Next is Yugoslavia/Former Yugoslavia. This first group of Yugoslavia players that really put their country in the upper levels of world soccer played throughout the 50s. This group that often played together is broken up into two generation as the players are born over a period of 13 years (1921-1933). The first of these two generation is the Bobek/Mitic generation from 1921 to 1928. It is built around the three iconic forwards in Yugoslavia history that all played in some of the same national teams (Bobek, Vukas, Mitic). Thsi group probably peaked at the 1952 Olympics. Finisher Željko Čajkovski Zdravko Rajkov Marko Valok Kosta Tomašević Creator Stjepan Bobek Bernard Vukas Rajko Mitić Tihomir Ognjanov Prvoslav Mihajlović Antun Herceg Franjo Rupnik Controller Zlatko Čajkovski Predrag Đajić Defender Branko Stanković Ivica Horvat Miodrag Jovanović Ljubiša Spajić Miljan Zeković Goalkeeper Vladimir Beara The finishers lack a truly top player with Čajkovski and Rajkov both having solid careers, Valok and Tomasevic were more questionable inclusions. The creators are obviously fantastic led by the three great forwards. Ognjanov and Mihajlović also had excellent careers and the position is strong in depth and talent. The controllers, defenders, and goalkeepers all have one all time great player leading the group. The best supporting talent is at defender. The next generation is of slightly younger players with a small overlap to the previous generation. The major players carried over are Vukas and Beara. This group crossed over playing with both the famous group of the 50s (previous generation) and the generation after this one that is associated with Euro 1960 and the 1960 Olympics. The Milutinović/Zebec generation is from 1927 to 1934 Finisher Bora Kostić Todor Veselinović Muhamed Mujić Aleksandar Petaković Zdravko Rajkov Marko Valok Sava Antić Creator Bernard Vukas Miloš Milutinović Tihomir Ognjanov Zlatko Papec Luka Lipošinović Antun Herceg Controller Branko Zebec Vujadin Boškov Lazar Tasić Defender Tomislav Crnković Bruno Belin Dobrosav Krstić Vasilije Šijaković Goalkeeper Vladimir Beara Petar Radenkovic There is a major improvement at finisher with Kostić and Veselinović both being top players world wide. Mujić, Petaković, and Rajkov all had strong careers as well. The creators are still strong but slightly decreased from the previous group. Milutinović is the major addition but Bobek and Mitic are lost. The controllers are led by an all time great in Zebec, who played a number of different roles in his career but I figured this was the best place for him. The depth is improved at the position with Boskov and Tasic having excellent careers. The defenders are of similar to the previous group led by Crnkovic and Belen. More depth is added at keeper with a second strong player Radenkovic, added to Beara.
The next generation has an improvement in total depth of players and contains a number of top players. It is most closely associated with the key players of the early to mid 60s. The Šekularac/Vasović generation is from 1936 to 1943 Finisher Milan Galić Josip Skoblar Mustafa Hasanagić Slaven Zambata Dražan Jerković Silvester Takač Branislav Mihajlović Tomislav Knez Creator Dragoslav Šekularac Zvezdan Čebinac Ivica Osim Vladica Kovačević Spasoje Samardžić Controller Velibor Vasović Ante Žanetić Jovan Miladinović Željko Perušić Rudolf Belin Miroslav Pavlović Petar Radaković Vojkan Melić Defender Fahrudin Jusufi Vladimir Durković Mirsad Fazlagić Milan Damjanović Lazar Radović Branko Rašović Živorad Jevtić Goalkeeper Milutin Šoškić Ilija Pantelić The finishers have excellent depth led by Galic, Skoblar, and Hasanagić. Galic was know for his fantastic career with the national team while Skoblar and Hasanagić are known for their exploits at the club level. Zambata and Jerković also had excellent careers, especially for the national team. The creators are led by Šekularac, an all time great. He has solid support from Cebinac, Osim, and Kovacevic. The controllers are the best group yet for Yugoslavia. They are led by Vasović an offensive sweeper of the same style as Beckenbauer. This position has excellent depth as well with all the players listed having strong careers. The defenders also show an improvement in depth. Jusufi is an all time great supported by excellent players in Durković, Fazlagić, and Damjanović. Soskic is a strong keeper.
Nest is the generation that made the final of the 1968 Euro and last group stage of the 1974 World Cup. The Džajić/Oblak generation is from 1943 to 1950. Finisher Dušan Bajević Slobodan Santrač Josip Bukal Nenad Bjeković Vahidin Musemić Creator Dragan Džajić Jurica Jerković Josip Pirmajer Danilo Popivoda Momčilo Vukotić Controller Branko Oblak Vladislav Bogićević Jovan Aćimović Ilija Petković Franjo Vladić Defender Josip Katalinski Dragan Holcer Ivan Buljan Mirsad Fazlagić Milan Damjanović Blagoje Paunović Dragoslav Stepanović Dobrivoje Trivić Mladen Ramljak Goalkeeper Ivan Ćurković Enver Marić The finisher lack a true top talent with Bajevic being the best of the group. The creators are led by the great Dzajic, with strong support and depth from Jerković, Pirmajer, and Popivoda. The controllers are excellent with four excellent players present and one true top talent in Oblak. The defenders have great total depth and depth of top players. The two keepers are both solid.
