As ambling Berbatov lights up the Premier League, here's 10 more strolling stars who bossed the big stage
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UPDATED:
14:32 GMT, 11 December 2012
Dimitar Berbatov has two speeds. Slow and slower.
The Fulham striker is a throwback to the days when strollers were all the rage, playing the game at their speed and a style of play that was more pipe and slippers than blood and thunder.
There aren’t many left in this modern age of speed and dynamism, but Berbatov is in imperious form and showing there is still a place for his ambling style.
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Berbatov signed for Tottenham in 2006 from German club Bayer Leverkusen and he scored 46 goals for Spurs, including this penalty against Chelsea in the 2008 Carling Cup Final, before moving to Old Trafford in 2008
The Bulgarian signed for Manchester United on transfer deadline day in 2008 for a fee of 30million but he eventually fell down the pecking order, despite occasional flashes of brilliance such as this overhead kick against Liverpool
Berbatov has scored five goals this season since moving to Martin Jol's Fulham
On a bad day, it would be described as being lazy, but former Manchester United striker Berbatov is having plenty of good days.
He’s a luxury player on top of his
game and he got us thinking of football’s other wandering minstrels. So
here are ten we have loved; let us know if you think of any others in
the comments below.
Matt Le Tissier
Criticised for playing a pass and then standing to admire it, he was good at both. Southampton’s ultimate stroller never left the South Coast, which implied he lacked ambition. But he is revered by Saints fans for his loyalty – like Sir Trevor Brooking at West Ham.
One club men are rare these days, but Le Tissier’s record of 162 league goals in 443 games suggests he was more than passing trend. He could pay and he could stroll.
Le Tissier spent his entire career at Southampton, scoring 162 league goals during his 16 years at the club
The Guernsey-born forward retired in 2002 having made just eight appearances for England
Le Tissier's wonder goal against Newcastle in 1993
George Graham
The man they called stroller became a title-winning manager at Arsenal who earned a reputation for his discipline and Seargent Major style. It was at odds with his reputation as a player.
Journalist James Mossop once wrote of Graham’s playing style: ‘Stroller was a famous Scottish footballer who acquired that name through his gentle touch – a tender caressing of the ball as he stroked it around the pitches of the world with an art of his own.’
Graham’s playing career took him strolling from Aston Villa to Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United, Portsmouth, Crystal Palace and, finally, to the California Surf.
Graham scored 60 goals during his six years with Arsenal and later went on to manage the Gunners
He was part of Arsenal's first ever double-winning team in 1971, a feat the Gunners repeated in 1998 and 2002
Stan Bowles
He’s best summed up in his own words. I was renowned for being arrogant. I wasn't really. I just knew what I was doing on the pitch. When I was on my game I felt unstoppable and I let them know.
I'd go past a fella trying to tackle me, look back at him and say, “Come on, get up, I'll let you have another go”’.
Stan had flair and talent and took his skills from Manchester City to Bury, Crewe, Calrilse, QPr – where he made his name and played in 315 league games – Nottingham Forest, Leyton Orient and Brentford.
He played only five times for England and was similar to Le Tissier in that he was mistrusted by his peers.
Bowles spent seven years at QPR and was part of arguably their greatest ever team when they finished runners-up in 1975/76
What a player: Bowles with model Jenny Clarke in 1976
Glenn Hoddle
A brilliant playmaker for Spurs and Monaco, Hoddle was a bit
more than a stroller, but – like Berbatov – he could be annoyingly frustrating
and fade in and out of games.
Hoddle could chip the ball beautifully and scored
a series of sensational goals, played out on Match of the Day, including one
chip of Watford goalkeeper Steve Sherwood that became one of his most famous
strikes.
He later managed England and appeared on Top of the Pops. But the less
said about that, the better.
Hoddle spent 12 years at Spurs and was part of the 1981 FA Cup winning team
Glenn Hoddle and Chris Waddle on Top of the Pops
Jan Molby
He was brilliant inside the centre circle… and didn’t seem to go much further than that. He was the Berbatov of the midfield, the Berbatov of the 80s.
But if you look at the video below, you will see he could travel too – with a stunning run the length of the field and a screamer of a finish.
Maybe it’s this run that took so much out of him that he didn’t move much after it. Played over 200 league games for Liverpool before moving to Swansea, where he also managed. Also had spells at Hull and Kidderminster.
Molby joined Liverpool in 1984 and he scored 44 league goals in his 12-year spell at Anfield
John Sheridan
Leeds and Republic of Ireland midfielder, who could pass and stroll with the best of them. Showed the best form of his career at Leeds and Sheffield Wednesday in a career that took him strolling around to Manchester City, Forest, Birmingham, Bolton, Doncaster and Oldham too.
Sheridan also played 34 times for his country. He has also managed Oldham and Chesterfield.
Sheridan spent seven years at Sheffield Wednesday and scored a rocket against Manchester United in the 1991 League Cup Final
Sheridan's winner in the 1991 League Cup Final
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Sweden’s favourite stroller, who recently destroyed England with four goals including his sensational propeller kick. He plays when he wants… and sometimes if he wants, he can really play.
We all know the CV: he’s strolled from Sweden to Holland to Italy to Spain, back to Italy and now to France and has wandered around (and produced explosive skills) for Malmo, Ajax, Juve, Inter, Barca, Milan and PSG .
Ibrahimovic has played for some of Europe's top clubs including Juventus, Internazionale, Barcelona, Milan and now Paris Saint Germain
Zlatan has scored 39 goals for Sweden in 85 caps including the overhead kick from 40 yards against England in November
Liam Brady
The brilliant Arsenal No7 was more than a stroller, but he could stroll. So we included him in our list. Brady played for four Italian clubs, including Juventus and Inter and they loved his style of play.
We did too. He finished his career at West Ham, playing 89 league games there. He strolled a lot at West Ham as his career drew to a close.
He then tried management at Celtic and Brighton, but that didn’t work out. He tried to be an agent, but that didn’t work out, either.
Brady scored 43 league goals in his seven years with the Gunners before moving to Juventus in 1980
Adel Taarabt
QPR’s modern-day Stan Bowles. Taarabt has all the skills, but sometimes he doesn’t show them all the time.
When QPR were in the Championship, Jamie Redknapp once wrote of him: ‘Get along to see Adel Taarabt of QPR; there isn't a better footballer outside the Barclays Premier League.'
He sometimes needs a ball of his own, which is why Spurs let him go, but the Moroccan is a magician. Where does he play Everywhere! His positional discipline is not the best, but he has dazzling skills.
Moroccan Taarabt joined QPR in 2009 on loan from Tottenham and he was instrumental in Rangers' promotion season before moving to Loftus Road on a permanent deal in 2010
Gordan Cowans
We can hear the complaints. How can you have Gordon Cowans on the same list as Zlatan Well, Gordon could stroll too and was good at it for Aston Villa and England.
Graham Taylor once picked him for England, ahead of Paul Gascoigne.
But that didn’t end well. Cowans was a playmaker and could slow down the game with his passing skill during his career which saw him take his mullet hairstyle to Villa (three times!), Bari, Derby, Wolves, Sheffield United, Bradford, Stockport and Burnley.
Cowans had three spells at Aston Villa and he also played for Blackburn, Wolves, Derby and Sheffield United
