1951 Kevin Keegan (Paul Breitner) Keegan is a person whose valuation varies quite a bit, and this is also true for his managerial career where the perceptions vary. Some of the alternatives (mainly limited to players who made 'the lists'): Kenny Dalglish, Arnold Muhren, Johan Neeskens, Horst Hrubesch, Ray Kennedy, Willy van de Kerkhof, Rene van de Kerkhof, Oblitas, Peter Withe, David Kipiani, Johnny Rep, Joe Jordan For defensive players: Phil Neal, Marco Antonio, Walter Meeuws, Terry McDermott, Migueli Input would be welcome. A peculiar thing is here that Arnold Muhren (a classy player imho, and 'World Soccer' had him even on the cover when he retired) is three months older than Johan Neeskens, who was also not short in skill for his time. Louis van Gaal is also from 1951, as well as Claudio Ranieri.
I'd pick Fillol over Tresor. Both players were impressive with their defensive skills. But Tresor lacked positioning. Fillol however, would always position himself well.
Yeah, I was thinking about a few impressive World Cup games where Tresor played particularly well and thought it were maybe more in quantity than Fillol and the other defensive players of his year but difficult to say. I'll change it to 'Tresor or Fillol'. It's a pity that some very good videos have been deleted. @PDG1978 also send me a PM whether I've changed my mind on Dalglish (relative to Keegan) and that is not the case. Personally I've still a personal preference for Dalglish but it seems Keegan is generally held in higher regard outside of Britain (one of the things I've learned by collating lists - and one sees an evolution over time too). To be fair, he did also well and was influential outside his comfort zone. Next I'll try to do is 1952.
Do you happen to know if theres a match clip of keegan where he impresses? I watched some of his german matches but failed to see any balón d'or supremacy.
1952: Oleg Blokhin or Allan Simonsen (defensive player: ??) Other 'offensive' players: Fernando Morena, Dirceu, Osvaldo Ardiles, Alain Giresse, Zdenek Nehoda, Roger Milla, Francesco Graziani, Carlos Santillana, Vahid Halilhodzic, Rui Jordao, Joao Alves, Frans Thijssen, Rainer Bonhof, Uli Hoeness, Willington Ortiz, Yasuhiko Okudera, Bernard Lacombe, Waldemar Victorino, Cesar Cueto, Kees Kist, Ralf Edstrom Defensive players: Marinho Chagas, Wim Rijsbergen, Gordon McQueen, Ruben Galvan, Jorge Olguin, Urruti, Jens Jorn Bertelsen There is no shortage in choice for midfielders and forwards, but there is a struggle with picking a goalkeeper or defender. 'TalkSport' preferred Allan Simonsen as their top pick. I need to think about this. My initial gut feeling was Blokhin because of his longevity and his first touch.
1954: Mario Kempes (Leo Junior) Other attacking players of note: Socrates, Tjorborn Nilsson, Giancarlo Antognoni, Juanito, Trevor Francis, Didier Six, Francois van der Elst, Gerry Armstrong, Ricardo Bochini, Rabah Madjer, Dieter Muller. Roberto Dinamite, Jan Peters Defensive players: Marco Tardelli, Eric Gerets, Luis Arconada, Harald Schumacher, Ulrich Stielike, Joseph-Antoine Bell, Wadislaw Zmuda Despite his broken career, and that in Spain he wasn't seen as the best player of the league (or a candidate for that), it is safe to pick out Mario Kempes I think. He stands out from this cohort. Then I think of the continental games for his club too. For defensive players it is not so obvious, in part because the modern standing of Leo Junior is for a part based on his years as a midfielder.
For defensive players theres also José Velazquez (Rainer Bonhof) Gabriele Oriali Raymond Domenech Alexander Szatmári Senol Günes and Jim Platt are the best gks I have found
Thanks. 1953 is also a strong year. Zico, Hans Krankl, Graeme Souness, Paolo Roberto Falcao, Cha-Bum Kun, Rene Houseman, Norberto Alonso, Manfred Kaltz, Daniel Passarella, Gaetano Scirea, Periko Alonso, John Robertson, Paul Mariner, Felix Magath, Kenny Burns, Claudio Gentile, Ivica Surjak, Jean-Marie Pfaff, Rene Vandereycken, Aldo Maldera, Serginho N.B. Passarella and Scirea are born on the same day! But I switched to 1954, because I think Zico as top pick for 1953 is immediately obvious for most (at least by reputation).
1956: Paolo Rossi (Thomas N'Kono) The main alternatives (not all of the same level, but for a broad perspective): Zbigniew Boniek, Liam Brady, Frankie Vercauteren, Bruno Giordano, Laurie Cunningham, Klaus Allofs, Steve Archibald, Frank Arnesen, Carlos Roberto, Fernando Gomes, Ray Wilkins, Gary Birtles, Juan Ramon Carrasco Defensive players: Thomas N'Kono, Hans van Breukelen, Viv Anderson, Jose Brown, Ricardo Giusti, Oscar Garre, Andoni Goicoecha, Ivan Nielsen, Peter Reid, Bernd Forster, Jose Ramon Alexanko, Salvatore Bagni Maybe that Boniek or Brady are alternatives for Rossi.
