Below I have picked a team of my 11 of all-time favourite players, picking one
for every position, playing a rather attacking and unrealistic looking 4-3-3
formation. It must be noted that this should not be treated as a "best ever"
World XI (such a thing is rather too difficult to consider), it is merely a
record of my favourite players and why I rate them. I should also note here
that all stats with regard to international caps/ goals (and general comments) are up to date as of
today, the 20th January 2006. (Wow! Two years is a long time in football, some of those comments are quite out of date. I can't be bothered to update the caps/ goals stats but I've added a few additional comments in brackets -- 14th April 2008)
All-time Favourite First XI
Name:
Francesco Toldo
Position:
Goalkeeper
Date of Birth:
2nd December, 1971
Nation:
Italy
International Caps:
28 (no goals)
Comment:
Although Toldo has lost his place to Julio Cesar at Inter recently and is
currently third choice keeper for Italy behind Buffon and Peruzzi, he
remains a fantastic goalkeeper. Commanding, a great shotstopper and, unlike,
for example Peruzzi or Pagliuca, more likely to catch the ball than punch it
-- Toldo has all the qualities you'd look for in a keeper. If he was from any
other nation, he'd have amassed more caps but, unfortunately, Italy have never
been short on keepers (remember that Chelsea's Carlo Cudicini hasn't even been
capped). Toldo was kept out of the national sqaud by Pagliuca and Peruzzi early
on in his career and then by Buffon in the last five or six years. When Buffon
got injured in for Euro 2000, Toldo finally got his chance and he was brilliant
- saving FOUR penalties in the semi-final against the Netherlands. Any
Premiership club looking for a keeper should go for Toldo now, before it is too
late.
Name:
Paul Parker
Position:
Right-back
Date of Birth:
4th April 1964
Nation:
England
International Caps:
19 (no goals)
Comment:
Parker is my all-time favourite player. Parker was born to defend making his
name as a centre-back with Fulham and then with QPR. But it was playing at
right-back for Bobby Robson's England team in the 1990 World Cup that Parker
first came to prominence. Robson famously commented after the tournament, "that
little lad jumped like a salmon and tackled like a ferret". Parker was
picked in FIFA's 1990 World Cuo Dreamteam. I would argue that Parker is the
best right-back England have had in recent years, he had more pace than Gary
Neville, he was more defensively sound than Lee Dixon and is arguably amongst the
greatest man-to-man markers the game has ever seen. Parker moved from QPR to
Manchester United for 2m in 1991, the same day as Peter Schmeichel signed for
a mere 500k. Parker enjoyed success in Alex Ferguson's team, winning the
double in 92/3 and part of the awesome Parker-Bruce-Pallister-Irwin backline.
But unfortunatley injury plagued his career and he was replaced at both club
and for country by Gary Neville. Ferguson released him on a free in 1996 and,
after brief spells at Derby, Ruud Gullit's Chelsea and Sheffield United, Parker
retired aged just 33. One of the great unsung heroes.
Name:
Paulo Maldini
Position:
Left-back
Date of Birth:
26th June 1968
Nation:
Italy
International Caps:
126 (7 goals)
Comment:
One of the all-time greats and a true legend... there is little that I can say
about Maldini that hasn't been said before. He is one of the few defenders to
win World Player of the Year (as he did in 1994) and has won 7 Serie A titles
and an incredible 4 European Champions League winner's medals with Milan. What
is incredible about Maldini is that time doesn't seem to have diminished his
skills, at 37 he's STILL an aweseome defender and in 2005 was named in the
FIFAPro World XI yet again. He recently broke the all-time record for Milan by
playing his 571st game and has played in over 800 in all competitions for the
Italian giants. I simply call this man "God". (Since I wrote this in 2006, Maldini has gone on to win a FIFTH European title with Milan and has played his 1000th professional game! He should probably retire now though.)
