Special Feature: Top ten footballers who definitely fulfilled their potential - Part 3
Next on the list is Fillipo Inzaghi, a world cup winner. Sir Alex Ferguson once remarked before his side took on Juventus in a UEFA Champions League semi-final in 1999 that Inzaghi might have been born in an offside position. Some
can take it as light criticism from the Manchester United manager but this was really a testament and a tribute to the Italian striker’s abilities. If one looks up the word 'poacher' in Oxford’s English dictionary, Fillipo Inzaghi is sure to be listed as the
“meaning”.
However, that doesn’t mean that Inzaghi is someone who can light a game on fire like the likes of Ryan Giggs or Cristiano Ronaldo or for that matter even Ricardo Kaka. 90 minutes of Inzaghi “football” are more likely to put a fan
to sleep rather than excite his imagination but this in no way should imply that the striker is ineffective. Inzaghi has played for most of his career in top Italian club sides such as Juventus and A.C Milan. His glory days were spent at Juventus in a team
which had Zinedine Zidane and Edgar Davids in its midfield. Later on, Zidane’s absence was covered up by the rise of Pavel Nedved.
Inzaghi’s main trait is being in the right place at the right time. Many pundits witnessed that in previous years, strikers like Inzaghi have faded away from football as the game has evolved but one only needs to look at Inzaghi’s
success over the years as a proof of his utility. The striker has scored winning goals for his club side in a UEFA Champions League final and for his national team Italy in the semi-final of World Cup. But how has Inzaghi managed to earn all of these accolades
if he hasn’t got the ability to really impress? In all honesty, it is because of his countless hours on the training pitch. He is known to practice and time his runs to perfection and something that he is gradually becoming better at through sheer hard work
whilst training alongside the likes of Fabio Cannavaro and Paulo Maldini.
Danish football has produced numerous talented footballers such as Michael and Brian Laudrup but Thomas Gravesen’s name is not far behind. Gravesen might not be blessed with the quick feet of Lionel Messi or the pace of Cristiano
Ronaldo or for that matter the skills of Ronaldinho but one thing that the bald headed Dane did have was an immense determination to prove his worth at the highest level of club football. After the midfielder earned fame at Everton, Real Madrid came calling
for him so that they can add some steel to their creative midfield. Fans at Everton did respect Gravesen’s ability as a footballer but no one at Goodison Park actually thought that he was going to make it as a big name footballer amongst the likes of Figo
and Ronaldo at Real Madrid.
Thus, once his move to Real Madrid came through, he worked harder than ever to get to the level that his team mates were at, he still didn’t get much first team football at Santiago Bernabeau. In his first game for Real Madrid,
Thomas Gravesen strived to impress his new club’s fans and in an attempt to do so, some fans will still remember him screaming and shouting at the great Zinedine Zidane to push up the field. Gravesen only played 35 times for the Los Blancos but those thirty
five times were more than enough to prove himself as one of the best hard-working and tough-tackling midfielders of his time.