Sorry, We Need To Talk About Dixie Dean

[@gregoriuspascalis500]

No matter the time period, to be able to dominate an era is still worthy of respect. Their skill and talent made them shine like a diamond among the sand

[@Hilversumborn]

Took the words out of my mouth

[@Alphoric]

Did you know that teams used to play with a 1-1-8 formation with only 1 defender

[@Alphoric]

@@legendsinfifa you know I realise that right I was more talking about the evolution of football to a more defensive one like Everton’s first game in the football league in 1888 both teams played with the pyramid formation but back in the day they still used a 1-1-8 formation and teams were still using the 1-1-8 formation up until the 1920s when Dixie dean played and with these formations there was also 1-2-7 2-2-6 and ones similar. 2-3-5 might have been the most popular during the 1920s but it wasn’t the only formation used and ones with 1 defender were still quite common at the time

[@andreass1518]

Completely agree

[@Gerhardium]

@@Alphoric I would very surprised if any teams in the top flight used the 1-1-8 formation into the 1920's in the top flight or even 2nd tier.

[@JohnSmith-rw2yn]

As a city fan, I don't condone anyone discrediting this guy, played in a time where someone would snap you in half as soon as you got the ball, this was school of hard knocks, make Stuart Pearce and Vinnie Jones look like choir boys. A great player, an amazing aerial specialist, he played top flight, just because it wasn't called the Premier league doesn't mean it was any less amazing. 399 games for Everton in the league with 349 league goals. The season numbers are mad, 32, 36, 39, 45 and the 60. All whilst smoking 40 a day and downing pints like sports drinks. A true legend, dying where he did seems like it was meant to be.

[@stockportlad8560]

It's even more incredible when you think that Dixie Dean played in an era with no substitutes and less games overall in a single season with no League Cup or European Competition back then.

[@JohnSmith-rw2yn]

@@stockportlad8560 Spot on 👌

[@JohnSmith-rw2yn]

@Son of Wessex Well my comment was in response to him, at the start of the video, saying about city fans posting fail compilations in response, with pictures of haaland too, so I have said as a city fan I don't like that thing, it comes across as quite an angry comment, we're on a thread about Dixie Dean and at the start a comparison to a current manchester city player. Just chill man, peace and love. ✌️

[@christophergallagher3845]

It's same with Jimmy mcgrory of celtic .

[@christophergallagher3845]

​@@JohnSmith-rw2yn can see his point . There's tons of stuff like this in football . Can also see your point too though . It's like when Inverness caley thistle get called the jags and I'm like THATS PARTICK THISTLES NAME lol

[@dontwannaname]

It should be mentioned that the marketing for England's top flight is wholly aimed at the post-1992 era. The Premier League treats the past as a mere inconvenience.

[@TJTP18]

As an Everton fan, thank you for this he deserves so much recognition.

[@gjh997]

Half the video doesn’t mention Dean 😂

[@jonarmistead4839]

Half of it does 😂

[@everton1878.]

My Granddad owned a pub in Chester and Dixie Dean owned a pub also just down the road from him so they knew each other and went for drinks often together and also I'm an Everton fan Love you Dixie Dean even if you're record's broken one day it's almost been a century since the record started RIP Dixie Dean True Evertonian Legend

[@tomheenan7246]

The owner off that pub is my landlord its called dublin packet

[@1878Originals]

60 league goals will never be broken my friend.

[@freddiemercury2075]

​@@1878Originals Harry Kane can break it

[@Guesswho-qk2kv]

@@freddiemercury2075 don’t be daft soft lad

[@freddiemercury2075]

@@Guesswho-qk2kv you do know I am kidding right, about Kane. The only way he "score" 60 is if he were to go around claiming everyone's goals. Lol

[@tommaxwell7643]

Bill Shankly said of Dixie Dean " He is the greatest centre forward there will ever be. His record of goal scoring is the most amazing thing under the sun. He belongs in the company of the supremely great, like Beethoven, Shakespeare, and Rembrandt ".

[@garypring2658]

I KNOW THAT AM A EVERTONIAN

[@mashiah1]

I hate all the "Premier league records". English football league started at 1889, not 1993. History wasn't deleted just because the name of the top football division was changed

[@Kyle-mw3bo]

Honestly I have the exact opposite opinion. I think it’s a lot more useful to have records based on a modern version of the game than ones set back before living memory

[@jakecolleran10]

@@Kyle-mw3bo We shouldn’t forget about impressive and important football records just because they happened a long time ago. We just need to add context to them, we don’t need to discredit or forget them.

