Top Ten Team Players In Sports by Chua Kee Peow

The recent ranking of the top 10 worst-behaved sports personalities provoked an animated response from all of the readers. Many even contributed ideas of various sports-personalities who should have been on that notorious list.

No doubt, the following "Top 10" list is guaranteed to start more arguments in the campus' various cafes and canteens.

Number 10

Sami Hyypia - Liverpool FC sweeper

Hyypia stood in as captain for the famous Premiership side when Redknapp and Fowler were injured, and proceeded to lead and inspire the whole team to a cup treble. This was certainly no mean feat, and a lot of credit definitely goes to this team player. His example of fair play and skills on the pitch were quintessential to the success of the team.

Hyypia: A Tower of Strength in the Liverpool Defense

Number 9

Allen Iversen - Philadelphia 76ers Basketball Player

The MVP for this season arguably won the Eastern Conference title single-handedly for his team, the Philadelphia 76ers. His clutch shots, rallying and "trash talking" never failed to inspire the team yet.

Number 8

The whole L.A. Lakers team (less O'Neal & Bryant)

When Chicago was the dominant team (how many eons ago was that?), everyone spoke of the importance of bench scoring in the run-up to the finals. Now this Lakers team, under the helm of former Bulls head coach Phil Jackson, has proven the same; a good team with great support for their main stars. Thus, the whole team deserves this accolade.

Number 7

Mika Hakkinen - Formula One Driver for McLaren Mercedes F1 team

Mika was a two-time world F1 Champion several seasons ago, but he now plays second fiddle to team mate, David Coulthard. Talk about eating humble pie. Nevertheless, the former champ has lived up to his reputation as a gracious winner, and accepted the role of number 2 driver without any complaints.

Hakkinen: Former Champ Turns Second Fiddle.

Number 6

Paul Scholes -Manchester United midfielder

'Scholesy' is renowned for his infrequent exposure to the media, and more importantly, his team spirit. His contribution to Man Utd has earned him praises and comparisons to former greats like Bryan Robson. He is a gem that all managers would love to have in their team.

Number 5

Harry Redknapp - Former West Ham United Manager

Poor old Harry quits West Ham after so many years in charge of the London club, allegedly after being 'driven out' by the management. He did a great job at the club, nearly bringing them into Europe, and not only die he remain unprejudiced against troublesome players like Paolo Di Canio and Neil Ruddock, but managed to bring the best out of them. This is a sign that he is a good 'team player' who commands a lot of respect from his charges.

Number 4

Baltimore Ravens Defensive Team

Now this defensive team is magical! Rarely has the importance of defense been so apprarent than in the recent SuperBowl. The defensive team of the Ravens boasts the MVP of SuperBowl, Ray Lewis (also the current Defensive Player of the Year), who starved the Giants to a mere seven points in the SuperBowl to carry away their first ever title.

Number 3

V. Sundramoorthy - Coach and player for Jurong Town FC

Talk about commitment. Sundram has taken on all the responsibilities possible, to bring this minnow into the big league. All the Jurong Town supporters will swear to you that he is the spirit of the team, and it is difficult to argue with that.

Number 2

Bryan Robson - Former Manager of Middlesborough

During a troubled last season, Robson willingly stood aside to allow the board to bring in Terry Venables as the First Team Coach in order to keep the team in the Premiership. The latter succeeded but Bryan still got the boot from the board of directors. This is a clear sign that Robson always has the team's interest at heart and did not even mind stepping aside in order to rescue the team.

Number 1

Rubens Barrichello - Formula One Driver for Scuderia Ferrari

Our number one team player! F1 fans would have seen how he let his teammate, Michael Schumacher pass him at the A1-Ring during the Austrian Grand Prix, causing himself to come in in third place instead of second. Despite wide claims that Rubens was unhappy with the team for instructing him to do so, he eventually proved his innocence by signing an extension to his current contract to keep him at Ferrari for another season. Now who says F1 is not a team sport…

Our Number One Team Player: Rubens Barrichello

Note:
This article was published on the Aspire website, in the column, The Huddle, between 2001-2002.

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