The best players of the season 1980-1

Really good stuff.

I do like those ratings (and have used them heavily myself) but I do think it's often misleading depending on the league and the paper.

I mean Zoff conceded 16 goals in 30 games for instance. Now what were the people watching him looking for? Did they rate goalkeepers more highly who had more work to do but let in more goals?

If Zoff only had a couple of saves to make but kept a clean sheet, what rating did he get?

Quini and Pruzzo were (off the top of my head) top scorers in their leagues. What did other strikers do to earn their ratings?

Still, your notes are (as always) much appreciated.

 

Here is my revision of the first season along with player appearances etc.

Goalkeepers
Luis Arconada (Real Sociedad and Spain) 34 games, 0 goals ***
Dino Zoff (Juventus and Italy) 30 games, 0 goals ***
Harald Schumacher (Koln and West Germany) 34 games, 0 goals **
Peter Shilton (Nottingham Forest and England) 40 games, 0 goals **
Manuel Bento (Benfica and Portugal) 30 games, 0 goals *
Ronnie Hellstroem (Kaiserslautern and Sweden) 34 games, 0 goals *
Urruti (Espanyol and Spain) 31 games, 0 goals *
Ray Clemence (Liverpool and England) 41 games, 0 goals *
Rinat Dasaev (Spartak Moscow and Russia) 34 games, 0 goals in 1980, 34 games 0 goals in 1981 *
Jean Castaneda (St Etienne and France) 35 games, 0 goals *
Thomas Ravelli (Osters and Sweden) 26 games, 0 goals in 1980, 26 games, 0 goals in 1981 *
Hans-Ulrich Grapenthin (Carl Zeiss Jena and East Germany) 26 games, 0 goals *

Full-backs
Antonio Cabrini (Juventus and Italy) 28 games, 7 goals ***
Maxime Bossis (Nantes and France) 37 games, 0 goals **
Manfred Kaltz (Hamburg and West Germany) 34 games, 7 goals **
Mick Mills (Ipswich Town and England) 33 games, 0 goals **
Jose Camacho (Real Madrid and Spain) 34 games, 0 goals *
Hugo Hovenkamp (AZ Alkmaar and Holland) 30 games, 5 goals *
Kenny Swain (Aston Villa and England) 42 games, 0 goals *
Rafael Gordillo (Real Betis and Spain) 34 games, 3 goals *
Patrick Battiston (St Etienne and France) 38 games, 4 goals *
Wolfgang Dremmler (Bayern Munich and West Germany) 33 games, 1 goals *
Kenny Sansom (Arsenal and England) 42 games, 3 goals *
Cundi (Sporting Gijon and Spain) 33 games, 5 goals *
Eric Gerets (Standard Liege and Belgium) 29 games, 0 goals *
Phil Neal (Liverpool and England) 42 games, 2 goals *

Sweepers
Ruud Krol (Napoli and Holland) 29 games, 1 goal ***
Gaetano Scirea (Juventus and Italy) 29 games, 4 goals ***
Aleksandr Chivadze (Dinamo Tbilisi and USSR) 31 games, 5 goals in 1980, 28 games, 2 goals in 1981 ***
Bruno Pezzey (Eintracht Frankfurt and Austria) 31 games, 10 goals **
John Metgod (AZ Alkmaar and Holland) 34 games, 3 goals *
Wilfried Hannes (Borussia Moenchengladbach and West Germany) 33 games, 16 goals *
Luc Millecamps (Waregem and Belgium) *
Russell Osman (Ipswich Town and England) 42 games, 1 goal *
Dieter Bast (Bochum and West Germany) 34 games, 5 goals *
Alan Hansen (Liverpool and Scotland) 36 games, 1 goal *