Name:
Des Walker
Position:
Centre-back
Date of Birth:
26th December 1965
Nation:
England
International Caps:
59 (no goals)
Comment:
One of the legendry football chants at Nottingham Forrest was "you'll never
beat Des Walker" and for a good reason: Walker was strong, uncompromising and
incredibly fast. Like Parker, Walker was part of Bobby Robson's great 1990
World Cup team and, also like Parker, he concentrated much more on defending than
scoring goals (he had to wait 8 years before his first one). Part of the second
generation of Brain Clough's great Nottingham Forrest side, Walker played more
than 300 times for Forrest before moving to Sampdoria in 1992 from 1.5m who
were then coached by a certain Sven Goran-Eriksson. Many say that Walker lost a
yard of pace in Italy but it was more likely the serious injury he suffered. He
returned to England in 1993, joining Sheffield Wednesday for 2.7m. He played
well for Wednesday but was never recalled to the England set up. I'd argue that
Walker at his peak would walk into the current England team ahead of the likes
of Rio Ferdinand because Walker not only had supreme pace but total
concentration (which Ferdinand at times lacks) and powers of anticipation, a
complete defender.
Name:
Jurgen Kohler
Position:
Centre-back
Date of Birth:
6th October 1965
Nation:
Germany
International Caps:
105 (2 goals)
Comment:
A truly World Class defender in his day, Kohler won a World Cup winner's medal
with (West) Germany in 1990 and was part of the Euro '96 winning German team.
After playing for clubs like SV Waldhof Mannheim and FC Cologne, Kohler earnt
his big move to Bayern Munich in 1989 where he won a Bundesliga winner's medal
in 1990. He then moved to Juventus in 1991 for more than 4m, and went on to
play over a 100 times for the club. He won the UEFA Cup with Juve in 1993 and a
Serie A title in 1995. In 1995, he moved to Borrussia Dortmund (reproducing his
partnership with Brazilian Julio Cesar), the club with which most would
associate him, winning 2 Bundesliga titles (1996 and 2002) and a Champions
League medal in 1997. Kohler was the typcial no-nonsense German defender: great
in the air, strong, unflappable and scarily precise in the tackle.
Name:
Demetrio Albertini
Position:
Central Midfielder
Date of Birth:
23rd August 1971
Nation:
Italy
International Caps:
79 (2 goals)
Comment:
Another Milan legend, Albertini scored 21 goals for Milan in 293 games between
1989 and 2002. With Milan, he won the [i]scuddeto[/i] 5 times and a European
Champions League winner's medal. Albertini's primary attribute was his passing,
he was known as 'the metronome' for his ability to dictate the game's tempo and
link the defence with the attack. He played for Italy in the 1994 and 1998
World Cups and in Euro '96 and Euro 2000, however he fell out with Giovanni
Trappatoni shortly during the qualifying campaign for the 2002 World Cup and
subsequently never played for Italy again. After a loan spell at Athletico
Madrid, Albertini finally left Milan in 2002 to join Lazio where he played for
2 seasons and won the Copa Italia before joining Seria A newcomers Atlanta. In
January 2005, his old Milan team-mate Frank Rijkaard, now manager of the mighty
Barcelona needed cover for his midfield and handed Albertini the chance which
he took. Unfortunately by the time the 05/06 season started Albertini was
deemed surplus to requirements, rather than join Roberto Donadoni's Livorno, he
elected to retire from football - like Paul Parker - aged just 33. A sudden and
strange end to a great career.
Name:
Roberto Donadoni
Position:
Right-wing
Date of Birth:
8th May 1960
Nation:
Italy
International Caps:
63 (5 goals)
Comment:
Yet
another
Milan legend in my team (well, I must admit to having a soft spot for AC
Milan), Donadoni was a hard-working and powerful winger who was as sound
defensively as he was going forward, he could play on the right or the left -
I've picked him on the right here to accommodate another player. Like
Albertini, Donadoni won Serie A 5 times with Milan and he was in the legendary
team that won the European Cup 3 times. Donadoni was brilliant for Italy during
the both the 1990 and the 1994 World Cups and even when the Azzuri were woeful
- as in Euro 96 - Donadoni was never anything less than outstanding. He also
played in the American MLS for 2 seasons for the New York Metrostars. In 1996,
at the age of 36, Donadoni managed the incredible feat of playing back-to-back
seasons without a break when he left the Metrostars (who play their football in
the summer) to rejoin AC Milan and help them to another league title after
which he retired. He is now the manager of the Italian national team.
Name:
Ryan Giggs
Position:
Left-wing
Date of Birth:
29th November, 1973
Nation:
Wales
International Caps:
47 (8 goals)
Comment:
Being from Wales, how could I choose anyone but Ryan Giggs for this position?
