The Heroes series continues with tributes to more
football legends...
Ben Foster on Peter Schmeichel
Peter Schmeichel was
always the player I looked up to. He was a cut above the rest in
his era and he changed the face of goalkeeping. I still try to
model myself on him and use aspects of his game in mine. He
produced some unbelievable saves - I still watch a lot of them
again on You Tube. One that sticks out is the starfish jump to deny
Zamorano in United's Champions League win over Inter in 1999. That
moment just summed him up – he made himself unbeatable at
times.
Dimitar Berbatov on Ivan Berbatov, Marco van Basten, Alan
Shearer
There are three players I really looked up
to when I was a kid. My father, Ivan (who played professionally for
local club Pirin Blagoevgrad) taught me a lot, so I have a lot to
thank him for. The others were Marco van Basten and Alan Shearer.
When you hear these names - maybe not my father! [laughs] - van
Basten and Shearer, you don't need to know why they were great
players. They scored goals and played magnificent football. They
were the best. But I didn't ever try to copy them, because you must
have your own style of playing. If you start copying someone, I
don't think it will be you. You must stay with what you have. They
inspired me to be the best player that I could be rather than made
me want to replicate everything they did. But I watched them a lot,
I had many video tapes of them and all their goals. Sometimes I
watch the videos just to remind me of how good they were.
Darron Gibson on Roy Keane
I'd have to say
Roy Keane. Obviously he's Irish and was arguably one of the
greatest midfielders in the world over the last ten years. His goal
and performance against Juventus in the 1999 Champions League
semi-final were just
fantastic.
Patrice Evra on Romario
I didn't have a
football hero when I was a child; I just loved to play the game. I
never thought to myself one day I'd like to be as good or as famous
as a certain player - I simply played football because I loved the
game. As I got older I started to follow Romario a lot. I wouldn't
say he was my hero, but he was certainly a player I got excited
about watching.
Edwin van der Sar on Marco van Basten
I
didn't really have a hero growing up, but the player that stood out
for me as I got older was Marco van Basten. His famous volley in
the Euro '88 final [against the Soviet Union] which helped clinch
the European Championships for Holland is definitely my favourite
moment. He was top scorer in the tournament and that goal is one of
the best anyone's ever scored.
Ji-sung Park on Dunga, Jung-Hwan Yoon
When I
was young I looked up to Dunga, the Brazilian, as well as Korean
midfielder Jung-Hwan Yoon. As a kid I played in the same position
as Dunga, so I admired him because of that. Also, it seemed like
everyone around him was so confident in him – the fans, the
coaching staff and all the players. If he was on the pitch, people
believed the team would win. I liked the way he inspired everyone
and I wanted to do the same.
Darren Fletcher on Fernando Redondo
It was
Fernando Redondo. He was a brilliant central midfielder and that’s
where I always played when I was growing up. He’s a player who
caught my eye from a young age. I loved the way he played, how he
sat in midfield and controlled the game. He sprayed passes around
and was very intelligent on the ball. He was also good at breaking
up opposition attacks and could be physical if necessary. I
remember watching the 1994 World Cup when he played centre
midfield for Argentina and he was just unbelievable. He had a great
tournament and from there I followed his career at Real Madrid. He
was their focal point. I remember when Madrid came to Old Trafford
- it was a special moment because two of my idols – Redondo and Roy
Keane – came up against each other.
Federico Macheda on Marco van Basten, Zlatan
Ibrahimovic
I used to watch videos of Marco van
Basten playing for Milan and I'd try to copy the things he did in
games. He was always my favourite striker when I was really young
growing up in Rome. He's what made me want to be a footballer and,
especially, a striker. When I got a bit older I used to love
watching Ibra [Zlatan Ibrahimovic]. They’re both good players and
very strong on the ball. They are the type of forwards that I look
up; strong and skilful. They’re two of the best strikers ever in my
opinion.