Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Manchester United legend Gary Neville has revealed that former Arsenal winger Marc Overmars is the best winger he faced in his career.
Speaking to talkSPORT, Neville said the dutch winger was his toughest opponent, some remarks from a man who faced some of the world’s greats. Neville played over 600 matches for United, and was an integral part of Ferguson’s successful United sides of the late 90s and early 2000’s. Now a Sky Sports pundit, Neville was full of praise for the flying dutchman Overmars.
When asked who was the best winger he faced, Neville had this to say:
“Marc Overmars was a tough opponent. It was tough though because Emmanuel Petit kept dropping balls over my head.”
“The worst thing for a defender is when you go tight and they spin in behind you, if you drop off they pick up to head and dribble past you, similar to Arjen Robben, Luis Figo or Franck Ribery. You are on a fine line as a defender.”
“I would say Overmars [was the toughest] because those tussles between Arsenal and Man United in the last 90s, they were the best domestic team I ever played against,” he added.
Having also mentioned the likes of Robben, Figo, and Ribery, it comes as a surprise to many to hear Overmars as Neville’s choice. That is not to say that Overmars does not belong in that category however, as the pacey winger was absolutely brilliant during his time at the club. He managed to bag an impressive 40 goals in just three seasons at the club before departing for Barcelona and could have ascended into folklore if his career was not cut short by injury.
He was just 31 when he hung up his boots to persistent injury, but on his day he could walk into XI in the world. Pace and technique in abundance, Overmars had a knack for turning nothing into something and was the provider for plenty Arsenal goals and chances.
He has been named number 12 in Arsenal’s 50 greatest players, an impressive ranking for a man who only spent three year in North London.
