This was as close to being a viral sensation it got before we lived by the algorithm - starring in a three-minute Saturday morning segment of flicks, tricks and 'tekkers to the backdrop of early noughties beats. Ronaldinho was a regular protagonist, so too Jay-Jay Okocha, inspiring wide-eyed kids and optimistic adults to attempt the same magic manoeuvres in playgrounds and sparsely-grassed pitches up and down the land. But there was one Liverpool-born forward toying with Football League defenders whose skills and outrageous goals earned him a weekly spot on Soccer AM's signature feature and the title 'Showboat King'.

"I've always enjoyed playing that way - expressing myself, trying different things," explains Lee Trundle, now 49 but still appearing in the Welsh third tier. "Soccer AM opened it up to every other fan out there. You would have them all speaking about the Showboat. It was nice to be in with some world-class players." From Garrincha to Gazza, Pele to Antonin Panenka, Diego Maradona to Djalminha, football lovers have always been drawn to great entertainers.

"You want to see people doing something that you can't," adds Trundle. "Not many can get it, flick it over someone's head or put it through someone's legs. That's what we enjoy watching. "From an early age it was Paul Gascoigne, I had videos of him and watched things he did. I loved Romario as well, Brazilian R9 was my favourite. But Ronaldinho, trick-wise, flicks, he was the best out of them all."

When it comes to ranking showboaters, Ronaldinho is unquestionably number one - but let's have a look at which modern-day mavericks join the Brazilian in our top 10. Haaland? Kane? R9?

Ranking the best centre-forwards this century. From Bodo to Brentford - ranking this season's biggest overachievers. Too good to go down? Ranking shock Premier League relegations. Now, of course, these skills comps are regularly recycled on TikTok and YouTube - it was fresh off an enlightening few minutes glued to such highlights that my nephew recently quizzed: "Have you heard of a player called Ronaldinho?" Whoa! Buckle up sunshine, we're about to flip-flap our way through an important lesson.

Ronaldinho at his peak was virtually unplayable - running quicker, thinking faster. A grinning chess grandmaster with an arsenal of deadly tricks. From Champions League toe-pokes to swivelling on a dime in baggy blaugrana, the Ballon d'Or winner's very presence was enough to tune in for. His every touch electric. Like a giddy toddler toying with a puppy - now you see the ball, now it's skipping into your net.

In Barcelona, Ronaldinho elastico'd so Lionel Messi could run (and run and run). Even in his less explosive post-Nou Camp days, he remained a must-watch. For the national team, though, Ronaldinho's heir was Neymar Jr. There has been a lot of questioning Neymar's credentials recently but Yannick Bolasie, now playing in Brazil and close to making this list himself, hit back calling Neymar "the king" who "played real street soccer on the elite stages". Neymar was, in his prime, simultaneously an outrageously talented and effective footballer, in the top 10 for goals per game in Europe's top five leagues this century.

He was just so skilful - it's the feints and rainbow flicks that are etched in your mind. That is also a good barometer for who makes this showboat list and who doesn't - Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry and Messi, for example, could all manipulate a football in ways most professionals only dream of, but they were also superior in almost every facet of the game. A real showboater is someone whose very mention elicits warm, fuzzy memories of flamboyant flicks and trickery.

Ronaldinho won the Ballon d'Or in 2005. West Ham, for example, had their own 'Brazilian', as dubbed by the great Pele, in a young Joe Cole - buzzing across the Upton Park turf looking like he'd borrowed his big brother's shirt, oversized shorts tickling his knees, a blur of body feints and impossible turns, feet twitching quicker than the eye can capture. Early-era Cole was one of the most exhilarating technicians on the planet.

Likewise, in a town just north of Manchester, fans queued up to see their own waltzing, weaving wizard in Jay-Jay Okocha, who became the face of Sam Allardyce's Bolton Wanderers revolution. The Nigerian, who captained the Trotters to a League Cup final and was later named the greatest player to ever grace the Reebok turf, was sublimely creative - a deadball specialist and scorer of outlandish goals. Joe Cole played 150 times for West Ham before joining Chelsea in 2003.

