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Classic Football Youtube #2: ROBERT PROSINECKI
By general consensus Robert Prosine?ki is pretty far down the list of 'greatest footballers of all time', but I am of the opinion that that is a bit harsh on the man.
Prosine?ki is widely regarded to have wasted a lot of his talent with a rather questionable work ethic and a 40-a-day smoking habit, and that's certainly applicable to the later stages of his career. But was his talent really wasted when you consider that at the age of 22 he was the star playmaker in the Red Star Belgrade team that won the European Cup? Most players would struggle for motivation after such an achievement.
His club career after Red Star might've been characterised by underachievement, but Prosine?ki's international career illustrated just how good he was when he was motivated: he was a crucial part of the Croatia side that finished a remarkable 3rd in the 1998 World Cup, only being knocked out by the hosts and eventual winners in the semi-final. For such a small country, this was remarkable.
I particularly enjoyed this video of Red Star's demolition of an extremely strong Glasgow Rangers side on route to that European Cup triumph. Prosine?ki is easy to pick out as he's the ginger one that seems to win the game all by himself:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=_JZGu4hYM9c
These two videos are pretty entertaining too, being made up largely of clips of Prosine?ki in his Red Star days:
Dribbling:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=RPYYPYcYxvU
Goals:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=2_nMf6zr2Ko
But maybe the best thing about Robert Prosine?ki is that he joined Portsmouth when they were shit and did this:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=XOiMYZQPblQ
And isn't that why we watch football?
NEXT UP: I haven't decided yet. Maybe someone South American.