It's an oft done exercise, but I always enjoy it. For me, I'll just include players I've actually watched and try to create a balanced, functional side with some reasoning (not just a collection of the 11 best), but feel free to do yours however you want. GK, Neuer - I chose Neuer for obvious reasons (mainly his feet) , but I felt without a deep lying midfielder with exquisite passing range (like an Alonso, Pirlo or Scholes) , Neuer's aggressiveness in not only coming out to collect the ball, but in starting counters with his long passing, would be an ideal asset. LB, Marcelo- I went with Marcelo because I wanted an attacking LB who could provide attacking width without having an LW in my XI. Not only can Marcelo provide the width and act as pseudo- LW in attack, but his contribution and creativity in the final 3rd is second to none in my eyes, which will be needed without any attackers dominant in the air. Simply running down the sideline and crossing ball in the air won't work often. Defensively, there's certainly better options, but I feel I have that side covered adequately in that regard. His rare creative attacking qualities were too valuable to pass up on. LCB, Maldini- I simply had to have him in the team. In a different formation, with different players, I'd have him as a LB, but as someone playing beside the ultra aggressive Marcelo, I wanted the best defensive mind I've ever witnessed. Classy, simplistic, and intelligent with the ball as well, which again, I think balances perfectly with Marcelo's risk taking. RCB, Puyol- There's plenty of other options that would've been great (Nesta, Cannavaro, Stam etc), but I wanted Puyol's disposition to balance with Maldini's cool, calm demeanour. He's a warrior with an extrovert commanding presence, and he gives this team one of it's few aerial on set pieces. RB, Lahm- So with Marcelo flamboyantly bombing down the left, I wanted to balance the other side with a more defensively conscious player. So, I chose the human robot. Puyol, whilst an immense presence, has a bit of a reckless side positionally and a tendency to over-pursue on occasion. Lahm is about positionally sound as it gets, and never allows emotions to cloud his judgment. I couldn't think of a better player to not only balance Puyol , but to help build up play with a simple passer in Keane, and Totti or Messi dropping deep to receive the ball. He will make the correct decision 99% of the time. CDM, Busquets- Another robot who never loses the ball and always make the right decision. With the creative options I chose for AM (Totti and Iniesta), I just want someone capable of moving the ball quickly and efficiently, whilst being extremely intelligent defensively. In my eyes, he's the gold-standard of CDM's. CM, Keane- Perhaps the most controversial selection, but he brings an unrivalled edge that this side (outside of Puyol) doesn't have and I believe it needs. I wanted someone who was box-to-box to cover the area behind Totti and Messi , yet was also very, very disciplined in his positioning and decision making with the ball. Again, I want my creative options to be able to express themselves without any hinderance. And I felt having two midfielders who were not only great defensively and great at winning the ball, but were simple and deadly efficient passers was important. I think Keane and Busquets not only fit that role , but it's perfectly suited for them to be their best selves. I considered Gerrard to add an extra offensive dimension/athleticism/goal scoring , but I think he's too much of a wild horse and would be restricted, whilst not providing the exceptional defensive/positional qualities I want. LM/CAM, Iniesta- So I started my team by selecting R9, and I built the lineup from there. I wanted to give R9 as much space as possible to operate attacking from the left side of the field (and Messi on the right), so I decided against having a traditional LW and went with Marcelo to provide the width. This led me to selecting a player who could shade inside and contribute to buildup or attack the space provided. I think Iniesta is the perfect player to play in this area of the field and operate as a CM/LM/CAM/LW depending on what the situation calls for. The perfect player to help in build-up , provide balance and to create in various spaces on the field. CAM, Totti - This is the outlet to start all the counters to R9 and Messi. I can't think of a better creative passer to flip balls over the top of defences to R9 or spray passes out to Messi on the right to allow them to use their pace in space. Totti only needs one touch to make a magical pass and with the two ball winning, simple passing CM's he'll have tons of opportunities to showcase that ability. In terms of slower buildups he gives the midfield the passing range that Keane, Busquets and Iniesta don't always provide, while his long range shooting, free-kicks, and scoring ability gives the midfielders/team a completely different dynamic. I surrounded him with players who rarely go for the killer ball, so he has carte blanche in that regard. Perfect for him and the team. RW, Messi- I mean, what can I say? He provides everything, he's left-footed coming off the right side, and I'm giving him as much space as I can with Ronaldo operating more on the left Henry-style. Keane and Lahm will be winning balls and giving him ball to feet when he drops back in space. If he wants to get behind defences , he can take them on , or he can look inside and Totti will give him a tasty one-two over the top. Obviously, his passing and creativity will be unstoppable with R9, which would make his partnership with Suarez look pedestrian. ST- Ronaldo- As I said, I built the formation/tactics with him being the first name on the team sheet. Like Messi, I just wanted to give him as much room as possible and to give him players who can not only can give him the ball in space, but create for him to just finish. With Iniesta, Totti and Messi I'm sure his life will be easy in that regard. All unselfish , and they all accentuate each other quite well, imo. Anyways, that's my team. Let me know if you have any suggestions/concerns with my squad , and please share your own. I look forward to reading!
