This
piece is one of the hardest things I have ever written, in fact I
wished I hadn't started it. How does one man choose just five players
from an entire decade to label as the 'best'? A particular issue was
deciding who was a 'nineties' footballer and who was an 'eighties'
footballer. I have left so many talented and wonderful players off of
the list, the most significant of whom is Marco Van Basten. He won the
World Player of the Year Award in 1993, yet played most of his career in
the 1980's. For the purpose of this exercise I am going to call him a
1980s player. After hours and hours of hard consideration, research and
seeking opinions, I present to you my '5 best footballers of the
nineties'. Of course, we all have different opinions, but I am now very
happy with my selection and hope that my text and videos will justify my
choices. Enjoy!
1. Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine
'Zizou' Zidane, is in my opinion the greatest footballer of my
generation. In fact he is more than that, he is probably the only talent
on this list that could rival the greats of previous generations. When
people debate the greatest players of all time you invariably here names
such as 'Pele', 'Maradona', 'Best' and 'Cryuff'. For me there is only
one player of the 90's who can comfortably be mentioned alongside these
names, and that is Zidane. I, like many, refer to him simply as 'The
Scientist'.
The Scientist was enthralling, he left defenders dazzled, he left attackers on the floor and he had something that so many players these day lacked; commitment, bravery, determination, charisma? no. Yes he had those characteristics in abundance, but he had something else, something that I can only describe as 'magic'. In a career that took him all the way through the nineties, after starting in 1988 with French club Cannes at the age of just 16, he was arguably still the worlds greatest player when retiring in 2006 approaching his mid thirties.
Zidane is one of just two players ever to win the FIFA World Player of the Year award three times, and in 1998 was the catalyst of the French team that succeeded in winning the 1998 FIFA World Cup; scoring two essential goals in the final against Brazil. He was acknowledged in 2004 by Pele as one of the greatest 100 living players, I would have put him in my top 3. Of course this article is supposed to be listing the top players of the nineties, but it is well worth mentioning that his influence in the French National was extended to the year 2000 where he again led the nation of his birth to International success in the UEFA Euro 2000 competition. It is no coincidence that the French team has been much more ineffective and pretty much uninspired since the retirement of their talisman. After an unsuccessful World Cup final in 2006 against Italy, he retired from football, with 108 International Caps and 31 goals to his name. His retirement marked the end of the most successful era in French football history.
We haven't even covered his success in club football yet, Zidane learnt his trade in the smaller French teams of Cannes and Bordeaux. It was at Bordeaux that his performances helped the team reach the final of the UEFA CUP final in 1996. Italian giants Juventus became alerted to Zidane's performances and paid just £3m for the midfield maestro. Zidane and Juventus won the Seria A title in his first season as well as finishing second in the UEFA Champions League, they also retained the title in the following year. I can try and use as many adjectives and verbs as I like to try and convey the pure ability and influence of this man, but nothing could convey his true class and ability. Please see the video 'Zidane The Scientist' above to see a compilation of some of his skills. His spell with Juventus ended in 2001, but Zidane had shown enough for Real Madrid to pay 78million euros for the player, becoming the most expensive player in football history at the time.
Although aware that this period of his career was outside of the nineties, Zidane's time at Real Madrid was again a resounding success, and the club lifted the Champions League's league in 2002, the first time Zidane had lifted this trophy and in the following season Real Madrid won the La Liga. Zidane's club honours were matched equally by his individual honours, with personal honours including but not excluding the Ballon D'or, Seria A Footballer of the Year, French Ligue 1 Best Player, UEFA Euro Player of the Tournament, French Player of the Year twice, UEFA Club Player of the Year, FIFA World player of the Year and the FIFA World Cup Golden Ball. Zidane retired as one of the most admired and one of the most decorated players in football history.
The Scientist was enthralling, he left defenders dazzled, he left attackers on the floor and he had something that so many players these day lacked; commitment, bravery, determination, charisma? no. Yes he had those characteristics in abundance, but he had something else, something that I can only describe as 'magic'. In a career that took him all the way through the nineties, after starting in 1988 with French club Cannes at the age of just 16, he was arguably still the worlds greatest player when retiring in 2006 approaching his mid thirties.
Zidane is one of just two players ever to win the FIFA World Player of the Year award three times, and in 1998 was the catalyst of the French team that succeeded in winning the 1998 FIFA World Cup; scoring two essential goals in the final against Brazil. He was acknowledged in 2004 by Pele as one of the greatest 100 living players, I would have put him in my top 3. Of course this article is supposed to be listing the top players of the nineties, but it is well worth mentioning that his influence in the French National was extended to the year 2000 where he again led the nation of his birth to International success in the UEFA Euro 2000 competition. It is no coincidence that the French team has been much more ineffective and pretty much uninspired since the retirement of their talisman. After an unsuccessful World Cup final in 2006 against Italy, he retired from football, with 108 International Caps and 31 goals to his name. His retirement marked the end of the most successful era in French football history.
