5 greatest individual player rivalries of all time time
The game of football has been blessed with world-class players in every era. In every generation, there have been players who are simply a notch above the rest. When such players go toe-to-toe for trophies, records and the status of being the greatest of all time, we have ourselves a recipe for an intense rivalry.
Football clubs have their own rivals. As a result, great players who line up for rival clubs also end up absorbing the heat of the competition. Being pitted against top quality players tends to bring out the best in some individuals and therefore, such environments are crucial to a player's growth as well.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five of the greatest individual player rivalries of all time.
Honourable mentions: Iker Casillas-Gianluigi Buffon, Ruud van Nistelrooy-Thierry Henry
Iker Casillas and Gianluigi Buffon were two of the best goalkeepers in the first decade of the 21st century. Both players won the FIFA World Cup with their national sides and had illustrious club careers as well. The two gentlemen are widely adored in the world of football and they share a lot of mutual admiration as well.
Ruud van Nistelrooy used to be Manchester United's henchman during the time when Thierry Henry was running riot in the Premier League. Arsenal and Manchester United shared the most intense rivalry in the English top-division at the time and both elite strikers were at the center of it.
#5 Sergio Ramos - Gerard Pique
Sergio Ramos and Gerard Pique were teammates on the international stage. The pair started the 2010 FIFA World Cup final against the Netherlands together as part of the same backline. They've played close to a hundred matches together for the Spanish national side.
But at club level, Ramos and Pique shared a heated rivalry. Both players have big personalities and their relationship started to deteriorate since 2015. Pique poked fun at Real Madrid after pipping them to the La Liga title in 2015. He went so far as to call Alvaro Arbeloa a 'cone' for his static defending.
Ramos hit back, saying Pique's actions and words would be detrimental to the Spanish national team. The two have clashed multiple times on the ground during several editions of El Clasico. At the end of the day, Ramos and Pique are two of the greatest defenders of the modern era.
Another day, another quote to add to the Ramos-Pique feud https://t.co/6CkjeAVYh6
#4 Johan Cruyff - Franz Beckenbauer
Johan Cruyff and Franz Beckenbauer are two of the greatest footballers of all time. They were certainly the greatest players of the 1970s and that's why it took only four iterations of their meeting for this to become one of the biggest rivalries of all time.
Beckenbauer and Cruyff were both exceptionally dynamic footballers who could do pretty much anything on a football pitch. Cruyff played for Ajax while Beckenbauer was Bayern Munich's main man. They first locked horns in the quarter-finals of the European Cup with both men captaining their respective sides.
The rivalry escalated as the Netherlands faced Germany in the final of the 1974 World Cup. The Germans pulled off a comeback win and were crowned champions of the world.
Cruyff led his Ajax side to three European Cup wins in 1971, 1972 and 1973. Beckenbauer did the same with Bayern Munich in 1974, 1975 and 1976. While Cruyff won the Ballon d'Or thrice in 1971, 1973 and 1974, Beckenbauer won it twice in 1972 and 1976.
I am shocked. Johan #Cruyff is dead. He was not only a very good friend but also a brother to me. https://t.co/aCKwDjIx9Z