A list of our favourite footballers from the 1980's, a decade that was home to some of the Goalhanger's favourite-ever players,
and undoubtedly inspired by the beautiful football conjured up by some of the national teams of this period,
such as the Brazilian team of 1982, and the French team of 1984 and 1986.
It's also distinctly possible that we had a few of the players as a multiple-swap in a Panini album and they've stuck in our subconscious ever since,
or that they one had a half-decent game in a European Cup Winners Cup final and we believed like they played like that in every match.
Whatever the reason, they're on our list...
So here's a list of the Goalhanger's favourites from the 1980's, including the club(s) they were playing at when we really liked them...
Favourite Footballers of the 1980's from Algeria
| Player | Favourite Club(s) in the 1980s | Why ? |
| Lakhdar Belloumi | GC Mascara | Classy midfielder who graced the 1982 and 1986 World Cup. If he'd moved to one of the big European leagues he would surely have been a huge star. |
Favourite Footballers of the 1980's from Argentina
| Player | Favourite Club(s) in the 1980s | Why ? |
| Osvaldo Ardiles | Spurs | |
| José Luis Brown | Estudiantes LP | Small things amuse small minds. And so it was with José Luis Brown, as we laughed heartily in the school playground about an Argentinian footballer called Brown at the 1986 World Cup. He had the last laugh though, scoring in the final against West Germany and heroically refusing to be substituted despite injuring his shoulder. |
| Jorge Burruchaga | Independiente, Nantes | |
| Ramón Díaz | River Plate | |
| Mario Kempes | Valencia, River Plate | |
| Diego Maradona | Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli | |
| Daniel Passarella | River Plate, Fiorentina | |
| Alberto Tarantini | River Plate | |
| Jorge Valdano | Real Madrid | |
| Ricardo Villa | Spurs | |
Favourite Footballers of the 1980's from Austria
| Player | Favourite Club(s) in the 1980s | Why ? |
| Hans Krankl | Barcelona, Rapid Vienna | |
| Herbert Prohaska | Inter Milan, Austria Vienna | |
| Bruno Pezzey | Eintracht Frankfurt, Werder Bremen | |
Favourite Footballers of the 1980's from Australia
| Player | Favourite Club(s) in the 1980s | Why ? |
| Craig Johnston | Middlesborough, Liverpool | |
Favourite Footballers of the 1980's from Belgium
| Player | Favourite Club(s) in the 1980s | Why ? |
| Jan Ceulemans | Club Brugge | |
| Nico Claesen | Standard Liège | |
| Eric Gerets | Standard Liege, PSV Eindhoven | |
| Jean-Marie Pfaff | Beveren, Bayern Munich | |
| Enzo Scifo | Anderlecht, Auxerre | |
| François Van Der Elst | West Ham Utd | |
| Erwin Vandenbergh | Lierse, Anderlecht, Lille | |
| Franky Vercauteren | Anderlecht | |
Favourite Footballers of the 1980's from Brazil
| Player | Favourite Club(s) in the 1980s | Why ? |
| Branco | Brescia, Porto | |
| Careca | Napoli | |
| Walter Casagrande | Corinthians | |
| Falcão | Roma | |
| Júnior | Flamengo, Torino | Awesome left-back. |
| Josimar | Botafogo | |
| Müller | São Paulo, Torino | |
| Sócrates | Corinthians | |
| Zico | Flamengo, Udinese | |
Favourite Footballers of the 1980's from the Czechoslovakia
| Player | Favourite Club(s) in the 1980s | Why ? |
| Antonín Panenka | Rapid Vienna | Ok, so he didn't do 'that' penalty in the 1980's, but he was still a quality player. |
Favourite Footballers of the 1980's from the Denmark
| Player | Favourite Club(s) in the 1980s | Why ? |
| Søren Busk | K.A.A. Gent | |
| Preben Elkjær | Lokeren, Verona | |
| Søren Lerby | Ajax, Bayern Munich, PSV Eindhoven | |
| Jesper Olsen | Ajax, Manchester Utd | |
| Morten Olsen | Anderlecht | |
| Allan Simonsen | Barcelona, Charlton Athletic, Vejle BK | |
