Juventus - Alessandro Del Piero

1991-93 Padova 14 app, 1 goal
1993-XX Juventus 557 app, 239 goal
National Team (Italy): 85 apps, 27 goals

Total goals: 267 (so far)

Who's your clubs symbol?

West Ham United - Sir Robert Frederick Chelsea Moore OBE

---------------------------------Apps Gls
1958–1974 West Ham United 544 (24)

the way he read the game, marshalled his team and timed his tackles marked him out as world class. In fact, Pelé called Moore the fairest defender he had ever played against.

He was my friend as well as the greatest defender I ever played against. The world has lost one of its greatest football players and an honourable gentleman." Pelé

"Bobby Moore was a real gentleman and a true friend." Franz Beckenbauer

"My captain, my leader, my right-hand man. He was the spirit and the heartbeat of the team. A cool, calculating footballer I could trust with my life. He was the supreme professional, the best I ever worked with. Without him England would never have won the World Cup." Alf Ramsey

"There should be a law against him. He knows what's happening 20 minutes before everyone else" Jock Stein

He was a big hero of your avatar (Alf). Bobby Moore fantastically gifted defender and a true gentleman. You are spoiled for choice having Bobby alongside Sir Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters. Three fantastic players and individuals.

Full Name Robert Charlton
Date of Birth 11th Oct 1937
Place of Birth Ashington,
Northumberland
Position Midfielder
Height 5ft 9
United debut 6/10/1956
vs Charlton (H)
.....
Charlton's United Record 1953-1973
Appearances Goals
League 604 (2) 199
FA Cup 79 19
League Cup 24 7
Europe 45 22
Other games 5 2
Total 757 (2) 249


Charlton's International Record
1958-1970

106 Caps for England - 49 Goals
1966 World Cup Winner
..
Honours with United

1968 European Cup
1967 1st Div League Championship
1966 European Footballer of the year 1965 1st Div League Championship
1963 F.A. Cup
1957 1st Div League Championship

Sir Bobby Charlton is without doubt one of the most famous English players of all time. His name is synonymous with some of the greatest moments in the English game but also with the highest traditions of sportsmanship and integrity. Charlton, using his pace out of midfield and with a thunderous shot, scored some of the most spectacular goals English football has ever seen.

Born in Ashington, Northumberland, the Charlton family had football in its blood. Three of his uncles played for Leeds United and his mother's cousin was the Newcastle United legend, Jackie Milburn. In 1953 he was signed by Manchester United aged just 17 and would go on to spend the next 17 years at Old Trafford.

As one of the "Busby Babes" to survive the Munich Air Disaster he was in the great United side of the Fifties alongside Duncan Edwards, Roger Byrne and Tommy Taylor, as well as the team of the Sixties featuring Denis Law and George Best that produced some of United's greatest ever football.

Initially a striker, he switched to outside-left with England and finally became a deep-lying centre forward renowned for his powerful shooting. To say that Bobby Charlton could hit a ball is the understatement of the century. Some of his famous long-range torpedoes have gone down as all time classic goals for both England and United.

His twenty years as a player at Manchester United saw him make 752 starting appearances, plus 6 in other games (Charity Shield and World Club championship) and two as sub. This is still the all time record for any player at the club and of the current squad only Ryan Giggs stands any chance of coming near.


Alongside his pulverising shot, he had an ability for accurate long range passing, was excellent in the air and had a devastating body swerve. The man with the famous comb-over hairstyle had the game of football running through his veins, a natural born footballer. Before Munich, he played up front but in his first full season found it hard to get in the team whilst up against talents like Taylor and Viollet.

After 1958 he continued as a centre-forward, however in the early 1960's Matt Busby switched Bobby to left-wing were he was devastating. Then in the mid 60's he took on the role of a a deep-lying play-maker. It was the position he became most known for and really highlighted his skills to the full. Charlton has the unique record of scoring on his debuts for England schoolboys, United's first team (twice vs Charlton Athletic) and the full international team (vs Scotland).

The Sixties saw a glorious era when British football was in awe of Charlton, Law and Best, three world class players who together helped make Manchester United an integral part of popular culture in that decade. Bobby scored 199 goals in 606 League games for United and was a vital element in the club winning the 1st Division Championship in 1957, 1965 and 1967.

