In the days to come, I will be giving you a breakdown of some of the greatest players who have played in the prestigious Serie A. They will be in no chronological order whatsoever; however it will show you just how appealing this league has been over the years.
Today we profile Milan’s Marco van Basten and former Juventus talisman Zinedine Zidane.
Van Basten
Born on October 31st 1964,the strikingly tall Van Basten made his international debut at the 1983 World Youth Cup. By this time, he had already been identified in Holland by Johan Cruyff. The ironical thing is that he came on as a replacement for Cruyff when he made his debut for Ajax Amsterdam.
He scored 128 league goals for Ajax before moving to Milan in 1987. It was at Milan that his skill and flair showed itself. He managed to win major club and personal awards like the World Club Cup twice, the European Champion Cup and the ultimate FIFA World footballer trophy in 1992.
He was the last player to win the European Footballer of the Year award 3 times. His career, however, came to end in 1995 due to a nagging ankle injury he had sustained. Van Basten still remains one of Serie A’s most iconic Players.
Zidane
Love him or hate him, Zidane is one of the greatest players in the world of football. Wining the FIFA world player of the year award 3 times is no easy feat. In fact only Ronaldo can match that.
His brace in their 3-0 demolition of Brazil at the 1998 world cup finals made him a legend.
Born on June the 23rd 1972, Zidane made his top division debut in May of 1989. In 1992 he joined Beordeaux from Cannes and he was subsequently voted Young Player of the Year that same year. In 1996, the mighty Juventus signed him. His magnificent dribbling and slick passing ensured they qualified for the Champions League final in 1997 and 1998.
His star continued to shine until 2006 when he head-butted Marco Materazzi of Italy during the final of the World Cup tournament in Germany. This hugely dented his image and he eventually retired from the sport that had gained him legions of adoring fans worldwide.