Favourite Footballers of the 1980's from England
| Player | Favourite Club(s) in the 1980s | Why ? |
| Tony Agana | Sheffield Utd | |
| Paul Bracewell | Everton | Classy midfielder who would have surely won more than 3 caps for England had it not been for serious injuries. |
| Kevin Brock | Oxford Utd | |
| Steve Bull | Wolves | |
| Nigel Clough | Notts Forest | |
| Gorden Cowans | Aston Villa | |
| Laurie Cunningham | Real Madrid | |
| Brian Deane | Sheffield Utd | |
| Alan Devonshire | West Ham | |
| Louie Donowa | Norwich City | |
| Trevor Francis | Notts Forest, Sampdoria | |
| Tony Galvin | Spurs | |
| Paul Goddard | West Ham | |
| Vince Hilaire | Crystal Palace | |
| Ricky Hill | Luton Town | |
| David Hirst | Sheffield Wednesday | |
| Glenn Hoddle | Spurs, Monaco | |
| Steve Hodge | Notts Forest | |
| Paul Lake | Man City | |
| Brian Marwood | Sheffield Wednesday | |
| Kevin Keegan | Southampton, Newcastle Utd | |
| Tony Morley | Aston Villa | |
| Alan McLoughlin | Swindon Town | |
| Andy Mutch | Wolves | |
| Stuart Pearce | Notts Forest | |
| Bryan Robson | West Brom, Man Utd | |
| David Rocastle | Arsenal | Beautifully elegant player, with lovely dribbling skills. |
| Kenny Sansom | Crystal Palace, Arsenal | |
| Mel Sterland | Sheffield Wednesday | |
| Chris Waddle | Newcastle, Spurs, Marseille | |
| Des Walker | Notts Forest | |
| Tony Woodcock | 1. FC Köln, Arsenal | |
Favourite Footballers of the 1980's from France
| Player | Favourite Club(s) in the 1980s | Why ? |
| Manuel Amoros | Monaco, Marseille | |
| Patrick Battiston | St Etienne, Bordeaux | |
| Maxime Bossis | Nantes | |
| Bernard Genghini | Sochaux, St Etienne, Monaco | |
| Alain Giresse | Bordeaux | |
| Jean-François Larios | St Etienne | |
| Michel Platini | St Etienne, Juventus | |
| Dominique Rocheteau | Paris Saint-Germain | |
| Didier Six | VfB Stuttgart | |
| Jean Tigana | Bordeaux | |
Favourite Footballers of the 1980's from Hungary
| Player | Favourite Club(s) in the 1980s | Why ? |
| László Kiss | Vasas | |
| Tibor Nyilasi | Ferencvaros, Austria Vienna | |
Favourite Footballers of the 1980's from Iceland
| Player | Favourite Club(s) in the 1980s | Why ? |
| Siggi Jónsson | Sheffield Wednesday | |
Favourite Footballers of the 1980's from Italy
| Player | Favourite Club(s) in the 1980s | Why ? |
| Alessandro Altobelli | Inter Milan | |
| Giancarlo Antognoni | Fiorentina | |
| Franco Baresi | AC Milan | |
| Antonio Cabrini | Juventus | |
| Claudio Gentile | Juventus | |
| Paolo Rossi | Juventus | |
| Marco Tardelli | Juventus | |
| Dino Zoff | Juventus | |
Favourite Footballers of the 1980's from the Netherlands
| Player | Favourite Club(s) in the 1980s | Why ? |
| John Metgod | Real Madrid, Notts Forest | |
| Frans Thijssen | Ipswich Town | |
| Hans van Breukelen | Notts Forest, PSV Eindhoven | |
Favourite Footballers of the 1980's from the Northern Ireland
| Player | Favourite Club(s) in the 1980s | Why ? |
| Kingsley Black | Luton Town | |
Favourite Footballers of the 1980's from Poland
| Player | Favourite Club(s) in the 1980s | Why ? |
| Zbigniew Boniek | Widzew Lódz, Juventus, Roma | |
| Wlodzimierz Smolarek | Widzew Lódz, Eintracht Frankfurt | |
Favourite Footballers of the 1980's from the Republic of Ireland
| Player | Favourite Club(s) in the 1980s | Why ? |
| Ray Houghton | Oxford Utd, Liverpool | |
| Mike Milligan | Oldham Athletic | |
| John Sheridan | Leeds Utd, Sheffield Wednesday | |
Favourite Footballers of the 1980's from Scotland
| Player | Favourite Club(s) in the 1980s | Why ? |
| Steve Archibald | Spurs, Barcelona | |
| George Burley | Ipswich Town | |
| Davie Cooper | Rangers | |
| Kenny Dalglish | Liverpool | |
| Ian Durrant | Rangers | |
