Legendarni Mađar Ferenc Puškaš karijeru je završio sa više postignutih golova (530) nego odigranih utakmica (512) Legendary Hungarian Ferenc Puskás ended his career with more goals scored (530) than matches played (512)
Plenty of new names that are still referred to with respect also appeared during the ‘90s: Franz Becken- bauer, Michel Platini, Roberto Baggio, Marco van Bas- ten, Lothar Matthäus, Ronaldo, Gabriel Batistuta, Pao- lo Maldini et al. The development of the media helped them gain the status of football deities, but also en- sured that they had greater competition. Back then we could watch them all day long, “rewind and repeat” goals, analyse, and even find fault with lots of things. Two players have dominated football in the mod- ern era - Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. They are the Pelé and Maradona of the 21 st century. Not a day goes by without the football public asking: Who is bet- ter? Messi is a force of nature, while Ronaldo can give thanks for his incredible career to his own hard work and his desire to be the G.O.A.T. This Portuguese ace doesn’t hide that. And after many decades we can continue uncov- ering who has most changed the face of football. That is the beauty of this sport and the credit of players who’ve defined entire generations. Yet there remains something emotional, touching and nostalgic in those times when we were divided between those who pre- ferred Pelé or Maradona. One thing is for sure - they are both stars who will forever shine in the football heavens, or that other one. As Pelé said in bidding his farewell to Maradona – Certainly, one day we’ll kick a ball together in the sky above…
to the 1970 World Cup, which he also won after scor- ing a goal in the final. Everyone else remained in his shadow for a long time, until a player emerged who is said to be the creator of modern football. With Dutch ‘total football’ reaching its peak, Johan Cruyff was a magician who could do anything on the pitch. He had the right technical abil- ity, mentality and tactical discipline to do everything extremely well. Cruyff and his Ajax club dominated the early ‘70s and in the post-Pelé years, with no one coming close to Cruyff in terms of his influence on the game and his defining of the entire generation. Great footballers came and went, but none of those who came between Cruyff and Diego Maradona could be considered as having brought something new. Die- go was rendered unforgettable thanks to his inspiring ability to dictate the game, to individually grab victo- ry from the jaws of certain defeat, and due to his skill and ball speed.
Saigrači ga nisu voleli, gazde klubova još manje... Drčan, bezobrazan, nije mario za svoje, čak ni za rođene. Ali bio je fudbalski bog, oblikovao je loptu, činio je čuda i zato će ostati besmrtan His teammates didn't like him, club bosses even less so... Impudent and cheeky, he didn't care about his own kind, not even his relatives. But he was a football god who performed miracles, which is why he will remain immortal
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