The 25th edition of the International Football Book had apart from Glanville his list also a few more things: - Brief stories about memorable teams of the past 25 years (so between 1958-1983). Non-British teams highlighted are the Real Madrid of the 50s, Brazil of the 60s and the Dutch team of the 70s. Apparently those three became selected as the three most noteworthy ones by the editor. - A list with the best 300 players in those 25 years, plus a brief list of legends before 1958. They name 25 players in each position (excluding pre-1958 names). Although it invariably leads to contentious omissions and dubious ranking of players (probably an Italian or Spanish publication would select some local foreign heroes), I think it is nonetheless good info.
Goalkeepers Lev Yachin (USSR) Gordon Banks (England) Gyula Grosics (Hungary) Neves Santos Gilmar (Brazil) Ladislao Mazurkiewicz (Uruguay) Dino Zoff (Italy) Josef Maier (West-Germany) Vladimir Beara (Yugoslavia) Ronnie Helstroem (Sweden) Walter Zeman (Austria) Antonio Carbajal (Mexico) Ivo Viktor (Czechoslovakia) Antonio Ramallets (Spain) Jan Tomaszewski (Poland) Jose Angel Iribar (Spain) Pat Jennings (Northern-Ireland) Peter Shilton (England) Ubaldo Fillol (Argentina) Enrico Albertosi (Italy) Emerson Leao (Brazil) Ray Clemence (England) Rinat Dasaev (USSR) Luis Miguel Arconada (Spain) Fritz Koncilia (Austria) Jurgen Croy (East-Germany) Superstars pre-1958 Ricardo Zamora (Spain) Frantisek Planicka (Czechoslovakia) Giampiero Combi (Italy) Julien Darui (France) Rudi Hiden (Austria) Amedeo Carizzo (Argentina) Antal Szabo (Hungary)
Right backs Djalma Santos (Brazil) Tarcisio Burgnich (Italy) Berti Vogts (Germany) Carlos Alberto Torres (Brazil) Eric Gerets (Belgium) Claudio Gentile (Italy) Jimmy Armfield (England) Luis Ubinas (Uruguay) Georges Heylens (Belgium) Horst Dieter Hottges (Germany) Jean Djorkaeff (France) Sandor Matrai (Hungary) Orvar Bergmark (Sweden) Federico Vairo (Argentina) Vladimir Durkovic (Yugoslavia) Luis Eyzaguirre (Chile) Karoly Dobias (Czechoslovakia) Jean Wendling (France) Zoze Ze Maria (Brazil) Wim Suurbier (Netherlands) Anton Szymanowski (Poland) Robert Sara (Austria) Manfred Kaltz (West-Germany) Mick Mills (England) Phil Neal (England) Superstars pre-1958 Virginio Rosetta (Italy) Paul Janes (Germany) Severino Minelli (Switzerland) Domingo Da Guia (Brazil) Branco Stankovic (Yugoslavia) Victor Rodriguez Andrade (Uruguay) Josef Blumm (Austria) Rafael Nasazzi (Uruguay) Alfredo Foni (Italy) Important note I forgot to make in the introduction: although the book was published at the end of 1983, it only takes into account the "early months of 1983"...
Centre backs Billy Wright (England) Robert Jonquet (France) Ernst Happel (Austria) Jose Emilio Santamaria (Uruguay) Luis Hilderaldo Bellini (Brazil) Bobby Moore (England) Jesus Garay (Spain) Roberto Matosas (Uruguay) Leonid Shesternev (USSR) Bjorn Nordqvist (Sweden) Roberto Perfumo (Argentina) Franz Beckenbauer (West-Germany) Elias Figueroa (Chile) Ruud Krol (Netherlands) Hector Chumpitaz (Peru) Jose Martinez Pirri (Spain) Emlyn Hughes (England) Jerzy Gorgon (Poland) Marius Tresor (France) Daniel Passarella (Argentina) Bruno Pezzey (Austria) Gaetano Scirea (Italy) Coelho Umberto (Portugal) Ullrich Stielike (West-Germany) David O'Leary (Ireland) Superstars pre 1958 John Carey (Ireland) Neil Franklin (England) Ivan Horvath (Yugoslavia) Louis Carre (Belgium) Carlo Parola (Italy) Gyula Lorant (Hungary) Note: in the actual publication no blank space in between Perfumo and Beckenbauer exists, but because I noted that the bottom half is filled with "skilled defenders" (not saying that the upper half hasn't a single one), I guess a 'cut' should be made at that spot - might be the case.