[@VelvetMetrolink]

But using the phrase "Premier League Records" doesn't imply that there are no previous records. Quite the opposite as the first two words act as a qualifier. And it was quite a long time ago. I know, I remember the change well. There is no harm done to Dixie Dean or anyone else by pointing out something hasn't been done in the last 30 years.

[@pisstakecentral]

​@@Kyle-mw3bovery dangerous and ignorant mentality and this is kinda why we are witnessing the repetition of history

[@92mrcheese]

@@Kyle-mw3bo but the premier league wasn’t about new rules or anything being implemented.

[@kozukizaki8675]

Unapologetically, THANK YOU. As an American who started watching English footy in 2011, it's cool to get a perspective on these records. This was something that caught my interest when I noticed the insane record, players like Puskás, Kubala, Fritz Walter, Neil Franklin, Matthias Sindelar, etc. are really brought to life by your amazing story telling and interesting bits of history you bestow upon on us. Thanks, and waiting on that Crisis of Mexican Football 😉

[@jjjamelo]

bro go to sleep

[@YoungMarkGoldbridge]

Hey bro. Look into Sir Stanley Matthews :) have a good day

[@kieronparr3403]

Bert Trautmann

[@wolfcrewe7474]

Gerd Muller of Bayern Munich.

[@d3csy]

​@@wolfcrewe7474 shh

[@BOABModels]

I've been listening to the MOTD Top Ten podcast recently and Micah Richards shows just how little is known about football even from before the '80s, letalone from Dean's period. He didnt know, for example, that substitutes werent permitted even in the case of injury during the 1960s. When you consider that a player like Dean would have had to start and play 90 minutes every game to score so many, it is pretty amazing. No coming off the bench late to get the winner for example. Just to clarify, I do like the podcast and I recommend it to anyone else.

[@EagleEyes77]

True. A friend told me he thinks players of old are overrated, so the likes of John Charles, etc., don't make sense to him. I told him it's part of football history so it's necessary that I know all these, that's why I like watching very old matches. And yes, those guys understood tactics. I think football has been the same since the ages, cos the concept of sweepers and even false nines started with the Austrians and others.

[@BOABModels]

​@@EagleEyes77 it's odd when you compare football fans to say, baseball or cricket fans. Players from the past such as Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio in the case of baseball or Don Bradman and WG Grace for cricket are as famous as anyone playing today.

[@EagleEyes77]

@@BOABModels that's true.

[@jonathanmartin4125]

People like Richards but he isn’t the smartest is he really? But then footballers in Vernell aren’t. You watch interviews they can’t answer basic questions and always come out with the media trained answers

[@AdamCanavan12]

@@BOABModels Pele, Maradona, Best, Yashin, Cruyff, platini, Charlton, gerd muller, Romario, Keegan, Bobby Moore. I wasn’t even alive when these guys played and I still know their names and so many more. Football is littered with legends, it’s just football Twitter and the likes that don’t respect the history but they also don’t respect anything ever and the media acts like it’s what people actually think.

[@dreadful_name2924]

My Grandad grew up in Liverpool, and will have been a kid while Dean was playing. He said both Liverpool and Everton used to open their gates early to let people beat the rush, so the local boys would run up and watch the last 20 minutes of every match for free. So more than likely, my Grandad was there watching Dean in his record season for free. I just wish I'd asked him about it now!

[@fatwallet13]

I was one of those boys, me & my mate would often run in when large gates were open & catch last 15 - 20 minutes 😀Happier times.

[@kmully8873]

Yes, My Uncle used to take my Ma into the "three-quarter" time. Think it was something to do with letting people out early to miss the rush, like a lot of people do nowadays to miss the traffic. But also allowing people in to see the last bits. Imagine Sky, BT, et al. allowing you to see the last 23 mins of the match for free (wtf!?)

[@bartcroxford8160]

As an Everton fan Tommy Lawtons tribute to dean genuinely made me emotional. Its mental how a player who played 100 years ago can have such an impact on me. My great grandfather must if only been a kid at the time and obviously I never met him but he was an everton fan his son an everton fan my dad an everton fan, the club links us together he watched the great dixie dean help make everton the club what it is. It's what makes football so special how it can connect people

[@Scolopente]

Yeah, but it's a marketing ploy. Hero-worshipping Dean in a book you'll sell to Dean fans makes a lot of sense. To be clear, that isn't to say that Dean wasn't amazing and the praise isn't justly deserved, but just that it would have occurred whether it was deserved or not.

