Who do you ♥? Do you have a type?

A handful of elite players get their own threads but we don't really eulogise individuals that much. Maybe Berbatov.

So, inspired by this ode to Lucas, here's a thread for your favourite footy crushes.

http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/7551/oggipiuchemai.jpg

Filippo 'Pippo' Inzaghi - I shamelessly adore the guy. I'm not entirely sure why, I think it's a mixture of really cool name, phenomenal record, and loveable hangdog expression when he's caught straying offside when he shouldn't've. I used to imagine myself in his image, in my goalhanging days playing fives. He doesn't look like a footballer either, which helps with the identification thing.

How's this for a stat: The following season (1996-7) he moved on to Atalanta B.C., finishing as the Capocannoniere (Serie A's top scorer) with 24 goals, and scored against every team in the league.

That photo marks possibly the first time I'd heard of him. By my reckoning it's taken in Sicily in 1997 - captured as I thought the graphic was the coolest thing ever and I still fancy doing a big canvas in that style. I can't remember how the game here was sold at the time, but it was nothing as stylish as that. Amazing that he's still playing at the highest level. He even made his comeback last week (from snapped ligaments, aged 37!) in the 4-1 win over Cagliari.

I definitely have a type too, which Pippo doesn't quite fit into. Redondo, Torres, McManaman, Luka Modric - these are my guys. Elegant, pacy types for the most part, so slender they live on skill alone - again a bit of self-identification there, for the skinniness anyway. There's obviously a bit of girly hair love going on there too somewhere.

I ♥ Xabi Alonso. Love the way he turns on the ball with the outside of his foot when he's looking for a pass or getting out of a tight spot. Not the best tackler, but I love his technique - he goes in with both feet, one after the other really quickly, but staying on the ground and not going in dangerously, so as to be sure of winning the ball should the player go left or right.

Also ♥ Luka Modric and Mesut Ozil. Used to ♥ Torres but anyway. Lucas, Ozil and Torres have very unique running styles - they seem to glide across the pitch. Maybe that's my type.

ik nailed it in 2nd paragraph for me. Players that live on technique alone, or near to it, innovating their way through football matches. Modric my current fave, but berbatov, le tiss, hoddle, redondo (good call), little ron.

Messi, strangely, is maybe too repetitive in his moves to qualify, i can't justify that but there it is.

a close second is the player whose technique comes into plain affect only after the ball's been struck. Alonso, scholes, pirlo, lyon juninho, xavi, rivaldo all good recent examples.

Obv add iniesta to prev list btw glaring omission

honest wingers- direct, surging runners that just fuckin go for it every time- g bale, valencia, the incomparable s guppy

I'm partial to a failed "new Maradona"-type Argentine enganche with a tragic but interesting career arc. Aimar was the first (for me) and always will be, but Andrés D'Alessandro is getting there and Pastore looks very promising. I also consider Diego a member of this group despite being Brazilian.

i remember pompey signin d'alessandro and he wasn't very quick or very good and it was cherno samba all over again rly

fullbacks that press forward and tackle hard

Swarthy diminutive bustling playmakers: Hagi, Stoichkov, Zola, Zidane.

Granite-faced glowering bull-biceped centre-forwards with cheekbones you could cut glass on: Hateley, Cascarino, Harford, Drogba, Davies.

No time for dimpled, melting, half-arsed, heart like candyfloss, lady-faced strikers like Berbatov, Ibrahomovic and Torres.

Hagi is the one for me, though. Probably my favourite player of all time, after Albert Ferrer.

Diminutive zidane tho

He looks like he should be.

Fwiw I wouldn't say anything to marasmus about his ma neither

Fuckin iphOne

i love sami hyypia...i feel like he would could be brought in to "steady the ship" of my day to day life.

would could...should

Was talking about this with onimo a couple of weeks ago, about how I'd started a thread about Paddy McCourt and he isn't even my favourite player. Except he's the kind of guy who gives good YouTube. We decided you can't do threads of clips of bossing a midfield with ease, which is why there isn't a rolling Beram Kayal thread on dis ting. I proper love him though, you can almost see a stream of cartoon lovehearts around my head whenever he plays.

Midfielders are generally my thing, from Dragan Stoijkovic, Robert Prosinecki, Zinedane Zidane, Xavi, Iniesta and Paul Lambert.

I was getting a bit over-enthusiastic about Didier Agathe in the pub last night, to the point where I felt a bit ashamed for placing him so low in the ILF poll. Would say fast, fair-tackling goal-scoring full backs were a thing, but it's really just him. I might be the only Celtic fan who still rates him above Izaguirre.

used to have a soft spot for roving full backs (not quite wing backs): thuram, lizarazu, lahm (as opposed to your cafus, samuels, um... carloss)

heart belongs to ball playing bossy CM/DMCs tho: sammer, lambert, matthaus

Fwiw I wouldn't say anything to marasmus about his ma neither

― ♪♫ hey there lamp post, feelin' whiney ♪♫ (darraghmac), Sunday, 22 May 2011 13:14 (1 hour ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Fuckin iphOne

― ♪♫ hey there lamp post, feelin' whiney ♪♫ (darraghmac), Sunday, 22 May 2011 13:14 (1 hour ago) Bookmark

classic deems, plus i learnt a new word

I love players who like like they couldn't give two shits what happens but end up regularly pulling off magic. Le Tess is king of this, Berba too.

♥ metal head bald keepers. bonus points if they are either rubbish or shouty and mental.

♥ for a particular player is always gonna be batistuta though.

shouty/mental keepers definitely

Haha Pete W likes it rough.

I'm torn between the aging choir boys ( ala Steven Gerrard) and the overgrown punks (viz John Terry). Is there a male equivalent of the virgin/whore complex? Or is just nice guy/bad boy?

There's a photo of Alan Smith (ex Leeds) dressed as an actual choirboy, but doesn't seem to be on the internet. He's a huge favourite of mine, but very much sui generis.

Would say fast, fair-tackling goal-scoring full backs were a thing

Actually, have been giving this a bit of thought, and I have a worrying fondness for not-particularly-classy-or-great, hardworking honest sleeves-up-get-stuck-in fullbacks: Chris Morris, Anton Rogan, Lee Naylor, Paul Telfer, Mark Wilson. Didier Agathe was the exception, rather than the template.

I'm torn between the aging choir boys ( ala Steven Gerrard) and the overgrown punks (viz John Terry). Is there a male equivalent of the virgin/whore complex? Or is just nice guy/bad boy?

― Virginia Plain, Monday, 23 May 2011 13:00 (2 hours ago)

ha

Yin and yang

http://img.thesun.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00772/John_Terry_and_Stev_772626a.jpg

Not identical roles but a pattern emerging: Cassano, Totti, Kun, Sanchez, Iniesta, Baggio, Silva, Pastore.

Del Piero.

Piotr Nowak

attacking central mids, low center of gravity, faux-humility, very loyal

Low centre of gravity is a thing yeah

Btw the aforementioned iPhone has a chilling backstory but I can't think of an appropriate thread tbh

Adel, Adel, Adel, Adel
Born is the king of W12

The new Marsh, the new Bowles, the divine Adel Taarabt.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmVBtMkN6CQ