1957: Bryan Robson (Rinat Dasaev) 'TalkSport' picked Glenn Hoddle, and yes in technical ability and style that makes sense but Robson was maybe more vital, more undisputed throughout his career, more productive too (while playing deeper on average). Someone who could carry a team on his own - up til a certain level. In Ballon d'Or Robson also comes out vastly superior. Both were never FWA or PFA player of the year (as a sour, but obvious note). Other options: Preben Elkjaer-Larsen, Jan Ceulemans, Reinaldo, Hansi Muller, Karl Allgower, Mark Lawrenson, Klaus Augenthaler, Joel Bats, Patrick Battiston, Fulvio Collovati, Antonio Cabrini, Bruce Grobbelaar, Eder, Rafael Gordillo, Antonio Maceda, Renato Gaucho, Gordon Strachan, Hallvar Thoresen, John Wark, Pietro Paolo Virdis, Ramaz Shengelia, Walter Schachner, Jean Castenada, Stefano Tacconi, Faruk Hadzibegic, Wilfried Hannes, Adri van Tiggelen I think Robson, Hoddle, Elkjaer-Larsen, Ceulemans and maybe Strachan are the main options.
Yes thanks. I added him and others to show the steep drop off after the sixth name (Rontved, Clodoaldo, Krol, Pereira, Olsen, Hellstrom). I had initially those six + Carpeggiani and Wolff, but wanted to have more. Potential overlooked names would be welcome.
1959: Michel Preud'homme (Bernd Schuster) 'TalkSport' picked Carlo Ancelotti. Although Schuster has not a completely perfect individual career either (only once picked by Don Balon for their ideal team, in 1984-85), I think he should be ranked ahead overall. Ancelotti had most probably his individual peak in the mid 1980s (here an example where he shines). I realize that the top pick is maybe odd for some, but both Van Breukelen and Van der Sar have frequently perceived and mentioned Preud'homme as the best there was. Fernando Chalana was also a fine player, especially in 1984 at the European Championships. Others: Fernando Chalana, Carlo Ancelotti, Ruben Paz, Ramon Diaz, Fyodor Cherenkov, Erwin Vandenbergh, Ricardo Gallego, Kevin Sheedy, John Lauridsen, Marcel Coras, Juary, Wilmar Cabrera, Diamantino Defensive players: Paul McGrath, Massimo Bonini, Luis Fernandez, Glenn Hysen, Juan Barbas, Pietro Vierchowod, Thomas Ravelli, Holger Hieronymus, Helmuth Duckadam, Roberto Tricella, Wolfgang Rolff.
1961: Lothar Matthaus (Enzo Francescoli) Other attacking players: Peter Beardsley, Oleksandr Zavarov, Ian Rush, Jesper Olsen, Yannick Stopyra, Alemao, Vasyl Rats, Andrea Carnevale, Patricio Yanez, Roberto Cabanas, Jose Toure, Josimar, Erwin Koeman, Arnor Gudjohsen Defensive players: Andoni Zubizaretta, John Sivebaek, Elzo, Rune Bratseth, Chendo, Guido Buchwald, Jose Cuciuffo, Sebastiano Nela, Danny Blind, Franky van der Elst
So let's move to another defensive year. 1963: Peter Schmeichel (John Barnes?) For 1963 I personally picked Schmeichel, while TalkSport chose another defensive player in Ronald Koeman. So who would be a candidate for the attacking player slot? Barnes, Butragueno or Papin I think. Other offensive players: Emilio Butragueno, Jean-Pierre Papin, Michel, Roberto Donadoni, Mark Hughes, Stefan Pettersson, Ian Wright, Oleksiy Mykhaylychenko, Walter Casagrande, Lajos Detari, Rob de Wit, Hennadiy Litovchenko, Trevor Steven, Brian McClair Other defensive players: Jan Molby, Dunga, Oleh Kuznetsov, Giuseppe Bergomi, Ricardo Ferri, David Seaman, Gary Stevens, Bernard Lama, Roland Nilsson, Jose Basualdo, Srecko Katanec, Jan Heintze, Eric di Meco, Roberto Mussi, Sonny Silooy, Stanley Menzo, Nigel Winterburn (not necessarily in order)
1965: Gheorghe Hagi (Laurent Blanc) Originally I had Blanc first and then Hagi in brackets, but with some consideration I swap that order. After thinking about 'skill', about career progression, the level at the various competitions (league, continental, national team) and what the (national) teams did without them I think it is appropriate to change the order. Strange is that this year seems to have some peculiar depth among full-back positions. Usually that position is pretty scarce, but now there's an abundance although not all of them were at their top at the same time. Other offensive players that I found (not in order): Tomas Skuhravy, Darko Pancev, Karl-Heinz Riedle, Dragan Stojkovic, Rai, Rui Barros, Marc Degryse, Lubomir Moravcik, Vincent Guerin, Ulf Kirsten, Anders Limpar, Ion Andoni Goikoetxea, Pablo Benchoechea, Massimo Crippa, John Jensen, Andreas Thom Defensive players: Jose Luis Chilavert, Jurgen Kohler, Jorginho, Aldair, Denis Irwin, Gary Pallister, Jocelyn Angloma, Des Walker, Hernan Diaz, Thomas Helmer, Ruud Hesp, Pedro Troglio, Manfred Binz, Trifon Ivanov, Manuel Sanchis, Ronaldao, Tony Dorigo Maybe Chilavert as alternative for Blanc, otherwise I'd say no (if we give some basic consideration to 'skill').
