An easy way to spark up an argument betwen two footy fans is to mention the name Roberto Carlos. Although he played as a left full back or wing back, he was better known for his attacking skills rather than his defensive abilities. His most famous attribute however was his left foot and his ability, or lack of ability depending on which side of the fence you stand, to dispatch set pieces and free kicks with almost super human speed and curve. Whatever your view, I think most people watching Carlos step up to take a free kick would hold their breath. The most famous of these free kicks was in 1997 against France. It caused so much talk and analysis it became a study for physicists.
So here it is...................
Here is a diagram to demonstrate the physics...........
Carlos is also the proud scorer of this peach of a goal from out near the corner flag............
Whatever you may think of Roberto Carlos as a footballer or as a set piece taker there is no denying his achievements and honours within the game. Check out more about Roberto Carlos on these sites:
Sometimes with great talent comes a little bit of craziness and this is certainly true in the case of Eric Cantona. It was 1995 and Manchester United were playing Crystal Palace needing a win to go top of the table. On this day Cantona's temper exploded twice within the space of a minute. Not long into the second half he received a straight red card for kicking out at Palace player Richard Shaw. And then as he was being escorted towards the tunnel, Eric suddenly jumped into the crowd with a wild kung-fu kick, followed by a quick few punches. On the receiving end of this attack was a 20 year old named Matthew Simmons, who had leapt from his seat to hurl abuse at Cantona.
For his troubles, Eric Cantona was arrested for assault and recieved 120 hours community service from the courts, an eight month ban and £10,000 fine from the Football Associaton and was also given a £20,000 fine from his club Manchester United.
Matthew Simmons was later fined £500 for threatening language and behaviour for his part in the incident.
Now let's see him in action.................
To make this story more bizaree Eric Cantona gave the following brief and mystifying interview after being convicted of assault..........
Despite this moment of madness in his career there were many moments of genius and it would not be fair to highlight the former without the latter, so here is Eric Cantona at his best..........
Every football fan looks forward to 'El Clásico', this is the name given to the matches between fierce rivals Real Madrid and F.C. Barcelona. They are often special games but on this day the football world witnessed one of the most unthinkable events. A Barcelona player getting a standing ovation in the Bernebéu, Real Madrid's home ground. This is a tribute that had only ever been previously paid to one player, and that was the great Diego Maradonna. To fully appreciate and understand how unlikely this is to happen you must know the history of the two clubs, both footballing and political.
Real Madrid's home, the Santiago Bernabéu has a capacity of 85,454
Barcelona got off to a flying start, going ahead after just 14 minutes through a Samuel Eto'o toe poke. The rest of the first half saw the Madrid players completely outclassed and chasing the shadows of the Barcelona players. After 60 minutes Ronaldinho picked the ball up on the left hand side of the half way line, he skipped by Sergio Ramos leaving him literally on his arse, rounded Ivan Helguera and placed his shot past Casillas into the bottom far corner. The Brazillian repeated his skills on 78 minutes, once again leaving Ramos eating his dust, flying into the area and finishing past Casillas. Barcelona were 3-0 up and the humiliating rout was complete. This game was undoubtly a poor showing from the home team, but more importantly an absolute master class from a team that has since developed into one of the best club teams the world has ever seen.
A Barcelona player getting a standing ovation in the Bernabéu may never happen again but if it does, I would put my money on Lionel Messi being responsible!
Rene Higuita nicknamed "El Loco" (The madman) is a former Columbian International goalkeeper. However he was known to fancy himself as an outfield player and would regularly take off on a mazy dribble. Often described as 'unique' and 'unpredictible' by commentators, he is without a doubt one of the most entertaining figures to have played the sport.
Although Higuita is known for testing positive for cocaine and being
imprisoned for seven months for getting invloved in a Pablo Escobar
kidnapping, he is probably best known for his scorpion kick!
