10 greatest big match footballers of all time

There are some players who always seem to stand up on the big stage. When there is a final, or a must win game, you could always rely on these players to put in superlative performances and turn the match in their team’s favour.

While Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have undoubtedly been the greatest footballers of this generation and probably the greatest footballers of all time, they have not performed to the level they are capable of when it has really mattered.

Let us take a look at 10 footballers who always seem to rise to the biggest occasion

#10 Steven Gerrard

Steven Gerrard is probably the greatest Liverpool player of all time

While fans who started watching football after 2010 will remember Gerrard for slipping against Chelsea and missing out on the Premier League title in the 2013/14 season, most fans remember Gerrard as the perfect player and leader for the big occasion.

The Liverpool legend has the unique honour of being the only player in the history of the game to have scored goals in the League Cup final, FA Cup final, UEFA Cup final and Champions League final. Often, Gerrard has dragged his team to the finish line almost single-handedly.

Who can forget Liverpool’s Champions League campaign of 2005 where Gerrard scored a last-minute belter against Olympiacos and scored a wonderful header in the miraculous final at Istanbul or the wonderful 2006 FA Cup final where he scored two stunning goals and which is still known as the “Steven Gerrard” final to this day.

Gerrard definitely had a knack of showing up at the big occasion. He has scored a number of times against Liverpool’s rivals, Manchester United, while his hat-tricks against Everton and Napoli are still remembered fondly by the Liverpool fans. 

A true captain who often inspired an average team to greatness, Steven Gerrard is undoubtedly one of the greatest Liverpool players of all time