Stoppers
Terry Butcher (Ipswich Town and England) 40 games, 4 goals **
Hans-Pieter Briegel (Kaiserslautern and West Germany) 34 games, 6 goals **
Miguel Tendillo (Valencia and Spain) 31 games, 4 goals **
Claudio Gentile (Juventus and Italy) 29 games, 0 goals *
Karl-Heinz Forster (Stuttgart and West Germany) 30 games, 2 goals *
Allan Evans (Aston Villa and Scotland) 39 games, 7 goals *
Pietro Vierchowod (Como and Italy) 30 games, 2 goals *
Gerard Janvion (St Etienne and France) 37 games, 0 goals *
Ricardo Arias (Valencia and Spain) 29 games, 0 goals *
Marius Tresor (Bordeaux and France) 25 games, 0 goals *
Phil Thompson (Liverpool and England) 25 games, 0 goals *

Central midfielders
Paulo Roberto Falcao (Roma and Brazil) 25 games, 3 goals ***
Uli Stielike (Real Madrid and West Germany) 29 games, 5 goals ***
Paul Breitner (Bayern Munich and West Germany) 30 games, 17 goals ***
Graeme Souness (Liverpool and Scotland) 37 games, 6 goals ***
Marco Tardelli (Juventus and Italy) 28 games, 7 goals **
Arnold Muhren (Ipswich Town and Holland) 41 games, 5 goals **
Miguel Alonso (Real Sociedad and Spain) 33 games, 3 goals **
Terry McDermott (Liverpool and England) 40 games, 13 goals **
Jan Peters (AZ Alkmaar and Holland) 28 games, 8 goals **
Jesus Zamora (Real Sociedad and Spain) 34 games, 7 goals *
Leonid Buryak (Dynamo Kiev and USSR) 28 games, 9 goals in 1980, 29 games, 10 goals in 1981 *
Herbert Neumann (Udinese and West Germany) 25 games, 1 goal *
Dirceu (Atletico Madrid and Brazil) 28 games, 9 goals *
Felix Magath (Hamburg and West Germany) 33 games, 10 goals *
Bryan Robson (West Bromwich Albion and England) 40 games, 10 goals *
Daniel Solsona (Valencia and Spain) 32 games, 9 goals *
Soren Lerby (Ajax and Denmark) 33 games, 10 goals *
Giuseppe Dossena (Bologna and Italy) 29 games, 5 goals *
Bernd Schuster (Barcelona and West Germany) 23 games, 11 goals *
Osvaldo Ardiles (Tottenham Hotspur and Argentina) 36 games, 5 goals *

Attacking midfielders
Michel Platini (St Etienne and France) 35 games, 20 goals ***
John Wark (Ipswich Town and Scotland) 40 games, 18 goals ***
David Kipiani (Dinamo Tbilisi and USSR) 31 games, 8 goals in 1980, 18 games, 8 goals in 1981 ***
Liam Brady (Juventus and Republic of Ireland) 28 games, 8 goals **
Joao Alves (Benfica and Portugal) 30 games, 14 goals **
Herbert Prohaska (Internazionale and Austria) 28 games, 5 goals *
Hansi Muller (Stuttgart and West Germany) 32 games, 11 goals *
Giancarlo Antognoni (Fiorentina and Italy) 27 games, 9 goals *
Asgeir Sigurvinsson (Standard Liege and Iceland) 31 games, 8 goals *
Glenn Hoddle (Tottenham Hotspur and England) 38 games, 12 goals *
Kristen Nygaard (AZ Alkmaar and Denmark) 14 games, 9 goals *

Wingers
Frans Thijssen (Ipswich Town and Holland) 31 games, 3 goals ***
Remaz Shengelia (Dinamo Tbilisi and USSR) 32 games, 17 goals in 1980, 31 games, 23 goals in 1981 ***
Juanito (Outside right) (Real Madrid and Spain) 33 games, 19 goals **
Bernd Hölzenbein (Eintracht Frankfurt and West Germany) 27 games, 11 goals **
Enzo Ferrero (Sporting Gijon and Argentina) 31 games, 15 goals *
Dominique Rocheteau (Paris Saint-Germain and France) 37 games, 16 goals *
Roberto Lopez Ufarte (Real Sociedad and Spain) 31 games, 5 goals *
Bruno Conti (Roma and Italy) 27 games, 5 goals *
Bernard Genghini (Sochaux and France) 36 games, 13 goals

