The Greatest Ever Left-back

[comme]

The position of left back is probably one of the strongest on the field with a host of genuine contenders.

What are your thoughts?

[malby]

The position of left back is probably one of the strongest on the field with a host of genuine contenders.

What are your thoughts?
Ian Harte.

[silver bullet]

The position of left back is probably one of the strongest on the field with a host of genuine contenders.

What are your thoughts?
No Ruud Krol?

[Father Ted]

No Terry Phelan on the poll so I aint voting :p

[Cassano]

I think it has to be Maldini. He such great ability and strength. When he was in his prime he ran up and down the left wing with no problem, and he still can. He surpassed Cabrini a long time ago. Cabrini was good, but he missed a penalty in the 1982 WC final, but good thing Italy still won.

[lanman]

A lot of deserving candidates, but for me Maldini is the best defender in the history of the game.

[Hartfield]

stop making dumb polls....you can't really say and there are player missing from there..

[lanman]

...and there are player missing from there..

Which is why there is an option for "other".

[johno]

so Zambrotta, the hands down best LB in the business today is not good enough to get on the poll? I think he's miles better than Carlos, but I voted for Maldini who was the best for a damn long time.

[nicephoras]

Maldini. But only because Gary Breen decided not to play left back.

[comme]

No Ruud Krol?

I will include Krol among the sweepers/ central defenders as he could play both roles.

[Gregoriak]

I will include Krol among the sweepers/ central defenders as he could play both roles.

This view is underlined by Krol's strong showings in the Golden Ball polls in 1978 and 1979 (he was the highest-placed defender in those years twice in a row), at a time when he had switched from leftback to centreback.

In case people are interested, here's are the annual highest-placed defenders in the Golden Ball polls since 1956 (excuse me for hijacking your thread, Comme):

Year-Votes-Player-Country-Club
1956 009 Ernst OCWIRK (Austria/Sampdoria Genoa)
1957 019 Billy WRIGHT (England/Wolverhampton)
1958 009 Billy WRIGHT (England/Wolverhampton)
1959 008 Horst SZYMANIAK (W Germany/Karlsruher SC)
1960 009 Horst SZYMANIAK (W Germany/Karlsruher SC)
1961 ?
1962 051 Karl-Heinz SCHNELLINGER (W Germany/1. FC Köln)
1963 016 Karl-Heinz SCHNELLINGER (W Germany/1. FC Köln)
1964 006 Karl-Heinz SCHNELLINGER (W Germany/AS Roma)
1965 040 Giacinto FACCHETTI (Italy/Inter Milan)
1966 059 Franz BECKENBAUER (W Germany/Bayern Munich)
1967 037 Franz BECKENBAUER (W Germany/Bayern Munich)
1968 036 Franz BECKENBAUER (W Germany/Bayern Munich)
1969 018 Franz BECKENBAUER (W Germany/Bayern Munich)
1970 069 Bobby MOORE (England/West Ham United)
1971 027 Franz BECKENBAUER (W Germany/Bayern Munich)
1972 081 Franz BECKENBAUER (W Germany/Bayern Munich)
1973 030 Franz BECKENBAUER (W Germany/Bayern Munich)
1974 105 Franz BECKENBAUER (W Germany/Bayern Munich)
1975 042 Franz BECKENBAUER (W Germany/Bayern Munich)
1976 091 Franz BECKENBAUER (W Germany/Bayern Munich)
1977 005 Emlyn HUGHES (England/Liverpool FC)
1977 005 Berti VOGTS (W Germany/Borussia Moenchengladbach)
1978 020 Ruud KROL (Netherlands/Ajax Amsterdam)
1979 041 Ruud KROL (Netherlands/Ajax Amsterdam)
1980 010 Manfred KALTZ (W Germany/Hamburger SV)
1981 009 Alexander CHIVADZE (USSR/Dynamo Tiflis)
1982 002 Eric GERETS (Belgium/Standard Liege)
1982 002 Gaetano SCIREA (Italy/Juventus Torino)
1982 002 Bruno PEZZEY (Austria/Eintracht Frankfurt)
1983 006 Morten OLSEN (Denmark/RSC Anderlecht)
1984 005 Maxim BOSSIS (France/FC Nantes)
1985 009 Hans Peter BRIEGEL (W Germany/Hellas Verona)
1986 022 Manuel AMOROS (France/AS Monaco)
1987 006 Glen HYSEN (Sweden/Fiorentina)
1988 045 Frank RIJKAARD (Netherlands/AC Milan)
1989 043 Frank RIJKAARD (Netherlands/AC Milan)
1990 068 Andreas BREHME (W Germany/Inter Milan)
1991 015 Miodrag BELODEDIC (Yugoslavia/Red Star Belgrade)
1992 014 Ronald KOEMAN (Netherlands/FC Barcelona)
1993 024 Franco BARESI (Italy/AC Milan)
1994 109 Paolo MALDINI (Italy/AC Milan)
1995 036 Paolo MALDINI (Italy/AC Milan)
1996 144 Matthias SAMMER (Germany/Borussia Dortmund)
1997 047 Roberto CARLOS (Brazil/Real Madrid)
1998 036 Liliam THURAM (France/AC Parma)
1999 016 Lothar MATTHÄUS (Germany/Bayern Munich)
2000 039 Alessandro NESTA (Italy/Lazio Roma)
2001 010 Bixente LIZARAZU (France/Bayern Munich)
2002 145 Roberto CARLOS (Brazil/Real Madrid)
2003 123 Paolo MALDINI (Italy/AC Milan)
2004 018 Ricardo CARVALHO (Portugal/FC Porto)

[comme]

He was one of those players where I was in two minds about which poll to put him in. The same goes for people like Rijkaard.

[argentine soccer fan]

I really should have voted for Maldini, but he already has it in the bag, and Marzolini deserves to have at least one vote. He was a player ahead of his time, very similar in characteristics to Maldini. And a favorite from my childhood.

[SirManchester]

Hmmm....Breitner, Schnellinger and Maldini come to my mind in my opinion.

As for now, Liza/Maldini are the greatest in the game. They are both still in great form for their age.

[lanman]

It's absolutely amazing that as it stands Roberto Carlos has more votes than Faccheti, Marche, Nilton Santos, Marzolini, Breitner and Schnellinger combined.

[Sempre]

Facchetti should be given some honorable mention.
He scored 60 goals for Inter, and was Beckenbauer's
inspiration. A real revolutionary.

(But I had to vote for Maldini.)

[Borruma]

It's absolutely amazing that as it stands Roberto Carlos has more votes than Faccheti, Marche, Nilton Santos, Marzolini, Breitner and Schnellinger combined.

What did you expect?

[soccertom]

Joey Franchino.



























What? OK Fine. David Regis.

[Teso Dos Bichos]

It's absolutely amazing that as it stands Roberto Carlos has more votes than Faccheti, Marche, Nilton Santos, Marzolini, Breitner and Schnellinger combined.

Which is why I wouldn't have included him in the first place. :cool: