Great Player: Paul Merson, he loves smile and play football

Born in Harlesden, North West London, Paul Merson started his career at Arsenal, joining the club as an apprentice in 1984. After a loan spell at Brentford, then under manager Frank McLintock, he made his debut for the Gunners on 22 November 1986 against Manchester City, and gradually established himself in George Graham's successful Arsenal side of the late 1980s. By the 1988-89 season he was a regular on the right wing, at the end of which Arsenal secured the First Division title with a last gasp Michael Thomas goal in the final game of the season against Liverpool. Merson scored ten times that season, made his debut for the England U21 side, and was voted PFA Young Player of the Year.

Merson had, by trade, been a striker, but as time went on a deeper lying role become more common. After a brief, but alarming, dip in form Paul found comfort behind Alan Smith and in tandem with winger Anders Limpar. From his new vantage point Merson could dictate the pace of an attack, combining raking diagonal passes with sharp exchanges and incisive runs. In 1991/92 he was irresistible.

However things began to go awry during the next campaign as Merson's well-documented personal problems affected his game. In late 1994 he underwent therapy for his addictions and some people believed he was finished. Not a chance.

Merson returned with a an unbroken run of over 100 appearance. The fans welcomed him back with open arms. He was a firm favourite, not least for his mercurial talent but for the manner in which he carried himself on the field. He battled with every ounce of energy whenever he wore the shirt, replacing an initial caution with moments of the original 'Merse'. In 1996 he justifiably earned a recall to the England set-up.

Merson left one summer later. Gone were his playing days at Arsenal, but the memory of both his character and playing ability will last a long, long time. With an infectious smile always on display, Merson was championed by the Highbury faithful, and his team-mates appreciated him too. The Londoner bought flair and imagination to the Arsenal side, often producing the spectacular and unexpected. Paul Merson simply loved playing football.

credits to: http://www.arsenal.com/

Great Player: Luis Enrique, versatily player and spanish leader

Luis Enrique was a born leader, and highly committed, for which reason he was one of the èquipo captains. His finest quality was his versatility, the characteristic that best describes his way of playing, although there were so many more. He normally played as a linkman with the out and out striker, although he would also play in wider positions, or even as centre forward. Luis Enrique came to FC Barcelona in the summer of 1996 as a free agent after having played at Real Madrid for five seasons.

Luis Enrique was born in Gijón, Asturias. After starting his career with local Sporting de Gijón, he spent most of it with the two biggest Spanish clubs: first Real Madrid for five seasons and, in a stunning move, he saw out his contract and moved to fierce rivals FC Barcelona on a free transfer. The Catalan club's supporters were at first understandably hesitant about their new acquisition, but he soon won the culés heart, staying eight years with the club, eventually becoming first-team captain, and scoring several times in El Clásico against his former employers. His usual position was right or attacking midfielder, but he was notable for his versatility, having played in all positions throughout his career except central defender and goalkeeper.

He was a skilled and tireless worker, and a great goalscorer too, especially when coming from behind, where he was never was one to throw in the towel, even in the most difficult of situations. He would constantly encourage his colleagues, and was an important squad member both on and off the pitch. The character and flair of this Asturian set an example for the fans to admire. He stayed at Barça until he finally hung up his boots in 2004. In his first three seasons with Barcelona, Enrique netted 46 La Liga goals, with Barça finishing runner-up in 1996–97, subsequently winning back-to-back domestic championship accolades.

Numbers of Luis Enrique into Barca: - Seasons at the club: 1996-2004 - Games played: 354 - Goals scored: 123. - Trophies: 1 Cup Winners Cup (1996/97), 1 European Super Cup (1997), 2 Leagues (1997/98 and 98/99), 2 Copa del Rey (1996/97 and 97/98), 1 Spanish Super Cup (1996),  2 Copa Catalunya (99-2000, 2003-2004).

credits to: http://arxiu.fcbarcelona.cat

Great Player: David Platt, Gunner midfielder with true class

David Platt arrived at Highbury with the pedigree to match most footballers of his time. Arsenal pays £4.75m to sign veteran England international David Platt from the Italian club Sampdoria. Platt’s contract is reportedly the second for a British footballer to include a provision that part of the money Arsenal pays him is for image rights. This money is paid into an account in an offshore tax haven and taxed at a lower rate than the salary for playing football. Dennis Bergkamp, also signed by Arsenal around this time (see June 20, 1995), has a similar provision in his contract. Some fans remain to be convinced about his true class, though his pedigree as a midfield goal-scorer cannot be disputed. His role in the team will be awaited with much interest.

