Football : TOP 10

Hacked off Milan trying to chase Kaka, hacked off Manchester United trying to sign Cristiano Ronaldo
- but eventually succeeded - hacked off Villarreal trying to sign Santi
Cazorla right after hacking off Valencia trying to sign David Silva
and/or David Villa.

Hacked off Madrid's own fans with broken election promises of Cesc Fabregas,
Kaka and Arjen Robben, but eventually got Arjen Robben, who Chelsea
didn't want anymore anyway, and then Calderon's interim successor, Ivan
Boluda, went on and talked smack about walloping Liverpool in the
Champions League, only to be walloped.

Quite a mouthful, but you get the point!

‘Boring, Boring Arsenal’. It is hard to believe now when you consider the delightful football under Arsene Wenger,
but George Graham’s Arsenal from 1986 to 1995 – particularly the latter
stages of his reign - were one of the most boring teams in the history
of the game.

The Scotsman – incidentally a skilful midfielder
during his playing days at Highbury – built his XI on a mean back four
of Lee Dixon, Steve Bould, Tony Adams and Nigel Winterburn. Graham’s
Arsenal have been the closest English version of 1960s Italian
Catenaccio. ‘One-nil to the Arsenal’ to the tune of the Pet Shop Boys’
‘Go West’ was another common crowd chant.

With very little
technical talent throughout the team, Graham’s Arsenal often relied
purely on the prolific Ian Wright for goals. They still won two titles
in 1989 and 1991, playing slightly more offensively. But they became
hated on the continent when they lifted the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup in 1994 as Arsenal beat a Parma side featuring Gianfranco Zola and Faustino Asprilla 1-0 in the final, despite barely getting out of their half all game.

On the international scene, Italy have
probably been the most consistently disliked country – especially in
northern Europe where the clash of cultures is just too much to take.

On
the footballing side, Italy are stereotypically depicted as pragmatic
and ultra-defensive, wasting some excellent attacking talent in favour
of tactics. They are also considered as the creators of
professionalism. Shirt-pulling, diving, conning the referee – or as it
is known in Italy ‘furbo’ (being crafty).

Off the pitch, there
is undoubtedly a sense of jealousy. Few can doubt that many Italian
footballers are extremely good looking, as for the women let's not even
get started. The confident and expressive personalities of many
Italians is also something that can irritate non-latin nations, who
often cheer an Italian World Cup exit.

After winning their first championship in 26 years in 1993, Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United soon developed into the UK’s most dominant club. In the proceeding 17 years, the Red Devils have lifted another 10 Premier League
crowns as well as two Champions Leagues. While United are undoubtedly
hated in English circles for being so successful, there are many other
reasons why they are so disliked.

First of all, they have
often been painted as a lucky team (others would say they have
incredible character) due to the high number of late goals they scored
– especially in the 1990s. When Ferguson won his first title in 1993,
this chiefly came about after defender Steve Bruce scored two injury
time goals to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 win over Sheffield
Wednesday. Then, of course, there was the 1999 Champions League final
against Bayern Munich when United were outplayed from start to finish but scored twice in stoppage time again to lift the crown.

Many
United fans are often termed as ‘gloryhunters’ – i.e. they only support
the club because they are successful. This can be seen, apparently, by
the relatively small number of followers from Manchester with many
believing that most Mancunians are City fans. Another bone of
contention revolves around the referees, with United said to benefit
more than any other team from officials.

Juventus are hated in Italy for pretty much the same reason Manchester United are despised in England.

The
Bianconeri are by far the most successful domestic team on the
peninsula with 29 Scudetti. They have often been described as a lucky
team, scoring many late goals to win games over the years. Like United,
fans of Juve are spread all over the country with most Turin-locals
supporting Torino. This has led to similar ‘gloryhunter’ complaints.

Juventus
have also been accused of benefiting from refereeing decisions. The
most controversial revolved around the conclusion to the 1981 and 1982
championships, as well to a lesser extent the 1998 Scudetto. The 2006
Calciopoli scandal damaged Juve’s image internationally.

Prior to Euro 2004, the Greeks had only
qualified for two major tournaments in their entire history – Euro 1980
and World Cup 1994 – where they had played six in total, lost five,
drawn one, scored one, and conceded 14. A team of no big names coached
by German country bumpkin legend Otto Rehhagel, only Latvia were less
favoured than the Greeks.