We haven't even covered his success in club football yet, Zidane learnt his trade in the smaller French teams of Cannes and Bordeaux. It was at Bordeaux that his performances helped the team reach the final of the UEFA CUP final in 1996. Italian giants Juventus became alerted to Zidane's performances and paid just £3m for the midfield maestro. Zidane and Juventus won the Seria A title in his first season as well as finishing second in the UEFA Champions League, they also retained the title in the following year. I can try and use as many adjectives and verbs as I like to try and convey the pure ability and influence of this man, but nothing could convey his true class and ability. Please see the video 'Zidane The Scientist' above to see a compilation of some of his skills. His spell with Juventus ended in 2001, but Zidane had shown enough for Real Madrid to pay 78million euros for the player, becoming the most expensive player in football history at the time.
Although aware that this period of his career was outside of the nineties, Zidane's time at Real Madrid was again a resounding success, and the club lifted the Champions League's league in 2002, the first time Zidane had lifted this trophy and in the following season Real Madrid won the La Liga. Zidane's club honours were matched equally by his individual honours, with personal honours including but not excluding the Ballon D'or, Seria A Footballer of the Year, French Ligue 1 Best Player, UEFA Euro Player of the Tournament, French Player of the Year twice, UEFA Club Player of the Year, FIFA World player of the Year and the FIFA World Cup Golden Ball. Zidane retired as one of the most admired and one of the most decorated players in football history.
2. Roberto Baggio
Roberto
Baggio was without a doubt amongst the most gifted and popular players
in world soccer throughout the nineties, although he had actually been
playing professional football since 1985 as a 17 year old in the Italian
lower leagues. It was during the early to mid nineties however that the
world saw the very best of Baggio, where he helped Italy third place in
the 1990 World Cup and then to second play in the 1994 World Cup.
In 1993, in the middle of a very successful five year spell at Juventus, Baggio won both the FIFA World Player of the Year and the Ballon d'Or. Such was his respect amongst his peers that a group of previous Ballon d'Or winners voted Baggio as the 18th best player of the century. Juventus had bought the young Baggio for a then world record transfer fee of 12 million Euros from Fiorentina, much to the disappointment of Fiorentina fans who were so angry that full scale riots broke out in Florence. It was a major investment by Juventus that turned fruitful when in 1993 they won the UEFA Cup, which at the time was the primary European cup competition. Baggio finishedhis spell with Juventus by winning the Seria A title for the first time.
Baggio moved on to Milan in 1995 where he again won a Seria A title, becoming the first and only player to win the Seria Ain consecutive years with two different clubs. His spell at Milan lasted two years but his career was widely considered to be coming to an end and he was written off as a spent force by the Italian media and by managers. He was to respond in some style. It was to be Bologna that gave Baggio the chance to resurrect his ailing career, and he paid them back in some style by scoring 22 goals in one season, a personal best which led to him winning back his place in the Italy national squad prior to the 1998 World Cup. Baggio was played ahead of the up and coming Alessandro Del Piero, and it was during this tournament that Baggio achieved the feat of scoring in three different World Cups.
Baggio finished his career with a four year spell at Brescia before retiring at the age of 37, having scored over 300 career goals, 205 goals in Seria A and scoring 27 goals in 56 games for Italy. As a tribute to Italy's greatest player of a generation, Brescia have retired the number 10 shirt indefinitely in his honour.
In 1993, in the middle of a very successful five year spell at Juventus, Baggio won both the FIFA World Player of the Year and the Ballon d'Or. Such was his respect amongst his peers that a group of previous Ballon d'Or winners voted Baggio as the 18th best player of the century. Juventus had bought the young Baggio for a then world record transfer fee of 12 million Euros from Fiorentina, much to the disappointment of Fiorentina fans who were so angry that full scale riots broke out in Florence. It was a major investment by Juventus that turned fruitful when in 1993 they won the UEFA Cup, which at the time was the primary European cup competition. Baggio finishedhis spell with Juventus by winning the Seria A title for the first time.
Baggio moved on to Milan in 1995 where he again won a Seria A title, becoming the first and only player to win the Seria Ain consecutive years with two different clubs. His spell at Milan lasted two years but his career was widely considered to be coming to an end and he was written off as a spent force by the Italian media and by managers. He was to respond in some style. It was to be Bologna that gave Baggio the chance to resurrect his ailing career, and he paid them back in some style by scoring 22 goals in one season, a personal best which led to him winning back his place in the Italy national squad prior to the 1998 World Cup. Baggio was played ahead of the up and coming Alessandro Del Piero, and it was during this tournament that Baggio achieved the feat of scoring in three different World Cups.
Baggio finished his career with a four year spell at Brescia before retiring at the age of 37, having scored over 300 career goals, 205 goals in Seria A and scoring 27 goals in 56 games for Italy. As a tribute to Italy's greatest player of a generation, Brescia have retired the number 10 shirt indefinitely in his honour.
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