[@stewartellinson8846]

Glad you've done this - Dean must have been quite some player to be as dominant in his era as he was, just as Haaland is in his era. I suspect either would have been as good in the other's era because they have those gifts. Haaland in the twenties would have drunk with the lads and eaten pies, whilst dean today would have been in the gym 'till late and first at training.What they both have is a gift and that's timeless.

[@gheezy1913]

Dixie Dean was a world class player in his time and has a rare record nobody will ever beat. My grandad grew up in Coventry but watched Dixie for Tranmere and says he was brilliant

[@garypring2658]

HAALAND ?

[@bonjouritsready]

@@garypring2658nope

[@celtic69]

Football pre 1992 gets disrespected so much, and it’s by design, the premier league propaganda train to convince people they’ve invented football sells their brand to the masses.

[@saintpepsi8602]

Trolled you real good LMAO

[@Alfie_1]

Wow, I was going to recommend this to you today because I saw a TikTok saying you couldn't compare them as it was a time where everyone was rubbish and had none of the nutritional knowledge, ignoring of course that since no one had that, and they were on the same baseline, that means nothing. Also, I found a brilliant advert in a Times newspaper from 1927 of Dixie Dean advertising cigarettes.

[@franciscouch8378]

Nearly 100 hundred years later and people are still talking about him....The Greatest

[@EagleEyes77]

One of the greatest centre forwards of all time, and he had a great heading ability.

[@DevoGaming93]

He once scored a header from midfield.

[@EagleEyes77]

@@DevoGaming93 please get me a footage of that goal.

[@DevoGaming93]

@@EagleEyes77 like many goals of the olden days, it was not on film. Matches weren't on film and television in those days. The clips we do see are rare and usually of a journalistic nature.

[@EagleEyes77]

@@DevoGaming93 oh okay. Thanks man

[@patrickwilliams6143]

Really good video mate. It's what I call the Don Bradman (different sport, I know) argument. If a player is so far ahead of his peers in terms of statistical output, chances are they're a bloody special player in any era. When those stats are backed up by thousands and thousands of words of contemporary accounts of their prowess then the modern arguments against them become completely hollow, especially if you're able to place it all within the context of the actual history of the game and not what some bloke on twitter made up to fit his narrative.

[@theanorakchannel2496]

My grandfather saw Dixie Dean play live. I believe he was playing for England at the time. Who is said that, although the modern game was much faster, the game in those days is so much more physical that this more than balance that out. So that any achievements in the early history of football could be compared. I remember him talking about Alan Shearer just before he died, and he said that Shearer was the most similar modern player to Dixie Dean. I don’t know if he’s right, because I’m totally blind and therefore have never been able to watch films.

[@paulguise698]

them days there was dodgy Goalies

[@colinmumford267]

It's absolutely shocking how this man is disregard by the pundits on tv Jimmy Greaves gets far more recognition greaves was a great striker but Dean was on another level , Dean was the Messi Ronaldo of the mid 20s

[@mrtom2854]

The greatest striker ever to grace the English league. Always ignored because he never played for a Sky Six club and because apparently football didn't exist before 1992.

[@franohmsford7548]

Everton were one of the original big FIVE in 92 along with Arsenal, Liverpool, Man U and Spurs - Those were the five clubs who were threatening to break away and forced the creation of The Premier League. Chelsea and City are later additions - Heck in the 90s Leeds, Blackburn and Newcastle were all bigger than Chelsea and City.

[@johnwilliams2479]

Cultural Marxism means all history will be vanquished from the face of the earth, Chairman Mao first devised this plan, its now common place all across the West, books, education, history, everything, Totalitarian Communism we are going in to agenda 30

[@hitthurdeaux]

A front two of Dixie Dean and Jimmy Greaves- easily England’s two greatest strikers ever, fighting for the crown- ought to make any football fan’s mouth water.

[@JW93.]

Great video. Dixie Dean often forgotten but the undisputed best forward of all time. Worth mentioning aswell playing with the old leather ball wasn't easy as well as those muddy pitches! Imagine how many he would score now with a ball that swerves everywhere and perfect carpet like pitches

[@paulguise698]

and No smoking or drinking alcohol

[@JW93.]

