1922-1923 -The high number of South Americans makes it difficult to me to suggest players to leave out, but here are some players who had great international seasons and could make it in. Switzerland had a good run of results this season, until their form dipped a bit in the summer. Abegglen and Fässler were their top players. Zamora and Piera were the best players in a Spanish team that also got good results. Cunningham was good for Scotland. Brandstätter had a legendary game nullifying Orth in the Austria-Hungary game. Some reports were less impressed by his other performances, though, so it's hard to tell. Josef Blum emerges as one of the best defenders on the continent. The biggest game on the continent was the one between Czechoslovakia and Italy. Italy, on a 12 game non-losing streak and considered to have the best defence going on, were absolutely dismantled by a Czech side hailed as the best in Europe. Interestingly enough, the drubbing didn't seem do a lot of damage to the reputation of the Italian defenders. It really was a case of the Czechs being that good. Dvoracek could make it in to go with Pesek and Sedlacek. At this point Caligaris seems to have surpassed De Vecchi. Though the latter is also considered top class, one journo quoted how "De Vecchi is no longer DE VECCHI". Top 3: 1. Morton 2. Pesek 3. Buchan After a long deliberation, I decided to hand Morton his second Ballon D'or. Though Scotland were undefeated in the Home Championship, their performances weren't that great. Morton stood out in every game he played, though. He is playing at the "very highest standard of international football". A player in a class of his own at a time when the Brits are in a class of their own. Pesek was very close to winning it for me due to being the "phenomenal" main architect in the dismantling of Italy. Orth and Pesek at this point seem like the two biggest names on the continent. Orth keeps getting mentioned even when he's not playing. His relatively minor international presence allows Buchan to pip him for the number three spot, though. It seems Orths lack of caps this season was due to him having moved to Vienna in order to score a professional contract in the Austrian league. Not sure what happened there. TotS: Zamora Caligaris K. Fogl Brandstätter Pesek Amilcar Sedlacek Buchan Orth Chambers Morton I was ready to bring in an All-Italian defensive partnership before the Czech game happened. Fogl pips the Italians for the defensive kingpin of Europe. Brandstätter makes my team despite my concerns because of the lack of good halfbacks in this era. I'm also bringing in Amilcar based on what my fellow Bigsoccerists have said, even if I don't have any first hand information. The Brits George Wilson and Jimmy Seddon are my backups. Because of the seasonal method I'm using, this is the year Seoane and his miracle season goes in. I have no idea how an uncapped player would have been rated in this era, though, so I'm playing it safe and sticking with the Brits in the forward line. Notes: -The strength of the British teams in comparison to the continent is something that is of particular interest to me. The results, however, remain as inconclusive as ever. England took a tour to Sweden and pretty much did whatever they wanted. From the French and Swedish reports it seems like they don't consider their players on par with even the amateurs in the English team. A completely different viewpoint was given by the special correspondent from the Finnish tour to Europe, who claimed the Austrians were already on par with the Brits. This is notable, because the special correspondent was actually playing centre-half in that game! Eino Soinio had also played against the Brits, even if it was the amateur team from the Olympics a decade earlier. The interesting part is that while the Finns consider the Austrians ball-magicians on par with the Brits, the Austrians consider their team to be worse than in ages. Will stay tuned. Semi-interesting anecdote: Soinio blames the defeat in the Austria game on the selectors' decision to play Arvi Katajavuori. Katajavuori was studying in Budapest at the time, and had only trained for two weeks that year. Maybe they expected him to have some special knowledge on the central European game? Katajavuori later played for MAC in the second division, as possibly the first foreigner in Hungarian football (outside of British pioneers and dual-monarchy Austrians).
A big problem with Argentina and Uruguay these years, was that they got split their leagues into two, in Argentina's case the stronger sides were in the dissident league, For Uruguayan case, in the dissident league was Peñarol and a couple of mid tables teams. btw, I'm interesting to read about hungarians in these years. An expert from other place, said that they had one of the better pool of of players in its history, and had been a mistery its failure in the 1924 Olympics. Bad behaviour? Main players, spread worldwide?