Yet, Rehhagel implemented a perfect
gameplan whereby Greece would sit back and soak up pressure before
punishing the opposition on set-pieces and the counter-attack. Greece
made it out of a group including hosts Portugal, and Spain, beating the
former in the opening game. They then stunned holders France 1-0 in the
quarter-final, beat favourites the Czech Republic on a silver goal in the semis, and finished the job by defeating Portugal for a second time 1-0 thanks to Angelos Charisteas.

The Leeds United team of the late 1960s and
early 1970s are widely acknowledged as the most hated team in English
football history.

On the pitch they were an outstanding team
blessed with exceptional players such as Peter Lorimer, Johnny Giles
and Billy Bremner. Although they 'only' won two championships, two
Inter-Cities Fairs Cups, one FA Cup
and one League Cup during this era when in reality they should have won
at least double this number of trophies as they often fell at the last
hurdle.

Like a number of teams on this list, Revie’s men were a
very physical side, earning the nickname ‘Dirty Leeds’ and often being
criticised by the press and in particular Brian Clough.
Hardmen such as Bremner and Norman ‘Bites Yer Legs’ Hunter sent shivers
down the spines of opponents. Hunter was involved in a number of
notorious punch-ups during his career, including during a Cup Winners’
Cup final defeat to Milan as well as an infamous incident with Derby
County’s Francis Lee.

Despite their brilliance, this Leeds side
is not fondly remembered by the English press, which is a shame because
they are undoubtedly one of the UK’s greatest ever teams.

As brutal teams go, few come any more brutal
than the Estudiantes squad that won the 1967 Argentine Metropolitano,
as well as three successive Copa Libertadores’ and an Intercontinental
Cup. Key members of this team included Argentina’s 1986 World Cup
winning coach Carlos Bilardo, and Juan Ramon Veron – the father of
Sebastian.

Coach Osvaldo Zubeldia implemented a physical style
of play, centred around intimidating opponents. Tactical fouls were
common, as were off-the-ball cheapshots. Ironically the club’s nickname
at the time was La Tercera que Mata (The Killer Juveniles).

The
1969 Intercontinental Cup defeat to Milan has been labelled ‘Verguenza
de La Plata’ – the ‘Embarrassment of La Plata’. Estudiantes won the
game 2-1 (but lost 4-2 on aggregate) in one of the most violent games
in history. So shocking was the viciousness that the entire team was
arrested after the game under the orders of Argentine president Juan
Carlos Ongania.

The notoriously violent Aguirre Suarez who broke
a bone in Nestor Combin’s face, and goalkeeper Alberto Poletti, were
sent to jail. Combin appeared on Italian TV after the game with his
face looking like the back end of a bus.

Just like Juventus and Manchester United,
Bayern are hated in Germany because of their success. FC Hollywood are
the most supported team in Germany, but everyone who doesn’t cheer for
them cheers against them ferociously.

The hatred officially
began at the start of the 1970s at a time when Bayern had only won two
German championships in their history. There was a huge rivalry between
Bayern and another great team of this era Borussia Monchengladbach. The
neutrals seemed to warm to Die Fohlen, and the team symbolised by
Gunter Netzer became every German’s second team.

Bayern were
often attacked on their travels around Germany, despite containing many
of the legendary Germany team that won Euro ’72 and World Cup ’74 such
as Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Muller and Paul Breitner. There were a
number of punch-ups with fans, which helped consolidate Franz Roth’s
nickname of ‘The Bull’. Beckenbauer once pretended to urinate at
abusive away fans while goalkeeper Sepp Maier knocked a Hannover
supporter clean out when he was told: “I’m going to kill you, you
Bayern pig.”

The Bayern of the 70s were also often accused of being lucky. Germans call it Bayern-Dusel.
There is no doubt that Bayern enjoyed more than their fair share of
fortune continentally. Had the club lost all three of the consecutive
European Cup finals in 1974, 75 and 76, no one could have complained.
They were outplayed in the first by Atletico Madrid
but scored in the last minute of extra time to force a replay that they
won. In the second they were dominated by a Leeds United team that had
a good Peter Lorimer goal scandalously disallowed, but still somehow
won 2-0. In the last triumph, St Etienne hit the woodwork twice and
missed a host of chances, but it was Bayern who won 1-0.

Bayern
also seemed to exemplify the stereotype that Germans are the best at
organising parties, but the worst at actually throwing them. They
rarely celebrated these victories with any kind of passion, which also
irritated their enemies.

Argentina 1990 are undoubtedly the most
universally-detested World Cup team of all time. The then holders
somehow made it all the way to the Rome final, despite containing just
two players with any real attacking ability - Claudio Caniggia, and
Diego Maradona, who was dreadfully unfit and playing through injury.

Carlos
Bilardo’s men were the modern definition of anti-football. They scraped
their way through the group stage, having lost to Cameroon in the
opener, and having beaten the USSR only after Maradona had a clear
handball off the line not spotted by the referee.

In the
second round against Brazil, Argentina defended with 10 men behind the
ball, and were battered from start to finish by their bitter rivals,
only to win 1-0 courtesy of their one attack of the game, a piece of
Maradona genius in the second half, who set up Caniggia for the winner.

The
negativity continued in the quarter-final against a far superior
Yugoslavia, who played 90 minutes with 10 men. The game went to
penalties, where Sergio Goycochea, a clown of a goalkeeper who could do
nothing except save spotkicks, proved to be the hero.

Onto the semi-final against Italy in Naples.
In truth the Azzurri did not play their best game but they were the
only side trying to attack, and all looked good after Toto Schillaci
gave them an early lead. Caniggia equalised in the 67th minute
following an horrendous Walter Zenga mistake, and Argentina resorted to
their negative, spoiling tactics. They wasted time at every
opportunity, and it couldn’t have been any clearer that they were
playing for a shootout, which they won again thanks to Goycochea.

Anti-football
won the day, and never could this have been more illustrated than by
the fact that Roberto Donadoni, the brilliantly skilful Milan winger -
who had been unplayable all night and the clear man-of-the-match -
ended up being the man who missed the most decisive spot-kick.

In
the final itself against West Germany, Argentina played for penalties
from the first whistle. Their shameful pessimism contrived to make this
the worst final in the whole history of the World Cup, yet ironically
they were defeated by an 85th minute penalty by Andreas Brehme. It was
never a penalty in a million years, but many would say that justice had
been served.

The powerhouse Real Madrid centre-back,
often used in an unorthodox defensive midfield position by Portugal in
the 2010 World Cup qualifiers, was expected to be a key player
in South Africa but, in December, he ruptured his right knee's anterior
cruciate ligament against Valencia. Ruled out for at least six months,
the odds are stacked firmly against the Brazilian-born star featuring
in the Rainbow Nation.

Spain’s all-time record national goalscorer
with 44 goals from 102 caps, Raul has never really made his mark at a
Euro or World Cup and he was not selected for his country’s Euro 2008
triumph. Now 32, and having not played for Spain since September 2006
it seems unlikely Vicente Del Bosque will call upon his services as a
reserve to world class first choice strike pair Fernando Torres and David Villa.

The Frenchman is undoubtedly one of the top three goalkeepers in Serie A, and some have even gone as far as to say that, on-form he is as good as, if not sometimes better, than Gianluigi Buffon
and Julio Cesar. Despite this, he has been continually overlooked by
France coach Raymond Domenech and, so fed-up with the situation, in
August 2008 the 29-year-old announced his international retirement.

One of the few world class left-backs in
circulation, it is currently touch-and-go whether Cole will be fit
enough to play at the World Cup. The 29-year-old suffered a fractured
ankle on February 10 that is due to keep him out for three months. Even
if Cole returns before the start of the World Cup, he will have next to
no match fitness, and comebacks from these types of injuries are often
delayed.

Will ultimately be remembered as the most
wasted talent of his generation. Despite his genius, Cassano has only
won 15 Italy caps since debuting in 2003. His fiery personality has led
to numerous fallouts with coaches, and the 27-year-old has not earned a
single call-up since Marcello Lippi returned to the Italy bench after
Euro 2008. Having been frozen out by his club, Sampdoria, too, there
will be no World Cup for 'Talentino'.

The 33-year-old has won the Champions League
with three different clubs, but Seedorf and Holland's national side has
never been a match made in heaven. The influential midfielder has made
well over 80 international appearances for Oranje, but he's best
remembered for missing two important spot kicks. Seedorf hasn't played
for Oranje since May 2008, after which he dramatically refused to play
at Euro 2008, and a comeback is unlikely to be on the horizon.

Argentina were often hampered in qualifying
due to a lack of creativity in the final third, and many called for the
Boca Juniors playmaker to be included in the squad. Diego Maradona has
not seen eye to eye with Riquelme for some time, however, due to the
fact that the 31-year-old quit the national team. A re-call has looked
unlikely ever since, with Maradona's stance on the issue hardening
after Boca fans called him a "traitor" and labelling Riquelme as their
idol.

