SOME sporting champions have that special overriding capability that puts them above the rest.

Like Shane Warne. Whenever you watched him in his prime on the big Test-match stage, it seemed inevitable that sooner or later he would bowl that unplayable ball.

Like Michael Jordan's incredible ability to make that unstoppable buzz-beating shot, or Tiger Woods, with all his extraordinary strength of character, sinking a clutch putt or nailing that tough long approach shot.

Like Jonny Wilkinson's capacity to land that long-range field goal or penalty goal from anywhere inside the opposition's half.

The AFL's version of this sporting superpower of recent years has been Carlton's Anthony Koutoufides, who retired last week.

He, too, boasted unique talents. And at times, he was nigh-on unstoppable.

Like when, in the days before the change to the boundary throw-in rule, he would jump third up and take the ball out of the air. And then, using his size and strength, he'd draw a couple of would-be tacklers, keep his feet, turn and give the ball off to a teammate. It was the ultimate clearance.

And while the AFL didn't change this rule just to combat Kouta, it was almost as if they should have. Even though they knew it was coming, opposition teams didn't stand a chance when he was at his most menacing best.

Kouta in full flight, picking the ball up off the ground in one hand, carrying it as if it was a baton in a relay race … it was a sight to behold. He was the sort of player who was worth the price of admission himself.

He was mind-blowing at times. What he did in 2000 was as good as anything anyone has ever done on an AFL field, and when eventually he succumbed to a serious knee injury late that year, you could almost sense opposition players collectively saying, "That's the only way we were going to stop him".

Kouta was one out of the box and I'm sure there were plenty of opposition coaches who lost a lot of sleep trying to find a way to stop him. He tore the Brisbane Lions apart many times because we didn't have a match-up for him. If you tried to play a good running player on him to match him athletically, he would be too big and strong and would outmark him. And if you tried to match him for size, he was just too quick and mobile.

So many Kouta games stand out but one I'll never forget was in round eight of 2001 — two weeks before the start of the Lions' 16-game winning streak that went all the way to the flag.

Carlton humiliated us by 74 points at Optus Oval and Kouta had 36 possessions, 11 marks, six hard-ball-gets, six clearances and three goals. The umpires must have been used to such performances because he only got one Brownlow vote behind Adrian Hickmott and Darren Hulme.

It was the turning point of our year and fired us up for our charge to the flag.

Kouta was the perfect prototype for a modern-day AFL footballer because he had every physical attribute you need to play our game.

He had height, speed, strength and endurance. Not only could he run but he could jump. He had agility and versatility. He could take a strong contested mark overhead or pick up a low ball off his bootlaces. And he could play anywhere.

He should have been known as Superman because you almost expected that the next thing he was going to do was jump over the grandstand in a single bound.

There aren't a lot of players 191 centimetres tall who can collect 30-plus possessions each week in the midfield — as a ruckman or a ground-level player — yet can also push forward and become a lethal goalkicking option or even go back to play on a dominant opponent.

Indeed, if you asked the collective recruiting managers of each of the AFL clubs what they'd most like in a potential recruit and rolled it all into one, you'd have a whole lot of little Kouta dolls. And you could toss marketability and charisma in on top of his physical attributes.

At times when he was Carlton captain, it looked from outside that the leadership didn't sit well with Kouta, and that he was almost a reluctant captain.

Yet he was so well regarded and admired by his peers that I'm sure whoever coaches the Blues next year will make sure he's involved in some capacity because no club can afford to lose people of his calibre.

He was always a pretty private and family-oriented person, too, and I don't imagine a lot of people outside the inner-sanctum at Carlton would really feel like they know him well. No doubt, then, one of the best things he did to elevate his profile and show more of his personal side was to join the Dancing with the Stars show on television last year.

Obviously, the public warmed to him because they voted him the winner, but for the rest of us mere mortals, it was just another trek down the envy route. Especially when he took his shirt off. Not only could he do just about anything he liked on the football field and not only did he have a physique that everyone else yearned for — but he could dance, too!