"Arsenal made it clear that they really wanted me," Platt said. "My talks with Bruce Rioch were exceptional. We hit it off straight away. He is a great communicator with some exciting ideas on tactics and a definite view on how he sees me fitting into his plans."

In his first season, Arsenal finished fifth in the league and qualified for the UEFA Cup, although Rioch was soon sacked following a dispute with the board and succeeded by Frenchman, Arsène Wenger. His first season at Highbury produced the reasonable return of six goals from his 29 league appearances, with his first goal in an Arsenal shirt coming in a 2-0 win at Everton in the second game of the campaign. Platt was a regular in Wenger's first season, in the 1996–1997 season, with the North Londoners and scored four goals in his 28 League outings, mainly alongside young Patrick Vieira in the middle of the Arsenal midfield. 

The midfielder was troubled by injuries in his first two seasons, however, and the arrival of Arsène Wenger eventually saw first-team opportunities limited as Patrick Vieira and Emmanuel Petit joined the Club. 

Platt found himself used mainly as a substitute but did taste success in north London in the Double-winning season of 1997/98. His crucial late header against Manchester United proved a vital contribution and endeared himself to the Highbury faithful. Early in the 1997–1998 season, Arsenal accepted a £1.5million bid from relegated Middlesbrough for Platt, but the transfer never happened and Platt saw out the season at Highbury.

Great Player: Luis 'Luisito' Suarez, genius midfielder with Barca and Inter

Great master of Spanish football, Luis Suárez (born in La Coruña, 1935) was one of the stars of the Barça side of the late fifties, but sadly his greatest and most successful period came when he was no longer a Barça player. He had everything you could want of a footballer: amazing skill, an amazing talent for moving the ball about with his feet, great vision and a tremendous shot. But he was mainly noted for his elegant style, it was often said he was such a graceful player that he could have played in a dinner jacket. Between 1955 and 1961 Suárez was a regular in a FC Barcelona team that also included Ladislao Kubala, Zoltán Czibor, Sándor Kocsis, Ramallets and Evaristo. With Helenio Herrera as coach, the club and Suárez won a La Liga/Copa del Generalísimo double in 1959 and a La Liga/Fairs Cup double in 1960. Born in 1935, Suarez currently works in the technical secretary's office at his former club Inter Milan, where his elegance, skill on the ball, vision and crucial goals were highly appreciated during I Nerazzurris's trophy-laden 1960s. The young Suarez had first caught the eye at hometown club Deportivo La Coruna before making the switch to Barcelona in 1954, where he went on to win two league titles, two Spanish Cups and two Inter-Cities Fairs Cups during his seven-season stay.

Yet his glorious spell at the Catalan giants ended with the disappointment of a 3-2 defeat against Benfica in the final of the 1960/61 European Cup. "That's the only black mark on my time at Barcelona," said Suarez, who will have taken some consolation from helping Barça become the first team ever to knock Real Madrid out of the elite competition. "But it was the only one I lost out of so many finals, though given the way the game went it was one we should have won. It left me with a point to prove because it's such a huge competition." It was then time for the Galician genius to head to Italian football, this during a period when it was highly unusual for Spanish players to ply their trade abroad. "There have been a lot of Spanish players who have deserved that award," said Suarez on the Ballon d'Or win which had done much to raise his international profile. "So much depends on the era you find yourself living in. You need the slice of luck that comes when another great player of your time doesn't perform quite so well. There have been truly great players who have never won that award. It's not that big a deal." 

Suarez's silky skills were key to a Nerazzurri side crowned European champions in 1963/64 and 1964/65 under legendary strategist Helenio Herrera, who had coached him for a spell at Barcelona. "The Italian league had a reputation for being more defensive than it really was. Even so, teams' first priority was not to concede any goals and I came from a place with a different mindset," said the 74-year-old, on the contrast between Spanish and Italian football. "At Barcelona I played as a goalscoring midfielder but (at Inter) I had to change for the good of the team and to win titles. At the end of the day, I think I was so successful because I made so many sacrifices for a sport I loved."

credits to: http://www.fifa.com/classicfootball/stories/doyouremember/news/newsid=1091805.html