| Gary Gillespie | Coventry City, Liverpool | Elegant central defender and one of the few players whose autograph the Goalhanger had, after attending a West Brom v Coventry match and spotting him afterwards. |
| Alan Hansen | Liverpool | |
| Maurice Malpas | Dundee Utd | |
| Paul McStay | Celtic | |
| Pat Nevin | Chelsea, Everton | |
| Charlie Nicholas | Celtic, Arsenal | |
| Steve Nicol | Liverpool | |
| John Robertson | Notts Forest | |
| Graeme Souness | Liverpool, Sampdoria, Rangers | |
| David Speedie | Chelsea, Coventry City | |
| Gordon Strachan | Aberdeen, Man Utd | |
| Paul Sturrock | Dundee Utd | |
| John Wark | Ipswich Town | |
Favourite Footballers of the 1980's from Spain
| Player | Favourite Club(s) in the 1980s | Why ? |
| Luis Arconada | Real Sociedad | |
| José Antonio Camacho | Real Madrid | |
| Francisco José Carrasco | Barcelona | Winger with some fantastic displays of creative dribbling for Barca in La Liga and some European matches. |
| Rafael Gordillo | Real Madrid | Was there any better sight in the 1980's than Rafael Gordillo rampaging down the left flank with his socks rolled down and a host of bemused defenders and midfielders in his wake ? One of our all-time favourites who had a great laid-back style and was equally comfortable at full back or on the left side of midfield. |
| Juanito | Real Madrid | |
| Quini | Barcelona | |
| Santillana | Real Madrid | |
| Roberto López Ufarte | Real Sociedad | |
| Jesus Zamora | Real Sociedad | |
Favourite Footballers of the 1980's from Uruguay
| Player | Favourite Club(s) in the 1980s | Why ? |
| Rubén Sosa | Lazio | Nicknamed El Principito (The Little Prince) by Uruguayan fans, Sosa was a quick and creative left-footed forward. Great skills and capable of smashing home some long range efforts too. |
Favourite Footballers of the 1980's from the USA
| Player | Favourite Club(s) in the 1980s | Why ? |
| Roy Wegerle | Luton Town, QPR | Skillful forward capable of playing in a number of attacking roles. |
Favourite Footballers of the 1980's from the USSR
| Player | Favourite Club(s) in the 1980s | Why ? |
| Sergei Baltacha | Dynamo Kiev, Ipswich Town | |
| Oleg Blokhin | Dynamo Kiev | |
| Aleksandre Chivadze | Dinamo Tbilisi | |
| Rinat Dasayev | Spartak Moscow | |
| Ivan Yaremchuk | Dynamo Kiev | |
Favourite Footballers of the 1980's from Wales
| Player | Favourite Club(s) in the 1980s | Why ? |
| Dean Saunders | Oxford Utd, Derby County | |
Favourite Footballers of the 1980's from West Germany
| Player | Favourite Club(s) in the 1980s | Why ? |
| Klaus Allofs | 1. FC Köln | |
| Hans-Peter Briegel | 1. FC Kaiserslautern, Hellas Verona | |
| Karlheinz Förster | VfB Stuttgart | |
| Hansi Müller | VfB Stuttgart, Inter Milan | |
| Manfred Kaltz | Hamburger SV | One of our all-time favourites. There was no better sight than 'Manni' getting forward from right back and bending in one of his famous "Bananenflanken" (banana crosses). |
| Pierre Littbarski | 1. FC Köln | |
| Felix Magath | Hamburger SV | |
| Lothar Matthäus | Borussia Mönchengladbach, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan | |
| Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, Servette | |
| Harald Schumacher | 1. FC Köln | Like him or loathe him for 'that challenge', there's no doubting that Schumacher was a top keeper. |
| Bernd Schuster | Barcelona, Real Madrid | |
| Uli Stielike | Real Madrid | |
Favourite Footballers of the 1980's from Yugoslavia
| Player | Favourite Club(s) in the 1980s | Why ? |
| Vahid Halilhodžic | Nantes | |
| Safet Sušic | FK Sarajevo, Paris Saint-Germain | |
Favourite Footballers of the 1980's from Zimbabwe
| Player | Favourite Club(s) in the 1980s | Why ? |
| Bruce Grobelaar | Liverpool | Eccentric. Flamboyant. And not too shabby in the nets either. |