There is a relatively large time gap between the previous generation and this one. This is the generation that came into its prime as Yugoslavia broke apart and showed great promise before it did. These players achieved a strong showing at WC 1990, won the 1987 Youth World Cup, won the European Cup with Red Star, made the 1998 World Cup semifinal as Croatia, and played for top teams all over Europe. A combined Yugoslavia squad would have been one of the favorites to win the 1992 Euro, 1994 World Cup, 1996 Euro, and 1998 World Cup if this group of players had remained together. Finisher Davor Suker Darko Pančev Predrag Mijatovic Alen Bokšić Goran Vlaovic Creator Dejan Savicevic Dragan Stojković Zvonimir Boban Robert Prosinečki Milinko Pantić Zlatko Zahovič Aljoša Asanović Controller Vladimir Jugović Robert Jarni Slaviša Jokanović Niko Kovač Branko Brnović Defender Siniša Mihajlović Miroslav Đukić Zvonimir Soldo Igor Štimac Predrag Spasić Goalkeeper Dražen Ladić Ivica Kralj The finishers are likely the best group yet with all the players listed having great careers. The creators are ever better with a glutton of creative midfielders. The controllers are solid with Jugovic, Jarni, and Jokanović all being excellent players. Mihajlovic, Dukic, and Soldo were all top notch defenders. Goalkeeper is the major weakness of the group.
The final generation is meant to give you an idea of what a present day/recent past Yugoslavia team could have looked like. The Vidic/Modrić generation is from 1981 to 1988 Finisher Edin Džeko Mario Mandžukić Goran Pandev Mirko Vučinić Vedad Ibišević Creator Ivan Rakitić Zvjezdan Misimović Niko Kranjčar Dušan Tadić Danko Lazović Zoran Tošić Controller Luka Modrić Nemanja Matić Darijo Srna Aleksandar Kolarov Danijel Pranjić Senad Lulić Zdravko Kuzmanović Defender Nemanja Vidić Branislav Ivanović Neven Subotić Vedran Ćorluka Goalkeeper Samir Handanović Asmir Begović The strikers are strong with 5 solid players/ The creators are reletively weak with Tadic and Raktitc still having a major chance to continue to improve their careers. The controllers are strong with strong midfielders and wingbacks. The defenders are excellent with Vidic and Ivanovic already having excellent careers. The two goalkeepers are also strong.
Rankings excluding the most recent group as they are unfinished. Finisher 1) Savicevic/Suker 2) Šekularac/Vasović 3) Milutinović/Zebec 4) Džajić/Oblak 5) Bobek/Mitic Creator 1) Bobek/Mitic 2) Savicevic/Suker 3) Milutinović/Zebec 4) Džajić/Oblak 5) Šekularac/Vasović Controller 1) Šekularac/Vasović 2) Džajić/Oblak 3) Milutinović/Zebec 4) Savicevic/Suker 5) Bobek/Mitic Defender 1) Džajić/Oblak 2) Šekularac/Vasović 3) Bobek/Mitic 4) Savicevic/Suker 5) Milutinović/Zebec Goalkeeper 1) Milutinović/Zebec 2) Bobek/Mitic 3) Džajić/Oblak 4) Šekularac/Vasović 5) Savicevic/Suker Overall 1) Šekularac/Vasović 2) Savicevic/Suker 3) Džajić/Oblak 4) Milutinović/Zebec 5) Bobek/Mitic The overall rating was very close, no one group was far behind the other. Šekularac/Vasović had no real weaknesses in roles/positions. They were 5th in creators but they were not weak their at all, just not quite as strong as other group, whereas other groups were significantly behind in the other roles.
Was waiting for this generation - one of the greatest in face in football history but the national conflicts meant they could not play together after 1990. In my opinion, they would have won Euro92, Euro96 and arguably WC98 based on talent and experience. They also could have gone very deep in WC94 (at least semifinals, in my opinion). I believe you mentioned that you list players within each category in rank. If you are doing this here, there is no way a limited player like Pancev should be ahead of Mijatovic or Boksic. Also, why Savicevic ahead of Stojkovic, the far more relevant player at international tournaments. By the way, notice there are lots of left-footers, in the tradition of Argentina/Uruguay. What would be your starting lineup and key reserves if this team had been able to play together from 92 to 2000?
