Football (soccer) Player Identification Quiz

[AndyC]

After the revelation from the David Beckham thread that Americans don't know any other players than Pele and Alexi Lalas , I've decided, for Tynstars pleasure, to begin the ultra educational "History of Football Quiz".

I'll post a new player when I get to work, and we'll see if you can manage to solve which player from footballing history I've selected for the day. Also let the Americans have a try before all the Europeans jump in.

I won't choose any bizarre players, and all would be pretty recognizable to footy fans.

So on to todays selection:

[img width=150 height=180]http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j182/andyc17/player1.jpg[/img]

[Tynstar]

No clue. Have to ask my Mexican coworker.

[Arrrhalomynn]

You could've posted a bigger picture, you can't even see the logo on his chest. I'm not sure wether he's German or English. If he's german I know who he is (THE BASTARD!), but if he's English I would have no idea.

[Tynstar]

Who is it?

[Hydrobond]

I wouldn't be able to recognize star football players here, how the hell would I recognize soccer players from Europe?

[Arrrhalomynn]

It's Franz "Der Kaiser" Beckenbauer, and the picture is from after the 1974 world cup, which the Germans won. Undeserved, of course.

[AndyC]

You are correct Mark, and I thought you wouldn't like him too much. Here's a selected bio taken from wiki :

Twice selected the European Footballer of the Year, he appeared 103 times for the West Germany national team and played in three World Cups. He lifted the World Cup trophy as captain in 1974, and repeated the feat as a manager in 1990. With the club Bayern Munich, he won three consecutive European Cups from 1974 to 1976, and went on to become coach and president of the institution.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Beckenbauer

Here's the next one, surely people must have heard of him, he had quite a famous turn

[img width=421 height=566]http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j182/andyc17/player2.jpg[/img]

[Arrrhalomynn]

As a dutchman I have to say that this is the most famous person from the Netherlands ever. Of course not in the USA, but everywhere else he is. I went to Poland, told someone I'm from the Netherlands and they would say this guy's name. My brother went to Ecuador, where most people don't even know where the Netherlands are, but they all knew him.

He's known for his soccer abilities, his coaching abilities and also his manner of speaking. I suppose that, in that respect, you could compare him to that one american baseball player that said those strikingly obvious things. I think it was babe ruth, but I'm not sure.

[Tynstar]

No clue.....

[Hydrobond]

I don't know that Babe Ruth ever coached. 
The guy that had a way with words was Yogi Berra.  He did play and coach, and did both quite well.  He would be a good analog to this fellow three posts above.  (At least by Arr's description.)

Oddly enough, this man was linked to in the thread about Yogi Berra. Don't know if they are the same person, the two pictures don't line up to well. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cruijff

edit: tynstar posted while I was writing, so I had to change the number of posts.

[AndyC]

You are correct Hydrobond it is indeed Johan Cruyff. One of the greatest players ever to grace the field for the beautiful game.

[Tynstar]

The Phantom Goal was pretty nice.

BTW now that I now his name I still have never heard of him or the first guy in this thread. I do like this thread though.

[AndyC]

Here's another one to be getting on with seeing Hydrobond answered the last one. Again he's another footballing great, and has one of the greatest footballing nicknames ever:

[img width=250 height=269]http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j182/andyc17/player3.jpg[/img]

[Hydrobond]

^Thats's gotta be Pele.  (Sorry, no accents.)

edit: btw, smart move rehosting the images. 

[Arrrhalomynn]

You really should post colored photos.