Does the split affect the Uruguayan NT? Many in the team seem to suddenly emerge at the same time just in time for the Olympics, or is that just lucky timing? Hungary is one of the great mysteries of this time. They definitely have a golden player pool, but the results just aren't there. The reporters were as flabbergasted by the Olympic result as we are now. Player availability at least shouldn't be the problem, because they should have won that game easily with any line-up. It's just one of those things that happen in football. Overconfidence was offered as one reason. Going into the game against little Egypt in a half-assed British way, then panicking when things don't go their way. Hungary have a number of other notable upsets around this time, too. Going through the sources is pretty ironic. On one hand they're way more detailed than many of the others, with a lot of player comments etc, on the other they are a real bitch to try to crack, so I've probably missed a lot of details. But I don't think there was a specific reason given for those results. One time they've had a grueling trip, another the game is played out of season. Maybe if one were to try to find a common thread, it might be poor planning. Who would your vote go to? Do you have any info on Uruguay's results in the 19-20 season? The more I read, the more it becomes clear the top scorer in the team isn't necessarily considered the best player. I'm thinking the award should go to the best Uruguayan player, but I'm less convinced whether or not it's Scarone.
Hi Ariaga II, I like the fact that you singled out Alan Morton from Scotland as the winner in two years. If there were a vote in Europe in those days (at least before the 1924 Olympics), I highly doubt players from Central Europe (at least from Germany, Austria and Hungary, countries defeated in World War I) and South America would have been considered for the top spot. Tennis experts from England and Australia completely ignored players from those countries in the first part of the 1920s. It is partly understandable, as those players were banned from the biggest international tournaments. So maybe for the top spot we should still stick with British players. Tom Stevens made a convincing case for Fred Morris in 1920, Andy Wilson in 1922 and Charles Buchan in 1923. It is a pity British professionals have not faced top Continental or South American teams in these years.
1923-1924: -A long international season, which leads to several players making claims for my list. A notable change from before is the emergence of several worthy half-backs. -I would probably have the Brits that didn't have an international career, Stephenson and Gallagher, make way. De Vecchi is another player I would drop. Italy were on the receiving end of a nasty thrashing by Hungary. It was an anomaly that wasn't blamed on De Vecchi, but he does seem to have lost his place to Rosetta afterwards. -The reports I read seemed to list Schmiedlin ahead of Ramseyer, but I probably wouldn't have either as more than honorary mentions. -Wales were one of the more interesting teams for me from this era, because I wasn't sure if the players were actually seen as exceptional, or if the victories were just due to hard work. Match reports seemed inconclusive, but luckily I did run into reports from Cardiff's European tour. They ranked Keenor as the best half in the English league, and Len Davies as second only to Buchan. Jury's still out on Stan Davies. I'd probably drop Moses Russell, though. I don't see a third division player making it to a BdO-list. It was a different time, but I'd still think a bigger club would have swooped for him if he was that great. As for other additions, Orth and Kada are still exceptional. Kolenaty is referred to as the best half in the olympics. Yes, that's over Andrade, though this was in the early stages. Kalb was great for Germany, so I'd probably reinstate him. Pedro Cea definintely in. He was at the very least viewed as being above Romano, though I'd make room for both. De Bie was a hero when Belgium earned a draw against England. The they received from Sweden probably works against him, though, even if I didn't read about him being particularly at fault. In Britain Ted Taylor was great for England. That and his league title could earn him a spot. Cunningham was great for Scotland. Top 3: 1. Andrade 2. Petrone 3. Abegglen Top 3 could have been all Uruguayan, with any one of the triumvirate Andrade/Petrone/Scarone a possibility for #1. Abegglen had the kind of season were he seemed to be the best player on the pitch in the majority of the games he played in. TotS: Ted Taylor Nasazzi Denis Andrade Pesek Kolenaty Orth Scarone Petrone Abegglen Wieser There wasn't an outstanding goalkeeper for me. Ted Taylor's good domestic and international