Forwards
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (Bayern Munich and West Germany) 34 games, 29 goals ***
Kenny Dalglish (Liverpool and Scotland) 34 games, 8 goals **
Oleg Blokhin (Dynamo Kiev and USSR) 33 games, 19 goals in 1980, 29 games, 19 goals in 1981 **
Manfred Burgsmuller (Borussia Dortmund and West Germany) 33 games, 27 goals **
Bernard Lacombe (Bordeaux and France) 34 games, 18 goals **
Yuri Gavrilov (Spartak Moscow and USSR) 34 games, 5 goals in 1980, 33 games, 21 goals in 1981 *
Tibor Nyilasi (Ferencvaros and Hungary) 34 games, 30 goals *
Allan Simonsen (Barcelona and Denmark) 33 games, 10 goals *
Johnny Rep (St Etienne and Holland) 32 games, 14 goals *
Walter Schachner (Austria Vienna and Austria) 29 games, 13 goals *

Strikers
Roberto Pruzzo (Torino and Italy) 28 games, 18 goals **
Peter Withe (Aston Villa and England) 36 games, 20 goals **
Quini (Barcelona and Spain) 30 games, 20 goals **
Delio Onnis (Tours and Argentina) 38 games, 24 goals *
Gary Shaw (Aston Villa and England) 40 games, 18 goals *
Jesus Sastrustegui (Real Sociedad and Spain) 28 games, 16 goals *
Erwin Vandenbergh (Lierse and Belgium) 33 games, 24 goals *
Uwe Krausse (Stade Lavallois and West Germany) 23 goals *
Ruud Geels (Sparta Rotterdam and Holland) 30 games, 22 goals *
Steve Archibald (Tottenham Hotspur and Scotland) 41 games, 20 goals *
Georgi Slavkov (Botev Plovdiv and Bulgaria) 31 goals *
Nene (Benfica and Portugal) 30 games, 20 goals *

World Class (16)
1. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge
2. Michel Platini
3. Paulo Roberto Falcao
4. Uli Stielike
5. Paul Breitner
6. Ruud Krol
7. John Wark
8. Antonio Cabrini
9. Luis Arconada
10. Graeme Souness
11. Gaetano Scirea
12. Alexander Chivadze
13. David Kipiani
14. Frans Thijsen
15. Dino Zoff
16. Ramaz Shengelia

 

The new inclusions were:

Grapenthin
McDermott
Lerby
Genghini
Joao Alves

Out went:
Russmann
Marcos
Marini

Also I tweaked the provisional star ratings all round. I'm reasonably happy with this rating now but realise it's still some way off perfect.

 

I think it is the PFA award which has six nominees but I might be wrong. I don't have the details though. I have been looking for them myself for some time.

I've searched the newspaper archives available online and not found anything.

 

I think Stielike was not rated by the German journalists because he was playing in Spain.

 

Basically yes. I also included Nene who had a prolific season as well.

 

To be honest that was effectively it. With a player like Joao Alves (who was a classy midfielder) if he played a significant proportion of games and scored a good number of goals you can pretty much take it as read he was playing well for Benfica given their title victory.

I agree that Rummenigge is a clear first choice and that Platini is debateable. I think this was a year where numbers 2-16 were pretty close to each other.

 

To be honest that was effectively it. With a player like Joao Alves (who was a classy midfielder) if he played a significant proportion of games and scored a good number of goals you can pretty much take it as read he was playing well for Benfica given their title victory.

I agree that Rummenigge is a clear first choice and that Platini is debateable. I think this was a year where numbers 2-16 were pretty close to each other.