Here is mine. I have players which peak I watched regularly. Probably not the best team but my favourite one. BUFFON - next to P.Schmeichel, the best goalkeeper in my lifetime. Great peak and even greater consistency CAFU - I need an offensive right back and for me he was the best choice. In term of defensive, Thuram would be number one NESTA - the best centre back I have ever seen ( I was to young to see Baresi's peak ). Fast, elegant, great one to one. Shame that his injuries affected nim PUYOL - the captain of my team. A warrior, perfect partnership with Nesta MALDINI - the best defender in my era. Was fantastic as left back and that's why I'm put him there. VIEIRA - fighter, not just a dm, could go forward and pass or score. Would be my bodyguard in midfield XAVI - nobody controled the game like him. Great passer, started career slowly but when he reach the top, was amazing ZIDANE - slighty overrated, but great midfielder. Enjoy to watch, big game player especially in National team HENRY - the most elegant striker, should to win ballon d'or at leat one time. I don't know how they would to play with R9, but both could switch their position MESSI - the best player in my lifetime, TOP 5 of all time, fantastic scorer, passer, dribller. His partnership with R9 would be out of this world RONALDO R9 - the best striker in the last 30 years, fenomenal pre injuries, still world class after. His injuries are tragedy, but still think even without them he wouldn't be a goat, but would be far better than really was
Your team is more balanced than mine The idea with Iniesta as a "false" LW is great . Interesting You choose Keane or Totti. Unfortunately we can't play against each other, cause we have the same players
1 Schmeichel 2 Ivanovic 3 R. Carlos 4 Charles 5 Sárosi 6 Rijkaard 7 Stojkovic 8 Di Stéfano 9 Nordahl 10 Messi 11 Pelé This I consider the most plastic XI (atm), as they could go from park the bus to full pressing without suffering in player quality. However, when considering tactical substitutions, it could look quite different. E.g. Müller would be a better option to open a match. But he is not a good fit for taking advantage on the break, which could be resolved by substitution with Ronaldo.
My preferred formation is a 4-3-3. GK-Lev Yashin -obviously I didn't see him play but he won European Goalkeeper of the year, 9x. Regarded by many as the greatest goalkeeper in history. He is the only goal keeper to win a ballon d'or. He won the European club championship with Dynamo Moscow in 1960 and got runner up in 1964. LB-Maldini -Extremely strong defensively and very discipline and responsible in the back. Has the pace and intelligence to keep up with the best of them (attackers on opposing team). Also, a threat going forward with good crossing and willing to make dangerous runs going forward. Although he can go forward, he is not a liability defensively. CB-Bobby Moore -Typical brute and tough English mentality in defending but his tackles are very clean and well timed. Comfortable on the ball and keeping the game simple when he has the ball in possession. If I'm not mistaken, Pele quoted, 'man to man, Bobby Moore is the toughest defender no doubt that I played against'. CB-Beckenbauer -Another defender that makes very clean tackles. Beckenbauer is the type of the defender to win the ball, whereas other players will kick it away. He will win the ball as clean as possible while still keeping possession. Because of his tendencies and his cool headedness, he will not give stupid fouls away and lose his head. With the ball, he is as comfortable and creative with the ball as almost any defensive midfielder in the history of the game. RB-Lilian Thuram -Extremely tough defender. Like Maldini, although he can go forward and he is willing to go forward, he takes care of his defensive responsibilities. Also like Bobby Moore, a defender who tackles hard but fair. DM-Xabi Alonso -This pick was largely about balance and how he can compliment the team. As Beckenbauer is a player who can go forward in very advanced roles, I needed a midfielder who would accept the defensive role naturally as he (Alonso) did in his career. I also chose him because of his range of passing. I could have chosen Pirlo, but because of Beckenbauers tendency to go forward I needed a stronger defensive player, and a player who would embrace that role as often as he had to. I also chose him, because he has the ability to play tiki taka as he showed playing alongside Busquets, xavi, iniesta, and fabregas with his time for Spain in arguably the best national team in history. So I know he can play with the skillful midfielders who are around him without the level