Top 10 football players who maximized their talents - Part 3
3. Kevin Kilbane:
Kevin Kilbane personifies consistency; you might be thinking how on earth he has made it to top three. It’s a simple fact that the guy gives 100% every time he plays and that he can do that in a variety of positions.
Ruud Gullet won 66 caps, Michel Platini had 72, and even the great Brazilian Ronaldo had 98 caps but how about Kevin Kilbane’s 107 caps for Republic of Ireland, and still counting. It’s purely down to the players’ professionalism.
Knowing that he is no Ryan Giggs, Kilbane adapted his game which enabled him to play in a number of positions. His primary position is the left side midfield, however, in his long career to date, Kilbane has played on the right hand side of the midfield,
the centre and also as a left back.
No matter what one says about his football talents, if any one with such little natural ability goes on to become the most capped player for his country, he fully deserves to be no.3 on this list.
2. Roy Keane:
Surely, he won’t be happy to see himself here at no.2 but not many would argue that Keane lacked genuine technique. His first touch was questionable and his passing was never spectacular, but what was spectacular about him was his personality.
He could easily bring the best out of the players around him, his leadership was second to none and his passion to win was literally scary.
Even, he himself conceded that he lacks natural ability, but he has been the captain of one of the World’s biggest clubs and also during one of the best times in their history. Roy Keane has achieved success on the back of sheer determination and willingness
to be the best at what he does.
His winning mentality was instilled amongst his teammates and it was obvious what was going through his mind when on a football pitch (apart from breaking a few legs), which was to win the game at any cost.
A true legend of the game and a man who understood the game better than others and achieved which would be difficult to better in future.
1. David Beckham:
If you don’t know this guy than I am just speechless, he is probably the most popular player in the game today. People have criticised him for being too flashy, a model and not a footballer. Having a pop star wife, endorsements and spending too much time
thinking about his looks, are the factors which could easily affect any professional, let alone footballer.
We can argue on that but the fact remains that Beckham is as honest a professional as you will find anywhere. He infuriates his critics by keep on performing on the pitch despite all the media attention. Being the most famous one should expect him to be
one of the best, but apart from 1999, he has not even come close to winning any such individual accolade.
Beckham is a classic example of harnessing the skills you have and making the most of it by sheer determination and extreme hard work. It can be argued that he lacks pace, can’t beat his man on the wing, can’t tackle, can’t head and has a poor left foot,
but why bother with all that when one can pass and cross like him.
What sets him apart from the rest of the pack is his unbelievable professionalism. After being frozen out by Fabio Capello at Madrid, he continued to train as hard as he could and forced the manager to pick him again. How many times has he made a comeback
to the English team when everyone had written him off?
One only needs to ask the people who have trained with him. The reason they say he is so good at his passing and free kicks is that he practices them like h**l, he is your typical first in last out from the training ground player. Beckham will be remembered
for his professionalism for a long time to come. He is our no.1 player who maximized his talents.
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