Left backs Nilton Santos (Brazil)Ladislav Novak (Czechoslovakia)Giacinto Facchetti (Italy)Karl-Heinz Schnellinger (West-Germany)Silvio Marzolini (Argentina)Ray Wilson (England)Farhudin Jusufi (Czechoslovakia)Roger Marche (France)Francisco Marinho (Brazil)Terry Cooper (England)Alberto Tarantini (Argentina)Maxime Bossis (France)Kenny Sansom (England)Frank Gray (Scotland)Leovegildo Junior (Brazil)Anatoli Demianienko (USSR)Antonio Cabrini (Italy)Rosario Hilario (Portugal)Omar Caetano (Uruguay)Bernd Dietz (West-Germany)Jose Antonio Camacho (Spain)Eric Caldow (Scotland)Boris Gaganelov (Bulgaria)Willie Donachie (Scotland)Ivan Crnkovic (Yugoslavia) Superstars pre-1958 Umberto Calligaris (Italy)Karl Sesta (Austria)Etienne Mattler (France)Eddie Hapgood (England)Renzo De Vecchi (Italy)Eric Nilson (Sweden)Roger Bocquet (Switzerland)Mihai Lantos (Hungary)
Midfield (Half Backs) Ernst Ocwirk (Austria) Josef Boszik (Hungary) Josef Masopust (Czechoslovakia) Nestor Rossi (Argentina) Niels Liedholm (Sweden) Zlatko Cajkovski (Yugoslavia) Carlos Bauer (Brazil) Danny Blanchflower (Northern-Ireland) Gerhard Hannapi (Austria) Igor Netto (USSR) Jose Eli Miranda Zito (Brazil) Mario Esteves Coluna (Portugal) Nestor Goncalves (Uruguay) Valeri Voronin (USSR) Billy Bremner (Scotland) Arie Haan (Netherlands) Wilfried van Moer (Belgium) Johan Neeskens (Netherlands) Graeme Souness (Scotland) Marco Tardelli (Italy) Paulo Roberto Falcao (Brazil) Paul Breitner (West-Germany) Jean Jacques Marcel (France) Antonio Ubaldo Rattin (Argentina) Duncan Edwards (England) Superstars pre-1958 Jose Leandro Andrade (Uruguay) Luis Monti (Argentina) Edmond Delfour (France) Gyula Lazar (Hungary) Obdulio Varela (Uruguay) Simon Arsenjevic (Yugoslavia) Josef Turai (Hungary) Walter Nausch (Austria) Jimmy Dickinson (England)
Midfield Forwards Juan Alberto Schiaffino (Uruguay) Waldir Pereira Didi (Brazil) Raymond Kopa (France) Bobby Charlton (England) Gianni Rivera (Italy) Luis Suarez (Spain) Pedro Virgilio Rocha (Uruguay) Oliveira Nunes Gerson (Brazil) Fritz Walter (West-Germany) Gunnar Gren (Sweden) Rajko Mitic (Yugoslavia) Johnny Haynes (England) Angel Labruna (Argentina) Johnny Giles (Ireland) Alan Ball (England) Wolfgang Overath (West-Germany) Wim van Hanegem (Netherlands) Roberto Rivelino (Brazil) Gunter Netzer (West-Germany) Kazimierz Deyna (Poland) Osvaldo Ardiles (Argentina) Oliveira Socrates (Brazil) Giancarlo Antognoni (Italy) Liam Brady (Ireland) Mimis Domazos (Greece) Superstars pre-1958 Giovanni Ferrari (Italy) Max Abbeglen (Switzerland) André Abbeglen (Switzerland) Alex James (Scotland) Raymond Braine (Belgium) Noel Silva Zizinho (Brazil) Geza Toldi (Hungary) Jose Manuel Moreno (Argentina)
Second Centre Forwards (Inside Forwards) Edson Arantes Pelé (Brazil) Ferenc Puskas (Hungary) Sandor Kocsis (Hungary) Stjepan Bobek (Yugoslavia) Denis Law (Scotland) Ladislao Kubala (Hungary) Jimmy Greaves (England) Ferreira da Silva Eusebio (Portugal) Sandro Mazzola (Italy) Omar Enrique Sivori (Argentina) Artur Coimbra Zico (Brazil) Diego Maradona (Argentina) Roger Piantoni (France) Valentin Ivanov (USSR) Paul van Himst (Belgium) Teofilo Cubillas (Peru) Mario Kempes (Argentina) Michel Platini (France) Trevor Francis (England) Lajos Tichy (Hungary) Milan Galic (Yugoslavia) Helmut Haller (West-Germany) Zbigniew Boniek (Poland) Antonio Valentin Angelillo (Argentina) Dimitar Jakimov (Bulgaria) Superstars pre-1958 Giuseppe Meazza (Italy) Gyorgy Orth (Hungary) Adolfo Baloncieri (Italy) Hector Scarone (Uruguay) Oldrich Nejedly (Czechoslovakia) Abe Lenstra (Netherlands) Jose Travasos (Portugal) Ernst Stojaspal (Austria)
