What makes a great player?

“Be not afraid of greatness,” William Shakespeare wrote. “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.”

Muhammad Ali simplified the issue by declaring himself the greatest.

But in team sports, where players must complement one another, it was Ferenc Puskas of Hungary who once said that every team needs artists who can play the piano, and artisans who can carry the piano on the stage for them.

Puskas played on a great team that never won the World Cup. Having been in a privileged position over the years to discuss players and teams with Puskas, Pele, Johan Cruyff and others, the only definite conclusion I can reach is that greatness is largely a matter of opinion.

(Click here to read the rest of the article.)