Who Do You Play Like?

Poulsen, on a bad day.

Poulsen, on a bad day.

I was playing football with the kids on the green last weekend and I thought I was going to have a heart attack mate, I was fooked, in saying that 9-10 year olds have too much energy.

So I know this sounds silly, but since I'm a dumb foreigner who's worried . Are there pickup games of football going on all the time? Out here you really have to schedule them. Like are there fields that are always open, with little games always happening?

Why do you want to know?

I can only speak for my country kevinho, Netherlands if you didn't know. If the weather is decent there's usually games going in certain places once kids are off from school and in the evening. Especially in poorer urban neighbourhoods there tends to be alot of football on the streets. When I was still a kid kids used to play on the streets more than they do now though, but I think there's still alot of football going on. I live downtown in the city now, but where I grew up I knew at least 5 places nearby where I could play football on a daily basis, grass fields but also asphalt courts. However, the last few years Johan Cruyff has made an effort in my country to give kids a better place to play football. Most people probably know Johan Cruyff is a legend in my country, but he also has his own university now for athletes and his own foundation etc. With his foundation he's been building Cruyff Courts all over my country, there's a couple of hundred of them by now, open for everybody, they all have artificial grass. It's to keep kids occupied, healthy and obviously to improve football in my country. Wherever I go and see one of those courts it's usually filled with kids, and there's alot of those courts in the bigger cities.

When it comes to adults here though, they usually play at clubs, or they play futsal. Then again, club football is huge in my country, there's about 1.2 million people playing football for a club here, considering we only have about 16 million population that's quite a bit.

In Rio, you'll see football everywhere. Particularly in the poorer and more residential areas, there'll always be kids playing football no matter the conditions. When I was a kid, I played a lot of football using shoes as goalposts, usually only 2 vs 2 or 3 vs 3, no keepers, only small goals

Last week in a rainy day I saw 5 kids playing football in a pitch of sand which was all full of water, in some areas of the pitch your whole foot would be under water but they were still playing, 2 vs 2, both teams scoring in the same goal, with only 1 keeper (used to play a lot like that too).

As for more 'serious', adult games, you can find free pitches in many places, but I think most people schedule their games, it's quite cheap when you divide the price of using the pitch for all the players, so it's no big problem.

I think the fact you need so little to play a football game is one of the reasons why it's so popular.

I play like The King.





Sweaty, Drunk, burger'd up and in clothes far too tight for myself.

I play like The King.





Sweaty, Drunk, burger'd up and in clothes far too tight for myself.

I play like Carra - Hoof.

I'm a cross between Pepe and Carra. Strikers in school were scared of me. Would get ball and player most of the time then quickly release it down the wing for a counter. Nobody ever went in for a 50-50. In 5 a side I played keeper and defender.

I should add Agger to that - Because I'm alway F***ing injured

Tommy Smith!. 

Tommy Smith!. 

Ooooo.....definitely hardcore 

I'm Harry Kewell. Right down to the last detail. Great cross, great short passer to release others, can finish like a beast, agile, pretty one footed but decent opposite foot (right, not left like Kewell), can hit a fierce long shot wherever i want it to go, i rate my free kicks after i have one or two sighters, but dead set i couldn't last 10 minutes without a knock or injury let alone 90. And it's usually my groin or hip just like Harry. I'm lucky to come off at halftime without a bandage, or ice/heat pack on a muscle somewhere on my body.

Still hate the tosser though.

I was quite good when younger playing for county teams and getting various trials but I never gave soccer my all really. It always came second to GAA.

I don't play these days. When I did, I was either central midfield, left wing or up front so I cant pick a player.

I'll say Damien Duff for left wing, a young Owen up front and midfield I was decent but awful lazy tracking back so..... Ozil??

Its nice to put myself in the same bracket as those players but unfortunately I was not good enough haha.

Ha how pathetic. I post this, and a day later i injure my groin kicking a football

Ha how pathetic. I post this, and a day later i injure my groin kicking a football

Stop having a w*nk before the game and you'll be alright

I'm versatile enough to play anywhere but goalkeeper. I don't think I've ever played as an out and out striker either. Can't really be a target men as I'm usually the shortest on the pitch but I do love starting attacks and I'm usually the playmaker

Daniel Agger.

I play as centre back who is good on the ball have a great short and long pass and love playing the ball out of the back.

I F***ing hate clearing and hoofing the ball it drives me F***ing insane when other back resort to it happens alot at the level I play. I swear since my missus bought me an Agger shirt 2 months ago I have had more injuries then I have had the last ten years or so I have been playing.

Carragher. Poor mans at best.

I used to be a naturally left sided winger until I got old and fat, now I'm a centre mid. Don't have great pace but I can pick a pass and almost always play to feet or slide balls through for the faster players but i have a small cannon concealed in my left boot which serves me very well I guess I'm a very very poor man's Xabi Alonso.

I am a physical defensive midfielder and I am an expert at tackling. I'd say I'm closest to Javier Mascherano's style of play, just nowhere near as good as him .

I'll give you my stats so you can say who I play like.

I'm right footed and I think I'm best at passing. Maybe more of the long passing type and crossing although my short passes are good too. . I'm not really fast so I rely on being tricky to get past players. Not like I'm extremely technical ala Robinho but I'm more of an intelligent dribbler, I like to do unexpected turns and stuff. With some space I can take more than one player without extreme effort, however don't expect me to get past 5 player running at 70mph like Carlton Cole. I'm more of a pick the ball - get past one - put a good pass/cross player.

However my defensive skills lack a lot - I'm not good tracking back. On a 1vs1 physical fight for the ball I'm good but I'm not the player that'll stop every incoming attack that goes near him Mascha-like. If I get in position however I'm useful enough. I'm so-so in the air . Not very tall (1.81m) but I jump fairly high and am decently built. I win headers pretty easily but my heading technique is a bit lacking in the direction department. Good enough tackling if I'm close enough but as I said before my problem is mostly positioning.

What I like about me is being 80% two-footed. I can put nice passes/crosses from both feet. I can also shoot with both feet. However I'm not a cannonball shooting player, I tend to put some slower but more directed shots. I'm very good at free kicks.

But I can't defend. When I played in Belgium I used to play as a drifting-in LM because we played 5-2-2-1, so I could drift in a lot because my left back had plenty of freedom to run and was a thunderbolt from Congo. Our striker used to get to the wings too so there was plenty of space for me to move in the center of the field.

When I got back to Peru I stopped playing any kind of competitive football. Nowadays I play futsal and love it to bits.

I would like to think i play like crespo because i like him and I have been topscorer in 4 tournaments. Played with a Local club side until 23 but decided to go for my Phd degree. Still in the university team now at the ripe old age of 25. I don't have real pace but have a good shot on me when the goings good but i wouldn't recommend the ladies to cheer for me behind the goal though for i might occasionally hit some shots way off target

I've decided i'm Shelvey.
Got the quality there, can ping a pass quite easily and can shoot, good on the ball, probably got more pace than him, but I'm young and can be inconsistent at times.