For some of our more senior members, he has passed away at the age of 71, always remembered for that incredible world cup game against North Korea where he scored four goals to nick the game from the wee men.

 

RIP

One of the greats from a great era you wonder how much the likes of Eusabio, Puskas and Pele would be worth nowadays if they were playing

RIP

Dougal

Not trolling, but I think players from that era tend to be hugely overrated.

Not trolling, but I think players from that era tend to be hugely overrated.

Can't agree with that.  It is after all only a handful of players from the 50s and 60s who are talked about as "greats".  The 3 exceptional players Dougal mentions undoubtedly bear comparison to the likes of Ronaldo and Messi in the modern game but bear in mind we are not comparing like with like as the nature of the game and the level of media exposure is so different now.

 

Eusebio, Puskas and Pele played in a much harder era.  Pitches were much more uneven and referees did not afford the kind of protection flair players receive these days.  Flair players were targets for the defensive hard men who not only tackled hard but who routinely kicked and dead-legged opponents off the ball.  They got away with that because there were few games being televised and even when they were, there might only be one or two cameras following the ball.  It was only exceptional players with a mental and/or physical toughness to go with exceptional ball skills that came through these handicaps to shine.  Remember also that the limited TV coverage of matches means that only a fraction of what these players did on the park is recorded and therefore it sometimes gives the impression that their fame is based on just 2 or 3 outstanding performances.

 

Make no mistake, the 3 players Dougal identifies were exceptional players in their day and would have been exceptional players in any era.

I wouldn't put Pele on the list though, he played and scored all of his goals in a couple of mickey mouse leagues, his record is padded out by including goals scored in friendlies. Brazil would have won those 3 world cups with our without him. One of his 3 medals was awarded to him even though he only played the opening 2 games.