going down. CM-Didi -In my opinion, the best Brazilian CM of all time. Definitely, in my opinion, arguably the greatest midfielder of all time. He is a box to box player who has the offense ability to create and control the game with the best of them. In my opinion, probably the best Brazilian player based on WC performances from 1958-1970, even better than Pele! Maybe even Garrincha. (But only based on World Cup performances). His stamina is spectacular and is willing to do the defensive work. AM-Alfredo Di Stefano -from what I've seen and read probably the most all round attaking midfielder there is, although he is known to some as a center forward, he often came very deep to start play. Known often from former teammates to start plays from the goal keeper. He is capable of scoring goals and willing even to do the dirty work. He took pride in being a hard nosed player. From what I've seen, his intelligence is remarkable. The two players I might replace him with is Johan Cruyff or Maradona. RW-Messi -We all have seen enough of Messi so I really don't have to explain too much. In terms of his role on my team, I would prefer him to be much more attacking minded like he was in his younger days. Because Di Stefano would be controlling much of the game, Messi would not have to come back too often. This would allow Messi to be dangerous closer to goal allowing him to score more goals and preserve his energy towards that. Of course, he and Di Stefano, could also rotate once in a while. RW-Pele -Like Messi he has pace. And what I like about players like Pele and Messi is that they can come back but they can also take advantage of the space that defenders leave them. Capable of creating things on his own and distributing the ball to teammates. I would like him to play a similar role to Messi for the most part. CF-R9 -I pick him because he is too much of a threat on counter attacks. And of course, he also has the skill and intelligence to operate in tight spaces. As he is a number 9, it's very important that he can hold the ball and take players on when there is little to no support. In his prime, he started several plays on his own from the half way field that ended up in goal scoring chances for his team. His power and force is really an attribute that no player on the team possesses. Because it is so rare that you have a player so powerful with that level of skill set. Unfortunately, I hate to leave players like Johan Cruyff and Maradona out of the team. If I did put them on My team it would be for Di Stefano in the AM position.
Trying to bait you into plugging eleven players here. But actually most because I like doing XI's and don't care much about going out on a limb, I will attempt a PvH XI: 1 Zoff 2 Thuram 3 That British dribbler whose name seems lost 4 Baresi 5 Maybe a Dutchman? 6 Busquets 7 Messi 8 Platini 9 Cruijff 10 Pelé 11 Baggio
------------Yashin/Buffon/Neuer-------------- --Krol----Scirea/Baresi--Beckenbauer---Maldini --Maradona-Di Stéfano--Platini---Cruijff---- ------------Messi------Pelé--------------- Balance being obviously very hypothetical with AT teams, I just go for the best - in my opinion. Main reserves : Ronaldo for sure then Puskas and Van Basten in attack (van Basten being perhaps the most interesting due to his versatility technically and tactically)... C. Alberto and Facchetti as backs (Marcelo as LB yeah too). Zidane, CR, Gullit, Eusébio, Zico... Rivaldo, Romario, Ronaldinho... would be part of another group of reserves concerning the offensive positions. At last, I'll cite Garrincha and Rummenigge as subs for Ronnie and CR. About midfielders, each eras has good ones too but one pair that would make me dream would be a pair Tigana-Neeskens.
1 - Lev Yashin, 2 - Cafu, 3 - Paolo Maldini, 4 - Franz Beckenbauer, 5 - Franco Baresi, 6 - Bobby Moore, 7 - Johan Cruyff, 8 - Michel Platini, 9 - Marco van Basten, 10 - Pele, 11 - Diego Maradona (12 - Johan Neeskens, 13 - Lionel Messi) I think I'm just about settled on this as my best idea for an 'ideal' team, although have found this question the most difficult/uncertain in my whole Big Soccer time and changed my mind (mentioning different line-ups various times) quite a lot, often altering formation a bit. If I addressed the following potential criticisms: a) Make it more 'balanced' in midfield! b) Where is Messi? I would consider putting Neeskens in for Platini, and/or switching to more of a 4-3-2-1 (maybe with the two behind the striker lining up a bit wider than in a typical Christmas Tree initially, but the midfield if anything narrower but still having Cruyff to roam wide at times) with Messi in for Maradona. If I choose based on 'my time' and consider