Best player you've seen live

[Stevo]

I was lucky enough in the 90s to get to go to a Lazio game, Alen Boksic absolutely ran the game from start to finish, he got subbed near full time and the whole stadium stood and applauded him

 

[Geordie Blade]

In recent times (since 2000), it would be hard to beat Christian Eriksen’s performance in the league cup semi final at BDTBL. One of those rare occasions where, despite losing (on aggregate, anyway), people went home with a slight sense of awed privilege.

 

[Chazzer]

It has to be George Best. In the late sixties I saw him play in several games. His skill on the muddiest of pitches was phenomenal.

 

[derfblade.3]

Pedro Verde

 

[SwitchBLADE Smiles]

Kevin De Bruyne takes some beating.

 

[CarlMcBlade]

Pedro Verde

No story to tell?

 

[Tickhill Blade]

Probably Ronaldo, but not necessarily based on his performance that day!

 

[Blade.com]

Dennis Bergkamp for me. Thought he was a fantastic footballer.

 

[S17 Blade 1889]

Gazza at the Lane, I think we lost 3.2 (?). Best player on the pitch by a country mile . I was young though so my judgement may have been clouded by his brilliance

 

[Digger]

Messi at Seville about 6 years ago. Scored a beauty but probably not enough to justify the €124 for the ticket.

 

[CoatesyBlade]

Slight twist on the question asked but I’m gonna go with ‘biggest surprise’
And that was Rob Lee. I’d totally underestimated how good he actually was until I saw him play in the flesh. So much time on the ball. He didn’t make a single mistake and completely ran the show. I left the ground knowing I’d seen a great footballer.

 

[SwissBlade]

This guy.

Andrés D'Alessandro - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

The year was 2003 and Me and a work mate decided to take a drive from the sleepy village of Wittingen to Wolfsburg and watch them play Hamburg

We didn’t have tickets but managed to blag some on the back of being English and the Hamburg fans thinking we’d add some Hooligan credibility to their denim wearing mob.

D’Allesandro was a young kid and it was early season, he’d just signed I think and he had loads of tricks, a bit like N’Diaye

He ran them ragged and Wolfsburg bagged 4

He never really hit the heights I’d expect after that performance

 

[Bath Blade]

Went to watch Barcelona four years ago mainly to see Messi play. He broke his arm after fifteen minutes, but by then he’d already scored one and assisted one.

 

[Sportbilly /Detroit Blade]

Probably a strange choice, but remember seeing Neville Southall for Everton v Manchester United in the 1985 Charity Shield.

Don't think he had an exceptional game that day, but just made everything look so easy (in comparison with Gary Bailey in the United net who I seem to recall dropped a clanger that day to gift Everton a goal).

What a goalkeeper he was though. Everybody talks about Jennings, Shilton, Clemence and so on, but I'd argue he was perhaps better than the lot in his prime.

 

[SouthEssexBlade]

Couldn't limit this, so I will go up the pitch, back to front:

Keeper: Peter Schmeichel for Denmark

Defender: The great imperious Franco Baresi

Midfield: I want to say TC, but I saw Michel Platini who was different levels.

Forward: The finest individual performance I ever had the pleasure to see, Marco Van Basten.

 

[PokerBlade]

Probably Ronaldo, but not necessarily based on his performance that day!

In spite of that horrendous miss I remember watching him and the entire first half we couldn't put a tackle on him. The ball didn't leave his feet until he wanted it to and the best we could do was push him wide wait for him to pass it. It made that miss even funnier but he was unreal even on a bad day and I remember knowing I'd seen a special player.

Kevin De Bruyne is an absolute pleasure to watch when it's not against us, but Ronaldo is one of those you know you'll be annoying your grandkids by harping on about.

 

[Peter Dornan]

Slight twist on the question asked but I’m gonna go with ‘biggest surprise’
And that was Rob Lee. I’d totally underestimated how good he actually was until I saw him play in the flesh. So much time on the ball. He didn’t make a single mistake and completely ran the show. I left the ground knowing I’d seen a great footballer.

Similar for me. Not biggest surprise as such, but not really knowing how good someone was until I saw them live.
Michael Ballack at BDTBL, 28 October 2007. Every pass was a first time pass. Every pass was to a teammate. We didn't get near him all game (not even Monty ). He was phenomenal.

 

[Stevo]

Slight twist on the question asked but I’m gonna go with ‘biggest surprise’
And that was Rob Lee. I’d totally underestimated how good he actually was until I saw him play in the flesh. So much time on the ball. He didn’t make a single mistake and completely ran the show. I left the ground knowing I’d seen a great footballer.

Dean Hammond for me, I knew he was shit, but fuck me he took that to another level

 

[Silent Blade]

Supposed to be Pele at S6 in February 1972 but he was rubbish that day!

Best individual performance I have seen was Wayne Rooney in Blades v Man U in Nov 2006. He was everywhere and scored both goals for Man U.

 

[Sportbilly /Detroit Blade]

Couldn't limit this, so I will go up the pitch, back to front:

Keeper: Peter Schmeichel for Denmark

Defender: The great imperious Franco Baresi

Midfield: I want to say TC, but I saw Michel Platini who was different levels.

Forward: The finest individual performance I ever had the pleasure to see, Marco Van Basten.

Baresi. Now that's a defender.

 

[just ted]

Steven Gerard for me, not necessarily against us . Like a great white shark in midfield

 

[Stevo]

Steven Gerard for me, not necessarily against us . Like a great white shark in midfield

And dived like an orca at seaworld

 

[Grey Blade]

Supposed to be Pele at S6 in February 1972 but he was rubbish that day!

I was there that day and I can't remember him doing anything special but I'm sure I saw him on an indifferent day.

I was there when Suker chipped Schmeichel to score for Croatia in the 1996 Euros. He was some player.

 

[dellasthunderbolt]

Slight twist on the question asked but I’m gonna go with ‘biggest surprise’

And that was Rob Lee. I’d totally underestimated how good he actually was until I saw him play in the flesh. So much time on the ball. He didn’t make a single mistake and completely ran the show. I left the ground knowing I’d seen a great footballer.

in a similar manner I always thought Emile Heskey was a cart horse who somehow managed to gain caps for England. The way he dominated our defence (Morgan included) in Warnock’s year in the prem made me realise how effective he was at what he did

 

[SouthEssexBlade]

Baresi. Now that's a defender.

Saw him in person a few times for Italy and Milan. Don't think he made 5 tackles in all the games combined, certainly never saw him sliding on his arse making last ditch tackles, but his positional sense and reading of the game was almost perfection, knew what the opposition was going to do before they did.

 

[Cappy]

Used to go watch Arsenal a lot and Thierry Henry was breathtaking at times.

So often defenders would look at each other after he scored and just shrug.

 

[dellasthunderbolt]

Also, would put McGrath in the absolute top bracket, including all who’ve played against us. Not sure I’ve ever seen a better natural defender.

 

[bibbity bobbity boo]

Maradona, although he was outshone by 2 ex-Blades on the night. The brilliant Paul McGrath was playing in defence for Man Utd and Bryan Robson had an absolutely fantastic game, scoring 2.

 

[Sportbilly /Detroit Blade]

Maradona, although he was outshone by 2 ex-Blades on the night. The brilliant Paul McGrath was playing in defence for Man Utd and Bryan Robson had an absolutely fantastic game, scoring 2.

My all time great sporting hero. In my mind Maradona is the greatest to kick a ball.

 

[United Aren't Back.]

Alan Woodward.
George Best.