Giggs has been one of the best wingers in the world for well over a decade and,
like Maldini, has done it all with one club: of course, Manchester United. With
United, Giggs has won an incredible 8 Premier League titles, 3 FA Cups and the
European Champions League in 1999. Giggs has every trait you could possibly
want in a winger: he has lightning pace, dazzling skills on the ball and
fanastic crossing ability, to top it all off he is something of a deadball
specialist and scores his fair share of headed goals as well. Giggs has
distinguished his career by remaining understated and calm in the face of
global superstardom and he brings with him a streadying influence on the pitch
- like Donadoni, a rare blend of hard-work and sublime talent. I'd argue that
Giggs has been the best winger in the World since 1993 - more consistant than
Figo, stronger than Robert Pires, more skillful than Marc Overmars - a real
gem. (Make that TEN Premier League titles for Mr. Giggs)
Name:
Dennis Bergkamp
Position:
Attacking Midfield/ Deep-lying Striker
Date of Birth:
10th May, 1969
Nation:
Holland
International Caps:
79 (36 goals)
Comment:
Arguably the best player that the English Premier League has ever seen,
Bergkamp has been a lynchpin of Arsenal's side since George Graham signed him
in 1995 from Inter for 7.5m. Bergkamp scored an amazing 103 goals in 185 games
for Ajax, winning the Uefa Cup (1992) and the Dutch league (1990) before moving
to Inter for 12m in 1993 where he won the Uefa Cup again in 1994. Bergkamp was
also part of the Euro '92 winning Dutch team and was voted Dutch player of the
year for 1992 and 1993. So, by 1995 "the Iceman" Bergkamp had already done
enough to secure his place in football history. However, it is primarily for
his time with Arsenal that I have listen him here. After Arsne Wenger
revitalised the team in 1996/7, Bergkamp went on to be part of an Arsenal team
that won the FA Cup four times and the Premiership 3 times in ten years. The
word 'genius' is overused but where Bergkamp is concerned it is applicable.
Blessed with mystifying vision, you sometimes wonder whether Bergkamp has
somehow magically already seen what is to come - he will
always
see the play,
always
see the killer pass. When Arsenal were really on fire, everything flowed
through Bergkamp and even at the age of 37 he continued to do it, before finally retiring in 2006. Wenger will never find a replacement for
Bergkamp and, to my mind, English football has never seen a better strike
partnership than Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry. (I still think that Wenger has failed to replace Bergkamp; Van Persie is a different sort of player, but plainly not in Bergkamp's class.)
Name:
Thierry Henry
Position:
Striker
Date of Birth:
17th August, 1977
Nation:
France
International Caps:
75 (31 goals)
Comment:
Henry is an almost perfect forward: blistering pace, a bagfull of 'tricks' on
the ball, outrageously accurate finishing, great free-kicks and corners and an
intellegent and daring footballing brain Henry strikes fear into any defence he
plays against. When you consider that he often has Bergkamp and Pires alongside
him and it is hardly surprising that Arsenal have won so much. To date Henry
has scored an incredible 150 goals in 220 league appearances for Arsenal. With
France, he won Euro 2000 and the World Cup in 1998, but doesn't quite seem like
the same player in blue - possibly because he was less significent to that
great team of Blanc, Desailly, Deschamps, Djorkaeff, Zidane etc. Like Bergkamp
but for completely different reasons, Henry is one of those players who is so good that
it is difficult to come to terms with the fact that he is human. I have noticed
that he does get rattled and frustrated when teams close him down and refuse to
give him space (see the 2002 World Cup) or their recent 1-0 defeat to Chelsea
but this is anomolas in his career so far - a wonder to modern science. (Since going to Barcelona, ol' Thierry hasn't really done the business and has, by all accounts, become increasingly prone to moaning and blaming all his woes on the fact that he's missing his daughter in England. It doesn't change the fact that he scored 174 goals in 254 games for the Gunners. He was simply magical at times.)
Name:
Hernan Crespo
Position:
Centre Forward
Date of Birth:
5th July, 1975
Nation:
Argentina
International Caps:
53 (29 goals)
Comment:
After returning to Chelsea following his season at Milan, Hernan Crespo became
something of an obsession of mine. The reason being because, during the 2005/6 season, Jose Mourinho frequently preferred the clumsy, messy Didier Drogba to the undoubted class of
Crespo. I made my thoughts about this known about this at the time,
needless to say Crespo is the complete centre-forward: great in the air, fairly
pacy, a lethal finisher and a positional sense that is usually reserved for
jungle predators. Crespo's stats speak for themself: he has not only cost a
total of 68, 000, 000 in transer fees during his career so far but maintains a
0.50 strikerate with 167 league goals in 326 appearances with 5 different clubs
including River Plate, Parma and Milan. A deadly striker who, for some reason,
has been severely underrated since moving to England. He is currently on loan officially at Inter. (I'm not sure if that move was ever made permanent, it's still a loan deal I believe. He's lost his place to Julio Cruz of late.)
