Who have been the most influential players on his career?
Thursday 18 September 2014 19:34, UK
We asked our football expert, former England international Kevin Davies, to name the his timeline of favourite footballers from boyhood idol to present day icon. Read on to find out his five selections...
BRYAN ROBSON
I have images of him playing for England almost broken in half with blood on his face - he was my first real hero. Until I was 16/17 I was a central midfielder, so all my childhood and teen years at Sheffield Boys and Sheffield United I played in the midfield. I took to Robson's desire and determination; he was like Lionheart playing for England and a real leader. He was the one on the posters on my wall and on the stickers I collected. I aspired to be like him.
THE PARTNERSHIP OF BRIAN DEANE AND TONY AGANA
Being a young boy growing up in Sheffield and just up the road from Bramall Lane, my brother would drag me down to watch games in The Kop with his mates. There were some top players at the club then like Keith Edwards, but I have to pick the partnership between Brian Deane and Tony Agana. The pair had a really good understanding of each other and as a huge Blades fan I loved watching them. When I got in to the club's school of excellence we got to train near them and I'd see Brian Deane - he just looked huge, a colossus. For me, coming from a council estate up the road to playing amongst my heroes meant so much me and these are the two I looked up to when I was a teenager.
PAUL GASCOIGNE
Gazza just had something we don't see too much in an England shirt and I don't think we've seen anyone nearly as good as him in terms of flair since. He played the game like a foreigner with the skill he had and that character. Gascoigne was the first player that really caught my eye for ability alone. I have such great memories of him scoring those free kicks in the FA Cup semi-final for Tottenham and the smile he had when he played - he just loved playing football and that's what got through to me as a kid and it's something I've tried to do as well.
GIANFRANCO ZOLA
I'm getting into my playing career now. I must admit, I've never really been star struck and over the years I've been lucky enough to play against some of the best players in world; the likes of Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry, but I remember back to my first year at Southampton after moving from League One Chesterfield and we were playing Chelsea. I was warming up and touching my toes and as I looked through my legs I saw Zola and at that moment I felt like I'd arrived; this was where I wanted to be and this was where I wanted to play football. It was a ‘seize the moment’ feeling, looking back to where I'd come from to where I was now. Zola was just a little magician and possibly one of the best imports we've had in the Premier League.
CRISTIANO RONALDO
For young players looking for an idol, Cristiano Ronaldo is the one. He made his Man United debut when I made mine for Bolton and in that game, even though he must have been a teenager at the time, you could already tell he was something special, similar to when I first saw Wayne Rooney - you just knew they had it. Jese Rodriguez tweeted: 'I remember the first time I went to Real Madrid's training. I got there two hours earlier to impress my coaches but when I reached (sic) I saw Cristiano." That quote sums him up and should be pinned up in all the academies and schools. He's so motivated to win things and do well for his club and country, but also because he wants to be the best. Ronaldo has the drive and dedication and is a top professional.
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