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What teams you like outside from Greece!


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Besides AEK Barca was one of the first teams I ever supported, one of my childhood memories is the 92 European Cup when Koeman nailed that free kick in the 112th minute... So many memories of these Barca sides but I tend to keep it to myself about Barca because these days everyone has jumped on their bandwagon since this Messi, Xavi and Iniesta era came along. ALOT of the people that follow Barca these days hardly have any clue of the players that went through Barca lol this recent squad was good but there have been some quality teams along the way also.....

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I'll almost always cheer for a Mourinho-coached team.

 

I only really love PAOK, but here are some other teams I pay attention to in other leagues:

 

England: Chelsea, Fulham

Italy: Inter

Germany: BVB, Bayern Munich, Schalke

US: New England

 

 

I also like Barcelona, Juventus. Further I like Liverpool, Benfica and Werder Bremen (they used to be such a brilliant team always playing very attractive, positive football, even with Rehagel). In Holland I support AZ Alkmaar and just behind them Feyenoord.

 

I thought Rehagel was known for playing aggressive, possession-based teams, and only switched once he went to Greece?

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I know people rave on and on about Messi and CR7 but Ronaldo will go down as one of the best ever, the generation of today don't realise how good he really was and the competition he faced as a player back then, these days the only comp Messi & CR7 have is themselves, where as back in Ronaldo days he had stars to compete with Zidane, Henry, Trezeguet, Shevchenko, Crespo, Rovaldo, Zamorano just to name a few, F*** the list of talent goes on and the way he came back from that injury and won the world cup shows how good he was..... I might add defenders were way more tougher and brutal back then, Messi and CR7 would've struggled with the defending back then.....

 

And he won 3 balloon D'iors along with Zidane.

 

The only thing which is amazing in my eyes that he didn't win was the CL and with the teams he had played in that's one freaky stat.....

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The Liverpool and Juventus teams of the early/mid 80s, and the Milan team of the late 80s / early 90s. I'd say as good or better teams than the great Barcelona of recent years.

 

The teams people choose depends on the era they grew up in, and I go back a bit further than most.

 

As for players, agree with the comments about Ronaldo above, but the greatest of all by a country mile was Maradona. Single handedly won serie A titles for Napoli and a WC for Argentina (almost 2).....something Messi has failed to do and probably never will. Nobody comes close to Maradona, perhaps only Pele who was before my time... 

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Lefkaka I would also add Ajax of the 90s they were a fantastic side and went 2 years undefeated, I saw them play CL in Greece, what a team they had....

 

I agree with you on Maradona also, these younger generations are overwhelmed by Messi they don't see what Maradona really did was out of this world..... Would Messi go to Napoli and win the league? NO. And as you sai he hasn't won the WC to even be mentioned in the same sentence as Maradona....

 

By the way ill be hitting Lefkada in September CANT WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Lefkaka I would also add Ajax of the 90s they were a fantastic side and went 2 years undefeated, I saw them play CL in Greece, what a team they had....

 

By the way ill be hitting Lefkada in September CANT WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Forgot about Ajax, they were a great side. Defeated us 0-3 in Athens after our 1-0 win in Amsterdam.....we had no hope in that match.

 

Hopefully I'll be hitting Lefkada in a few months, just like going back home!

 

Maradona is by far the greatest i have seen

After him, for me, the players i've seen, i'd have next - Baggio, Zidane, Ronaldo (BRA), Ronaldinho, Rivaldo 

 

Imagine if Maradona was protected by the referees like the players of today, no butcher defenders to foul him every time he touched the ball. His left foot was like a magnet for the ball, the man would be untouchable. 

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You can't compare Christiano Ronaldo or Messi to Maradona and players of that era.  50% of the goals they score today would not have happened back in that era because they would have been "professionally" fouled before they got anywhere near the goal.  And if they did happen to score, they'd probably get an elbow to the face and a few kicks on the knee as a reward.  Maybe even the occasional knee reconstruction if the defender was feeling generous.  The tackling was brutal.  I can't remember who it was (I think it was Cabrini but not sure), but one of those butcher defenders back in the Seria A said something like "In Italy, the man can go past the defender, or the ball, but not both".  You had to earn a goal back then.  Go look at the top goal scorers and they would rarely get over 20 goals in a season.  I'm not saying Maradona is better, or that Christiano Ronaldo or Messi are better, I'm just saying it's not right to compare, because they play in completely different environments.

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If Messi or CR7 played back in the 80s they wouldn't have lasted, Maradona got the s%$#! kicked out of him all the time, these days players are protected and defenders aren't as tough as they used to be.

 

As for who's better, we have always judged players on how good they are and what they have achieved so until Messi wins the WC he shouldn't be mentioned in the same breath as Maradona, Messi hasn't even won the Copa Libe with Argentina, how people can say he is better than Maradona makes me laugh....

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Hatzipanagis career was a bit of a tragedy because he was confined to a relatively "small" team in the SL. He also had big offers from PAO in particular IIRC but they never let him go.

 

Saravakos was another who had offers from Italy but never went. He was a great player at his peak in the mid-late 80s. Don't forget back then only 3 foreigners were allowed in European leagues, so you had to be REALLY good to get an overseas contract (e.g. Gullit, Van Basten and Rijkaard at Milan were the best trio of all time). These days with the Bosman rule average players can play abroad wherever they like.

 

As for Maradona, the Argentina team that won the WC in 1986 was fairly ordinary, he virtually won the cup off his own boot. And nearly did it again in 1990. 

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^^^ I don't think Messi is overrated, obviously he is a great player. 

 

The difference is Maradona literally carried average teams to greatness, Messi has superstars around him and really hasn't dominated any tournaments like Maradona did. I don't even think the ballon or whatever it's called was awarded back in his day? If it was, he would've won it every year he played. Ask any Argentine who is the greatest player ever, I bet they won't say Messi... 

 

As for the defenders back then, put it this way.......some of the tackling and fouling back then would've seen those players sent off in the first 5  minutes of a game today. If Maradona was protected like Messi and co. are today, nobody would be able to get near him...... 

Edited by Lefkaditis
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Recently its been Ronaldo and Messi that have been dominating. In years past there were more players that could win it.  The original Ronaldo won it three times, but any year it could have gone to more than just 2 players.

Edited by Tzatziki
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I agree Tzatziki, couple years back Wesley Sneijder won the treble with Inter and also made the WC final in South Africa with Holland and was overlooked by everyone. That's why this award will always be rigged.

 

Back in Zidane and Ronaldo days there was huge competition around them and they won it 3 times, these days Messi & Ronaldo are each others competition, boring if you ask me.

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True, different players, different eras. The modern era is more focused on protecting players (especially attackers), the venues and playing surfaces are light years ahead, etc, etc, all of which makes is easier for players of today to perform. That's why records are broken, not because the players are better. 

 

But as I said above, if you conducted a poll in Argentina (for all ages) asking who was the greatest player of all time, I bet virtually 100% would vote Maradona ahead of Messi. He is a god in Argentina, I don't think Messi has that status (yet). 

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If the players of the old generation had the facilities and the things these players have available today it would be a totally different story, players back then played with heart and passion, players of this generation are drawn to a team by the money they get....

 

Lefkada I agree with you 100% in South Africa when Greece played Argentina we spent heaps of time with their fans and all they could say was Maradona this and Maradona that, they even said he could not win a game as coach and fail miserably and they would still love him, big statement.

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