Right wingers Manuel dos Santos Garrincha (Brazil) Filho Ventura Jairzinho (Brazil) Kevin Keegan (England) Kurt Hamrin (Sweden) Amaro Amancio (Spain) Luis Cubilla (Uruguay) Grzegorz Lato (Poland) Alan Simonsen (Denmark) Botelho Julinho (Brazil) Helmut Rahn (West-Germany) Giampiero Boniperti (Italy) Billy Bingham (Northern-Ireland) Slava Metreveli (USSR) Karoly Sandor (Hungary) Jurgen Grabowski (West-Germany) Ferenc Bene (Hungary) Franco Causio (Italy) Kenny Dalglish (Scotland) Igor Chislenko (USSR) Charles Antenen (Switzerland) Jose Augusto (Portugal) Lazlo Fazekas (Hungary) Joseph Ujlaki (France) Bruno Conti (Italy) Pierre Littbarski (West-Germany) Superstars pre-1958 Stanley Matthews (England) Ernst Lehner (Germany) William Meredith (Wales) Alfred Aston (France) Alexandr Tirnanic (Yugoslavia) Ernst Melchior (Austria) Alcides Ghiggia (Uruguay)
Centre Forwards Alfredo Di Stefano (Argentina) Johan Cruijff (Netherlands) Uwe Seeler (West-Germany) Nandor Hidegkuti (Hungary) Gerd Muller (West-Germany) John Charles (Wales) Just Fontaine (France) Rik Coppens (Belgium) Milos Milutinovic (Yugoslavia) Isidoro Neto Vava (Brazil) Luis Artime (Argentina) Jose Altafini (Brazil) Florian Albert (Hungary) Gyorgy Asparukhov (Bulgaria) Andrade Goncalves Tostao (Brazil) Wlodzimierz Lubanski (Poland) Joe Jordan (Scotland) Hans Krankl (Austria) Paolo Rossi (Italy) Dusan Bajevic (Yugoslavia) Anatoli Banichevski (USSR) Mick Channon (England) Jose Torres (Portugal) Klaus Fischer (West-Germany) Paul Mariner (England) Superstars pre-1958 Matthias Sindelar (Austria) Gyorgy Sarosi (Hungary) Adolfo Pedernera (Argentina) Leonidas da Silva (Brazil) Imre Schlosser (Hungary) Guillermo Stabile (Argentina) Franz Binder (Austria) Silvio Piola (Italy) Tommy Lawton (England) Gunnar Nordahl (Sweden) Joseph Mermans (Belgium) Bernard Vukas (Czechoslovakia)
Great article, Puck . Here it is some comments: In post #3. Vairo played actually Left Back. And Nasazzi wasn't named Rafael??? In post#4. Interesting that polyfunctional Hughes was selected as CB. I also think J.Carey was FB. In post#5. Roger Bocquet must be placed in CB list.
Left wingers Francisco Lopez Gento (Spain) Branko Zebec (Yugoslavia) Jean Vincent (France) Tom Finney (England) George Best (Northern-Ireland) Dragan Dzajic (Yugoslavia) Rob Rensenbrink (Netherlands) Oleg Blokhin (USSR) Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (West-Germany) Coen Moulijn (Netherlands) Lennart Skoglund (Sweden) Mario Lobo Zagallo (Brazil) Ivan Kolev (Bulgaria) Cliff Jones (Wales) Leonel Sanchez (Chile) Josip Skoblar (Yugoslavia) Juan Ramon Veron (Argentina) Mario Corso (Italy) Mimis Papaioannou (Greece) Luigi Riva (Italy) Robert Gadocha (Poland) Piet Keizer (Netherlands) Roberto Bettega (Italy) Zdenek Nehoda (Czechoslovakia) Joachim Streich (East-Germany) Superstars pre-1958 Raimundo Orsi (Argentina) Pal Titkos (Hungary) Cliff Bastin (England) Zoltan Czibor (Hungary) Agustin Gainza (Spain) Jacques Fatton (Switzerland) Antonin Puc (Czechoslovakia) ------------- This was the last list...