There was also the FA Cup in 1963 and famously the European Cup in 1968, in which he scored twice to sink Benfica at Wembley. The first goal was unusual for him with as it came from a header, the second - a sublime shot for a tight angle, sealed a 4-1 win and an emotional victory for the man who survived Munich. In contrast to the quiet Bobby, his footballing brother and captain of Leeds United, Jack, was an outgoing larger-than-life personality. The disaster at Munich and death of his team mates affected Bobby deeply. He became a more serious and subdued person after the tragedy and may well have suffered "survivors guilt".

The Charlton brother's greatest moment was in the 1966 World Cup when centre-half Jack played alongside Bobby all the way to the victorious Final. 66 was a great year for Bobby as he won both European and PFA Player of the Year awards for playing a pivotal role in that World Cup campaign that saw him score three times. He fired in two long range belters that sunk Portugal in England's 2-1 win in the semi-final. His total of 106 caps (1958-1970) was an England record until passed by Bobby Moore in 1973 however a total of 49 goals for England still remains a record to this day and is unlikely ever to be topped.

Having finished his career with United in 1973 he became manager of Preston North End, but unlike his brother, introvert Bobby was not suited to management and resigned after the club were relegated in 1975. He later worked as director of Wigan Athletic, and in 1984 was appointed as a director of Manchester United. Bobby was awarded a CBE in 1974 and a knighthood in 1994.

Today he works as an ambassador for football in his role as a director at United and has now been associated with the club for over half a century. A true role model for any aspiring footballer, a modest man of great integrity, Bobby Charlton is respected throughout the world as one of England's greatest ever sportsmen and a Manchester United legend.

a 100% chance i would say now .....

The mutual respect & friendship between Moore and Pele was there for all to see.
A great man and legend.

And I never knew his middle name was that either.

Id have to say Hoddle for Spurs.

Jimmy Greaves was Spurs best ever player....followed by Danny Blanchflower then Dave Mckay....then maybe Hoddle.....all in my very humble opinion of course. And i wouldn't include Klinsmann because he was only there a short period....he's a mercenary.

Maybe true, but Hoddle did it in a way that made him an icon for the club and all it stood for. Call it bias to attacking players but so many Spurs fans cite Hoddle as the one reason they became fans. (ones older than me obviously)

Most Gooners would say Henry, but I say Bergkamp.

Bergkamp has the class as a footballer and as a person. He finished his career at Arsenal, no matter the 'over 30' contract limitations and he came to the Club and played a massive part in changing most things at the Club for the good. He won trophies, he set records, he changed the style and he influenced so many younger greats that played and grew around him.

If things went wrong for him or the Manager didn't select him (for example the first ever Champions League final that he'd longed for) or anything like that, he never complained, whined, huffed or walked away. He was passionate on the pitch and his love for Arsenal off of it is true.

Some might say Tony Adams (him being Mr.Arsenal and all) or indeed Henry, but I totally agree that Bergkamp was and still is the archtype for the quintessential modern Gunner. Unlike Adams he remained a gentleman and unlike Henry he remained humble. He never let anything affect his game or his loyalty and he was class right up until retirement, afterwhich he never had a bad thing to say about the board, the manager, the club, the country, the city or the fans. He bleeds red and white and will continue to do so.

I think it's Eric Sikora who played for Lens from 1985 to 2004.

What were Erics achievements in his career Rc? Just to educate those of us that don't know him that well.

Champion of France in 1998 and winner of League Cup in 1999, he was a defender. He always played for Lens, he is the Maldini of Lens.

I would agree, his exciting raw talent epitimised the 'Tottenham way' and was one reason why kids would try something new in the playground other than the traditional 'hoof'.

Free scoring Greaves, double-winning Blanchflower, and the honest & hardworking Gary Mabbutt all deserve a mention also I reckon.

I mightbe the only Chelsea fan to look at this topic, but let's see

for us it's a tight draw between Gianfranco Zola and Peter Osgood.

both legends of the stanformd bridge turf, and known and like amugst all football fans.


Stats can be posted by the less half-assed Chelsea fans

Chris Waddle was a good player too.

Dundee.f.c - Alan Gilzean

Spurs fans should know who he is.

Partnered Jimmy Greaves upfront

Probably Franz "der Kaiser" Beckenbauer for Bayern Munich.
427 games, 60 goals for Bayern, playing as a libero.
4x German football champion, 4x German Cup and 4x European Cup with Bayern.
Largely considered one of the best players ever.
Currently the club's president.

Another option would be Gerd Müller. 365 goals in 427 games for Bayern. He played along with Beckenbauer so he won just as much with Bayern. He's coaching the second team now.

But Beckenbauer is probably more of a symbol for Bayern, as he's much more famous and just more in the limelight than Müller.