season made me choose him over the default Zamora. I nominated two right-backs because they were the best defenders in the Olympics. Ramseyer would probably be my choice if forced to use a left-back. Keenor would have been my choice for centre-half, but the things said about him here and elsewhere makes me think maybe he wasn't quite TotS material. The inside-forwards are an easy choice for me. No particularly exceptional right-winger made me throw my #4 IF Orth in there. My choice out of actual wingers would have been Braun. Morton was still great, but the free-scoring Wieser takes the left-wing spot this time. Kock was the best winger in the Olympics. Notes: Germany beats Austria with a team featuring only players from Nurnberg and SpVgg Furth. Already experimenting with block selection. Stuhlfauth has now gotten over his earlier tendencies to rush off his line, and has developed into a top-class keeper. For those interested in league strength comparison, the Evening Standard had an interview with Syd Puddefoot, a player who played in both the English and Scottish leagues. He says there are only three clubs in Scotland who could make it in the English first division. The other teams have a good player here and there, but the general standard is low. Views on the Uruguayan team were varied, though positive. On their Spanish tour the press seemed to take more of a reserved "OK, but we'll see how they do against the best teams" tone, but after they had crushed Yugoslavia at the Olympics they were already installed as favorites by the press. Afterwards views ranged from "on par with the British professionals" to "they leave even the Brits in their shadow".
@Tom Stevens , I'm interested in hearing what made you choose Konrad and Petit? They don't have an international career at the time, so it's hard for me to find information on how they performed. I found an interesting list from Nemzeti Sport, from late 1924. It's a list of the ideal Hungarian eleven if they had access to every player. Voted for by newspaper writers: Plattko; Fogl II Fogl III; Jozsef Viola Guttmann Blum; Sandor Nemes Konrad Orth Schaffer Hirzer This was good info, because Viola and Nemes were new players to me. According to other sources I read, Plattko was seen as being second only to Zamora (not just in Spain but everywhere), and Bela Guttmann and Gabor Obitz were seen as some of the best centre-halves around. Schaffer, Plattko and Guttman at least could all be worthy of a nomination, though I'm not quite sure which season. Interestingly, one of the Hungarian papers (Either Nemzeti Sport or Sporthirlap, can't remember) didn't rate either Guttman or Obitz highly. But they also didn't consider Orth a good halfback, either, so they had some high standards. Either way, Guttman and Obitz were considered so valuable they were brought back to the team for the Olympics. Konrad and Plattko weren't included. The halfback-line was considered the team's weakness (that's why they tried Orth there), so that probably explains it. To @msioux75 and others who had an interest in the Hungarian Olympic team, I ran into a book on Guttman which shed a little light on how their preparations were for that tournament. Linking an excerpt from it. https://books.google.fi/books?id=md...oKHVKlA744ChDoATACegQICBAB#v=onepage&q&f=true
1924-1925: Another tough season to figure out. There aren't that many players who are great throughout the season, but there are plenty who shine in a couple of games. Some of the teams with good records (England and Austria) seem to be lacking in individual performances, while others with great performances (Hungary) balance it out with terrible ones. As things stand, I don't have a lot of surefire suggestions. It all depends on which competition you personally value. But I'll throw in a bunch of players who shined for their respective teams. To me the kings of the season were the undefeated Scots. Their performance against England was more dominant than the score suggests. The dominance was primarily based on the left-wing pair of Cairns and Morton, who were the best men on the pitch in every game Scotland played in (including the League XI match). Gallacher was actually hit and miss despite his great scoring record, and against England he was criticized for missing a lot of chances before scoring. I still think he did enough to earn a spot in the 23, just not in the top 3. The Scottish defense is considered their weak point, described as "no more than moderate". So the one swap I would definitely do is McStay for Cairns. The tours from the South Americans were one of the more interesting features of the season for me. Uruguay (as they were called, instead of Nacional) were definitely the strongest, followed by Boca followed by Paulistano. No news there, I guess. I also looked through