Basten’ s impossible, sliding 87th-minute goal. In Holland, millions took to the streets for the largest public gathering since the Liberation in 1945. He capped it all in the final in Munich: his hooked volley over the Soviet keeper, Rinat Dasaev, is often described as the best goal ever scored in an international final.
In 1989 and 1990 his club AC Milan won two European Cups with a team built around the great Dutch trio of Van Basten, Ruud Gullit and Frank Rijkaard. Van Basten was voted European Player of the Year in 1988, 1989 and 1992.
But center-backs and surgeons combined to destroy his ankle. Van Basten limped off the stage aged only 28. At his farewell in Milan’ s San Siro two years later, his coach Fabio Capello wept on the bench.
Number 14: Michel Platini Michel Platini is arguably one of the best midfielders ever produced by the European continent. Having scored 98 goals over seven years for Nancy, Platini moved on to Turin giants Juventus in 1982, from French side St. Etienne. He quickly endeared himself to the Italian fans twice, leading Juventus to the