Best-ever Stand-Out players seen.

OK this is a football-fan-as-nerd thread but here we go - the twenty best-ever players I've seen playing (in the flesh) during my years of watching football, preceeded by my 'Best-Ever Team' and 'Unit' :
Team (there are two) : The 1966 World-Cup-winning England eleven and the 1970-71 Double-Winning Arsenal squad - two occasions where team-work far surpassed the individual components of the team (so well done Ramey and Mee/Howe).
Unit : The Arsenal defence comprising any/all from Dixon, Bould, Adams, Keown, Winterburn.
Twenty players (note, these have all inspired me - I have seen lots of great goalkeepers but have never been 'inspired' as such, so sorry Banks, Yashin, Kelsey, Jennings, Seaman et al) :
Eusebio - power, speed, technique and efficiency.
Dave Mackay - strength, power but above all heart.
Johnny Haynes - 100%-perfection in distribution, without an apparent thought - genius.
John Charles - power, strength, charisma and amazing close control skills.
Jim Baxter - 'Slim Jim' had the lot (whilst in Scotland), charisma, class, skill and style.
Jimmy Greaves - the crowd would literally buzz when he was on the ball, the term 'bearing down on goal' must have been invented for him - lethal.
Bobby Moore - calm, control, strength - a towering captain at any level.
George Eastham - skinny, jiggly genius with the ball at his feet - perfection to watch.
Joe Baker - dynamic striker who went at speed for anything in the area.
Denis Law - explosive yet classy striker, up like a rocket for high balls, lethal in the area.
Peter Storey - gave everything and more for the cause, hard as nails yet calm, cool and concentrated.
George Best - a magician with style, speed and charisma.
Bobby Charlton - in his later years, Mr Control with midfield vision and a powerful strike.
Charlie George - charisma, class and vision - and a lethal striker.
David O'Leary - the best modern central defender of his time, always in control.
Allan Clarke - one hell of a predator, with a touch of the Denis Laws in terms of style.
Liam Brady - a one-footed genius, long balls, short balls, a creator of class.
Thierry Henry - footballer as athlete, pure strength, speed, power and skill.
Wayne Rooney - a throwback to strikers of old, powerful, dynamic, determined.
Cesc Fabregas - midfield genius, as if the playing surface was invented for him to control.

Oh yes - the next one will be Andrey Arshavin - he could, perhaps prove to be the best of the 'Best Evers' (although until now I'd give that title to Denis Law, my own personal hero of all time) !

Sorry, I can't believ I missed Dennis Bergkamp of the list. Well, I can actually, as he is far-and-away the best Arsenal player I have ever seen, on another planet in fact and thus is excluded from any listing of normal players I may make - sorry 'bout that Dennis !

jpr I think you're missing S Gerrard unless you've never seen him play?

There've been hundreds of extremely good players over the years but it's this 'inspirational' thing, that something that has touched me when I've seen them that, for me marks out 'The Best'. Stevie MbE is obviously a very good player, as were many other Liverpool players of yesteryear (Daglish, to mention only a few) but he just hasn't given me that 'zing' that the others have. As I say, it's purely personal.

I've been going to the football since 1989, so here's mine in no particular order.

Paul McGrath. Made the game look easy.World class even with dodgy knees

Thierry Henry. IMO the best footballer of the Premiership years.Genius

Cantona. Arrogant with a reason.

Hoddle.I actually paid to go to the Wolves to see Hoddle play for Swindon.The best passer of a ball i've seen.

Shearer. Goal machine

Lineker. As natural goalscorers go, Lineker was one of the all time greats.

Fowler.My old man reckons Fowler was the best centre forward he'd seen Jimmy Greaves.

Pearce.Psycho was my idol as a kid and whenever i see him smash that penalty in against Spain in Euro'96 it still gets the blood pumping.Fantastic.

Bryan Robson.Only caught the arse end of his career, but what a midfielder.

Gerrard. In the Robson mould and probably better.

Gascoigne. Who knows what he could have achieved had he not joined Spurs.

Scholes. Does the lot apart from tackle.Best volleyer i've seen

Zola. Pure class

Bergkamp. If Rolls Royce made footballers.........

Yorke. Bastard broke my heart when he went to Man utd.Great player though

Beckham. As an England player the best of my era.

Merson. Club bias maybe but for a bloke with only one foot, he was fecking good

Keane. Hateful fecker but the best captain

Pires. In the time Arsenal were brilliant he had as much influence as Bergkamp and Henry, that's some achievement

Gordon Cowans. Villa legend and a silky footballer.top man

I agree with jpr about Rooney. I don't think he's anywhere near fulfilling his potential yet, and I can't understand the haters.

Lots of great players listed by everyone

I would also throw in

Souness - very rarely has there been such an acid on the shins tackler - that could also be so creative

Colin Todd - CLASS defender

Alan Hansen - Absolute genius at bringing the ball out of defence

Shilton - I THINK he wasn´t mentioned - during the Forest glory years - he gave out a feeling of being unbeatable



AND


Gives me massive grief but


Trevor Francis - there were Villa - Nosers games 75 - 79 when he seemed to play us on his own. Anyone who thinks C.Ronaldo is something with the ball at his feet should have seen that guy then

Agree with Lion, some great names mentioned

Kenny Dalglish - what a great signing by Liverpool, their fans were in mourning at losing Keegan at the time

John Robertson - looked like a pub player, but was fantastic for Forest

Bruce Rioch - my first Villa hero

Brian Little - what a footballer