the reports where the French reportedly hail Friedenreich as "the king of football", and can now call BS on that. What happened was one magazine hailed the team as the kings of football. And this was based on the view they did better in Paris than Uruguay did. Other reports weren't as glowing, and some favored Araken or even the defenders over Friedenreich. He does still make it to my 23, but we can consider the "king of football" myth debunked. As far as Boca goes, their top star surprisingly seemed to be Tarasconi. Despite his great scoring record, Seoane didn't stand out as much. Onzari was also a big success. I wonder if this tour and his famous Olympic goal against Uruguay might earn him a spot in the 23? As mentioned, Uruguay were definitely seen as the strongest of the three in general. There were some interesting experiments during the tour, such as Scarone dominating as a halfback and Nasazzi guesting as a free-scoring forward. Pretty total footballers. Now if you're looking for actual glowing praise, scroll down to the end of the post to see an example of what people thought of Uruguay. On the continent Spain had the best record, as Tom mentioned. Piera was their third guy behind Zamora and Samitier, though Gamborena is a decent choice, too. Zamora pretty much single-handedly won the game for Spain against Italy. Kolenaty was the best player on the field for the Czechs. Takacs was for the most part good for an inconsistent Hungary. Austria didn't have a clear standout. Morocutti, Wieser and Swatosch were all good at times. Denmark is a tough team to figure out at this time. They are undefeated this season, but they only play games against other Scandinavians. Still, since Sweden had a big rep around this time, and Denmark in turn had their number, we can assume a couple of Danes might have a chance, too. Their best players were Tarp and Rohde. Kaufeldt was great for Sweden, but I'm not sure how he did in at club level in France. De Bie was once again great against England, but again Belgium had one terrible result (against the Dutch) that weakens his case. Denis was great for the Dutch, Kelly pretty good for England. Billy Gillespie was good in one international and disappointing in the other, so make of that what you will. At league level, Hakoah won the title, so maybe somebody like Guttmann could be considered? The Austrian reports didn't single out any particular Hakoah player, though. Nemes was good in his one international (for Austria), but I'm not completely convinced yet whether he had a reputation worthy of the 23. Plattko for Barcelona might be considered? Here's a full list of the names I settled for: Andrade, Jose Leandro Cairns, Tommy Friedenreich, Arthur Gallacher, Hughie Gillespie, Billy Kaufeldt, Per Kelly, Bob Kolenaty, Frantisek Meiklejohn, David Morton, Alan Nasazzi, Jose Orth, György Pesek, Karel Plattko, Ferenc Rydell, Sven Samitier, Josep Scarone, Hector Takacs, Jozsef Tarasconi, Domingo Tarp, Fritz Wadsworth, Sam Walker, Billy Zamora, Ricardo TotS: Zamora Nasazzi Tarp Samitier Andrade Kolenaty Tarasconi Scarone Orth Cairns Morton Hungary was making a good case for making the defense an all-Fogl affair before they self-destructed in the summer. Right-backs again featured more prominently than lefties. As it is, the second defensive spot is between Tarp and Denis. Orth is still called "the best centre-forward in Europe". Top 3: 1. Morton 2. Andrade 3. Tarasconi That's right, for the third time Morton is the winner. I'm as surprised as anybody, but his case has overwhelmed me. Scarone loses out on a top 3 spot due to seemingly having little impact in full internationals. As for Andrade, here's the link I promised earlier. It's great not only for the picture of the Austrians on their tour to Yugoslavia, but for the "analysis" on the strength between Uruguay and Europe. Maybe one of the forum's German speakers could translate it, because it's something else. http://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/anno?aid=ios&datum=19250711&seite=8&zoom=33 Notes: -There seem to be more rumors about Orth departing to play in Austria. -After crushing Norway 6-1, the Swedes are getting cocky. They think a team with their attack and the Danish defense of Tarp and Blicher could take on an imaginary world team. They name drop Zamora, Salem, Nasazzi, Andrade, Abegglen and Petrone as members. -France battle a creditable 2-3 loss with an experimental English side. Actually, it's because the English are pretty much on holiday. Goalkeeper Fox is basically just admiring the stadium and checking out the lovely pitch while there's a match going on. Gabriel Hanot is holding the horses of those who say Uruguay would beat England. If the pros took things seriously and honor was at stake, they'd beat the Olympic Champions easily.
