Football is a difficult sport to play. Even if we don’t like to admit it ourselves, only a minuscule percentile of the population possesses the traits needed to become an elite athlete, despite all of your mates claiming they would have made it if it weren’t for their dodgy knees.
To become a professional footballer, it takes hours and hours of practice, chiselling your craft to perfection, whilst giving up on some of life’s true pleasures as a youngster. But most of all, you have to be truly gifted. Like, blessed by the gods.
Some of the stars we watch week-in, week-out on our television screens are so talented and versatile that they could perform a number of roles in any team, and they could do so with such conviction that they would never look out of place.
But there are some who weren’t naturally gifted with quick feet, 20:20 vision or an ability to do just about anything thats comes to their mind. There are those who had to scrap, fight and claw their way to the top of our beautiful game, focusing on the strengths they possessed and using them to their advantage.
And these are no less commendable than the James Milners of the world, who can play in every position on the planet.
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To celebrate those footballer who specialised in honing a specific trait throughout their career, Anaedoonline.com takes a look back at some of the stars who are best remembered for one peculiar talent.
Rory Delap – Throw-in Specialist
If you speak to the psychiatrist for Arsenal’s backline from the end of the noughties, then they’ll probably tell you that the most repeated name in their office was Rory Delap.
The midfielder proved that he was a great Footballer and tortured the Premier League upon Stoke City’s arrival to the top flight in 2008, flinging the ball into the box with the flattest, fastest, and most venomous throw-in that football has ever seen.
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Defences cowered as the missile was launched directly towards them, and an army of six foot plus warriors threw themselves into the ball’s path. Delap was Stoke’s not-so-secret weapon, but no one found a cure for his throw-ins.
Jean-Marc Bosman – Lawyer
Who? Well, the clue is in the surname. Although Jean-Marc Bosman enjoyed a rather average career, making few more than 100 professional appearances, he was certainly very good at one thing: the law.
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Bosman was blocked from leaving RFC Liège in 1988, despite his contract expiring, and the club demanded that potential suitors Dunkerque paid a fee of £500,000 to sign him.
The Belgium Under-21 international challenged this legislation, and in 1995 it was decided that any player whose contract had expired was free to leave their current employer, under the new ‘Bosman ruling’.
Javier Hernandez – Poacher
When you think of a fox in the box, who comes to mind? They may be a dying breed in football nowadays, but one man who was born to poach is Javier Hernandez.
Chicharito managed 53 Premier League goals during his spells with Manchester United and West Ham, and the Mexican scored every single one from inside the opposition’s penalty area.
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The clinical striker was ruthless when in on goal, and although he didn’t contribute too much outside of the 18-yard box, Hernandez was reliable enough to pop up and snatch a late goal for whichever team he played for.
Nikola Zigic – Being Big
Birmingham City’s hero from the 2011 League Cup final Nikola Zigic was good for one thing and one thing only: being a big b*****d and a general nuisance. What the Serbian lacked in skill and co-ordination, he made up for in…bigness?
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But there’s no question that he was a great Footballer and a menace on his day, and his shadow looming over the touchline as a second-half substitute was a harrowing sight for any defender. Basically, a giant head on a 6’8 stick. Imagine him linking up with Delap. Terrifying.
Morten Gamst Pedersen – Hitting Bangers
Morten Gamst Pedersen is a Premier League legend. The winger made his name with Blackburn Rovers, where he would spend nine glorious years hammering home volleys and screamers. The 38-year-old had a wicked left foot, and he put it to good use during his time in the top flight, scoring a series of absolute bangers from long rage.
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Whether it was from a dead ball or simply from open play, Pedersen could thwack or curl a shot with a level of accuracy that us mere mortals couldn’t achieve even if we positioned the ball where we wanted with our hands. He deserves a goal of the season highlight reel all of his own.
Luka Milivojevic – Scoring Penalties
This may be harsh for a Premier League midfielder who can hold his own against the very best, but we can file this one under ‘FPL’s Luka Milivojevic.’ The commanding midfielder has impressed for Crystal Palace since his arrival in 2017, and he has particularly caught the eye of Fantasy Premier League players up and down the country.
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Milivojevic is a lethal penalty taker and a great Footballer. A specialist. Give him the ball 12 yards from goal, and the Serb will deliver. Just don’t make him take one against Manchester City.
Manuel Almunia – Saving Penalties
These were dark days for Arsenal supporters. It seems a distant nightmare, but at one point, Manuel Almunia was the Gunners’ number one goalkeeper. And as time would tell, he really wasn’t up to the task.
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But, the Spanish shot-stopper did possess one secret weapon. He was a pretty handy penalty-saver. Of the 14 spot-kicks Almunia faced, he saved six, giving him a save ratio of 42.9% – the second best in the league for any goalkeeper who has faced ten or more penalties. The original Tim Krul.
Jesus Navas – Running
Apart from having the most piercing eyes in football, Jesus Navas is a great Footballer who demonstrated only one other talent in the Premier League – running very fast. Okay, so it’s not really a talent, but we didn’t see a lot else from the Spaniard during his time at Man City.
The winger would pick up the ball and charge down the right flank at lightning speed before crashing a cross across his full-back’s shins, or retreating to the safety of his own supporting defender. One of the most frustrating and one-dimensional players in Premier League history.
Source: Daily Independent
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