Even a mention of someone’s performance in bagging a hottie as well.
One that just springs to mind is from the 1998 World Cup. France beat Paraguay on a golden goal from Laurent Blanc to reach the quarter finals. Paraguay had a defender called Carlos Gamarra and he was absolutely immense in that game. Stopped everything that came at the defence. He rose for a header, landed awkwardly, and seemed to dislocate his shoulder. As Paraguay has used all their subs he played on with his arm dangling by his chest. He was throwing himself in front of shots - everything.
There have been better but straight off the top of my head… Roy Keane in the qualifying campaign for Japan / South Korea. I was at the home game v Portugal and he was simply immense.
No question. Joe Canning V Cork in Thurles last year. About half the crowd I was watching it with had no real interest in hurling and they were completely enthralled by it. The greatest I’ve ever seen.
Vintage Crops Melbourne Cup 1993. First foreign trained horse ever to win it, had to spend weeks in quarantine beforehand. A truly great performance from Dermot Weld just getting the horse there and creating history by winning and by Mick Kinane who timed his run perferctly.
It’s like the Henrik Larsson argument. You can’t be truly great against average opposition. Everton are better than the thumpers Larsson chose to pit himself against but hardly great opposition at the same time.
I’m actually quoting from someone whom the majority of TFK forumites think is beyond reproach. Anyway the mark of a worldclass player is to get down and dirty and drag their side through a game they should be winning. In that context I always felt Roy Keane’s best performance for Ireland was away in Cyprus when we won 4-0. He scored two and literally played them on his own. The rest of the Irish side was shit on the night.
The mark of a worldclass player is to be worldclass against world class opposition on the highest stage. A nothing game against Everton does not make you world class or even close
Still the best individual performance I saw last year at EPL level in any case.
Larsson did well at Barcelona and at international level. Therefore excusing his messing around in the SPL, he proved himself as a fine player at the highest level.
Still the best individual performance I saw last year at EPL level in any case.
Larsson did well at Barcelona and at international level. Therefore excusing his messing around in the SPL, he proved himself as a fine player at the highest level.[/QUOTE]
Doing ‘well’ at Barca for a while doesn’t make him a great player. It’s like a lad playing well for the county for a while and then disappearing again to run circles around club players. Hardly the mark of greatness.
Not really but thanks for your definition :rolleyes:. I always thought Ronaldo was a world class player. People used say he couldnt do it against the big teams but there is still 3 points for a win no matter who you play. He banged them in regardless. Its far away from the highest stage that true leadership and greatness is formed imo. Consistency is what makes a player world class imo. Consistency of high class performances.
In any case this thread is great performances of our times not what does world class mean.