All-time Favourite First XI
Name: Francesco Toldo
Position: Goalkeeper
Date of Birth: 2nd December, 1971
Nation: Italy
International Caps: 28 (no goals)
Comment: Although Toldo has lost his place to Julio Cesar at Inter recently and is currently third choice keeper for Italy behind Buffon and Peruzzi, he remains a fantastic goalkeeper. Commanding, a great shotstopper and, unlike, for example Peruzzi or Pagliuca, more likely to catch the ball than punch it -- Toldo has all the qualities you'd look for in a keeper. If he was from any other nation, he'd have amassed more caps but, unfortunately, Italy have never been short on keepers (remember that Chelsea's Carlo Cudicini hasn't even been capped). Toldo was kept out of the national sqaud by Pagliuca and Peruzzi early on in his career and then by Buffon in the last five or six years. When Buffon got injured in for Euro 2000, Toldo finally got his chance and he was brilliant - saving FOUR penalties in the semi-final against the Netherlands. Any Premiership club looking for a keeper should go for Toldo now, before it is too late.
Name: Paul Parker
Position: Right-back
Date of Birth: 4th April 1964
Nation: England
International Caps: 19 (no goals)
Comment: Parker is my all-time favourite player. Parker was born to defend making his name as a centre-back with Fulham and then with QPR. But it was playing at right-back for Bobby Robson's England team in the 1990 World Cup that Parker first came to prominence. Robson famously commented after the tournament, "that little lad jumped like a salmon and tackled like a ferret". Parker was picked in FIFA's 1990 World Cuo Dreamteam. I would argue that Parker is the best right-back England have had in recent years, he had more pace than Gary Neville, he was more defensively sound than Lee Dixon and is arguably amongst the greatest man-to-man markers the game has ever seen. Parker moved from QPR to Manchester United for 2m in 1991, the same day as Peter Schmeichel signed for a mere 500k. Parker enjoyed success in Alex Ferguson's team, winning the double in 92/3 and part of the awesome Parker-Bruce-Pallister-Irwin backline. But unfortunatley injury plagued his career and he was replaced at both club and for country by Gary Neville. Ferguson released him on a free in 1996 and, after brief spells at Derby, Ruud Gullit's Chelsea and Sheffield United, Parker retired aged just 33. One of the great unsung heroes.
Name: Paulo Maldini
Position: Left-back
Date of Birth: 26th June 1968
Nation: Italy
International Caps: 126 (7 goals)
Comment: One of the all-time greats and a true legend... there is little that I can say about Maldini that hasn't been said before. He is one of the few defenders to win World Player of the Year (as he did in 1994) and has won 7 Serie A titles and an incredible 4 European Champions League winner's medals with Milan. What is incredible about Maldini is that time doesn't seem to have diminished his skills, at 37 he's STILL an aweseome defender and in 2005 was named in the FIFAPro World XI yet again. He recently broke the all-time record for Milan by playing his 571st game and has played in over 800 in all competitions for the Italian giants. I simply call this man "God". (Since I wrote this in 2006, Maldini has gone on to win a FIFTH European title with Milan and has played his 1000th professional game! He should probably retire now though.)
Name: Des Walker
Position: Centre-back
Date of Birth: 26th December 1965
Nation: England
International Caps: 59 (no goals)
Comment: One of the legendry football chants at Nottingham Forrest was "you'll never beat Des Walker" and for a good reason: Walker was strong, uncompromising and incredibly fast. Like Parker, Walker was part of Bobby Robson's great 1990 World Cup team and, also like Parker, he concentrated much more on defending than scoring goals (he had to wait 8 years before his first one). Part of the second generation of Brain Clough's great Nottingham Forrest side, Walker played more than 300 times for Forrest before moving to Sampdoria in 1992 from 1.5m who were then coached by a certain Sven Goran-Eriksson. Many say that Walker lost a yard of pace in Italy but it was more likely the serious injury he suffered. He returned to England in 1993, joining Sheffield Wednesday for 2.7m. He played well for Wednesday but was never recalled to the England set up. I'd argue that Walker at his peak would walk into the current England team ahead of the likes of Rio Ferdinand because Walker not only had supreme pace but total concentration (which Ferdinand at times lacks) and powers of anticipation, a complete defender.
