Diego Maradona: Genius, entertainer, bull, demi-god, greatest
Diego Maradona’s kiss of the divine will not diminish over time. He will always be the greatest ever.
Everybody Loves
Drogba was one of the last of his kind…but so much more too
Didier Drogba was a phenomenal big man up top. But only a fool wouldn’t look beyond his football skill.
Liverpool’s imperfect God should be remembered more fondly
Robbie Fowler is not without his faults, even to this day. But as a finisher he was practically unrivalled.
If you say RVN was just a tap-in merchant we can’t be friends
He was absolutely sensational in the penalty area but Ruud van Nistelrooy was so much more than that.
All hail the sexy big journeyman Luca Toni…
Luca Toni was big, underrated and damn sexy. Of course everybody loves him.
Everybody goes weak at the knees for… the irresistible David Ginola
Johnny Nic gushes over David Ginola – the thrilling, inconsistent, impossibly-handsome gallic genius…
Not everybody loves Jamie Vardy. But they bloody should…
Johnny Nic explains why we should show Jamie Vardy more love, even though he’s fuelled by the haters. And Skittles…
Everybody Loves… football programmes – a memento to every matchday
Johnny Nic pays homage to matchday programmes and their role in the badly-missed routine of going to the game…
Everybody loves… Paul Scholes – the peerless, working-class hero
Paul Scholes was the Man Utd player opposition fans disliked the least and the midfielder Xavi wanted to be…
All hail Jermain Defoe – deadly hitman and all-round good egg…
Johnny Nic gushes over one of England most underrated goalscorers, one who need never buy a drink on Wearside ever again…
Chris Wilder is a coaching enigma already in his top job
Will Chris Wilder ever get to manage one of the elite? Does it matter? Would he care?
Everybody but the Irish and management loves Thierry Henry
Thierry Henry was genuinely unplayable at times. What an absolutely sensational player.
Kevin Keegan was a unique ball of concrete, beef and emotion
They don’t make them like Kevin Keegan anymore. What a player. And such an iconic manager.
There will never be another player or pundit like Roy Keane
Roy Keane was one of a kind as a player and remains precisely as such in the punditry booth.
Here’s to you, Derek Piero…what a wonderful player
He looks like Bruce Springsteen and he was just as sexy. Everybody loves Del Piero…
We might love Chris Waddle as much as he loves England
Chris Waddle made it look both so difficult and so easy. He also blazed a trail for Englishmen abroad.
Juninho lifted the World Cup but won Middlesbrough hearts
The Little Fella remains adored on Teesside. Juninho helped transform the entire Premier League.
Paolo Maldini was the greatest defender of his and any time
Paolo Maldini was beyond mere mortals. Whether at centre-half or left-back, 80s, 90s or 2000s, he shone.
Dennis Bergkamp: Part sh*thouse, part dancer…
Everybody might not love Dennis Bergkamp but everybody admires him…
Behold the King of Kings, Arsenal haunter Henrik Larsson
Celtic worship him. Sir Alex Ferguson had him for 13 games and adored him. Arsenal fear him. It’s Henrik.
Paul McGrath is a flawed legend but a true hero to millions
McGrath had his demons, both on the pitch and off it. That adds to his legend rather than detracting from it.
Loving that underrated ‘little tw*t’ Francesco Totti…
How could you not love Francesco Totti? A beautiful man and a beautiful footballer…
How far could Joe Cole have gone if he hadn’t been wasted?
Has a player’s reputation ever gone before them so much and so early than it did with Joe Cole?
Gianluigi Buffon: The thrilling and unbeatable movie star
Gianluigi Buffon was – and still is – a mixture of icy veins and red hot passion. And Johnny loves him.
Berbatov is the absolute antidote to modern football poison
Football has become all about athleticism and too little about artistry. Get Dimitar Berbatov back in.
James Milner’s a jack of no trades and a master of about five
James Milner will buttock you off the ball and look brilliant doing it. He is the jack of no trades and master of most.
No current Premier League player is better than Gianfranco…
Gianfranco Zola arrived at a very different England as a 30-year-old, and won each of us over instantly.
Gabriel Batistuta: The Angel sent from footballing heaven
Gabriel Batistuta was a remarkable player. He ensured the ball stayed hit and even pulled off a head band.
Jimmy Greaves might actually be one of the greatest ever…
You could put peak Jimmy Greaves into the modern game and he’d excel. What a wonderful player he was.
Everybody loves…the effortlessly brilliant Andrea Pirlo
Andrea Pirlo embodies something so many of us admire and is effortlessly sexy doing it. Ooft.