Ridiculous, the Stojkovic/Boban generation is Yugoslavia's greatest without a doubt (in depth and peak). Your research is outstanding but your interpretations are often astray.
If you are only looking at attacking talent they are the best. They are significantly behind Šekularac/Vasović and some other groups at controller, defender, and goalkeeper.
Do you feel any other Yugoslavian generation had the potential to win the World Cup besides the Stojkovic/Suker?
The Šekularac/Vasović was not that far away in 1962. They were obviously below Brazil so they probably could not have won but they have a good shout at being the second best team. From what I have read they should have won Euro 60 as well, they dominated the final in chances but Yashin saved USSR.
Next will be Spain. The first group of footballers will be the generation that showed well in the 1950 World Cup. The Zarra/Basora generation is from 1920 to 1927 Finisher Telmo Zarra César Rodríguez Álvarez Pahiño Silvestre Igoa Adrián Escudero Creator Estanislau Basora Agustín Gaínza Juan Arza Epifanio Fernández José Luis Panizo Controller Antonio Puchades Miguel Muñoz Mariano Gonzalvo Defender Joan Segarra Joaquín Navarro Gabriel Alonso Goalkeeper Antoni Ramallets Ignacio Eizaguirre The finishers are a strong group led by the great Zarra. The depth behind him is excellent as well with all the players listed having excellent careers fro the biggest clubs in Spain. The creators are led by Basora, who in my opinion is one of the most underrated Spanish players ever. He was a great winger for Spain and Barcelona. He was Barcelona's major player for most of his time there. Most people think Kubala made Barcelona but Basora and César Rodríguez Álvarez had led them to two titles in the late 40s. Barosa then combined effectively with Kubala in 52 to win another title and was a major reason why they won a second consecutive title in 53 with Kubala hurt most of the season. He has a fantastic record for Spain as well and was great in the 1950 World Cup. Gaínza was another great winger at the time who was vital to Bilbao and Spain. Behind them is good depth of players with strong club careers. Puchades is the standout of the controllers group which is not overly impressive. Segarra was another part vital part of the very successful Barcelona teams of the late 40s/early 50s and was major part of the team through its second important run with Suarez in the late 50s early 60s. He was Spain's top defender throughout this time as well. Ramallets was an excellent goalkeeper.
I think you may have missed some key defenders for that generation: Bilic, Mirkovic and Djorovic, all with illustrious careers abroad, which in my opinion puts it atop the ratings in that category. Also add Milosevic and Kodro up front. Hope you don't mind too much, but I think this is how it should look: Finisher Davor Suker Predrag Mijatovic Alen Bokšić Darko Pančev Savo Milosevic Meho Kodro Goran Vlaovic Creator Dragan Stojković Dejan Savicevic Zvonimir Boban Robert Prosinečki Zlatko Zahovič Aljoša Asanović Milinko Pantić Controller Vladimir Jugović Robert Jarni Slaviša Jokanović Niko Kovač Branko Brnović Defender Siniša Mihajlović Miroslav Đukić Slaven Bilic Zvonimir Soldo Goran Dorovic Igor Štimac Predrag Spasić Zoran Mirkovic Goalkeeper Dražen Ladić Ivica Kralj
The next generation is built around the group that won the Euro 1964 and were major contributors to the great Barcelona and Real Madrid teams at the time who had major success in the European Cup. The Gento/Suarez generation is from 1933 to 1940 Finisher Marcelino Creator Luis Suarez Francisco Gento Amancio Amaro Enrique Collar Joaquín Peiró Carlos Lapetra Adelardo Rodríguez Luis Aragonés Ramón Marsal Controller Luis Del Sol Martí Vergés Ignacio Zoco Jesús María Pereda Defender Ferran Olivella Manuel Sanchís Feliciano Rivilla Marquitos Isacio Calleja Pachín Severino Reija Luis María Echeberría Goalkeeper José Vicente This generation has some obvious strengths and weaknesses. The finisher group is a major weakness for a number of reasons. First most of the major clubs in Spain at this time employed foreign players as their first choice strikers (Real Madrid: Puskas, Di Stefano; Barcelona: Kocsis, Kubala; Atletico: Vava; Valencia: Waldo). Spain also used Di Stefano, Puskas, and Kubala as first choice strikers. The creator group is fantastic with top players from top to bottom. Suarez, Gento, and Amancio are some of the greatest player at their position in football history. The controllers are solid with very good players, Del Sol is the closest to truly great. The defenders are deep with solid players but no major standouts. Goalkeeper is lacking.
Outside of Savo who is a year to young for this group those are excellent additions, especially the defenders.