Brazil coach Dunga has frequently stated
that the door is open for Ronaldo to return to the national team, but
he has put together a tight-knit squad of players during the World Cup
qualifiers and Confederations Cup and 'O Fenomeno' may never get the
recall that he and so many others crave. Ronaldo has been in good form
for Corinthians since recovering his fitness with the Brazilian giants,
but an outstanding tournament in the Copa Libertadores now looks like
the only way he could steal a place in Dunga's squad for South Africa.

One of the greatest defenders of all time,
Nesta retired from international football shortly after winning the
2006 World Cup, citing that his body could no longer take the demands
of football for both club and country. After missing all but 13 minutes
of the 2008/09 campaign through injury, Nesta has returned as one of
the best defenders in the world and there had been widespread calls for
him to rejoin the Azzurri. The 33-year-old seemed to be edging towards
a return, but coach Marcello Lippi announced on Monday that the stopper
had rejected a re-call.

The two-time World Player of the Year has been reborn this season, and has lit up Serie A
with his skills and thrills for Milan. Ronaldinho has the most assists
in Italy, and has also scored 12 goals this campaign. Despite playing
at a world class level, Ronnie has not been picked by the Selecao for
almost a year and after missing out on Tuesday's friendly against the Republic of Ireland, experts believe Dunga won’t take him to South Africa.

The village upstarts, who were playing in the German eighth tier at the start of
1990s,
amazed pundits by winning the herbstmeister (autumn champions) in their
first crack in the Bundesliga. Bankrolled by wealthy fan and former
player
Dietmar Hopp the Hoffe gave Bayern Munich a fright when the
top two met before Christmas in 2008 before injuries to key players,
including star striker Vedad Ibisevic, saw them fade and finish a
credible, if slightly disappointing, seventh.

Long before he became an easy tabloid target
future England manager Graham Taylor dragged Watford from the old
fourth division to the first in the space of five years. With Elton
John as Chairman the Hornets weren't easy on the eye but their
effective long-ball game earned them an excellent second place behind
champions Liverpool with striker Luther Blissett earning a move to AC
Milan by notching up 27 goals in their rookie season.

Door Wilskracht Sterk of Amsterdam rocketed
back up the Eredivisie in style by claiming the title at their first
attempt. With striker Frans Geurtsen in
outstanding form they held off PSV Eindhoven
to win the Eredivisie and proved it was no flash in the pan by
finishing second the next season with Geurtsen again topping the
goalscoring charts.

French football's most successful club had a dramatic 1961-62 as they scooped
the
French Cup but also went down to Ligue 2. They won the second division
at the first attempt and completed back-to-back titles by wrapping up
Ligue 1 in 1963-64 starting their period of dominance of the Gallic
game over the next decade where they would win another seven titles
until 1977.

Hotly tipped for relegation before the season began, Luigi Del Neri's side
punched
above their weight in their first ever year in Serie A where they even
led the title race for a spell. The tiny outfit, who finished third in
Serie B
the previous season, would eventually finish fifth a mere whisker away from a
Champions League spot. No wonder they called it the Chievo miracle.

Believe it or not there was a time when the Bavarians weren't the big
Bundesliga
bullies. While West Germany won the World Cup in 1954 it took another
nine years before the country had its own professional league and it
wasn't until 1965 that Bayern joined its ranks. With a young Franz
Beckenbauer and Gerd Muller in their team Bayern finished a close third
and claimed the German Cup. A season later they won the European Cup
Winners' Cup. Dominance was just around the corner.

The Principality outfit were more style over substance after winning the French
double
in 1962-63 and became a yo-yo club until the mid 1970s. That all
changed when President Jean-Louis Campora came onboard and the club
signed prolific marksman Delio Onnis winning promotion in 1977 romping
home the following season to claim Ligue 1 at the first attempt in a
feat that has not been repeated ever since.

Imagine if Wigan Athletic and not Chelsea had won the Premier League
in 2005-06 in the Latics' first season in the top-flight. Still
shuddering at the thought, well that's exactly what Alf Ramsey's
Tractor Boys achieved when they tackled England's old Division One in
1961-62 and promptly won it at the first crack. As a player Ramsey had
notched up the same feat with Tottenham Hotspur in 1950-51 and a few years later he'd win the World Cup at his first attempt too.