@@paulguise698 Exactly

[@swagmanmark2906]

Fun fact: During the 1931/32 campaign, Dixie Dean scored 44 goals in the league, finishing as top scorer. This tally ranks 3rd for most goals in a single English league season, behind Tom Waring, and himself.

[@johnburns4017]

Did you take notice of the vid? 1927-28 season Dean scored a record *60 league goals.*

[@swagmanmark2906]

@@johnburns4017 Why do you think I said "and himself"?

[@Tony-xn7sd]

I'm a Liverpool fan, born and bred in Everton btw, my all time fave football moment was meeting the late, great William Ralph 'Dixie' Dean at Marines ground back in 1974, I was a 9 year old boy, my late Grandad John always used to talk about Dixie and Billy Liddell, , he was a bluenose, I was a red, we still loved each other ;) x

[@seandelap8587]

Thanks for acknowledging that football was around before 1992 well over a century before and its about time that was respected

[@colinmumford267]

Wat makes this unique is before Dixie got his 60 the avarage was 25 to 30 top scorer like it is now , Dixie Deans achievement is out of this world and incredibly beyond belief, I genuinely think haaland has it in him to get near it ,but Dean got this record Wen also been injured in 5 of the games that season , year before he was read his last rights after a motorcycle accident, his heading ability was a strong as a foot kicking a ball ,he always said this was from him carrying milk churns on his shoulders Wen a kid down at the dairy in Birkenhead

[@chrisadlc1]

Great to see a video like this. But still no Duncan Edwards/Busby Babes video? Been following since the beginning and been waiting for one. Feels like very few know how special Duncan was, and how the tragedy led to Real being able to win those first 5 European cups

[@Luggoloco]

Everton legend Rest In Peace

[@ovvkeyvvo]

Haven't clicked a video his quickly in a long time. Brilliant vid Alfie, literally the only person on SM that I'd trust to tell the stories of the past 👍

[@adzter96]

The thing about discrediting defences in Dean's area means you also have to think about the trainers, nutritionists, physios etc Dean didn't have. If he did he'd have been even better.

[@Scolopente]

And the ball, and the boots, and the heavy cotton shirts!

[@PierreMyre]

Well done, this is a glorious piece! Love to hear about Giants from older times. Fantastic research!

[@a88senna]

I think in modern times the easy place people draw the line is that pre-war was one era, and post WW2 another, because there is no transition between the two but a hard cut-off, due to there being no football for so long, plus less footage etc. Plus post WW2 the World cup was in full swing, it wasn't long until the European Cup existed and so on. I think most people of today are much more familiar with names of the 50's than the 30's for these reasons. But I still heavily agree with your sentiment, the footballers of that era would obviously have taken advantage of modern gains if they were born today, and so to say they couldn't compete today is ludicrous, but I think most people when they really think about it would agree with you, albeit begrudgingly in some cases.

[@billylawuk]

subbed because he keeps owning all those nobodies on twitter

[@bamidelepeter9448]

A true classic, Alfie! Dean was truly one of if not the best centre forward the sport has ever seen. And yes in 2050, young people will probably not respect legends like Ronnie and Messi as much as we do right now.

[@christophergallagher3845]

Nah we are in the age of technology now . Anything post 2005 will now live on forever and old footage remastered etc

[@bigdunc1313]

Well done. It’s one of football’s greatest stories, it would be a great movie with the right people involved. Everton 💙

[@thevale2456]

Great video again Alfie, lovely to see my Club’s Greatest having a video largely dedicated to him

[@thesliveringsnake4133]

Thank you for the education on this amazing legend, as an Everton fan it's nice to know we have something left to be proud of :D

[@UpsetTronGuy]

4am here for us yanks, but AM HYPED ASF. ALFIE MAKING A VIDEO ON DIXIE DEAN. LESSSS GOOOOO. was saddened by the lack of content on yt about him, bless this 30 min video.

[@CountFisco]

The Messi-Ronaldo rant at the end was hilarious and surprisingly existential

[@nicknewman7848]

As a consumer of football related content on youtube, this level of reasonableness, analytical thinking and intelligence is almost shocking. We're so used to dumbed down debate using only the most basic, warped logic that we sometimes forget that sensible videos with facts and sound opinion are actually a possibility. It makes talksport having a debate about 'top' goalkeepers (or whatever) look like two babies sitting next to each other dribbling when you compare it with this. So.. Bravo, sir... and thank you.