Good info PUCK Even I do not necessary agree with the names in position classification, this list TIED UP well the names to the players' real position (starting line up) on pitch (but not ROLE) for example, Platini , Zico were never (or extremely RARE) positioned as 2nd forward! They should be same class as Socrates/Rivelino/Kopa.. as MF/FW Or they are right to put Cruijff, Di Stefano as CF (starting position) but their ROLE is totally different story.
You're right. I actually found a version with a lot of typos and a version where most were cleaned up but that error was still in place. RE positions: Kenny Dalglish is also not a right-winger of course. Maybe because he and his team celebrated the greatest successes when he was primarily associated with that role, the successful 1976-1978 European campaigns. "Hughes played in midfield until 1973/74 when he moved to centre-half alongside Phil Thompson." http://www.lfchistory.net/players/player/profile/324 But maybe a British league fan or Liverpool fan can give a better comment on that. Also surprised that Lenstra made the list for the Netherlands and not Wilkes (or Rijvers) who was successful abroad, and in some seasons seen as one of the best if not the best. Lenstra never moved abroad.
Yeah, the Dalglish position was the most surprising thing to me and Keegan too for the same reason. I know Voetbal International offered them as right wing/right forward options to their readers when selecting a century XI in a 4-3-3 but that's understandable given all the options and that the alternative would be striker or in a midfield 3. But to call them right wingers in a publication like this seemed a bit of a shock - surely it wasn't because they both wore number 7 for Liverpool?? However, it's understandable/acceptable for them to call Di Stefano and Hidegkuti centre-forwards I think even if they played the position in a different way, and other minor things like whether Platini and Labruna (who I'm guessing about but seemed to effectively be like a GSIF from what I read) should swap positions are not quite so incorrect I think. Interesting that they were still categorising players according to old fashioned roles (in 1983 they weren't like that or I don't think described as the equivalent of old roles in football commentary etc) - that wouldn't be the case anymore I'm sure. It's really good nevertheless though, and another great find by you Puck.
Very interesting find. Since I dealt with English First Division history of the 1970s recently, the following was the Liverpool defensive lineup during that decade: 1969-70 --Strong-----Yeats-----Smith-----Lawler -----------------Lawrence 1970-71 ----Lindsay---Lloyd----Smith----Lawler -----------------Clemence The left back position was shared by various players (Lindsay, Boersma, Yeats and Hughes). 1971-72 ----Lindsay----Lloyd----Smith----Lawler --------------------Clemence 1972-73 ----Lindsay----Lloyd----Smith----Lawler --------------------Clemence 1973-74 ----Lindsay----Hughes---Thompson---Smith ---------------------Clemence 1974-75 ---Lindsay----Hughes----Thompson---Smith ---------------------Clemence Neal and Lindsay almost 50/50 at left back 1975-76 ------Neal-----Hughes-----Thompson----Smith -----------------------Clemence 1976-77 ------Jones----Hughes----Thompson----Neal -----------------------Clemence 1977-78 Difficult to pin down, as Hansen, Jones and Smith all played as left back.
