Gary & Micah Discuss Past Vs Present Superstars

Barely a handful of world class strikers these days.

2010 WC you had Van Persie, Forlan, Villa, Muller, Higuain, Klose, Suarez, Tevez, Cavani, Drogba, Hernandez, Rooney, Henry, Anelka, Aguero, Eto’o, Torres, all in their prime.

The difference between average players and world class players is smaller now than in the past. So it seems like there are less standout world class players. Plus we are also past the era of the greatest world class players rivalry between Messi and CR7. No one before had sustained their level and consistency over 15 years period. There is also more focus on the team rather than individual brilliance.

I'm very disappointed in Leeds. It feels like they've taken the wheels off the car. No way will they go up. I doubt they will even get close, mid to low table finish. You can't destroy your team like that and expect it to perform.

Football is getting worse. It’s about fitness not physicality. No tackling anymore, aside from Haaland we will not see another 30 goal a season man up front. I get bored watching football these days.

You only need to be a skinny athlete who can run run run run run to be a modern footballer ,flair is not allowed ,individuality is not allowed ,magic is coached out of them

💎👏🏽🩵

Last English world class player was Gordon Banks.

Re injuries on the pitch, I was taught as a rugby playing schoolboy that if someone goes down injured the rest of the team walk away and congregate under the posts and definitely not look! It’s guaranteed to put you off and cause caution and hesitation which in itself can lead to more injuries. I absolutely hate when players all go and ‘have a look!!

Robin Van Persie would probably be considered the best striker in the world today. For the vast majority of his career, he would probably go no higher than top 15 strikers in the world. That’s the argument in a 🥜

"Is there a lack of world-class talent?" After having to listen to Micah Richards for half-a-dozen or podcasts, I can quite honesty say: There sure as hell is. At least, where pundits are concerned.

"Thirty years ago players went out with the fullest license to display their arts and crafts. Today they have to make their contributions to a system. Individuality has to be sublimated to teamwork."

Herbert Chapman 1932.

The same nonsense has been endlessly regurgitated for at least ninety years.

The reason it seems like there were more superstars then is because they were the first generation to be widely televised, in terms of access to almost every game played, so they’re more associated with the collective image of the game

Because Big Meeks" voice is so deep but so slow when you double speed this Gary and Alan sound like the chipmunks and Micah just sounds like a regular person 🤣

We had those "affirmative action" rules in Australia for a very long time. Each team was only allowed 2-or-3 overseas players. Was our league a nursery of talent as a consequence? No. It didn't work. Our competition just consisted of crap football. The standard went backwards. To a point where people didn't come to watch. A "BIG" crowd was around 3000-to-4000. As a child in the '50s, I remember my Dad taking me to matches with tens of thousands of supporters. 
Our best footballers found themselves having to ply their trade overseas to experience proper development. They still do. 
As a consequence, many fans don't bother to watch our domestic football at all. I certainly don't watch. Instead, I went away in 2008 and purchased a season ticket to our local Women's Westfield -League. Best decision I ever made. Now the women's game has my wholehearted support. Our women's league continues to include top world-class players from overseas. They rock. 
Attempting to control the percentage of overseas players just doesn't offer the desired benefit. It is a simplistic fix. It will not work.

YOUR ALL TALKING CODSWALLOP, THEY ARE BETTER ATHLETES AND BALLERS, STERLING, BELLINGHAM,VINIUS, HALAAND,MBAPPE IS OBVIOUSLY THE BEST IN THE WORLD.

Yes! Short answer

There's always been plenty of talent. You pulled the ladder up to make sure that real talent would never make it.

Micah Mouse from Mars 🐭

Question: would the three of you like to see a relegation play-off implemented into the premier league in the future?

Average player is so good these days that it makes it way harder to stand out than in the 90's.

LOVE THE GLASSES GARY.

Refs and var don't work because nobody seems to know the rules because once var and referees get used to new rules they go change them that's why there's no consistency because the rules themselves aren't consistency and also a new rules should be every squad player should have to play so many games each it would help prevent burnout and injury also it will make teams dip into there youth and invest more into youth its win win for everyone

You cant overlook the talent along with Lineker in the 80s.....
Maradona, Platini, Zico, Gullit, Socrates, Matthaus, Laudrup, Butragueno, Futre, Van Basten, Rossi, Dasayev, Francescoli, Stojkovic, Maldini
Scifo, Baresi, Rijkaard, Dalglish, Rummenigge, Koeman, Robson, Eder, Tigana, Boniek, Scirea, Caulemans, Hoddle, Elkjaer, Schuster, Gascoigne, Baggio..

Man I tell ya, this pod makes my mornings pure joy. Thanks for the laughs and the insight gents!! Love yall by way of the US!

Within the squad of 25, a club must name eight home-grown players.. HOWEVER It's important to remember that players do not have to be considered English or Welsh to count as home-grown; it only takes into account their length of stay at an academy whilst they were between the ages of 15 to 21. The home-grown Player rule was introduced ahead of the 2010/11 season. England's poor performances at national tournaments, mostly since 1966, played a part in the implementation of the rule. Since the introduction of the rule, England have improved on the international stage, so it can be argued it has worked as intended....KInda

😂😂 Heskey housery is what I’m here for

Which midfielder currently playing gets in ahead of Platini, Robson, Viera, Makelele, Zidane, Scholes, Xavi, Iniesta?

There has never been a better defender than Cannavaro or Paolo Maldini, or a better striker than (Brazilian) Ronaldo or Maradona.
Messi is the only player from the last 5 years to get near a Best XI team.

Yup. Lack of world class players. Not the same or intimidating as before.

These sticks I mean kids are just about running fast and mostly that, with the talent of course but nothing special or defining😅

Just nostalgia waffle and pr many great players today

Football was learn in the street corners,back gardens, little tide spaces where you just play with freedom and joy.
Nowadays is mostly academy football and too much coaching which is great but also kills the natural flair/Talent of the kids unique styles.
These days most players a4e very similar

Players back in the day were miles better than today. They are athletes today with very little skill or imagination. That’s coached out of them with all this meaningless boring possession football.

It's not a lack of world class talent it's the fact that coaches are micro managing player development. Pink Floyd and another brick in the wall with the academies. All drones no individuals. 🤮

Yes.

The so called worst striker in Golden era Phillipo Inzaghi is streets ahead Haaland

there were just random great players around in like late 80s and early 2000s that would be considered the best players by todays standards. There are like no great strikers around at all, while you just had players like Mark Viduka and Batistuta not even at massive clubs because the top teams already had amazing players

Pep ruined football. Yes he wins, but by Christ it’s boring to watch.

The last decade has been the poorest generation of footballer in at least 50 years. Just stronger/faster and modern tactics are better

more athletic now certainly but not as skilful as players of the past.
apart from messi and a handful of players in the last 10 years who really stands out as skilful?

as far as world class goes, you'd be hard pressed to find any in the last 10 years. mbappe possibly? if the criteria of performing at the highest stage goes; the world cup, then not many if any. yes, i include cristiano and messi in that as neither have ever had a stand out world cup. 
that's a profound statement i know, for those with cognitive dissonance as they've been told over and over again this player and that player is "world class" and the "goat", especially when such words are thrown around like confetti without any real thought. however, when you've had umpteen chances to perform at the highest stage, and never done it....

gary, you were definitely world class.

The best players are mavericks ....who smoke etc....party and dont tow the line...they dont fit into systems dont train too good but could win a game on their own... Thats what the game misses ...now its phsique and systems...

Don't complain it cost a fortune jesus christ. How much were you on at city.

Have a young person on when you guys bash the youth for pushback and balance

Yall living in the past is crazy…..every generation get better than the next….all your old favorites wish they had tekkers at 16
Present generation keep breaking yall old generation records (excpet for two aliens Messi and Ronaldo)

Without a doubt there are less top strikers. There are less than a handful of elite strikers now, whereas every single top team had an elite striker in the late 90’s/early 2000’s. In 2001, Inter alone had R9, Vieri, Hakan Sukur, and Adriano on their roster. There’s not 4 better strikers than that in all of world football combined now.

The talent isn't allowed to express itself. It's all about efficiency now.

Competition was also more because world class talent was spread out and abundant from 1980 - 2010 (peak of football imo). Going by decade, In the 80's 8 different CL winners, 90's 9 different CL winners, note it was nearly impossible to go back to back, and 2000s 7 different CL winners...but this is where the money clubs started to monopolize the decline of world class talent going into the 2010s.

Systems are more important now than individual talent… just look at Guardiola

I cannot believe how shallow some of these answers were! “How hard is it for players to see their teammates suffer a bad injury?” “Yes, it can be really hard…” Insightful stuff.
And they could/should have done an hour on the topic about comparing players from different eras but, no, we get a half-arsed game of tit-for-tat, 80s vs 90s player shout-outs (BTW since when has R9 been a 90s player and Cruyf been an 80s player?) which completely ignored the question about how TODAY’S talent pool stacks-up. Consider how desperate Liverpool and Arsenal were for a #6 and a #9 this Summer but neither could find one they felt was worth the money…
Come on lads! This is really banal stuff - especially compared to the insightful content we get from The Rest is Politics and Entertainment. You’re coasting…

Jesus died for you bro.