Do foreign fans...

[SHiBBY]

...look to top English players with the admiration that we look up to the likes of Messi, Iniesta, Xavi, Robinho etc?

Do Spanish people who discuss football say things like "Ashley Cole is the best left back in the world."?

It's a tough subject to convey into words on a forum, but hopefully people get what I mean.

I guess what I'm trying to say is - are English players bigged up in this country - yet fans in, say Spain, France, Italy don't really look to the likes of Lampard, Gerrard, Rooney as world class players.

[slacker]

i think they would have to win the world cup to be classed as that over there.

[Irsko]

are English players bigged up in this country - yet fans in, say Spain, France, Italy don't really look to the likes of Lampard, Gerrard, Rooney as world class players.


Yes, definitely

[SHiBBY]

Yes, definitely


Yes, definitely to English players being overrated or yes, definitely to English players being World Class?

Who do foreign fans see as England's best player? For example if you gave me a country I'd say who I thought was their best player...

France: T. Henry
Spain: D. Villa

etc etc...I'm more interested in the opinions of fans not from the UK. :)

[Luke_Ciderhead]

Im English, but having travelled a lot there is certainly a lot of admiration for English players abroad.. Particularly Beckham, Rooney, Owen, Lampard, Gerrard, Terry... they are seen as some of the best football has to offer.

[Irsko]

Yes, definitely to English players being overrated or yes, definitely to English players being World Class?




Definitely over rated

[Pijanic]

Unfortunately for our english friends i have to agree with Irsko. Neiter in France, nor in Germany or Spain i have ever heard a fan praising an english player although the older generation have respect for likes of George Best.

I think the english players are a bit bigged up in england while rest of europe considers them good but not as good as many english believe they are. I say europe because in far east, the english players get more recognition. All those chinese, koreans, japanies, somehow seem to love ManU and Arsenal and Chelsea and thus the players.

[SHiBBY]

I appreciate that - thanks.

That annoys me a little bit actually. You can't deny the skills of Gerrard, Lampard, Rooney. English defenders are meant to be among the best in the world - Terry, Rio, A.Cole etc.

The vision is in England that A.Cole is the best left back in the world - who do others consider is better?

[EC7]

...look to top English players with the admiration that we look up to the likes of Messi, Iniesta, Xavi, Robinho etc?

Do Spanish people who discuss football say things like "Ashley Cole is the best left back in the world."?

It's a tough subject to convey into words on a forum, but hopefully people get what I mean.

I guess what I'm trying to say is - are English players bigged up in this country - yet fans in, say Spain, France, Italy don't really look to the likes of Lampard, Gerrard, Rooney as world class players.

In my experience Serie A fans seem to have a problem with acknowledging that England produces world-class or great players. They seem to put their own in such high regard, almost to the point where you would think Italy have won every single World Cup in history.

[Pijanic]

I appreciate that - thanks.

That annoys me a little bit actually. You can't deny the skills of Gerrard, Lampard, Rooney. English defenders are meant to be among the best in the world - Terry, Rio, A.Cole etc.

The vision is in England that A.Cole is the best left back in the world - who do others consider is better?Shibby,

Me personally thinks they all are good players but i also believe that they lack the last and final touch to be considered the best in the world, maybe they have to win something with the english national team.

But there is a factor that i have to share with you: The south and southwest european fans generally dont like the brand of football thats played in england, for their taste the english lack the finesse a little bit.

The spanyards, portuguese or the italians and some french people just like the latin brand of football with all its goods and bads. The good thing about the southern football is its finesse, the skilfull players, the innovative nature of players but the italians just like some other southerners just have a different philosophy of football, they as example dont care much about cheats and dives. The english are not as skilfull but i like their fighting mentality, their stand up mentality and i like it that not many players in england are hypocrites like Rooney and Gerrard who condemn diving but dive themselves.

I think its just a question of different mentalities and philosophies.

[One_John_Ryan]

A guy I worked with in America was from Spain and he knew his football. He talked about how much the Spanish admire the different style and the workrate that English players had saying that it's more exciting to watch. He described English football as 'crazy' as the tempo was so high and that they loved watching both the Premiership and football league.

[StaveleyFC]

i dont consider any english player world class apart from rooney, although the rest of the squad is solid and if we stay strong throughout the world cup and keep rooney fit we have a massive chance of winning the world cup, we just need a bit of luck and hope spain bottle it

[Rich_Le_John]

A guy I worked with in America was from Spain and he knew his football. He talked about how much the Spanish admire the different style and the workrate that English players had saying that it's more exciting to watch. He described English football as 'crazy' as the tempo was so high and that they loved watching both the Premiership and football league.

English players like Rooney Gerrard Lampard and Fredinand are much admired outside England - those who say they are not either don't know what they're talking about or have some other anti-english agenda - like our Scottish friends. They absolutely adore Rooney over here.

[ritchie_50]

English players like Rooney Gerrard Lampard and Fredinand are much admired outside England - those who say they are not either don't know what they're talking about or have some other anti-english agenda - like our Scottish friends. They absolutely adore Rooney over here.

Yep. Also they'd be admired a hell of alot more, if England went out and won the World Cup this year, or at least performed in the tournament.

We went into the last World Cup, boasting about all the world class players we have and a golden generation of players, yet performed very poorly in the tournament, playing an awful brand of football and didn't qualify for the last Euros, so English or not, people will doubt just how good, some of these players are.

I'm sure back in 2004 when Rooney burst onto the international scene, as the star of the European Championships, everyone was raving about him and with the form he's in at the moment and if he carries that into the World Cup, then of course he'd be admired. The likes of Terry and Gerrard make the FIFA World 11's seemingly every year.

