Might be far fetched, but what about Ryan Nelsen, best NZ player ever and has coaching experience
Wynton Rufer is our best ever player
Rufer best then daylight to the next.
When I left the UK to move to NZ in 2003 the first time I heard the name 'Rufer' was when we moved here. No one in the UK had even heard of him and I have followed football all my life.
What a load of Bollocks that is. Rufer well known if you followed football and not just your pub team.
I take it you've only known Borussia Dortmund for the last 10 years as well.
Maybe never heard of Held or Emmerich but maybe Tikowski. All Stars of that club and Germany. Point is it doesn't make a player any less of a star on the euro or world stage because someone has no knowledge of them.
First things first I never said he wasnt a good player that just I had never heard of him until I came here!
Secondly you can ask anyone in the UK that follows football and I bet 99% will never have heard of him again, thats not to say he wasnt a good player!
But lets get one thing straight there is no way you can say Rufer was a star on the world stage. I dont know about watching pub football I think you have spent to mush time in the pub!!
Its perfectly understandable that a non NZ'er hadn't heard of Rufer. Like "Accrington Stanley, who are they" ;-) I hadn't heard of Rufer until I moved to NZ (& yes, eventhough he was obviously a good player!). Of course some Germans will know him - he played in their league.
When it was more "unusual" for players to play "overseas" back in the 80's/90's people likely took more interest in their own countrymen rather than the team as a whole. ....wether Rufer at Werder Bremen, Rush at Juventus, Keegan at Hamburg, Lineker at Barca etc. It doesnt mean they'll know, recognize or remember everyone else in the team from that time. - especially without the internet or TV coverage like today.
I'm sure there will be football fans outside of the Netherlands who haven't heard much of Ryan Thomas (yet). Doesn't mean they are any less of a football fan if their focus & knowledge is on their own domestic league. Most Kiwi fans had probably never heard of PEC Zwolle before Thomas joined & are still unlikely to be able name the rest of the starting 11 eventhough they take a close interest in Thomas.
I'm sure there are many World Class players around the world (now & previously) that I haven't heard of.. If I can remember an individual like Boniek or Stoichkov should I also be able to name the rest of the starting 11 who were also very good International players?