that from Euro 88 onwards (although I can at least see all the above players on video, including full games) then, sticking with the same formation, I'd put Peter Schmeichel in goal, Nesta at RCB with Baresi moving to his left, Redondo in Beckenbauer's position (although then ruling out changing to a wing-back system like would be feasible with Beckenbauer, arguably moreso if Neeskens was indeed in the team), with Figo taking Platini's position (but more Cruyff's 'role') and Zidane Cruyff's position (but a bit more Platini's 'role', with a different style), and M.Laudrup in the hole with Brazilian Ronaldo alongside MvB. Addressing the same concerns as before, Vieira in to the midfield (could even be for Zidane especially if Messi was not brought in too, but if Figo then perhaps Zidane would play more centrally/free in general) and/or Messi into the right-sided support forward role with actually Van Basten, even though a cert in my all-time version, maybe dropping out to allow Ronaldo to be retained as the front running striker (but not sure). 1 - Peter Schmeichel, 2 - Cafu, 3 - Paolo Maldini, 4 - Alessandro Nesta, 5 - Fernando Redondo, 6 - Franco Baresi, 7 - Luis Figo, 8 - Ronaldo, 9 - Marco van Basten, 10 - Zinedine Zidane, 11 - Michael Laudrup (12 - Lionel Messi, 14 - Patrick Vieira)
Although I am sure he would prefer me to go back to the France Football things (next on my list now for sure), I will make an attempt at Puck's choice although I wouldn't be too confident you won't have got more correct! Maybe since we are team-mates in Poetgooner's FM draft game (hopefully Poet is ok, and we return to that fairly soon....even if you just got that big win in the Dutch classic!), my choice even helps further with guessing Puck's for you, I don't know.... I will guess this (3-4-3 diamond): Gianluigi Buffon; Carlos Alberto, Franco Baresi, Ruud Krol; Frank Rijkaard; Xavi, Johan Cruyff/Pavel Nedved; Johan Cruyff/Pele; Lionel Messi, Pele/Marco van Basten/Gerd Muller; Dragan Dzajic I've hedged my bets a bit there obviously, and if I did that further I wouldn't rule out Busquets (and perhaps a 4-3-3 instead of 3-4-3, but I'd have an inkling he might go with a Cruyff-inspired system anyway). I'd not necessarily assume Puck would include Messi, but he has said he wouldn't argue with Messi and Pele being bracketed as the best players ever, so maybe he'd go with him in that slot instead of a Figo or someone. I'd not rule out him putting C.Ronaldo from the other side, but felt he might like the traditional wing-play provided by a Dzajic (who could obviously score goals too). Maybe the least likely to make his side from your guess, I might assume, would be Baggio (plus Ernest Needham if that is who you mean, and I'm not too sure whether it is anyway lol....but you might be taking a punt or might have seen a Puck comment about the player in question). If the Dutchman would be Ronald Koeman I'd think Puck would be inclined towards him for a Dutch XI, but not sure about an all-time best ever XI choice, and I'm guessing he might be if anything less inclined than me (as you will have seen) to put Platini with Cruyff in midfield, or certainly leave Platini with just a DM in midfield (not completely sure if you were thinking 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1). But I could be wrong!
Hmmm, it is not too far off in terms of who I see as candidates (naturally the differences are small at the very top) and some are certainly in the team. Also depends on what one prefers. For a defensively strong center back Baresi is a good one. Wouldn't think of Dzajic immediately.
You may win this one. I thought Xavi was your in game favorite, not PvH's serial listing. 3-4-3 would be a guess in common since I figured Eddy Gray for the left. But then again, it seems more like an exercise in recall than common sense, lol. Still, Gray with Baggio seems like a left side Cantona may agree with. This would make a player like Krol a good fit, next to Baresi and CAT/Thuram. (meanwhile I noticed that PvH already responded but no spoilers yet) @PuckVanHeel If still undecided, at least give away the goalkeeper
Buffon is a candidate and also Yashin, can see the idea of Schmeichel too. Maybe I'll do it full with candidates for each position (and near-locks like Pele, Messi, Cruijff) later. Hope my recent project is a bit fair and balanced! (the VI top 50 thing & what's not immediately obvious from wikipedia). If you think I'm too flattering/critical of e.g. Stam please tell!
---------Ronaldo---Messi Zidane-Davids--Xavi---Figo Carlos--Nesta--Puyol--Alves -----------------Buffon Robben and Iniesta are the omissions I feel worst about. Perhaps Henry too.