[@michaelfisher7159]

These historic videos are some of my favourites

[@seandelap8587]

People say the game has changed but the most fundamental part of the game is that you have 11 plsyers on the pitch who's ultimate aim is to score more goals than the opposition and on that front football is the exact same game as it was when it was first organised over a century ago

[@Ldoggmillionaire]

Not really. Passing barely existed in the very initial stages of football. It was about the 1920s before you really got it being played something resembling modern football in terms of team shapes and have some sort of tactics

[@lucaslonchampt613]

Day 5: 7 Best Loan moves ever. The loan moves that have greatly benefited the team receiving the player for a limited amount of time. While not exactly the best, I always think of Morientes to Monaco as an example. It really feels like football in England started in 1992 when you hear about the records that people bring up

[@neil1982]

If you dominate in your field, regardless of era, you are a phenom. It's stupid to compare things like sports over eras, much like it is stupid to compare armies, technology, even hygiene. Times change, methods change, almost always for the better and it's usually due to someone being so freakishly good at something that methods change in the first place. Dixie Dean, Stanley Matthews, Pele, Maradona do not need comparisons for todays professionals - They were the best of their eras AND pioneers.

[@christophergallagher3845]

Exactly . A pioneer may be surpassed , but the ones beating them are only using the path paved by the pioneers

[@michaeldilworth5382]

Thank you for mentioning the incomparable Bob Crompton. Brought a tear to my eye.RTID

[@Truebro79]

very good video. your statement near the end on how people discount older footballers just because of minor evolutions and tweaks of the game was spot on, and the examples you gave were spot on.

[@freddiejohnson6137]

While it hard to compare someone like Dixie Dean to modern footballers just because of the standard changing so much it's also criminal how since the Premier League was started all records of top flight football seem to get ignored in this country. All other countries embrace that history. Even worse what you take into account many players from the early days in the league also were also playing for years beforehand. It's almost like the Premier League as an entity wants to set itself lower targets. Take Hary Kane for instance people think he will beat Alan Shearers record of 260 goals but often ignore the 23 goals he scored in the four years before of the old first division.

[@owenmonjesmugas3637]

To be fair, as much as there is an English problem of it, it happens here (Argentina) too, specially when it comes to the so called Amateur era (which ended in 1934, after we had already played a world cup final) and it being counted. First comes the fact that the great majority of Racing Club leagues aren't counted by AFA, and rival teams openly mock them for arguing to be a major club because of the amateur era "Los que no ganan una mierda desde hace medio siglo" and then comes about the discussion of players like Arsenio Erico. Football had just been professionalized when Erico arrived in 1934, but ask anyone who isn't an Independiente fan and they will likely laugh at him being compared with modern players, or outright dismiss his record, given just how unreliable records were when he played. And Erico played after Dixie Dean retired, so you shouldn't be surprised that he is dismissed too.

[@stevenm5997]

It isnt just in England. Pre-war footage of Spanish football barely exists if its not in a doc about Barcelona or RM

[@Ale_LSH]

It's especially hypocritical since they pick and choose when to use which. Manchester United fans will often claim they have 20 premier league titles yet ignore anything else before 1992 save a few exceptions, this same behavior applies to fans of all other teams. And like another comment pointed out, it's not only England. In México since 1996 there's been 2 league tournaments each season when previously it was a season long league tournament like in Europe. People still count all team's league titles from 1943 (start of the ''professional'' era) to 1996 but nearly all players stats from before then are rarely remembered. The league's own official mediums often contribute to this by own posting data from the ''short tournament era'' and TV mediums are like that as well. It's a bit similar to how they do it in England. The rabbit hole goes even deeper because there's a whole era from mexican football that is disregarded in it's entirety, called the amateur era (1922-1943). But the thing is... it was more of a political change rather than anything meaningful to how the sport was played, it was recognized as a professional league since 1922, the newspapers at the time didn't even make fuzz about it because it wasn't recognized as a big deal back then. By any reasonable metric those tournaments should still count today.

