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.