Name: Jurgen Kohler
Position: Centre-back
Date of Birth: 6th October 1965
Nation: Germany
International Caps: 105 (2 goals)
Comment: A truly World Class defender in his day, Kohler won a World Cup winner's medal with (West) Germany in 1990 and was part of the Euro '96 winning German team. After playing for clubs like SV Waldhof Mannheim and FC Cologne, Kohler earnt his big move to Bayern Munich in 1989 where he won a Bundesliga winner's medal in 1990. He then moved to Juventus in 1991 for more than 4m, and went on to play over a 100 times for the club. He won the UEFA Cup with Juve in 1993 and a Serie A title in 1995. In 1995, he moved to Borrussia Dortmund (reproducing his partnership with Brazilian Julio Cesar), the club with which most would associate him, winning 2 Bundesliga titles (1996 and 2002) and a Champions League medal in 1997. Kohler was the typcial no-nonsense German defender: great in the air, strong, unflappable and scarily precise in the tackle.
Name: Demetrio Albertini
Position: Central Midfielder
Date of Birth: 23rd August 1971
Nation: Italy
International Caps: 79 (2 goals)
Comment: Another Milan legend, Albertini scored 21 goals for Milan in 293 games between 1989 and 2002. With Milan, he won the [i]scuddeto[/i] 5 times and a European Champions League winner's medal. Albertini's primary attribute was his passing, he was known as 'the metronome' for his ability to dictate the game's tempo and link the defence with the attack. He played for Italy in the 1994 and 1998 World Cups and in Euro '96 and Euro 2000, however he fell out with Giovanni Trappatoni shortly during the qualifying campaign for the 2002 World Cup and subsequently never played for Italy again. After a loan spell at Athletico Madrid, Albertini finally left Milan in 2002 to join Lazio where he played for 2 seasons and won the Copa Italia before joining Seria A newcomers Atlanta. In January 2005, his old Milan team-mate Frank Rijkaard, now manager of the mighty Barcelona needed cover for his midfield and handed Albertini the chance which he took. Unfortunately by the time the 05/06 season started Albertini was deemed surplus to requirements, rather than join Roberto Donadoni's Livorno, he elected to retire from football - like Paul Parker - aged just 33. A sudden and strange end to a great career.
Name: Roberto Donadoni
Position: Right-wing
Date of Birth: 8th May 1960
Nation: Italy
International Caps: 63 (5 goals)
Comment: Yet another Milan legend in my team (well, I must admit to having a soft spot for AC Milan), Donadoni was a hard-working and powerful winger who was as sound defensively as he was going forward, he could play on the right or the left - I've picked him on the right here to accommodate another player. Like Albertini, Donadoni won Serie A 5 times with Milan and he was in the legendary team that won the European Cup 3 times. Donadoni was brilliant for Italy during the both the 1990 and the 1994 World Cups and even when the Azzuri were woeful - as in Euro 96 - Donadoni was never anything less than outstanding. He also played in the American MLS for 2 seasons for the New York Metrostars. In 1996, at the age of 36, Donadoni managed the incredible feat of playing back-to-back seasons without a break when he left the Metrostars (who play their football in the summer) to rejoin AC Milan and help them to another league title after which he retired. He is now the manager of the Italian national team.