[@alansmith3733]

If Dean was born in the same year as Haaland he'd have had the same modern training. Probably better than haaland's because he'd have been picked up at massive north western academy like City, Everton or Utd from about age four and not a Norwegian club who may not be quite as good. Therefore, he'd probably have been taller and stronger then he was as a man the 1920's compared to his theoretical 2020's self, due to a better diet and modern training. He'd be as fit as all the modern era players. With having the best technical ability of a CF back then it safe to assume that this would translate to him having one of, if not the best, technique of todays CFs because he'd had all today's modern coaching and skills based training. His finishing and everything would be even better than it was. If he was the best in his era at the very least he'd be the best of this era. Along with mbappe and haaland. The only question remains is who was further ahead of their generation? Haaland has equals like the aforementioned Mbappe. Dean had non. Not even the immediate generation that came after (Tommy Lawton) or the many generations before. The generation proceeding Haaland has Messi and Ronaldo who are probably better. Dean is like maradona in the sense that he too was completely peerless. Dean took a team from third to bottom in the league to league champions. Haaland has just kept city on their previous path. Hes maintained them. Dean carried Everton the way maradona carried Napoli. Haaland is the icing on the city cake. I therefore think it is factually correct to say he was more ahead of his generation than Haaland is ahead of his. All footballers would adapt to each others era's. There's no doubt about that. The game may have evolved in a hundred and fifty years but human beings haven't. Environmental changes to work life balance,knowledge and health has changed a lot. Therefore, I'd say this modern era would be even easier for Dean. It's also unlikely he'd have crashed his motorbike as he'd be travelling around in a G Wagon instead. If haaland had to live through the early 1900's he'd be brought down to that level of training and diet. If Dean would have been born in 1998 he'd be levelled up to modern standards of training tactics and techniques. We know Dean would seemlessly adapt because it would actually be easier for him. Haaland in the early 1900's may have just taken the day shift on the railway and not trained. Or he might now be over reliant on his physicality today which may not be as much of advantage in the 1920's as it is now. A lot of the arguments are opinion based. The only facts we have though point to one man and that is Dean! To give haaland the win you have to use opinion to overcome statistical proofs. Either way Dean was not only in a category of his own in terms of the record books. He was in a category of his own in the opinions and minds of his fellow pros and fans alike. Haaland is neither the record goal scorer or has he escaped the shadow of fellow peers, Messi, Ronaldo and mbappe!

[@seandelap8587]

He also played for Sligo Rovers for a brief period but is still regarded as a legend at the club

[@hunsler1006]

And years later there would be another legend bridging that gap

[@datorangutan2696]

carried us to an fai cup final

[@iceman4660]

Recency bias in full display. Dixie Dean is a Legend. To score 60 in an era when players weren't protected is truly special.

[@OfficialFingazMC]

Didn't know anything about him. Nice one Alfie mate.

[@hunsler1006]

Makes me laugh when people try to discredit older players, if it was so easy then, Dixie wouldn't have been the only one to do it

[@Alphoric]

French feet were about 13 inches instead of 12 so when they heard napoleon was only just over 5 feet they didn’t realise he was about 5 foot 6 in normal feet which was average for the time. Napoleon wasn’t small

[@MrRatkins]

so average height for the time!😄

[@Alphoric]

@@MrRatkins exactly he wasn’t short he was average

[@BALHAM69]

a documentary of Borussia Dortmund and how they were extremely close to bankruptcy in 2002 time and how Bayern had to save them. The extreme difficulties the club has had to manage within to get back to where they are #thepeopleschannel

[@gottes1stsenpai30]

That's like a 10 min video

[@jackmathieson1903]

I'm glad Dean is finally getting the credit he deserves. It's crazy that most people didn't know anything about him.

[@isaacjones5687]

You’ve never seen him play. That’s why most people don’t know about him

[@jackmathieson1903]

@@isaacjones5687 so you think no one should respect Messi in the future if they didn't see him play?

[@DGAMINGDE]

Thanks for highlighting his record when I read it, it completely blew my mind.

[@beatleboy0195]

Wonderful video, every footy fan under the age of 40 should know about two greats, Dixie Dean & Jimmy Greaves. Both I'm sure were kicked to pieces unlike the well protected forwards nowday's and for Dixie only two competitions too, truly unbelievable the kids would say today.

[@RobGThai]

Great video. One that I’m sure those people who said such thing will not watch. They idolize those people too much to see reasoning.