The next generation is the group that peaked in the early 80s reaching the Euro 84 final and was very strong in defenders. The Camacho/Gordillo generation is from 1949 to 1957 Finisher Santillana Quini Dani Juanito Jesús María Satrústegui Poli Rincón Creator Juan Manuel Asensi Estanislao Argote Controller Víctor Muñoz Jesús María Zamora Defender José Antonio Camacho Rafael Gordillo Migueli Antonio Maceda Andoni Goikoetxea José Ramón Alexanko Goalkeeper Luis Arconada Urruti The finishers have good depth of solid players but no stars. This generation is the only Spanish group with a poor group of creators. Munoz was an excellent player but there is little depth at controller. The defenders are very deep, Camacho, Gordillo, Migueli, Maceda, and Goikoetxea were all legendary defenders for there clubs and the national team. The goalkeepers are both solid.
The next group is the players that peaked in the late 80s and early 90s. The Hierro/Míchel generation is from 1965 to 1972 Finisher Emilio Butragueno Manolo Creator Míchel Luis Enrique Rafael Martín Vázquez José Mari Bakero José Luis Caminero Andoni Goikoetxea Fran González Txiki Begiristain Fernando Gómez Colomer Controller Vicente Engonga Guillermo Amor Defender Fernando Hierro Miguel Ángel Nadal Albert Ferrer Manuel Sanchís Abelardo Rafael Alkorta Genar Andrinúa Goalkeeper Santiago Cañizares Finishers are light but Butragueno was an excellent player. The creators are much improved, maybe lacking a superstar but lots of depth of very good players. The controllers are weak and the defenders are once again a strength with Hierro an all time great. Canizares is solid keeper.
The next generation is the highly talented group of the 90s and early 2000s that had much expected of it but failed to make a major impact on the international stage. Many of these players were key to Spanish clubs domination of the European Cup around the turn of the millennium. The Raul/Guardiola generation is from 1971 to 1978. Finisher Raul Fernando Morientes Diego Tristán Alfonso Kiko Creator Gaizka Mendieta Juan Carlos Valerón Julen Guerrero Joseba Etxeberria Pedro Munitis Luis García José Amavisca Controller Pep Guardiola Rubén Baraja David Albelda Iván Helguera Defender Carles Puyol Sergi Míchel Salgado Joan Capdevila Agustín Aranzábal The finishers are led by an all time great in Raul who has some talented player supporting him. The creators have excellent depth but lack an all time great. At different points in there careers Mendieta and Valerón both looked as if they could become all time greats but they could not maintain there form due to injuries and changes in clubs. the controllers are excellent with four very good players. The defenders are led by an all time great who is often associated with the later generation in Puyol. There were no significant goalkeepers in this group.
Finally we come to Spain's greatest generation and one of the greatest generations of footballer ever, winning three consecutive major international tournaments. The Xavi/Iniesta generation is from 1980 to 1987 Finisher David Villa Fernando Torres Álvaro Negredo Fernando Llorente Creator Xavi Andrés Iniesta Cesc Fàbregas David Silva Santi Cazorla Joaquín Vicente Pedro Jesús Navas José Antonio Reyes Controller Xabi Alonso Gabi Mikel Arteta Defender Gerard Piqué Sergio Ramos Juanfran Raúl Albiol Goalkeeper Iker Casillas Víctor Valdés Pepe Reina The finishers are led by Villa one of Spain's greatest ever who is supported by Torres, who at different points in his career was thought to be one of the best strikers in the world. The creative group is one of the best of all time. The controllers are somewhat light with Javi Martínez and Sergio Busquets being one year to young for the generation. Pique and Ramos, although often criticized have often had excellent performances for club and country in big moments and have massive trophy cabinets. The goalkeepers are excellent.
Ranking Finisher 1) Zarra/Basora 2) Xavi/Iniesta 3) Guardiola/Raul 4) Camacho/Gordillo 5) Hierro/Míchel 6) Gento/Suarez Creator 1) Xavi/Iniesta 2) Gento/Suarez 3) Zarra/Basora 4) Hierro/Míchel 5) Guardiola/Raul 6) Camacho/Gordillo Controller 1) Guardiola/Raul 2) Gento/Suarez 3) Xavi/Iniesta 4) Camacho/Gordillo 5) Zarra/Basora 6) Hierro/Míchel Defender 1) Camacho/Gordillo 2) Hierro/Míchel 3) Guardiola/Raul 4) Xavi/Iniesta 5) Zarra/Basora 6) Gento/Suarez Goalkeeper 1) Xavi/Iniesta 2) Camacho/Gordillo 3) Zarra/Basora 4) Hierro/Míchel 5) Gento/Suarez 6) Guardiola/Raul Overall 1) Xavi/Iniesta 2) Gento/Suarez 3) Guardiola/Raul 4) Zarra/Basora 5) Hierro/Míchel 6) Camacho/Gordillo Xavi/Iniesta was clearly number one after that it was all very close.
yes ... Savicevic was more flashy than Stojkovic while Suker was more effective than Boban But agree those names should be deserved a mention