1925-1926: By far the most difficult season so far to try to figure out. The international scene was severely, thoroughly mediocre, with basically no consistently outstanding players. Even the teams with the best results aren't exactly lighting the town on fire. The reports on the likes of Austria and Hungary are lamenting how their standards have fallen. Most teams are using a lot of rotation or are experimenting, it seems, so basically all my suggestions are players who shined in a game or two. Taking all this into account, it maybe would make more sense to go for the more club-oriented look, like Tom has done, but here are some suggestions anyway. Denis is hailed by the Dutch as "probably the best right-back on the continent". He's great in most matches, even the ones where the Dutch suffer a drubbing. Only in the game against Belgium he was more on the meh side, but he still qualifies easily. Goalie Van Der Meulen was another who played well. The drubbings occurred when they had a different goalie. The Czech halfback line is still the best, when they happen to show up for internationals. Kolenaty was the best, but Kada also good. Silny scored a good number of goals, though against weaker opposition. He seems to have had an insane record at domestic level, too? Zamora was as good as ever for Spain. Italy's best players were Cevenini and Janni, though the Swedes weren't impressed by the latter. Cevenini seems to have had an injury-plagued domestic season, so probably won't make the cut. The Scottish team wasn't nearly as good as the record indicates, but I guess they'd get the award for best team by default. Cunningham was good, though, so I'd definitely pick him over the Celtic guys (he has great domestic numbers, too). Adam McLean was pretty good, and seems to have even unseated Morton, so he has a good case. Not sure what his all-around career reputation was, though. Hutton was carried off the pitch as the hero of his team after the England game. McStay seems to have improved. On a quiet season like this, I think he makes it to borderline nominee for the final 23. Definitely not top 3, though. Full list: Bidoglio, Ludovico (Argentina) Blum, Josef (Austria) Cunningham, Andy (Scotland) Denis, Harry (Netherlands) Friedenreich, Arthur (Brazil) Gallacher, Hughie (Scotland) Harder, Otto (Germany) Hirzer, Ferenc (Hungary) Hutton, Jock (Scotland) Jack, David (England) Jackson, Alex (Scotland) Janni, Antonio (Italy) Kolenaty, Frantisek (Czechoslovakia) Konrad, Kalman (Hungary) Pesek, Karel (Czechoslovakia) Samitier, Josep (Spain) Silny, Josef (Czechoslovakia) Seoane, Manuel (Argentina) Tarasconi, Domingo (Argentina) Van Der Meulen, Gejus (Netherlands) Walker, Billy (England) Wesely, Ferdinand (Austria) Zamora, Ricardo (Spain) Top 3: Jackson Tarasconi Friedenreich TotS: Zamora Denis Blum Kolenaty Pesek Samitier Jackson Friedenreich Gallacher Seoane Tarasconi The European season was so weak-sauce I had to track down some info on the Copa America to see if I could fill up spots. The 1925 tournament was a hugely mediocre one, too, but at least did have a couple of above average players, it seems. Actually, my whole forward line this season could be described as moderately outstanding. I was thinking of throwing in some of the Uruguayans on past rep alone, but they don't seem to have done barely anything this season? Like his team, Jackson wins the award basically by default. He wasn't world class for Scotland, but neither were anyone else. Interestingly, after struggling for so long to find decent right-wingers, they take up the top 2 spots now. It's the lefties who are nowhere to be found. Cunningham and Silny are back-ups for the striking positions. Hutton could have made it in defense, but I'm unsure whether or not his England-game was a one-off. I picked Samitier over Janni based on all-around reputation. Notes: -The big development this season is the implementation of the new offside rule. The Danes are using a new system that confuses the heck out of the Dutch defense. They leave only 3 men up front, while the two inside-forwards drop deep to function as a connector between the forward and halfback lines. Sound familiar? It doesn't pay off this time, though. Despite completely dominating the Dutch, the Danes waste most of their efforts and end up going down 4-2. The Danish game was heavily influenced by the English pro game, all the way down to the crap shooting. -The Dutch go down to Belgium 1-5 at home. They were missing many of their best players due to illness. The selectors are criticized for giving preference to Western Dutch players, and probably are not even being aware who the top players in the other areas are. Also, the players complained about how the selectors failed to give them any tactical instructions beforehand. Interesting revelations on how the selection and coaching worked at the time. -The Italians arrive on the pitch before a match to greet the fans in the stands. This type of greeting was pioneered by the Uruguayan team.
