I was only at primary school in 1974 when I saw my first World Cup Finals, in Germany. I’ll never, ever forget the genius of Cruyff. It’s hard to pigeon hole his position, he was everywhere in midfield and up front, a product of Total Football, and a genius at everything.
I only found out...
I can't remember if I answered this originally. Here goes:
1. Cruyff - the Master, an incredible player who changed football forever (with his coach Michels), my footballing hero as a kid.
2. Pele
3. Messi
4. Maradona
5. Franco Beresi - the greatest defender in history, the greatest ball...
I loved the Ajax side of 1995. Built on a shoestring, mainly from the academy.
The destroyed the usual Bayern team, built at great expense by buying everyone else's best players.