A-Z Best XI

[roarksown1]

Just out of sheer boredom, let's compose a team of the best 11 current players based on the first letter of the last name. I'll start with the A's, then the next person come up with the B's, and so on. Yes, it's stupid, but there's not a lot to talk about this weekend after the Boxing Day matches and some leagues on winter break, and no National Team news to speak of for a while. Here goes:

-------------- Abbiati ---------------

-- Ayala -- Andersson -- Amoruso -- Alpay

-- Aimar -- Asamoah -- Albertini --Ambrosini

-------- Ailton -------- Adriano -------

Reserves:
Anderson, Sonny
Armas, Chris
Adu, Freddy

I know some of these guys are probably out of position, but I'm just going with four defenders, four midfielders and two strikers, regardless where they play. This might be easier with the B's and M's...I can't wait for the ruckus when someone puts Heskey instead of Henry!

(and who'll be brave enough to take on the Q's and Z's???)

[Elninho]

Z doesn't seem that hard, though I need to find a goalkeeper. So far, in a 4-5-1:

D Boris ZIVKOVIC
D ZHANG Enhua
D Michal ZEWLAKOW
D Marcin ZEWLAKOW
M Javier ZANETTI
M Zinedine ZIDANE
M Zlatko ZAHOVIC
M Gianluca ZAMBROTTA
M ZE ROBERTO
F Alexander ZICKLER

I can probably find some more Z's given enough time, especially if I look around the Bundesliga.

On the other hand, Q is a whole lot more difficult - the best player I can think of is Qu Bo, and so far Santino Quaranta's still in the team. Also, I haven't been able to come up with a player better than Ifeanyi Udeze for U.
X will probably end up being Xavi, Abel Xavier, and 9 Chinese players.

[soccerfreak #1]

Take Mark Ziegler. He is the starting GK of Hannover 96.

For the bench you can take players like Maciej Zurawski(F), Christiano Zanetti(M), Marcelo ZeMaria(D), Christian Ziege(M) or Pascal Zuberbühler(GK)

[Spartak]

I'll go with B here:

-------------------Buffon---------------------
Bonera------Biscan-------Burdisso-------Bridge
-----Beckham-----Baraja------Ballack---------
------------------Basturk---------------------
------------Bellamy------Bazzani-------------

[roarksown1]

Yeah, let's try and keep things in order, then at the end of the alphabet, we'll all speculate about which team would be the strongest...that "B" team isn't looking so bad already...

So who's taking care of the "C's"?

[jameseyla]

www.football365.com did this same thing. they couldnt make a q or an x team

[Jon Pall]

Wanted to include Robeto Carlos but Carlos is not his last name.


----------------Casillas

Cafu-----Cannavaro-----Campbell-------A.Cole

---Cole------Cocu------Rui Costa-----S.Conceicao

------------Crespo---------Cisse

Bench: CANTONA!!! (j/k), Julio Cruz, Candela, Chamot, Cordoba, Canizares, Cuevas

[Elninho]

Can't include Rui Costa in the C's. RUI COSTA is his last name - his first name is Manuel.

I'm not around a decent Internet connection right now, so I'd prefer to take my time and fill out the entire alphabet at once - I'm expecting to be beaten to a lot of letters.

[Jon Pall]

dope, I forgot Manuel is his first name. Ok here is my revised starting lineup.

--------------------Crespo
-----------Julio Cruz----------Cisse

------------J.Cole---Cocu----S.Conceicao

-------A.Cole------Campbell----Cannavaro---Cafu

[Wolves_67]

I guess when this is done we can argue about which team would win a club competition. :)

[JerzyRebel]

So are we using the Brazilian players' real names or nicknames? Ronaldo? Cafu? Kaka? What's up? WE need to establish this rule now so people have a guideline. I'm working on my first team.

[afgrijselijkheid]

the 'V' XI should be easy... 10 dutchmen and vieri :D

[topcow]

Roberto Carlos starts with a R?

Cudicini could be the goalkeeper for your C team.

[comme]

--------Dudek
Deflandre Desailly Dede
Dyer Davids Dunn Duff
---------Deco
-----Del Piero Diouf

[afgrijselijkheid]

Originally posted by comme
--------Dudek
Deflandre Desailly Dede
Dyer Davids Dunn Duff
---------Deco
-----Del Piero Diouf


that's a pretty damn good side too

[Elninho]

I think we're using the FIFA convention: whatever name appears on the player's shirt. (For Korean and Chinese players, the name that would appear on a national team shirt applies, eg: Hong Myung-Bo has "BO" on his LA Galaxy shirt but had "M B HONG" on his South Korea shirt, and therefore fits under H but not B.)

[Mario]

I'd put Dida instead Dudek in the "D" team.


my partial "R" team
(plenty of attacking players and lacking world class defensive ones)


----Ronaldo-----Ronaldinho

----------Riquelme

---Raul----------------Rui Costa

--------C Ramelow----

---Roberto Carlos-

-------------Rustu


bench:

JJ Reyes

Recoba

[argentine soccer fan]

I will take a crack at the 'E'. I think it is a nice veteran team, with a very good midfield, but a bit weak defensively. I fear it may not be competitively in the same level as some of the other letters:

GK:Peter Enckelman
D: Ugo Ehiogu, Ansil Elcock, Asik Emre
M: Emerson, Stefan Effenberg, Marco Etcheverry, Edmundo
F: Fabian Estay, Samuel Eto, Juan Esnaider

Lets hear it for Esnaider, a 'Marplatense' like me. (Born in the city of Mar del Plata, Argentina).

[Elninho]

Originally posted by argentine soccer fan
I will take a crack at the 'E'. I think it is a nice veteran team, with a very good midfield, but I fear it may not be competitively in the same level as some of the other letters:

GK:Peter Enckelman
D: Ugo Ehiogu, Ansil Elcock, Asik Emre
M: Emerson, Stefan Effenberg, Marco Etcheverry, Edmundo
F: Fabian Estay, Samuel Eto, Juan Esnaider

Don't forget EDMILSON, Giovane ELBER and Johan ELMANDER.

[Jon Pall]

Originally posted by argentine soccer fan
I will take a crack at the 'E'. I think it is a nice veteran team, with a very good midfield, but a bit weak defensively. I fear it may not be competitively in the same level as some of the other letters:

GK:Peter Enckelman
D: Ugo Ehiogu, Ansil Elcock, Asik Emre
M: Emerson, Stefan Effenberg, Marco Etcheverry, Edmundo
F: Fabian Estay, Samuel Eto, Juan Esnaider

Lets hear it for Esnaider, a 'Marplatense' like me. (Born in the city of Mar del Plata, Argentina).

Wouldn't Inter's Emre be a good choice for M/F. Certainly superior to Effenberg and Etcheverry.