Otto Rehhagel was working miracles long
before Greece stunned the world to win Euro 2004. Kaiserslautern made
history in 1998 becoming the first ever German club to win the
Bundesliga after being promoted and what's more they made it look easy
too. The Red Devils slotted into first place four weeks in and were
never headed even doing the double over Bayern Munich along the way
with a young Michael Ballack
and 1990 World Cup winner Andreas Brehme in their championship line-up.
Their record at season's end read: Played 34, wins 19, draws 11,
defeats 4. King Otto indeed.

"I wouldn't say I was the best manager in the business but I was in the top
one." The legendary Brian Clough could make such a statement after guiding
unknown Nottingham Forest to the old First Division Title one season after
reaching the top-flight by finishing third in Division Two. Clough had guided
Derby County to fourth place in the Rams' first season in England's top tier in
1970 but few could have predicted how effective their East Midlands rivals would be seven years later.

Forest surged into top spot early on and while pundits wrote them off they
remained in first place, destroying Manchester United 4-0 at Old Trafford
along the way, to win the title ahead of holders Liverpool by a
comfortable seven points losing only three games from 42. They also
beat the Reds in the final of the League Cup to cap a memorable season.
One year later they won the European Cup and repeated the trick in
1980. Quite a manager was Mr Clough.

At
No.10 we start with the most recent. For the first time in his career
Joe Cole has moved away from London after five years at schoolboy club
West Ham and seven at Chelsea where he won three Premier League titles.
The former child prodigy has struggled badly with injuries in recent
seasons, but at 28 still has a lot to offer providing he can stay fit.

Another
child superstar, Javier Saviola never lived up to the early promise he
showed as a teenager at River Plate where he was inevitably labelled as
the “new Diego Maradona”. The pint-sized forward lost his way at
Barcelona after a bright start in 2001, and hoped for a resurrection
with a Bosman to bitter rivals Real Madrid in 2007. Was a benchwarmer
for two seasons before Benfica ended his misery last year.

One
of the greatest defensive midfielders of all time, Davids completed a
high profile Bosman transfer to Milan from Ajax in time for the 1996-97
season. But, his spell at San Siro was a complete disaster and just
over a year later he was sold on to Juventus for just £5.3 million. In
Turin, Davids returned to being the best midfield pitbull on the planet.

After
10 trophy-laden seasons at Manchester United, and another four
campaigns at Real Madrid where he won the 2007 La Liga title,
football's biggest media seller of the noughties made a Bosman move
from the Spanish capital to Los Angeles Galaxy.

While the
transfer fee may have been nothing, the deal was a mega-million-money
bonanza with estimates that 'Golden Balls' potentially could earn
US$250 million during his five year contract. On the pitch, Beckham has
not been too successful with the Galaxy, winning just the Western
Conference in 2009, and he has even missed sections of two MLS seasons
with loan moves to Milan.

Flamini
enjoyed a breakout season at Arsenal in 2007-08, forging a superb
midfield partnership with Cesc Fabregas of which the highlight was
outplaying and eliminating Milan in the Champions League last 16.

But,
Arsenal failed to agree a new contract with the Frenchman who then
joined Milan on a Bosman in the summer. The transfer was hailed by most
as the signing of the season, but it hasn’t turned out too successful
so far. Flamini has struggled to hold down a regular starting position,
although there is more hope for him under new coach Massimiliano
Allegri.

After
nine years at hometown club Liverpool, the long haired attacking
midfielder took advantage of the Bosman ruling to try his luck in
Spain. ‘Macca’ joined the Blancos just as the Galacticos era was
beginning and won trophies galore in his four years in the capital,
including two La Liga titles and as many Champions Leagues. He fell
down the pecking order as each year passed, especially after the
arrival of Zinedine Zidane in 2001, but all in all his time in Madrid
was a success.

After
exploding in 2001/02 with Bayer Leverkusen and Germany, Ballack was one
of the world's best midfielders throughout the first half of the
noughties. A Bosman move from Bayern Munich to Chelsea after the 2006
World Cup did not start promisingly with an indifferent first season
and a half, but the German gradually found himself again and played his
part in the 2009/10 Premier League success. Left Chelsea on another
Bosman this summer to rejoin Bayer Leverkusen at the age of nearly 34.

