Time to hand out awards to the athletes who we believe are the GOAT’s (Greatest Of All Time) in hoops and football! There are a few of you (those that don’t pay close attention to the sports) who may disagree with me, and there are many of you who understand… Game recognize game!
Feel free to add comments!!!
HOOPS – The Black Mamba!
The Black Mamba
I know what a lot of you are thinking… What about Mike!? What about PRINCE James!? MJ invented the killer fade away. MJ broke teams down with his ability to take over games and his “refuse to lose” attitude. Kobe clearly stole MJ’s moved, however he made them better! Kobe can shoot from anywhere on the floor… and I mean ANYWHERE!
LBJ is a physical beast! He dominates the basketball floor with his physical presence, incredible athleticism, and court awareness. Only one problem… his heart pumps cherry flavor Kool Aid! Time will tell if LBJ’s services in South Beach pay off. I have never heard of a KING that has NO rings… Maybe 6 years from now I’ll crown LBJ a KING, until then PRINCE James can not be awarded a KSA.
Kobe is clearly playing in a generation where the athletes are superior to MJ’s generation (Just take a look at some old school pictures or footage of the NBA during the early 90′s). The game is faster, and more compact now that teams can play a form of zone defense.
Please enjoy the highlight reel so you can understand be reminded why Kobe gets the vote for GOAT in basketball! Check out what Kobe has already achieved… The Black Mamba is still handling his biz night in and night out. I see the focus in press conferences this year… Kobe wants his 6th cookie!!! Kobe doesn’t want to be compared to MJ… He clearly wants to be remembered as better then MJ!
- 5× NBA Champion (2000, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2010)
- 2× NBA Finals MVP (2009–2010)
- NBA Most Valuable Player (2008)
- 12× NBA All-Star (1998, 2000–2010)
- 2× NBA scoring champion (2006–2007)
- 8× All-NBA First Team (2002–2004, 2006–2010)
- 2× All-NBA Second Team (2000–2001)
- 2× All-NBA Third Team (1999, 2005)
- 8× All-Defensive First Team (2000, 2003–2004, 2006–2010)
- 2× All-Defensive Second Team (2001–2002)
- NBA All-Rookie Second Team (1997)
- 3× NBA All-Star Game MVP (2002, 2007, 2009)
- NBA Slam Dunk Contest winner (1997)
- Naismith Prep Player of the Year (1996)
FOOTIE – Zizou!
Zizou
Yes, Maradona and Pele were both very special players, both of these players were clearly ahead of their time. Pele was playing during a time when the athletes had part time jobs. There is no doubt in my mind that Pele could have been a good player in today’s game. However, when I watch some of the old footage of Pele’s playing days, I wonder if that generation would be able to handle 3rd division clubs of this generation. Maradona was very special! He played during a time when the athletes were somewhat stronger, faster, and the game had evolved a bit from Pele’s playing days. Maradona amazed us all on the world’s biggest stage (World Cup). Maradona was dominant on the pitch… tormenting defenses every time he had the ball on his feet. I would also like to mention great players such as Ruud Gullit, Reberto Baggio, George Weah, Alan Shearer, Eric Cantona, and Louis Figo. There are many great players that have made their mark on the worlds most beautiful game.
Zinadine Zidane in my opinion is the GOAT when it comes to soccer. His balance on the ball, vision on the pitch, delicate touches, and powerful shot make him the most dominant player on any field! A few key moments that will always remain etched in my memory…
1. France VS England Euro 2004… Around the 90th minute… Free kick from outside the box, all the pressure on his shoulders, and calmly blasts the ball into the net to level the score 1-1! Moments later, after a Stevie G blunder, Zizou slots it past Calamity James to win the game for France.
2. France VS Italy World Cup 2006… Who in their right mind has the nerve to go for a “Panenka”? Not to mention Buffon (Some would argue the best goalkeeper in the world at that time) in goal! Zizou!!! Il est trops fort!!!!
3. France VS Brazil World Cup 2006… One of the best individual performances I have ever watched in my life! Kaka, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo and Co looked like a bunch of school boys! What a performance!!! Many thought it would be Zidane’s last game. I’m guessing that Zidane wanted to remind the world why he is the GOAT at Brazil’s expense… If you haven’t had a chance to watch that game, please dig into the archives, throw some pop corn in the microwave, and enjoy!
Check out Zidane’s achievements… In case you forgot how brilliant Zizou was, take a few moments to watch the video with some of his highlights. Believe me, the highlights don’t even tell a quarter of the story!!!
Girondins Bordeaux
- UEFA Intertoto Cup:
- Winner: 1995
- UEFA Cup:
- Runner-up: 1995-96
- UEFA Intertoto Cup:
Juventus
- Serie A:
- Winner: 1996-97, 1997-98
- Runner-up: 1999-00, 2000-01
- Supercoppa Italiana:
- Winner: 1997
- Runner-up: 1998
- UEFA Champions League:
- Runner-up: 1996-97, 1997-98
- UEFA Super Cup:
- Winner: 1996
- Intercontinental Cup:
- Winner: 1996
- UEFA Intertoto Cup:
- Winner: 1999
- Serie A:
Real Madrid
- La Liga:
- Winner: 2002-03
- Runner-up: 2004-05, 2005-06
- Supercopa de España:
- Winner: 2001, 2003
- Copa del Rey:
- Runner-up: 2001-02, 2003-04
- UEFA Champions League:
- Winner: 2001-02
- UEFA Super Cup:
- Winner: 2002
- Intercontinental Cup:
- Winner: 2002
- La Liga:
- France
- FIFA World Cup:
- Winner: 1998
- Runner-up: 2006
- UEFA European Football Championship:
- Winner: 2000
- FIFA World Cup:
- Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year – 1994
- Ligue 1 Player of the Year – 1996
- Serie A Foreign Footballer of the Year – 1997, 2001
- UEFA Club Midfielder of the Year – 1998
- FIFA World Cup Final Man of the Match – 1998
- World Soccer Awards Player of the Year – 1998
- Ballon D’or – 1998
- L’Équipe Champion of Champions – 1998
- French Player of the Year – 1998, 2002
- Onze d’Or – 1998, 2000, 2001
- FIFA World Player of the Year – 1998, 2000, 2003
- FIFA World Cup All-Star Team – 1998, 2006
- UEFA Euro Player of the Tournament – 2000
- UEFA Euro Team of the Tournament – 2000, 2004
- Serie A Footballer of the Year – 2001
- UEFA Team of the Year – 2001, 2002, 2003
- UEFA Champions League Final Man of the Match – 2002
- Best Foreign Player in La Liga – 2002
- UEFA Club Footballer of the Year – 2002
- FIFPro World XI All-Star Team – 2005, 2006
- FIFA World Cup Golden Ball – 2006
- UNFP Honorary Award – 2007
- FIFA World Cup Dream Team
- FIFA 100 Greatest Living Footballers
- World Soccer 100 Greatest Players of the 20th Century
UEFA Best European Player of the Past 50 Years
In 2004, UEFA conducted an online poll as part of their Golden Jubilee celebrations, celebrating the best European footballers from the previous fifty years. The poll, available on UEFA’s website, asked respondents to pick their ten favorite players from each of the five previous decades, from a shortlist of 250 players. Over 150,000 people responded, producing over seven million votes. Zinedine Zidane topped the poll narrowly from Franz Beckenbauer who was second, with Johan Cruyff closing out the top three.
(Achievements from Wiki)