Former Manchester United star Wes Brown has hailed Coventry City soccer legend John Hartson as the most difficult played he faced. The ex-Red Devils man would shock many with his declaration considering that he faced some of the best legs in the game. He played 362 times for United, featuring against Juventus, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and others.
Brown played against several top rated players but he insists that Hartson gave him more problems than others. The central defender said:
“You might expect me to say some of the lads from Real Madrid or Barcelona or wherever, but it was John Hartson at Coventry City. I tried to be aggressive and bully him, but he bullied me all over the pitch.”
Brown said a younger version of him learnt a lot from the City legend. He added that he took him time to learn that he could face opponents in different ways.
The former Premier League star then praised the Madrid year 2000 Galaticos. He spoke to ESPN about the time he faced Zinedine Zidane and the rest of the team in the Champions League. Brown said the former French playmaker gave him problems when they met as he played in the left side while he was a right back. He could not get near Zidane who proved elusive throughout the contest. His combination with Roberto Carlos was impressive as well leaving Brown far behind.
Brown also named Ronaldo De Lima as another difficult player he faced when the Brazilian was at Real Madrid. He said despite the injuries to the player, he was “unbelievable” and he bossed them at the Bernabeu and then got a hat trick at Old Trafford.
Aside starring for his boyhood club United, Brown also featured for Sunderland, Rovers and Kerala Blasters in India.