Name: Ryan Giggs
Position: Left-wing
Date of Birth: 29th November, 1973
Nation: Wales
International Caps: 47 (8 goals)
Comment: Being from Wales, how could I choose anyone but Ryan Giggs for this position? Giggs has been one of the best wingers in the world for well over a decade and, like Maldini, has done it all with one club: of course, Manchester United. With United, Giggs has won an incredible 8 Premier League titles, 3 FA Cups and the European Champions League in 1999. Giggs has every trait you could possibly want in a winger: he has lightning pace, dazzling skills on the ball and fanastic crossing ability, to top it all off he is something of a deadball specialist and scores his fair share of headed goals as well. Giggs has distinguished his career by remaining understated and calm in the face of global superstardom and he brings with him a streadying influence on the pitch - like Donadoni, a rare blend of hard-work and sublime talent. I'd argue that Giggs has been the best winger in the World since 1993 - more consistant than Figo, stronger than Robert Pires, more skillful than Marc Overmars - a real gem. (Make that TEN Premier League titles for Mr. Giggs)
Name: Dennis Bergkamp
Position: Attacking Midfield/ Deep-lying Striker
Date of Birth: 10th May, 1969
Nation: Holland
International Caps: 79 (36 goals)
Comment: Arguably the best player that the English Premier League has ever seen, Bergkamp has been a lynchpin of Arsenal's side since George Graham signed him in 1995 from Inter for 7.5m. Bergkamp scored an amazing 103 goals in 185 games for Ajax, winning the Uefa Cup (1992) and the Dutch league (1990) before moving to Inter for 12m in 1993 where he won the Uefa Cup again in 1994. Bergkamp was also part of the Euro '92 winning Dutch team and was voted Dutch player of the year for 1992 and 1993. So, by 1995 "the Iceman" Bergkamp had already done enough to secure his place in football history. However, it is primarily for his time with Arsenal that I have listen him here. After Arsne Wenger revitalised the team in 1996/7, Bergkamp went on to be part of an Arsenal team that won the FA Cup four times and the Premiership 3 times in ten years. The word 'genius' is overused but where Bergkamp is concerned it is applicable. Blessed with mystifying vision, you sometimes wonder whether Bergkamp has somehow magically already seen what is to come - he will always see the play, always see the killer pass. When Arsenal were really on fire, everything flowed through Bergkamp and even at the age of 37 he continued to do it, before finally retiring in 2006. Wenger will never find a replacement for Bergkamp and, to my mind, English football has never seen a better strike partnership than Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry. (I still think that Wenger has failed to replace Bergkamp; Van Persie is a different sort of player, but plainly not in Bergkamp's class.)
Name: Thierry Henry
Position: Striker
Date of Birth: 17th August, 1977
Nation: France
International Caps: 75 (31 goals)
Comment: Henry is an almost perfect forward: blistering pace, a bagfull of 'tricks' on the ball, outrageously accurate finishing, great free-kicks and corners and an intellegent and daring footballing brain Henry strikes fear into any defence he plays against. When you consider that he often has Bergkamp and Pires alongside him and it is hardly surprising that Arsenal have won so much. To date Henry has scored an incredible 150 goals in 220 league appearances for Arsenal. With France, he won Euro 2000 and the World Cup in 1998, but doesn't quite seem like the same player in blue - possibly because he was less significent to that great team of Blanc, Desailly, Deschamps, Djorkaeff, Zidane etc. Like Bergkamp but for completely different reasons, Henry is one of those players who is so good that it is difficult to come to terms with the fact that he is human. I have noticed that he does get rattled and frustrated when teams close him down and refuse to give him space (see the 2002 World Cup) or their recent 1-0 defeat to Chelsea but this is anomolas in his career so far - a wonder to modern science. (Since going to Barcelona, ol' Thierry hasn't really done the business and has, by all accounts, become increasingly prone to moaning and blaming all his woes on the fact that he's missing his daughter in England. It doesn't change the fact that he scored 174 goals in 254 games for the Gunners. He was simply magical at times.)
Name: Hernan Crespo
Position: Centre Forward
Date of Birth: 5th July, 1975
Nation: Argentina
International Caps: 53 (29 goals)
Comment: After returning to Chelsea following his season at Milan, Hernan Crespo became something of an obsession of mine. The reason being because, during the 2005/6 season, Jose Mourinho frequently preferred the clumsy, messy Didier Drogba to the undoubted class of Crespo. I made my thoughts about this known about this at the time, needless to say Crespo is the complete centre-forward: great in the air, fairly pacy, a lethal finisher and a positional sense that is usually reserved for jungle predators. Crespo's stats speak for themself: he has not only cost a total of 68, 000, 000 in transer fees during his career so far but maintains a 0.50 strikerate with 167 league goals in 326 appearances with 5 different clubs including River Plate, Parma and Milan. A deadly striker who, for some reason, has been severely underrated since moving to England. He is currently on loan officially at Inter. (I'm not sure if that move was ever made permanent, it's still a loan deal I believe. He's lost his place to Julio Cruz of late.)