1926-1927: I agree things kick into high gear this season, especially in comparison to the mediocre last one. The big news this season is definitely the return of England. Before the game against Scotland, the Times is lamenting their poor post-war form. There are no exceptional players around anymore, and the halfback section is a particularly weak lot. Billy Walker is mentioned as the only above average player, and the only one who can hold a regular spot on the NT. The Scotland game turns things around. Not that it was seen as that exceptional, but it leads up to the European tour, where England gives those pesky continentals an absolute hammering. The French are pretty unanimous that even Uruguay would be mowed over by this England side. Hanot is all "I told you guys!" The Scots were pretty unimpressed by the English, though, and seem to focus on lamenting their own side's poor performance. Possibly we can put that down to sour grapes. Mediocre or amazing England? The debate goes on. What's becoming clear to me is that in Britain the international matches aren't seen in as high regard as they would later on. The Scotland-game is an obvious exception, but the Wales and Ireland matches are more often than not seen as little more than preparation for the big event. Here's a quote I ran into: "It is unlikely that players will be judged on their performance against cheaply-held opponents in preference to their club and season's form." On the continent, with more competition available, the internationals are held in higher esteem. That said, I'm personally still dropping players who had no international impact, such as Davies and Ferguson. Also some of the South Americans who weren't regulars for their team. Camsell is described as the "most prominent player in the country", though, so he probably warrants his spot, as does McGrory. Willie McStay is described thusly: "as usual against English teams, played above club form". So it seems like he's not necessarily a nomination-worthy player in general. McMullan is in good form for Scotland all season, though, so he makes my list. As Tom mentioned, the Czechs have an exciting new side, but Austria also experience a resurgence. "We have a team again!", one paper hails, although they seem to run out of steam a bit in the spring. Horvath is excellent, and Blum is a beast in defence. Schall didn't do anything internationally, so I would drop him. Sindelar already emerges as "in his current form among the best forwards on the continent". His flawless maneuvers also bring to mind a certain Kalman Konrad. This is interesting because Sindelar disappears from the team in the spring, and doesn't get a regular spot for a few years yet. Anyone know what happened there? At international level, I'd rank the Czech inside-forwards in order as Svoboda-Puc-Silny, though there isn't that much between them. Planicka emerges as a world class keeper. Lindberg is described by the Austrians as the "best seen in Vienna since Zamora", but has to settle for being a substitute in my list due to high level of competition.Takacs or Orth might deserve a spot just because of the France dismantling. Andrade, Jose Leandro (Uruguay) Baloncieri, Adolfo (Italy) Blum, Josef (Austria) Camsell, George (England) Castro, Hector (Uruguay) Cherro, Roberto (Argentina) Dean, Dixie (England) Gallacher, Hughie (Scotland) Goodall, Roy (England) Horvath, Hans (Austria) Libonatti, Julio (Argentina/Italy) McGrory, Jimmy (Scotland) McMullan, Jimmy (Scotland) Morton, Alan (Scotland) Nasazzi, Jose (Uruguay) Pesek, Karel (Czechoslovakia) Planicka, Frantisek (Czechoslovakia) Puc, Antonin (Czechoslovakia) Scarone, Hector (Uruguay) Silny, Josef (Czechoslovakia) Sindelar, Matthias (Austria) Svoboda, Frantisek (Czechoslovakia) Walker, Billy (England) Top 3: 1. Pesek 2. Andrade 3. Dean Despite the English continental domination, I didn't see any of their players being top-spot level exceptional on an individual level. It was more of a team effort. The Scottish judgement on Dean is something like "OK, so he's a decent opportunist with reasonable ball control". Again sour grapes? On the flip side, Gallacher is described as "a centre-forward not excelled in first class football." He's disappointing at NT-level, though, which knocks him off my pedestal. The first Mitropa final is outside my scope, but "true world class" Kada has the kind of season where he dominates every match he participates in, so he gets my