

90.Diego Simeone (Argentina)

91.Bryan Robson (England)

92.Roy Keane (Rep of Ireland)

93.Brian Laudrup (Denmark)

94.Henrik Larsson (Sweden)

95.Fabien Barthez (France)

96.Michael Ballack (Germany)

97.Jan Koller (Czech Republic)

98.Edwin van der Sar (Holland)

99.Robert Pires (France)

100.Johan Neeskens (Holland)