[Pijanic]

English players like Rooney Gerrard Lampard and Fredinand are much admired outside England - those who say they are not either don't know what they're talking about or have some other anti-english agenda - like our Scottish friends. They absolutely adore Rooney over here.

Well this remark is a little bit flat my friend, the english didnt do me any harm to make me be on a point and baseless agenda.

I obviously dont know about the Brazilians and their sentiments about the english football but i can talk about the people i had to do with in south europe and germany. I am mainly in Germany but i spend alot of time in France and Spain and i used to be in Italy quite alot although not in the last time. However, before you get paranoid and think we all are out to bash the english, i can tell you that me myself i like the english football and i like their mentality i used to love watching Ipswich Town destroying ManU with 6-0 and i became an Ipswich fan as a kid.

Me personally i would love to see England becoming a real contender for winning the WC although i will cheer for France to go all the way. My favourite final is France vs. England.

However its still my observation specially in Spain and Italy that they consider english players good but not great and they generally dont consider english players skilfull and i think to be fair they have a point.

[Rich_Le_John]

Well this remark is a little bit flat my friend, the english didnt do me any harm to make me be on a point and baseless agenda.

I obviously dont know about the Brazilians and their sentiments about the english football but i can talk about the people i had to do with in south europe and germany. I am mainly in Germany but i spend alot of time in France and Spain and i used to be in Italy quite alot although not in the last time. However, before you get paranoid and think we all are out to bash the english, i can tell you that me myself i like the english football and i like their mentality i used to love watching Ipswich Town destroying ManU with 6-0 and i became an Ipswich fan as a kid.

Me personally i would love to see England becoming a real contender for winning the WC although i will cheer for France to go all the way. My favourite final is France vs. England.

However its still my observation specially in Spain and Italy that they consider english players good but not great and they generally dont consider english players skilfull and i think to be fair they have a point.

Don't worry my friend I'm not one of the English that feels the world (and especially the EU is against us), I've also spent a lot of time in central europe and find the people there generally very knowledgable about English football. I agree with the perception in Spain and Italy with regards to English players, but then again - if there are football fans seriously knocking Gerrard and Rooney, Ferdinand etc., then they need to watch more football.

The Brazilians love Rooney, they know Gerrard and Lampard well too.

The world cup will be very interesting.

[Pijanic]

http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/742/drinksx.gif

[lennon999]

I'm half Turkish half English & when I travelled to Turkey for the first time about 3 years ago I met a lot of my family I hadn't seen before, with the people my age the first thing we talked about was obviously football. Some were also on holiday from Germany, there view was that Gerrard, Joe Cole & Rooney among others were very good players (world class). Their absolutely crazy about football in Turkey these days, I don't think English players are overated in England Ithink their overated on the entire planet. Even people living in igloo's will probably tell you Gerrard's the best CM in the world. :bananadance

[TheGreemSim]

I'm half Turkish half English & when I travelled to Turkey for the first time about 3 years ago I met a lot of my family I hadn't seen before, with the people my age the first thing we talked about was obviously football. Some were also on holiday from Germany, there view was that Gerrard, Joe Cole & Rooney among others were very good players (world class). Their absolutely crazy about football in Turkey these days, I don't think English players are overated in England Ithink their overated on the entire planet. Even people living in igloo's will probably tell you Gerrard's the best CM in the world. :bananadance

I have to agree with you there, we all knew Gerrard back in New Zealand and admired him. Despite how talented he is it was probably just because he was a big name.

[aenima]

My mate has just come back from Germany and said while he was there he was asked by a group of them which team he supported. He said Newcastle and they all erupted in to a Shearer chant. I myself have been there and been asked a lot about Rooney, Lampard, Gerrard etc. I've even encountered a couple of Germans in England shirts. Probably bloody post-modernism or something.

I met and spent a lot of time with Spanish, French, German and Portuguese people in my first year of university and we frequently discussed football together. They derided their players whenever they were too slow, selfish, arrogant and praised them when they made a great pass, shot, tackle etc. They talked about it in the same way we do and didn't approach it in an insular, stereotypical continental way where all English footballers are lumbering workhorses and theirs are bastions of technical grace and superiority. It seems to me that Pijanic is living on the set of 'Allo 'Allo.

Nor do I think people on the continent are more "clued up" about the right way to play football as opposed to the English way. It's just the way they were brought up, it's not an act of cultural defiance. I do however think a lot of people from the south of Europe can see the advantage in playing these stereotypical cards when talking about football with English people and can tell it winds us up a bit in a good natured way. I eventually clocked on.

[aenima]

With regards to the overrated thing, I'm sure many of us English are in the dark about excellent Spanish players or Italian players, for example, that we simply don't see or have seen one game where they're shit. I'm also sure that we tend to overrate certain foreign players just because Gabriel Marcotti creams himself over them and they do seem a little exotic. I wouldn't be so arrogant as to think we know everything about European football.

[italianodoc94]

here in italy the great part of the people don't see english players like world class players,but i personally like a lot english players.I really would like english players in serie A

[zippy]

English top players such as Rooney and Lampard etc are definately admired by German fans, maybe not rated quite as highly as at home though.

[tottivillarossi]

I remember a few years ago an Italian journalist was asked about Ronaldo, and he replied that Rooney was held in higher regard in Italy.

[peter40]

Whats definitely being admired in germany is english club football and the league in general. Not so much certain players. People like the speed and honesty and also the fan culture of english football.
An exception is probably David Beckham. While I personally never understood the hipe about him, he was certainly admired in germany. Players like Gerrard, Lampard, Rooney are highly respected, but its not like people admire them, like they would Ronaldo or Messi.

[Pijanic]

Exactly