[@Moinul987]

Dixie Dean - The original number 9. Literally

[@BadgerOff32]

One of the best things about Erling Haaland tearing it up this season is that people have _had to_ start talking about Dixie Dean again. There's simply no-one else to compare Haalands achievements to. But when you do compare them, there is _still_ no comparison. Dixie Dean was just on another level entirely. A lot of football pundits (especially those on Sky) just don't even mention football before 1992 (ironically, when Sky got involved in football), and they act almost like it never existed, but that is just so wrong and narrow minded! It annoys me so much and it comes across as almost arrogant, even egotistical that they just completely overlook it! I studied the history of football as a personal interest project when I was younger, and football in the 40's and 50's (and before) was so much harder and more brutal than it is now! No substitutions, awful pitches that often resembled quagmires, crunching leg-breaking tackles that simply wouldn't fly today, heavy boots with big metal studs, heavy leather balls that got even heavier in the rain and became more like a medicine ball used in boxing, significantly worse fitness and training (most players would smoke and drink regularly) and far more games across the season! There were so many more competitions being played, and even friendlies and exhibition matches were held in much higher regard back then too (hence why Pele always counted those in his overall goal tally) Learning about greats such as Dixie Dean, Garrincha, Giuseppe Meazza (who the San SIro is named after), Sir Stanley Matthews, Alfredo Di Stefano and Ferenc Puskas to name a few, was an enlightening revelation. Players like that are true legends of the game and we should never forget them, and we should never stop talking about them. We need to keep their legacy alive! Football did not start with the formation of the Premier League. We should never forget that!

[@ianmurphy9955]

William Ralph Dean was world class before the word was known properly. NSNO

[@arielayo]

I just love your videos Alfie. Keep up the great work❤️

[@GEOVANNInum9]

Thank you for educating us.

[@MrReese]

9:38 Wunderteam video all but confirmed, let's go!!!!! 😇✌ btw, I am really surprised how far surgery etc. were back then...the fact that he was able to recover from that accident and had a metal plate that assisted roughly 100 years ago is crazy.

[@rolo951]

Loved the Steve Bloomer shout-out ❤

[@KanJonathan]

Aviation History are strongly related to Football History: it made frequent International Clubs and National Teams matches possible. Mass production of 707 and DC-8 also coinsided with Pele's assdence of global superstardom.

[@user-jl8lw8td7f]

I love this channel and learning about football history so well done man.👏👏👏

[@RyuzakiTaiyou]

Best German players in the premier league of all time. (Day 498) I will not give up until the video is made or Alfie himself tells me to stop. Everyone else telling me that will be ignored. If you don't believe my number, just go back to the previous videos. I'm at the bottom most of the time, but I'm there.

[@henrykearns4041]

Probably ozil

[@LThaPunisha]

Ozil,Podolski and Ballack.

[@LThaPunisha]

@Son of Wessex wasn't really thinking much, because I'm an Arsenal fan. Wasn't a top tier was only the ones I could think of on the spot.

[@Hammerage1]

Ah, Rory. That prediction has gone into the history books.

[@leemcdonald1342]

Video idea number 2: 7 formations that changed association football forever.

[@brianrobinson4825]

I loved the way this video rambled o t tangents but kept coming back to the point. Some conent makers could have done this in 10 minutes, but nowhere near as enjoyably. For my tuppence worth, Haaland in immense, so was Dean. I loved the photo of Wilf Manion with Bernie Slaven at the demolition of Ayresome Park. Bittersweet memories.

[@ryanjacobs836]

You guys should make a video about RC Lens, going from League 2 5 years ago to 2nd in League 1 now is really impressive and a great story

[@thepetermullins]

I was awaiting a video like this from you Alfie! I can't highlight enough how "professional" footballer means something different now. Dixie Dean was playing in the era of chain-smoking, not-realising-that -they've-broken-their-neck, coal-miners-lung-type of opposition players! The players today are different beasts!

[@Zoltanlouis2009]

Excellent video 📹 Setting out brilliantly why players of yesterday should be afforded total respect. Great players, I believe, would have adapted to any era.... Stanley Matthews, Tom Finney and Dixie Dean would have been top players now; Haaland, Kane, and De Bruyne would have been winners on pitches of mud with heavy leather balls. Excellent 20 minutes of video 📹

[@dibyaranjanmishra4272]

Good one Alfie 🎉

[@mrpepperami01]

Knew you were gonna make a video on this when I saw that stuff floating around 😂

[@EagleEyes77]

I like what you did with Ndidi😂

[@bobholness203]

I remember MOTD intro with all the great players and yet dixie didn't even get a sniff, Shankly even said. Dean should be up there with Rembrandt, Beethoven. 😔

[@andrewroberts4736]

One of the best videos you've made Alfie. Really interesting and informative.😁

[@मृदुलशर्मा]

Oh Alfie, video after video you make me proud of having you as my favourite youtuber.