Late career Hagi was such a gem. Take away the wasteful longshots and you have perfection. Still, I'd pick Stojkovic over Hagi. What a birth year!
@PDG1978 also added these suggestions: "Rafael Martin Vazquez Silas Mini Jakobsen Aljosa Asanovic And for defence: Colin Hendry Amadeo Carboni Jorginho is 1964 I think actually isn't he? Maybe my XI could be: Chilavert; Angloma, Blanc, Aldair, Irwin; Stojkovic, Rai, Asanovic, Hagi, Martin Vazquez; Pancev" Yes, it appears I accidentally listed the wrong Jorginho: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jorginho_(calciatore_1965) Thanks for these additions. Not really for the very top I think (i.e. Hagi, Blanc) but still useful.
Interesting how clearly the post war years 48-50 stick out as noticably weaker than the rest. Not really surprsing.
Can you say why it is not surprising? In those years the babyboom was reaching a peak (in Europe at least).
Since 1966 (a particularly strong and deep year) was already covered, I move to 1967, but before I do I'll mention this compilation of Laurent Blanc vs Italy at the 1998 World Cup Laurent Blanc vs Italy at the 1998 World Cup (quarter final) https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x642rf0 I think he's maybe #2 for this year, but it is fair to put Hagi at #1 after further thinking on individual level, skill and progression. Blanc was a fairly good attacking midfielder earlier in his career (even on the France Football cover wearing the #10 shirt). He's either way the 'defensive player' pick (where 'skill' is a consideration too since it is more difficult to build up than break down, even though Scirea etc. are not exactly the best in tackling, preventing goals and can even rank high in 'own goals' at times).
1967: Roberto Baggio (Matthias Sammer) For many Baggio will be the clear pick, but with the depth of 1966, here other notable names for 1967. Maybe that Ciro Ferrara is a viable alternative pick instead of Sammer. That would make two Italians but given the dominance of the league when they were 22 - 30 it wouldn't be very surprising. Ferrara has a handful things going for him. Attacking players: Ivan Zamorano, David Ginola, Paul Gascoigne, Gustavo Poyet, Claudio Caniggia, Dario Hubner, Meho Kodro, Andreas Moller, Jordan Letchkov, Aron Winter, Zinho, Julio Dely Valdez, Jose Luis Caminero, Nicola Berti, Luc Nilis, Alberto Garcia Aspe, Igor Dobrovolski Defensive players: Ciro Ferrara, Basile Boli, Bodo Illgner, Paul Ince, Gheorghe Popescu, Tim Flowers, Guillermo Amor, Dan Petrescu, Iliyan Kiriakov, Philippe Albert, Jonas Thern, Luigi Apolloni, Alain Roche
When I arrive at 1970 I'm thinking about creating a full overview with all the major alternatives. Anyway, here is 1968: 1968: Paolo Maldini (Youri Djorkaeff) Among defensive players Maldini is almost beyond contention. 'TalkSport' had Maldini also as their pick (following Baggio in 1967, one of the rare/only instances where two countryman succeed each other, but then again, possibly not surprising given the shape at all levels and thinkable dimensions of the Italian league when they were between 22 and 30) For offensive players it is not so obvious but I always liked and rated Djorkaeff. He could be a topscorer but also a great supporting player for Ronaldo, Zidane (most famously), Rai, Ginola, Sonny Anderson, Klinsmann and others (something which many of those stars couldn't do themselves). It is tempting to say he was the Iniesta of his time. Other defensive players: Marcel Desailly, Fernando Hierro, Mauro Silva, Rafael Alkorta, Didier Deschamps, Andre Cruz, Gabriel Mendoza, Cesar Sampaio, Frank Lebouef, Graeme Le Saux, David Batty, Ioan Lupescu, Dorinel Munteanu, Robert Jarni, Slaven Bilic, Antonio Benarrivo Other offensive players: Davor Suker, Giuseppe Signori, Stefan Effenberg, Zvonomir Boban, Matthew le Tissier, Oliver Bierhoff, Fabrizio Ravenelli, Martin Dahlin, Andreas Herzog, Diego Fuser, Aleksandr Mostovoi, Juan Antonio Pizzi, Paul Merson, Mario Basler, Peter van Vossen, Pavel Kuka These are not in order, but I'd say Davor Suker is the main alternative to Djorkaeff (I'm not saying this to please PDG1978, LOL). Again, missing additions would be welcome, even if not necessarily for the very top.