The big man, little man combination is a common thread among successful striking partnerships. There’s the big man, full of muscular hustle and bustle, aggression and a determination to dominate defenders. Then there’s the little man. He’s the smooth as silk, extravagantly skilled and elegant technician, whose ability bewitches opponents and fans alike.
This provides a fairly fitting description of Preben Elkjær and Michael Laudrup, Denmark’s iconic strike partnership of the mid-to-late 1980s when Danish Dynamite exploded into international football. Like so much about the pairing, though, there’s even an iconoclastic element to the big man, little man description. In this case, Elkjær, the big man, stood at five foot eleven, whilst his supposed little man partner was six foot one, although he hardly ever headed the ball. It’s not the only non-traditional aspect of a partnership that had so many contrasts, both on and off the pitch.
Read more on their partnership in this brilliant article by Gary Thacker:
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