[@cuginoeddie8677]

Great video, we have the same situation here in American sports when it comes to players decades ago particularly with baseball and Babe Ruth and Wilt Chamberlain in basketball. Plenty of myths about those eras as well.

[@DidYaServe]

Records are there to be broken so until that time comes, Dean deserves respect.

[@sidneytaylor8341]

Great video, love your explanations/humour 😂

[@olanrewajumartins759]

I didn't watch Pele but i don't condone the idea of calling the Brazilian league a farmers league. Farmers leagues can't produce three rosters of world cup winning squads

[@goodwood-rc4nx]

if doing a video about the most goals in a season should do one about the league's highest scorer, Jimmy Greaves

[@TheInsideVideo]

Thanks for this!

[@Pun1Sh3r_360]

Dixie Dean would’ve at least won a couple of Ballon D’ors if they existed in his day & would’ve received several other nominations. He was one of the most dominant players of his time, anyone who discounts his legacy is blasphemous & has worthless football knowledge.

[@briann.4731]

quality videos as usual mate

[@Josh-cm9jw]

4:29 - 4:52 I wasn't expecting a crossover of my main passion for football and my outside interest in aviation, but here we are

[@nathanb286]

The true goat of football. Not Messi. Not Ronaldo. Not even Pele. This man scored 60 goals twice when playing with a football that is closer to a brick than a modern football

[@danpreston564]

But he also scored at a time where you could lump it in to the box and knock the keeper and the ball in.

[@speedy0ne757]

😠😠😠CR7 IS ALWAYS GOAT ALL TIME GOAT SUIIIII

[@AI-di7ll]

That doesn't make him better than Messi ffs 😭🤣🤣

[@nishant54]

​@@speedy0ne757 Not even top ten fool 😂😂

[@christophergallagher3845]

This man and Jimmy McGrory . Top goalscorers

[@thepetermullins]

Thanks Alfie, having watched your analysis, it's good to know that I have a new argument surrounding greats from the past: that they are all AI generated NFTs :P

[@mikesummers-smith4091]

Two things you didn't mention, both in favour of Dean - 1. Clogging. Pele was kicked out of the 1966 World Cup with little or no protection from the referees. Some of the tackling of that era makes your eyes water just watching it, never mind being on the receiving end. On the other hand, goalies didn't get much protection either. 2. Leather balls (no, not a reference to monorchic players). Brazil were a revelation in the 1970 World Cup because they'd unsportingly been practicing with the new plastic ones. The older ones had been heavy, especially when wet, and hurt like fury if you headed them (especially on the laces).

[@muneebahmad4378]

Video idea: make a video on 7 most beautiful and best stadiums in Europe's top 5 leagues and then outside of Europe's top 5 league

[@smv1990]

Hey, Alfie. Been loving the videos. I have looked through your channel, and unless I have missed it, I was wondering if you could do a video on the 7 most shocking results in football (I know you’ve done a CL specific one and a decade specific one, but I didn’t see an all-time one.) This idea came to mind after Everton’s 5-1 humiliation of Brighton the other day. Keep up the good work, brother!

[@Boomw17]

Im a city fan. But you gotta respect Dixie Dean's record. If he wasn't that man. There would have been more top flight goal scores with similar records from that time. Much respect to Mr. Dean

[@MrJB2224]

Alfie, while I do enjoy your videos for educational purposes and for the knowledge I gain on a sport that I have only been a fan of for roughly 8 years. I do fall asleep during these videos, they aren't my cup of tea or coffee. I commend you for the effort you put in and you do have videos that are awesome and keep me highly entertained. Either way, who cares bc it's just my opinion and not meant to insult anyone, especially you sir. Keep the great context coming

[@lovefan7694]

No one: Not a soul: Alfie: he retired at 50 and he was only half joking when he said he still had a few years in him

[@michaelbeaumont145]

Great video as always and really insightful. Would be interesting to look closer at saido berahino and delle Ali and what went wrong.

[@aj346321]

Fantastic video as always

[@michaelwilliams2231]

Yes, they always switch the narrative through time claiming sports change taking away the credibility of players at different periods of time. I can see people having the Haaland VS Dixie conversation in 100 years but with Haaland and the new star of the time.