vote. As usual, my knowledge on the SA-season is low, but I did read Andrade was considered the best player in the 1926 Copa. TotS: Planicka Goodall Blum Andrade Pesek McMullan Horvath Scarone Dean Gallacher Morton Zamora has the kind of career where he might get a nod every season, but this time Planicka edges him. Scarone being there is mostly speculation on my part, and Nasazzi could pip Goodall for a defender spot. Morton wasn't as exceptional as in previous seasons, but seemed to do enough to earn the last forward spot, over a free-scoring Baloncieri. Notes: -Hanot remarks how the Spaniards seem to have been inspired by the Uruguayans to adopt a more technical game. They use more tricks and feints now instead of physique, where the central Europeans have an advantage over them. -The Dutch are trying out a novel new experiment for the Danish game. They intend to place a microphone somewhere close to the playing field, and through that microphone one of the spectators would communicate events on the field through a radio to listeners at home. Whatever will they think of next? The first experiment was technically a success, but the speaker was a German who had apparently never seen a football match in his life.Listeners could hear some Danish bloke giving him instructions in the background. -A fairly interesting article in German about the strength level between England and the continent. Is it possible for a continental team to defeat England? http://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/anno?aid=ios&datum=19270604&seite=7&zoom=33 Short answer: English guy says no.
1927-1928: As usual, I would drop the players whose primary achievements were at domestic level. That would be Stabile, Schall, Barca players and the Hungarians. Takacs and especially Turay were very disappointing at international level. The only exception I'm making is for McGrory, because of special British privilege. McGrory flopped completely in his one international, too, so it's safe to say his lack of selection wasn't just due to politics. Libonatti, Levratto, Petrone and Puc I could either keep or drop, but didn't have room for them this time. Andrade, Jose Leandro (Uruguay) Baloncieri, Adolfo (Italy) Braine, Raymond (Belgium) Caligaris, Umberto (Italy) Carricaberry, Alfredo (Argentina) Dean, Dixie (England) Ferreira, Manuel (Argentina) Gallacher, Hughie (Scotland) Jackson, Alex (Scotland) James, Alex (Scotland) Kohut, Vilmos (Hungary) Mazali, Andres (Uruguay) McGrory, Jimmy (Scotland) McMullan, Jimmy (Scotland) Morton, Alan (Scotland) Nasazzi, Jose (Uruguay) Orsi, Raimundo (Argentina) Pesek, Karel (Czechoslovakia) Planicka, Frantisek (Czechoslovakia) Scarone, Hector (Uruguay) Tarasconi, Domingo (Argentina) Van Der Meujlen, Gejus (Netherlands) Wesely, Ferdinand (Austria) I might have emphasized the Olympics a bit too much, considering how many top nations were missing from the tournament. Lots of Americans, too, but I feel they've earned their place. Argentina really seemed to have a magical forward-line, and I almost included it in it's entirety. Uruguay were better in midfield and defense, and the forwards weren't considered as good as four years ago. Mazali was a hero in the final, Uruguay's best players. Would definitely pick him and Nasazzi over Gestido. The Dutch were praising the Olympic final as the greatest game of football ever seen in Europe. They're really hailing it to the heavens, saying how they'll one day sing the praises of this miracle match to their grandchildren. I wonder if there was a reporter who saw both this and the Wembley Wizards game? Speaking of the wizards, the Times were saying the key to their dominance was actually the halfback-line. I'd definitely have McMullan in there. Other Olympic revelations included Van Der Meulen and Quincoces. A favorite pastime of the Dutch is to compare the opposition goalkeeper (unfavorably) to VDM. It's funny to read the French wake up to Van Der Meulen, when us and our Dutch experts have been privy to this secret for a while now. Bernardini was good for Italy, but a bit rough. Which is also funny, because he's later exchanged for the even rougher Monti because he was considered not tough enough. Braine was good in the Olympics, but pretty anonymous before that. Richard Hofmann had a good case before melting down and getting sent off against Uruguay. The Germans in that game were considered a massive embarrassment with their violent play. Kohut was