Most represented nations (1958-1983): Brazil - 25 England - 22 West-Germany - 20 Italy - 18 Argentina - 17 France - 13 Hungary - 12 Yugoslavia - 12 USSR - 11 Spain - 10 Netherlands - 9 Uruguay - 9 Austria - 8 Poland - 8 Scotland - 8 Sweden - 7 Czechoslovakia - 6 Portugal - 6 Belgium - 5 Bulgaria - 4 Northern-Ireland - 4 Chile - 3 Ireland - 3 East-Germany - 2 Greece - 2 Peru - 2 Wales - 2 Denmark - 1 Mexico - 1 Pre 1958: Hungary - 11 Italy - 10 Austria - 8 Argentina - 6 England - 6 Uruguay - 6 Switzerland - 6 Czechoslovakia - 4 France - 4 Yugoslavia - 4 Belgium - 3 Brazil - 3 Germany - 2 Sweden - 2 Ireland - 1 Netherlands - 1 Portugal - 1 Scotland - 1 Spain - 1 Wales - 1
OK, thanks to PDG for letting me know that Vukas and Jusufi were Yugoslavian of course, so then it becomes this Brazil - 25 England - 22 West-Germany - 20 Italy - 18 Argentina - 17 France - 13 Yugoslavia - 13 Hungary - 12 USSR - 11 Spain - 10 Netherlands - 9 Uruguay - 9 Austria - 8 Poland - 8 Scotland - 8 Sweden - 7 Portugal - 6 Belgium - 5 Czechoslovakia - 5 Bulgaria - 4 Northern-Ireland - 4 Chile - 3 Ireland - 3 East-Germany - 2 Greece - 2 Peru - 2 Wales - 2 Denmark - 1 Mexico - 1 Switzerland - 1 Pre 1958: Hungary - 11 Italy - 10 Austria - 8 Argentina - 6 England - 6 Uruguay - 6 Switzerland - 6 Yugoslavia - 5 France - 4 Belgium - 3 Brazil - 3 Czechoslovakia - 3 Germany - 2 Sweden - 2 Ireland - 1 Netherlands - 1 Portugal - 1 Scotland - 1 Spain - 1 Wales - 1
Thanks James. Yes, I also said it over PM to PDG (I copy it so I don't have to repeat myself) It is said on a few places that Di Stefano (esp. at late 50s and beyond) and Cruijff were not exactly center forwards indeed, it quips about a 60s match programme that compares Cruijff with Peter Osgood when he played a game in England. So yes, some categorizations are debatable, just like the placings and omissions (Bican, Valentino Mazzola and Popluhar are worthy of a mention I guess) but the idea is more like that various things can be compared, and an older list is equally interesting as a more recent one I think.
English football books I like about these eras is "soccer in the fifties" by Geoffrey Green and "the big matches" by Moore & Tyler, which deals with the 70s. That latter book also calls the Netherlands "team of the decade" although it notes that before the 1974WC no one of the ITV panel tipped the Netherlands and Cruijff was the only Dutch player mentioned to look out for (even though he was on everyone's list). It doesn't say how many people the panel had but judging by the names mentioned I guess it was around a dozen 'experts'.
If others have similar lists it would be good to see I think, I think it is much more informative as later lists where the likes of Pedernera and Moreno are placed on a pedestal solely because they are Argentinian (even over Meazza or Sindelar). But no list is without flaws or leeway in positions. Thanks to PDG, from a conversation some days ago, this are some who missed out (some were by 1983 still in the middle of their career). Valentino Mazzola Bican Tigana Elkjaer Ceulemans Hoddle Battiston Sekularec Ademir Marques de Menezes Safet Susic Faas Wilkes Jimmy Johnstone Alan Hansen Bernd Schuster Johnny Rep Dominique Rocheteau Toninho Cerezo Amarildo Ricardo Bochini Cesar Cueto Arthur Friedenreich Archie Gemmill Dave Mackay Stan Mortensen Pepe Bryan Robson Antonio Sastre Rene van der Kerkhof Tony Woodcock John Robertson Pfaff Nelinho Leandro McGrain Gemmell Briegel Gordillo Ondrus Zmuda Forster Lawrenson Vasovic Israel McNeill Katalinski John Robertson Thanks to PDG But anyway, would be great if others know about other lists like this one or the one of Placar
Yeah, you're welcome Puck. Admitedly when you asked about possible omissions I had in mind I used my own extended best players ever list and also the top 20's I tried to estimate by position (for the defensive positions in effect). You came up with a couple too I remember including Sekularec. Tbh with only 25 centre-backs selected some of those in that list are not surprising omissions, and as said a number of those were still in the prime of their careers (Littbarski and Conti both made it - I guess the World Cup in 1982 was a factor in that). And there are a few Forest players in that list above lol, but to be fair their contemporary Trevor Francis was in the list in the book (in my view he'd have been a more understandable selection as winger than Dalglish or Keegan - he played as right winger in the 1979 European Cup Final too; but forward is probably still the best category for him). Valentino Mazzola and Bican (and maybe Arsenio Erico) might be the most surprising omissions in terms of their fame but then again they didn't star in World Cups.
In TITLE, in STARTING POSITION, both Di Stefano and Cruijff were center forward for their teams (from clubs to National team)= they both wore NUMBER 9 indeed. However in ROLE, and in playing STYLE, heatmap, they were both false9 + AM combined
Puck, Thanks for a very useful list as usual. The most doubtful position of player in this list is Raymond Braine. I have long understand that he was a center forward but the list shows him much deeper position as offensive midfielder. Could you please clarify position of Raymond Braine ? Was he really a great creative and assisted player ?