For Newcastle i think im gonna go with Alan Shearer!

He is the top scorer in clubs history, 206 goals
He has scored the most goals in the EPL, 260 goals
Holds the record for most European goals for Newcastle, 30 goals
He was named Overall Player of the Decade and Domestic Player of the Decade in the EPL
Record for most Premiership goals in a 42-game season - 34
Record for most Premiership goals in a 38-game season - 31 (same as Ronaldo)

True RC, just a shame he only spent 3 seasons at the lane

Tom Finney

Personal information
Full name -Sir Thomas Finney
Date of birth -5 April 1922 (1922-04-05) (age 86)
Place of birth-Preston, England

Playing position
Striker, Outside Right

Senior clubs 1

Years at Club
1946-1960

Preston North End
App (Gls)*
433 (187)


[b]National team App (Gls)
1946-1958 England 076 0(30)



Early Life

Finney was born at home in Preston on a street next to the Deepdale stadium. He was frail and somewhat sickly in his youth and stood only 4 ft 9 in (1.45 m) at the age of fourteen. When he was offered the opportunity to sign for Preston North End (PNE), his father insisted that he complete his apprenticeship in the family's plumbing business before signing as a professional. This led to one of his nicknames, the 'Preston Plumber'.

Finney's mother Margaret died while he was still a child.


Second World War

Soon after he signed, however, World War II began and normal football was suspended, though Finney started to achieve some recognition during war-time tournaments. Called up to the Royal Armoured Corps in 1942, he fought in Montgomery's Eighth Army in Egypt. Local leave in North Africa allowed him to play in army teams against local opposition and on one occasion he played against the future actor Omar Sharif. [1]

Post-war career and England debut

Once normal competition was restored, he made his debut for the club in August 1946 and soon established himself as an agile forward. Post-war demand for plumbers ensured that he had a second income to supplement the £14 he received under football's maximum wage regulations, and he became famous as the "Preston plumber". One month after his first appearance for Preston, Finney made his England debut, going on to win 76 caps and score 30 goals.



Retirement

He retired from Preston North End in 1960, only when forced out with a persistent groin injury. He had played his entire career for his local club, appearing 433 times and scoring 187 goals. The balance of Preston's team hardly matched Finney's brilliance, the young Bill Shankly notwithstanding, and he never won the championship (in 1953 and 1958 Preston North End came close to completing the three-peat, but each time they had to settle for runner-ups) or any other trophy. His loyalty is remarkable, even extending to rejecting a 1952 offer from Italian club Palermo that included a £10,000 personal signing-on fee and high pay and perquisites. He did, however, come out of retirement in 1963 to play for Northern Irish outfit Distillery against Benfica in the European Cup


The Splash

On 31 July 2004, Sir Tom unveiled the water feature sculpture "The Splash" which stands outside The National Football Museum. The sculpture was inspired by the 1956 Sports Photograph of the Year which features Tom Finney beating two defenders at a waterlogged Stamford Bridge


Continuing links with Preston North End

As of 2007, Sir Tom maintains his links with Preston North End as the club's president. 2006 marked 60 years since his first league debut for PNE. To mark this occasion the National Football Museum, an organisation which he has championed and has close links with, invited football fans to sign a specially commissioned flag which was presented to Sir Tom at the beginning of the 2006-07 season to mark his 60 years with PNE.

He also writes a regular PNE column for the University of Central Lancashire's students' union newspaper, Pluto


Ability

His total mastery of all the techniques triumphed over the lack of medals. He was versatile, playing in all the orthodox five forward positions of the day for Preston and appearing for England at right-wing, left-wing and centre-forward. He was a genuine two-footed player, packing an explosive shot in either his right or his left. He had speed, balance, was a pin-point passer and, for a man of no great height, could head with awesome power.


Quotes about Finney

* "Tom Finney would have been great in any team, in any match and in any age ... even if he had been wearing an overcoat." (Bill Shankly)

* "Tom Finney should claim income tax relief ... for his 10 dependants." (Satirical observation on the weakness of the Preston team in his absence)

* "If all the brains in the game sat in committee to design the perfect player, they would come up with a reincarnation of Tom Finney." (Anonymous newspaper feature)


Honours

* Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year, 1954 and 1957;
* OBE, 1961; and
* Knighthood, 1998.
* Inducted into English Football Hall of Fame

Thief!!!

Can't believe his middle name was Chelsea!

Anyway, I'd go along with Hoddle being the symbol of ou