The
Swedish legend is treated like a God in the green-and-white half of
Glasgow, but no one begrudged him a Bosman move to Barcelona in 2004
after seven stunning years in Scotland where he scored goals galore,
including 52 in winning the 2001 European Golden Boot, and lifted four
league crowns.

At Barca, he was not always a first team starter
after an injury-hit first season but he was decisive in his second year
and is widely acknowledged as the player who changed the game during
the 2006 Champions League final victory over Arsenal. Trailing 1-0 into
the second half, substitute Larsson set up both goals for Samuel Eto’o
and Juliano Belletti.

The
most controversial transfer in Premier League history saw Campbell move
across North London to join Arsene Wenger's Arsenal. Promises from the
then England international that he would never make the switch and
recriminations at the loss of £20 million in Spurs' coffers see
emotions run high to this day.

Hate-filled chants followed
Campbell even during his time at Portsmouth, with several Spurs fans
being arrested for the content of their vile terrace anthems. But,
Campbell’s five years at Arsenal were a huge success on the pitch as he
won two Premier Leagues and three FA Cups. He returned last season to
the Gunners for a short 14-game spell.

Surely
the most successful Bosman transfer of all time. Cambiasso was
discarded by Real Madrid after being deemed not good enough, and it
proved a disastrous decision as the egg-headed midfielder has been a
colossus at the heart of the Inter midfield during his six years in
Italy to date, helping the Nerazzurri win four straight Scudetti and
their first Champions League for 45 years in 2010.

With Real
Madrid still never finding a true replacement for Claude Makelele after
he left for Chelsea in 2003, Cambiasso could have been the perfect
fill-in at the Bernabeu as Inter will certainly attest.

The Nigeria international added his name to the list of Champions League goalscoring goalkeepers with his penalty against Red Bull Salzburg in the play-off first leg on Wednesday. Enyeama, who impressed for the Super Eagles during the 2010 World Cup, is no stranger to the scoresheet. Last January he scored the winning goal in the penalty shoot-out to eliminate Zambia from the Africa Cup of Nations having already saved an effort himself. It was a stark contrast to his Enyimba days, when he was substituted before the spot-kicks. In 2004 he scored from the spot in the CAF Champions League final second leg against Etoile Sahel to restore parity for the People's Elephant but was jettisoned before the shoot-out. Nonetheless he has now proven himself to be an established shot-stopper and one of Israel's best players.

Frank Moss was signed by Herbert Chapman for Arsenal in November 1931 and made his debut at Chelsea the following day. He went on to win three consecutive League Championship titles. At Everton in March 1935 Frank dislocated his shoulder in a heavy fall. Trainer Tom Whittaker re-set it on the spot, and, this being 30 years before substitutes were allowed, Moss insisted on playing the remainder of the game on the left wing, having always thought he was good enough to be an outfield player. In an Arsenal counter-attack, he scored a glorious goal to put his team ahead. Shortly afterwards the shoulder slipped out again and he went off to hospital. The Gunners won 2-0 on their way to a hat-trick of titles. Moss, who also scored two goals in friendlies for Arsenal, and won four caps for England, only played five more League matches as a result of recurrent complications from the shoulder injury. He was advised to retire from the game in March 1937, aged just 27.

The Bulgarian has recently been crowned a Turkish League champion for Bursaspor, who claimed their first-ever triumph by one point from Fenerbahce last term. The year before the stopper had helped curtail Fener's league ambitions by netting a winning penalty at the Bursa Ataturk in March 2009. Ivankov has the golden touch when it comes to scoring, with 41 over the course of his career, as well as in winning trophies. In a decade at Levski Sofia he won eight major honours. Since arriving in Turkey he has won a Turkish Cup for Keyserispor in 2008, scoring two penalties in the deciding shoot-out, as well as the Super Lig. He ranks behind only Rogerio Ceni and Jose Luis Chilavert in the all-time goalscoring goalkeeper's list.

The goalkeeper who surely must rank as one of Sir Alex Ferguson's greatest ever signings for Manchester United scored six times for Hvidovre in the Danish first division in 1985, almost 20 per cent of the team's goals, but still ended up relegated. He scored twice more for Brondby before departing for England. Schmeichel was a pioneer of the last-minute dash to the opposition penalty box when behind and was rewarded with an unlikely goal against Rotor Volgograd in a 1995 UEFA Cup match. He repeated the trick for Aston Villa in October 2001 in a 3-2 defeat at Everton. Schmeichel claimed the 1992 European Championship with the Denmark national team and accrued a glut of honours, both team and individual at Old Trafford, culminating in the 1999 Treble triumph.