This would probably be my team. I like having a balanced team so I always keep that in mind. Unsurprisingly, the late 80s to 90s, the era of when I was growing up, gets the biggest representation in Maldini, Rijkaard, Matthaeus, and Thuram. I've been converted to the church of Elias Figueroa recently as the best CB (non-sweeper) of all time, but Thuram holds a special place in my heart (my favourite defender, growing up) and tactically, I wanted the team to form a back-3 when Carlos Alberto pushes forward, and Maldini/Thuram are perfect for the side-CB roles. Carlos Alberto was picked purely because he's the greatest right wing-back I can think of. My goal is to maximize Pele and Messi, and Messi plays best when he has a marauding wingback to play with so this was a must. Rijkaard is the greatest DM of all time imho, and one of my favourites so he gets in. Matthaeus plays on the right CM side to help cover for Alberto's pushing forward (Vieira, my no.1 favourite, waiting to replace him from the bench.) Cruyff (correct me if I'm wrong) from what I can tell watching some of his games, prefer drifting to the left so I've placed him there. The interchange with Pele should be good. If he drifts wide, Pele cuts inside. Pele stays wide, Cruyff can pushes forward. They can push forward with ease knowing Maldini will hold position behind them on that flank. Cruyff's position is probably the hardest one to pick as the no.10 role is quite stacked, but I went with him because I had the modern 433 vision in mind where the no.10 is expected to do a lot of everything well, including defending, and Cruyff was the most complete no.10 I could think of. Di Stefano picked over other great centre-forwards because of all the options, I think his all-round package and style brings out the best in Pele and Messi, which is my goal. Not just feeding Pele and Messi, Cruyff and Matthaeus making deep runs as well. That's creating multiple attacking angles.
I got a lot of joy watching these eleven players in the 90s, when I began to develop a proper appreciation for the game: Schmeichel Cafu---Nesta---Blanc---Maldini Davids Figo------------------Giggs Zidane Baggio---Ronaldo The hardest part about this line-up is excluding Cantona (who wasn't as accomplished as Zidane) and Maradona (who had declined as a player by the 90s). Not to mention Laudrup, Matthaus, Brolin, Stoichkov, Hagi, Rivaldo, Raul, etc. As for a proper all-time eleven, I think something like this: Banks Alberto Carlos---Passarella---Beckenbauer--Maldini Matthaus---Xavi---Iniesta Maradona Pele---Cristiano I narrowed down almost all my selections, with the exception of Maldini and Cristiano, to players who have won a World Cup. In Cristiano's defense, he captained Portugal to Euro 2016 glory. In Maldini's case, he came very close in 1994 and 2000, the latter of which he would have lifted the Henri Delaunay as captain. I think it's quite reasonable to argue that some of these names aren't necessarily the best ever players in their respective positions, Passarella perhaps most notably, but his two World Cup victories, the latter of which he captained Argentina, sets him well apart other center-backs. In goal, I was tempted to name Zoff, but Banks was a prominent member of England's 1966 World Cup win and his incredible save to deny Pele from point blank range in the 1970 World Cup is a feat I can scarcely imagine any other keeper capable of doing. If not for his illness in 1970, who knows how well England may have done in defending their World Cup. His loss was England's loss in the end. Neuer, in particular, and Buffon are two other considerations I had on my mind in goal. In defense, it really came down to handful of players. Maldini oozed a level of class and elegance well beyond that of any other left-back. He was far too unlucky not have helped Italy to a major international trophy, particularly in 2000 when Italy managed to beat out the free-scoring Dutch on penalties, despite having gone down to 9 men and having to defend against two penalty shots in normal time. Alas Italy were too tired after their semi-final success and having to play France, who had extra day's rest, proved too much in the dying minutes of normal and extra-time. Likewise, he was as unlucky in losing out to Brazil on penalties in 1994 and again against France in 1998. As for the remaining defensive positions, it's simply impossible for me to name anyone else other than Beckenbauer, Carlos Alberto and Passeralla seeing that all three had won two World Cups a piece. I do have a soft spot for Nesta, who like Maldini oozed a certain degree of class and elegance all to lacking in defensive oriented players. Moore, Hummels and Blanc are also worthy considerations. In midfield, Matthaus had captained Germany in 1990 and was undoubtedly their most outstanding player that tournament. Xavi and Iniesta, between them, could play as many as 200 passes inside a single match, no matter how good the opposition, and they would almost always find a way past even the most stubborn of defenses. This is one the area on the pitch, somewhat surprisingly, that I had little trouble selecting players. In attack, obviously it's very difficult to leave out certain names, especially that of Messi, but doing so would have meant excluding one of Maradona, Pele or Cristiano. Ultimately I settled on the fact Messi has not won a major international tournament, not even a Copa America, whereas the other three have won at least one major tournament for their respective countries. Arguably Ronaldo Fenomo is a worthy consideration, who if not for his loss of conscientiousness on the eve of 1998 World Cup final and his near career ending knee injury, would surely have been among those named here. I might have named Zidane, in place of Maradona, had he won the World Cup in 2006. But as a consequence of his head-butt on Materazzi, we'll never know what may have been.