the best player for a disappointing Hungary. TotS: Planicka Nasazzi Caligaris Andrade Pesek McMullan Jackson Tarasconi Dean James Orsi Goalkeeper was the hardest choice for me to make. I thought long and hard about whether to include Plattko due to his poetry-inspiring performances at the Copa del Rey. Reading through the reports it didn't seem like it was that big of a deal, so I dropped him. I eventually opted for Planicka, who was described by Hanot as the "best keeper seen since 1924". The best defensive pairings around were Italy (Rosetta/Caligaris), Holland (Denis/Van Kol) and Czechoslovakia (Hojer/Perner). Could have gone for any combination out of these, but went for two Olympic heroes. Interestingly, I ended up with the same halfback-line as last season. Andrade had some mixed reports. Some were saying he wasn't as good as four years ago, but others were hailing him as Uruguay's best player. I feel that's enough of a resume. Kada is now there based on his Mitropa win and being the best player of a great Czech side. As mentioned, Argentina had a wonder-attack in the Olympics. Their wingers, particularly Orsi, were their best players. Yes, it turns out Carricaberry is that highly ranked, so score one for Siouxsie. I picked top scorer Tarasconi over Carricaberry to better balance my forward line. The Brits probably don't need explanation by now. Top 3: Dean Jackson Orsi Notes: -The Dr. Gero Cup is simply called the European Cup. -Chile losing to Portugal was considered a big surprise. It was known they weren't as good as Uruguay and Argentina, but it was still thought they'd be better than any of the participating Europeans. -De Bie misses out on the Olympic first round because his 2-year old had fallen out of a window. Sad. -Looks like players moonlighting as reporters is a pretty common thing. The French have Lucien Gamblin writing reports, while both Valdemar Laursen and Harry Bendixen are writing for Danish papers. I wonder if this makes them more or less reliable? That's nothing, though. La Stampa uses Vittorio Pozzo himself. It's interesting to read the reports of all these legendary football personalities, like Gabriel Hanot. BTW, Hanot ranks even Wales and Ireland ahead of the South Americans, let alone continental Europe.
1928-1929: Another really quiet year, and very difficult to rate. But here we go. The big news this year is the fall of the British empire. The Spain game everyone knows about, but equally important to me was the French game. England win that game by a clear margin, but the reports reveal that the French were challenging them on an equal level for large chunks of the game. Hanot felt there were some players on the French side who outdid their English counterparts. And remember, France is a team with some of the worst results in Europe in this era. "If the English play this way in Madrid, they will be beaten", the French bravely predict. Not only this, but Huddersfield, with a team full of internationals, took a trip to Central Europe and returned with their asses handed to them. These performances convince me to declare the British era of dominance ended. They are just another strong nation now, and I don't feel the need to give them special treatment in my rankings. Interestingly, as England's all-around standards seem to decrease, above average players begin to shine out more. Dean did enough to hold a spot on my list, Hulme was good on the wing, and Cooper and Blenkinsop were a strong defensive pair. As for their conquerors, the big news from Spain is for the first time Zamora isn't that great anymore. He lets in cheap ones against both France and England. Ironically, he still squeezes into my list as the last man even though he was superior in the last couple of ones. Gaspar Rubio, despite his goals, actually isn't the best player for Spain this season. That award goes to either Goiburu or Lazcano. Marculeta impressed the English and was good last season, too, so he's a possibility. All named are the typical Spanish greats, though. One season they'll appear like world-beaters, the next they've fallen off the radar completely. I'm not sure if any of the mentioned are worthy of this esteemed list. Same goes for the Italians. Rossetti had a great season, but doesn't really seem to have the kind of all-around career that earns a spot here. Schiavio hasn't stood out at international level yet. Pitto I could give or take. Of the other teams that had a great season, