Luis Figo

Portugal has had a history of producing some of the biggest names in world football. But the one that stands out amongst all of them is Luis Figo.

Born in Lisbon on 4th November 1972, Figo started his early footballing career in Sporting CP. His first senior cap in 1991 had come at the back of Under-16 and Under 21 Championships with Portugal junior sides alongside players like Rui Costa and Joao Pinto which were termed as the “Golden Generation of Portuguese football.” His first team experience helped him grow in confidence and flair and by the age of 20 he was a regular starter at the club.
His skill, composure and panache made him sought after by the top clubs in Europe. But because of dispute between Italian giants Juventus and Parma, where Figo had signed contracts with both the clubs, a two year Italian transfer ban was imposed on him which stopped any transfer possibilities in Italy.

As luck would have it, the ban proved to be a blessing in disguise as it opened the gates for Figo to play outside Italy. And with legendary Dutch manager Johan Cruyff showing interest, Figo was now playing at Camp Nou where his career really took off. His time in Barca saw him winning the 1997 UEFA Cup, 2 La Liga titles, UEFA Super Cup, Supercopa de Espana and 2 Copa del rey titles. With his skill, tactical nous and flair football, he was graced with the captain’s armband which is a huge honour for a non-Spanish player.

After his 5 year contract with Barcelona expired and he was on the peak of his career, he made one of the most controversial decisions to join arch rivals Real Madrid for a record transfer fee of $46 million. He was now stuck in the middle of a fan battle between two the biggest rival clubs in the world. Barcelona fans hated him for the transfer and Madrid fans for the mere fact that he was a former Barca player. And with all the dirt from fans came injuries and all this ultimately led to the legend being written off as a setting sun.

But he bounced back stronger helping Real Madrid to bag 2 La Liga titles, 2 Supercopa de Espana, 1 UEFA Champions League title, 1 UEFA Super Cup and 1 Intercontinental Cup during his 5 year stint at Santiago Bernabeu.
Still in top form, he decided it was time to move on and joined Inter Milan, returning to play in Italy after a decade. With Mourinho taking charge of Inter in 2008, Figo had many Portuguese teammates to end his footballing career with. His stay at Inter saw the club winning 4 consecutive Italian Seria A titles, 1 Coppa Italia and 3 Supercoppa Italiana. He retired on May 31st 2009 at the San Siro football arena.

His 20 year long career saw him winning numerous prestigious awards and trophies which illustrate this man’s dominance over world football. He was graced with World player of the year in the year 2000, Portuguese player of the year for 6 consecutive years from 1995 to 2000, La Liga foreign player of the year in 1999, 2000 and 2001 and Portuguese Golden Ball in 1994. The Balloon d’Or, the highest individual football award in Europe was received by the great in 2000.
His graceful style of play, the ability to run past defenders even during the end of his career, the subtle touches out on the flanks, the brilliant runs form the mid field, the turns in the penalty box and the venomous strikes on goal defined his 20 year career. There hasn’t been a moment when he has been uncomfortable and out of place on the field. Having called Nou Camp, Santiago Bernabeu and San Siro his home, world football will never be the same now that he is gone.

Oliver Kahn

Throughout your lifetime, there are some players that you are just lucky to witness live in action. One of them being Oliver Kahn, popularly called Der Titan (The Titan).

Born on 15th June 1969, Kahn started his footballing journey at the age of 6 playing for Karlsruher FC where he made the transition from being an outfield player to a goalie. In 1994, he was signed by Bayern Munich for a record fee of 2.385 million euros. He played some amazing football with this club and retired here in 2008.

His achievements speak volumes about his talent and charisma. 8 German Championships, 6 German cups, the UEFA cup, the UEFA Champions League, the Intercontinental Cup. He has been phenomenal when it comes to taking his team out of tricky spots. His performances for Germany earned him 2 German Footballer of the Year trophies. He was also graced with 4 consecutive UEFA Best European Goalkeeper.

But his biggest personal achievement was getting the Golden Ball in 2002 FIFA World Cup. He is the only keeper in the tournament’s history to get this prestigious trophy.

His determination in front of goal was one of the prime reasons that Germany made it to the finals of 2002 World Cup. Klose and Ballack admitted that Kahn covering the post gave them a lot of confidence up front to push for goals. His unmatched reflexes and his ability to push the ball out of danger were acclaimed by one and all. He was a dominating figure in front of goal who commanded the respect of his teammates and opponents alike. You could hit the best shot in the world and just be stunned by the brilliance of Kahn shows to stop you from scoring. Freekicks, penalties, through balls, corners, you name it and he has saved it all.

He retired in May 2008 in Kolkata when Bayern Munich played Mohun Bahgan in a friendly. We really miss this Number 1 walking into tumultuous applause at the Allianz Arena.

Paolo Maldini

There are few footballers that are classified as  legends while still playing. There are even fewer that command the universal respect and acclaim that a certain Paolo Maldini did.

Paolo Cesare Maldini, a one club man which says quite a bit in these days where professional footballers have little regard  for virtues such as loyalty. He spent his 25 seasons at AC Milan and enshrined his name in legend. Playing as a left/central defender,his grace and tactical nous ensured he remained relevant even into his 40's.

Maldini, the son of Cesare (another Milan stalwart), played his first game for the Rossoneri in January 1985 against Udinese, aged 16. He retired in May 2009 at the age of 40. Between 1988 and 2002 he picked up 126 caps for Italy (74 of them as captain) to become the Azzurri’s most-capped player until Fabio Cannavaro overtook him. Maldini won seven Scudetti, five European Cups and a whole host of other club and individual honours.. He came second to George Weah for the FIFA World Player of the Year Award in 1995, the closest a defender had ever reached to winning the award, until Fabio Cannavaro, a fellow Italian won the award in 2006.


However, none of this even begins to describe the sheer charisma of the man. Not exactly an attacking full back, his composure on the ball was still incredible and he was rarely in discomfort, if ever.


The number three jersey lies retired at Milan, along with Franco Baresi's number six paying rich tribute to a footballer who was also a gentleman, elegant, dignified and graceful in the extreme. His average of 1 tackle per 1.8 games speaks volumes about his incredible positioning and tactical nous. Being part of Arrigo Sacchi's all conqueriing AC Milan squad, alongside Tassotti, Costacurta and Baresi, he learnt from the masters themselves. And it showed, in every single pass he played, in every interception he made, in every frightening winger he rendered ineffective and even in the way he carried himself.

This is not a glowing testimonial for the man, it is just an appreciation of the truth. And the truth is profoundly simple, Maldini was arguably the most elegant defender Italy has ever produced. Elegance is the only way to describe his free flowing style and graceful postioning and the incredibly well assessed tackle that he possessed. He was indeed an institution in himself. His longevity resulted in over 900 appearances for the Rossoneri with his last coming against Fiorentina at the San Siro in 2009, aged 41. He bowed out with the assured calm that we had come to expect of him.

His brilliant performances and dignified character ensured a larger than life persona that never grew larger than the game itself. A true legend ,leader and gentleman,he gave it all he could. As Del Piero said,"You really are number one. There are great players, and world-class players and then there are those players who go beyond that. Paolo is the perfect example of all of this""

For all those years we've marvelled at your talents and brilliance, all we'd like to say is Grazie, Paolo..