Showboating can, though, be divisive, deemed disrespectful in the wrong circumstances - what those performing tricks see as a legitimate way to beat an opponent can sometimes lead to heavy treatment. Even Andrei Kanchelskis claims he was looking for diminutive forward Billy Dodds when standing with two feet on the ball and raising his hand to his brow during Rangers' drubbing of Ayr United - in fairness, Dodds then scored from the move.

"A trick for me was to create space or create a chance to try and score," explains Trundle. "When Antony would do that spin out wide - you're not going anywhere, you're just spinning around on the spot? You're wasting your own time, really. It's a bit of fun, but there is no end product to it." A 20-year-old Mario Balotelli, for example, through on goal in a friendly against LA Galaxy, opted to pirouette and backheel an effort wide, and was immediately hauled off by Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini for not taking the game seriously.

Balotelli was never shy - legend has it he drove through Manchester dishing out cash dressed as Santa, and there was the fireworks in his bathroom incident - but he was also immensely gifted with an armoury of tricks, forever entertaining. The Italian sneaks in, a seven-step-over rabona goal for Adana Demirspor worth his entrance alone. Why Always Me, eh?

Mario Balotelli unveiled his famous 'Why Always Me?' shirt after scoring against United in the Manchester derby. Cristiano Ronaldo, meanwhile, says Sir Alex Ferguson told him to cut out the step-overs when he was a plucky youngster at Manchester United baiting Premier League full-backs.

Team-mate Luis Nani had his moments - the keepy-uppies against Arsenal - but if we're talking Portuguese wingers for this list it's Ricardo Quaresma, who bloomed on the opposite Sporting wing to Ronaldo. Master of the trivela, lover of a rabona - mercurial and erratic, but show-stoppingly skilful.

There is one player, though, who defenders knew what he was going to do - it was just near impossible to (legally) stop him. Brazilian Kerlon became famous for his 'seal dribble'. Two years ago, Jack Lang of The Athletic tracked down a once-teenage Brazilian prodigy dubbed 'The Little Seal', now 38 enjoying a quiet life coaching kids in North Carolina. Kerlon became famous for a unique piece of skill where he would flick the ball on to his forehead and scuttle past defenders with it bobbing on his brow like, you guessed it, a seal - something he practised for hours as a child.

Word of the seal dribble spread as Kerlon performed it with Brazil's youth teams, but made him a target after breaking through at Cruizero - who sold seal toys in the club shop. Kerlon's talent earned him a move to Inter Milan, though his only Serie A appearances came on loan at Chievo, another loan at Ajax didn't work out. His career petered out following a series of serious knee injuries and the Brazilian announced his retirement a decade ago, yet commentators still talk about the trick.

Lee Trundle scored 91 goals across two spells with Swansea. We're into real 'the streets will never forget' territory now, pure 'Barclays' if you will, those nostalgia-craved minds have forged into folklore. Mavericks on a mission to entertain. Bums waved goodbye to plastic seats whenever Adel Taarabt got the ball, defenders winced and tried to close their legs. Fans found him infuriating and unforgettable.

Neil Warnock, Taarabt's boss at QPR, where he arguably enjoyed the best football of his career getting them promoted from the Championship, labelled the Moroccan the "most talented player" he ever coached. Taarabt was dazzlingly destructive. Similarly, Hatem Ben Arfa was a genius with a football, moments of fleeting brilliance enough to get St James' salivating and defenders quivering - immortalised by a solo goal for Newcastle where he spun inside his own half before roaming through the Bolton defence. But perhaps a final word for the most 'Barclaysman' never to actually play in the Premier League, who made Saturday mornings prime-time viewing - whether it was rolling the ball around his shoulders or volleying into the top corner.

"I liked to play with freedom," says Trundle. "I would have tricks I knew would work in certain areas. The football pitch has been my happiest place."