It has become trite to claim that goalkeepers are really just frustrated outfield players but no player fulfilled that stereotype better than Jorge Campos, the Mexico legend. He began his career in 1988 at Pumas and could not dislodge their number one netminder so he played the season as a forward, scoring 14 times. Throughout his time in the game he often grew bored in goal and was placed in a striking berth by his coaches, to good effect, scoring 38 times in his playing days. Despite being only 1.68m, he won 130 caps for el Tri as a goalkeeper and played at both 1994 and 1998 World Cup tournaments. He is fondly remembered by international audiences for his bizarre, self-designed range of kit. Campos has also been immortalised in a range of Japanese Manga comics.

The Germany international holds the distinction of having scored against Juventus for three different clubs in the Champions League, the most recent goal against the Bianconeri coming in the vital win for Bayern Munich last winter. Butt has been made infamous in video thanks to the predicament in which he found himself after scoring for Bayer Leverkusen in April 2004. He scored a penalty but could only watch on as Mike Hanke, of Schalke, scored straight from the kick-off as the Werkself failed to complete their celebrations in time. In all, Butt has scored 29 times for Hamburg, Bayer and Bayern and remains first choice at the Allianz Arena.

Jailed for his part in a kidnapping involving two of Colombia's most notorious drug lords, Rene Higuita is one of the most 'colourful' characters ever to have played the game. He won 68 caps for Colombia, scoring eight times in the process. That return gives him a better international strike rate than Emile Heskey. He played at the World Cup in 1990 and gained infamy for his outfield dawdling prior to Roger Milla's goal for Cameroon which knocked the South Americans out of the tournament. At club level he played most consistently for Atletico Nacional, winning a Copa Libertadores in 1989. Throughout his career, which ended in January at the age of 43, he netted 38 strikes across 13 clubs. 'El Loco' also invented the Scorpion Kick at Wembley in 1995 from a misplaced Jamie Redknapp cross and served a ban for testing positive for cocaine. Surely a candidate for a film biopic.

Not the most prolific of candidates on the list but his goal certainly had the most profound effect on the club for which he scored his solitary professional strike. Carlisle United were heading out of league football towards the end of the 1998-99 season. They signed Glass on loan from Swindon Town as emergency cover following the departure of two other shot-stoppers on their books. In their final match of the term, against Plymouth Argyle, Carlisle needed a win to avoid the drop out of the Football League. Deep into injury time, they got a corner, for which Glass went forward. Following a scramble he volleyed home, saving his club from the doom of relegation with the last kick of the season, sparking euphoric scenes at Brunton Park. He only played three matches for Carlisle but established himself as a hero in that space of time thanks to his unforgettable contribution. Truly, the stuff of fantasy.

The first goalkeeper ever to score a hat-trick was hugely successful throughout his long and often controversial career, earning respect as a renowned free-kick specialist. For the Paraguay national team he racked up an impressive eight goals, including four in the qualification campaign for the 2002 World Cup, and enjoyed nine fruitful seasons in Argentina with Velez Sarsfield, for whom he scored close to 50 goals. He won four league titles, a Copa Libertadores as well as an Intercontinental Cup against Milan in 1994. He created history alongside River Plate's Roberto Bonano in 2000 when both 'keepers scored in the same Libertadores game. The former Strasbourg custodian was never far from the eye of a storm, refusing to play for Paraguay at the 1999 Copa America as he believed his country's government was not spending enough money on education. He also spat on Roberto Carlos and demanded Brazil give back land claimed after the War of the Triple Alliance in the 19th century after accusing the diminutive full-back of racism in a 2002 qualifier. A character, to be sure.

The undisputed king of the goalscoring goalkeepers. No other netminder has registered more at the other end than Ceni. The Brazil international has played over 900 times for Sao Paulo and holds the record for goals scored in the Copa Libertadores for his club. Ceni is close to racking up a century of strikes for the Tricolor with 89 scored. And with him on free-kick and penalty duty, there is a fair chance yet of him making that milestone. In 2006 in a league game against Cruzeiro he saved a penalty while 2-0 down. Minutes later he scored through a free-kick and later levelled the match with a penalty. In a long, illustrious career, Ceni has claimed two Copa Libertadores titles, three Brazilian leagues and a World Club Championship against Liverpool in 2005.