Top 10 Non-Pele Soccer Cards

[samosa4u]

The list should include players that are well known around the world. Players like Dixie Dean, G.O. Smith and Billy Meredith are known only in the UK. Here is my list:

- 1946 Monte Cudine Alfredo Di Stefano
- 1947 Nannina Ferenc Puskas
- 1963 Panini Eusebio
- 1964 Barratt George Best
- 1968 Sicker-Verlag Suurbier/Cruyff
- 1974 Ageducatifs Michel Platini
- 1977 Futbol Arg Jrs. Discs Diego Maradona
- 1992 Panini Zinedine Zidane
- 2003 Panini Mega Craques Ronaldo
- 2004 Panini Mega Cracks Lionel Messi

***PLEASE WATCH OUT FOR FAKES!***

[Peter_Spaeth]

Wouldn't Beckenbauer be on any short list, I thought he was a consensus at least top 5 player?

[thelimey]

Unfortunately defenders never get the credit they deserve. Beckenbauer, Moore, Baresi, Maldini, Facchetti all brilliant but always looked over. It's crazy how their cards are valued compared to attacking players. Someone like Elias Figueroa won South American footballer of the year three times in a row, just after Pele and just before Zico, yet is almost completely unknown.

[samosa4u]

Originally Posted by thelimey

Unfortunately defenders never get the credit they deserve.

Yep, it's like that in all the sports.

[aljurgela]

Originally Posted by samosa4u

Yep, it's like that in all the sports.

It is a shame, but true everywhere. Occasionally you get a "stand out" like Reggie White in football or Ozzie Smith in baseball or Dennis Rodman in basketball, but they are still never giving the place of the offensive players. I would put Beckenbauer in that group though.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by samosa4u

Yep, it's like that in all the sports.

Bobby Orr got more than a little recognition, no?

[Anish]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Bobby Orr got more than a little recognition, no?

Orr at his peak was the best offensive player in the world...even as a defenseman (see 2 Art Ross Trophies).

There has never and will never be a defender in football who is the best attacking player.

Defenders and goalkeepers, while critical to any team’s success, are not considered the most talented players. In a sense, they play anti-football rather than football; football is about movement, controlling the ball, passing, dribbling, finishing, etc and defenders and keepers attempt to disrupt that.

[aljurgela]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Bobby Orr got more than a little recognition, no?

can we name a lot more? there may be a handful.... across all sports and all time... my point is that they are the super exceptions...

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by aljurgela

can we name a lot more? there may be a handful.... across all sports and all time... my point is that they are the super exceptions...

Yes I agree, was just surprised because no one had named the most obvious exception.

Football the Butkus RC is pretty popular also.

[Ulidia]

Originally Posted by thelimey

Unfortunately defenders never get the credit they deserve. Beckenbauer, Moore, Baresi, Maldini, Facchetti all brilliant but always looked over. It's crazy how their cards are valued compared to attacking players. Someone like Elias Figueroa won South American footballer of the year three times in a row, just after Pele and just before Zico, yet is almost completely unknown.

I don’t know about his cards but, in terms of English players, Moore would be as iconic as any forward. For example, Geoff Hurst scored the famous hat trick as England defeated West Germany in the 1966 World Cup Final but Moore is still viewed as the legend of that team and the image of him wiping his hands clean using his shirt before he shook hands with the Queen just before lifting the Jukes Rimet trophy is legendary.

Certainly, in terms of match worn items and autographs, Moore would be very collectible - albeit his autograph tends to be more rare simply because he died in 1993 which is much earlier than most players of his era.



Great to see George Best pictured in this thread. A legend across the island of Ireland. Today, at Windsor Park (the Northern Ireland National Stadium), a bronze statue of Best was unveiled. Had he been alive, today would have been his 73rd birthday:


https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/s...-38137819.html

[aljurgela]

Originally Posted by Ulidia

I don’t know about his cards but, in terms of English players, Moore would be as iconic as any forward. For example, Geoff Hurst scored the famous hat trick as England defeated West Germany in the 1966 World Cup Final but Moore is still viewed as the legend of that team and the image of him wiping his hands clean using his shirt before he shook hands with the Queen just before lifting the Jukes Rimet trophy is legendary.

Certainly, in terms of match worn items and autographs, Moore would be very collectible - albeit his autograph tends to be more rare simply because he died in 1993 which is much earlier than most players of his era.



Great to see George Best pictured in this thread. A legend across the island of Ireland. Today, at Windsor Park (the Northern Ireland National Stadium), a bronze statue of Best was unveiled. Had he been alive, today would have been his 73rd birthday:


https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/s...-38137819.html

I remember hearing somewhere a quote along these lines: "Pele was Great, but George was the Best"...

Cute play on words, but to consider him at that level certainly means something. I included what I believe to be the BEST George Best card and Bobby Moore card on my "Top 20 or so non-Pele" post 1950 thread.

[aljurgela]

Originally Posted by samosa4u

The list should include players that are well known around the world. Players like Dixie Dean, G.O. Smith and Billy Meredith are known only in the UK. Here is my list:

- 1946 Monte Cudine Alfredo Di Stefano
- 1947 Nannina Ferenc Puskas
- 1963 Panini Eusebio
- 1964 Barratt George Best
- 1968 Sicker-Verlag Suurbier/Cruyff
- 1974 Ageducatifs Michel Platini
- 1977 Futbol Arg Jrs. Discs Diego Maradona
- 1992 Panini Zinedine Zidane
- 2003 Panini Mega Craques Ronaldo
- 2004 Panini Mega Cracks Lionel Messi

***PLEASE WATCH OUT FOR FAKES!***

I have noticed a trend in most of the lists posted that feel that many more "modern" cards should be added, so I will try to add to that with my "Top 20" modern cards. For those who like "vintage" we can focus that conversation here. For those that like modern, we can have that discussion on another thread. I agree with some of the comments about player knowledge, but that has not always been the only determinant of card attractiveness. I know many "baseball fans" who do not know who Wagner or Josh Gibson where... so carving out Meazza or Meredith or GO Smith just for name recognition is not enough for me to exclude them from my lists. All of the cards that I have shown are pretty special (the story around the 1914 London Mixture Taddy Meredith, or the scarcity of the Circus Girl cards). Anyway..... to each their own....