Non roster WC winners

Nice, man. Peru had some really good teams in late 60's and 70's. As you said, Peru's "Golden Age".

As for the veterans, I guess Bellini (36 yeard old) was the only old-timer in the CB spot in 1966. But there were 3 others on the whole squad: Djalma Santos (37 years old), Zito (almost 34 years old) and Garrincha (almost 33 years old), who were way past their peaks and were chosen strictly due to political reasons: Brazil was under military dictatorship regime since 1964 and it was important for the government to keep the masses happy – no better way to please the Brazilians than by manipulating football and making promises that Brazil would, once again, win the title because the beloved former world champion heroes were with the squad.
Djalma Santos himself has stated many times that he had no conditions of playing for Brazil in 1966 and that Carlos Alberto should obviously have been taken in his place.

The thing is it is a big fallacy that Brazil did not have good players to represent the National Team in 1966, as it has been said a few times after the bad campaign. In terms of quality of the players available, it wasn’t far below Brazil’62 or Brazil’70.

Pelé was at his peak in 1966 and there were top players available for almost every position.

But the preparations were a huge mess (partially due to political reasons as well). No one seemed to be leading it, neither the manager Feola nor the CBD.

If the preparations for that World Cup hadn’t been so badly made by the CBD and the Brazilian organizers, I believe Brazil would have been major contenders for the title.

But it was all done last minute: preparations started only a few weeks before the tournament began and the whole thing was upside down.

Nothing less than 49 players were called-up to be tested in a real short period of time and were cut off the squad in a matter of days.

At the end, there was no real team, no tactics, no system, no planning. Nothing less than 20 players (out of 22) played as starters in the 3 matches disputed by Brazil during that World Cup. It was just a bunch of great players that kept swapping places all the time, but it wasn't A TEAM.

No wonder it is one of the most disastrous campaigns in the history of Brazil at a WC edition (and that’s with Pelé at his peak!)

All that leads to the wrong impression that there was just Pelé and no other good players available (unlike 1970). Sure 1966 was a period of transition between the old guard (like Garrincha) to the new talents like Tostao and Rivellino from 1970; but there was definitely a lot of top players available already in 1966.

This is what that squad should have looked like full-power, in my opinion:

GK: Manga – Valdir – Ubirajara
RB: Carlos Alberto Torres – Fidélis
CB: Djalma Dias – Orlando – Leônidas – Altair
LB: Rildo – Oldair
DM: Roberto Dias – Dudu
CM: Ademir da Guia – Gérson
RW: Jairzinho – Jair da Costa
FW: Pelé – Alcindo – Dirceu Lopes – Tostão
LW: Rinaldo – Amarildo

Paulo Henrique, Denílson, Paulo Borges and Paraná would be good options for the bench as well at that point.

Imagine if real preparations had been made and the right players were properly tested and taken. Looks like a pretty strong squad to me. Just needed some real training...

Starting team: Manga – Carlos Alberto – Djalma Dias – Orlando – Rildo – Roberto Dias/Dudu – Gérson/Ademir da Guia – Jairzinho – Pelé – Alcindo – Rinaldo/Amarildo

Or perhaps Ademir da Guia could play a bit more advanced to the left (as a false-winger - like Rivellino in 1970), closer to Pelé and you would have a Gérson, Ademir and Pelé trio on the attacking midfield, with Jairzinho on the right and Alcindo as the centre-forward. Like this:

-----------ADEMIR-------------------------
----------------------------PELÉ-------------
GERSON---------------------------ALCINDO
------------------------------------------------
-----------------------JAIRZINHO----------

Gerson and Ademir could also swap positions, with Ademir more centralised and Gerson more open. In my opinion, this would be as strong as Brazil'70 in terms of firepower, with only Alcindo not being world-class like Tostao - but still a prolific goal-scorer, nonetheless.

How amazing would that attacking set-up be?

 

Brazil'66 full-power (rosters+non-rosters):

GK: Manga – Gilmar – Valdir (or Ubirajara)
RB: Carlos Alberto Torres – Fidélis
CB: Orlando – Djalma Dias – Altair – Leônidas (or Brito)
LB: Rildo – Oldair (or Paulo Henrique)
DM: Roberto Dias – Dudu (or Denílson)
CM/AM: Gérson – Dirceu Lopes (or Lima)
RW: Jairzinho – Jair da Costa (or Paulo Borges)
FW: Pelé – Tostão – Alcindo – Servílio
LW: Ademir da Guia (improvised) – Amarildo (Paraná or Rinaldo)

--------------------------------MANGA--------------------------------
-------------------ORLANDO---------DJALMA DIAS-----------------
-CARLOS ALBERTO-------------------------RILDO/OLDAIR/PH--
-----------------------------R.DIAS/DUDU/DENÍLSON--------------
------------------------GÉRSON----------------------------------------
---JAIRZINHO---------------------------ADEMIR DA GUIA---------
---------------------------PELÉ------------------------------------------
-----------------------------ALCINDO/SERVÍLIO---------------------

This one seems better than the previous one.

 

Don't know enough about German players to make the non-roster, I hardly knew most of the reserves in the actual squad.

 

never saw this thread before.
WC78 Dutch Selection vs dudes at home playing with themselves:

 

if you ask my opinion, this is a good selection, especially the back 5.
muhren's younger brother arnold was the more offensive option for my 78 selection.
mulder i always relate to his son youri position-wise. he was more refined but also not a true RW, just like thijssen in my 78 XI.
maybe henk wery is an option. @PuckVanHeel is feijenoord fan/specialist, so he might know more about the player.

 

1930 is probably a bit early for Hapgood or Brook to be included.

Vic Watson
Ellis Rimmer
James Hampson
George Camsell
Hugh Adcock
Warney Cresswell

Some good possibilities to add, lots of strikers to pick from.

I might go with

England 1930 roster had been (16 men):
GK: Harry Hibbs, Jack Brown
DF: Roy Goodall, Ernie Blenkinsop, Warney Cresswell
HB: Alfred Strange, Sam Cowan, Maurice Webster, Billy Marsden
FW: Sam Crooks, David Jack, Dixie Dean, George Camsell, Ellis Rimmer, Joe Hulme, Gordon Hodgson

 

I can't help much for 1930, but for 1966 I can kick things off with a winger-wonders front 4:

Ian Storey-Moore-Joe Baker-Peter Osgood-Peter Thompson

 

Debuchy, Kursawa, Lucas Digne as well. But yes, your team looks good.