GRAEME SOUNESS names the highest 10 midfielders he ever performed towards

Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice is certainly a wonderful dead-ball kicker and that is why, despite being 6ft 2in, he is being sacrificed for set-pieces because, otherwise, with that physique, he’d be a wonderful aerial threat in the box.

The best taker of a set-piece I ever saw was the Brazilian Zico. I witnessed that a couple of times first hand, unfortunately. At Liverpool, Jimmy Case and Sammy Lee were wonderful strikers of the ball.

After Jimmy, it would be Sammy, Terry McDermott and me who were the designated free-kick takers. We would often be joined by Kenny Dalglish, who was forever offering to take the free-kicks but we would, equally, forever be shooing him out of the picture. The only problem was, if we turned our backs briefly, Kenny would run up and take it.

Time and time again we would say, ‘What the f*** was that?’ And Kenny would just shrug his shoulders and walk away, getting away with it. Typical Kenneth!

Discussing what makes a world-class midfielder got me thinking this week, who were the best 10 midfielders I faced?

I could only, truthfully, judge it off those I played against, so here’s my list:

BILLY BREMNER

Billy was full of aggro, always chirping. He wasn’t the biggest in stature at a time when there was proper thuggery around but he could handle it.

He was always too cute and too clever to come off second best. A most marvellous little footballer to watch. He had a great brain, that never-say-die attitude and he hated losing.

JOHNNY GILES

As with Billy, I owe Johnny a debt of gratitude. As a 19-year-old at Middlesbrough, I had a nip at both before Johnny caught me, then Terry Yorath did me good and proper.

I was out for eight weeks with a lesson well learned. Johnny was the most magnificent technician who, like all the greats, always had space and time to operate and, boy, could he deliver.

ALAN BALL

There are two players I never laid a finger on, Zico and Alan Ball. When I faced Bally he was playing for Arsenal and I was at Middlesbrough. He was very different to the 20-year old workaholic wide man who we remember winning the World Cup with England. 

He became a central midfielder, where his touch and control were impeccable. Regardless of the surface, Bally’s first touch meant the ball was never more than 18 inches away from him. Uncatchable. I took a few lunges at him but he just played cute one- and two-touch football. In the second half he resorted to baiting me, growling at me and making barking noises.

When I was a kid at Spurs, I used to go into a pub in Southgate called the White Hart. All the Arsenal players used to go in there. They were big time then, but Bally would always take time to say hello to us young professionals, always friendly, remembering your name. A great competitor. 

LIAM BRADY

I replaced Liam at Sampdoria, and not just in the team. I also moved into the house he vacated as he moved on to Inter Milan.

He was a silky player who could drop his shoulder and send defenders out to buy an ice cream or sit them on their backside when lunging in. He had many qualities, incredible skills and a wand of a left foot. One of those you’d pay to watch.

Though the likes of Denis Law and John Charles had gone previously, Liam was a modern-day pioneer as a British player who succeeded in Italy.

GLENN HODDLE

Glenn was such an elegant and unique talent. How he must wish he could play on the pitches of today. He had wonderful technique that matched up to anyone and was a scorer of wonderful goals — all on surfaces that were, after two months of the season, little more than ploughed fields.

When I look at the game today I think of two players who would be absolute superstars in the modern game with the way football has evolved and the surfaces: Glenn and Matt Le Tissier. 

BRYAN ROBSON

The nickname Captain Marvel summed him up — he could do everything. If you wanted a war, he would give you it. If you wanted to play football, he could do that, too. He could go box to box, arriving late to score and was another with that never-say-die attitude.

Rattling his cage was a waste of time because you knew he’d just keep on coming back for more. A warrior. I always thought he was just too brave for his own good and picked up needless injuries.

 

ZICO

What a great name for a great player. I played against him for Liverpool when he was at Flamengo, for Scotland against Brazil and for Sampdoria against Udinese and never got within a yard of him. I also played alongside him when we were selected in a Top Undici (Serie A Select XI) to play champions Verona in a charity game at the end of the season. There were at least half a dozen times when he picked a pass that I certainly didn’t see. He had the most marvellous technique to deliver them perfectly.

He saw different pictures of the game to me and, like all the absolute worldies, was able to deliver on the pass he picked.

My other experience of him was when he played for Udinese against Sampdoria. I was given the role of liaising with our keeper to adjust the wall for free-kicks. In the first half we pushed the wall to the right and he simply curled the ball around it to score.

In the second half, the same scenario, except this time I exaggerated and pulled the wall further over thinking he was going to do the same thing. He ran up as if to strike the ball the same way then, two strides before he got to it, he changed the angle of his approach, kicked it with the outside of his boot and scored. At that point, I just threw my hands up in the air and shouted, ‘F*** off!’ There was nothing different we could have done to prevent him scoring yet again.

MICHEL PLATINI

I got up close and personal to Michel several times, which he wasn’t best pleased about.

But that didn’t deter him from wanting to get on the ball at every opportunity and, boy, could he play — getting the ball in tight areas and delivering a pass 25 yards with incredible accuracy. He’s another one that you would pay to watch. An absolute star.

JEAN TIGANA

I faced him for Rangers and previously in Europe. He floated across the grass. His first touch would always take the ball away from defenders and he would deliver fantastic final passes.

He and Platini were a wonderful partnership in the 1984 France team.

PAUL BREITNER

In my seven years at Liverpool, he was the only opponent for whom we made a special game plan, when Sammy Lee was told to man-mark him in the second leg of the European Cup semi-final at Munich’s Olympic Stadium.

He had a fantastic engine, incredible industry and a great touch. I didn’t enjoy playing against him, he was too good at everything.