Gerd Müller
“… Today, it’s the prolific striker, ranked 13th in our original list, who scored for West Germany in the 1974 final. There is one thing every footballer in this book has in common. It’s a bit technical, so apologies for blinding you with jargon here, and please don’t feel too bad if you don’t completely follow, but here it is: They’re all really good at football. … Are those two things different? Maybe not. But Gerd Müller made up for not being stellar at the other stuff, the things we often talk about when we talk about the “greats”, by being maybe the best there ever was at the game’s most fundamental task. …”
NYT/ATH

Garrincha — The king of the playground “Today, it is the Brazilian who came in 14th in our 100, having decorated the national team’s performances for 11 years. Before the hard sell comes a pause. He stands there, briefly upright. It’s as if he is rifling through his mental hard-drive, looking for the right words for a lover or a child or a jury — although, given what we know about him, it’s more than possible he’s just looking at distant clouds. It’s a split second, over in the flap of a bird’s wing, but it seems longer. It feels like just this side of forever. …”
NYT/ATH
Garrincha in full flight against Wales at the 1958 World Cup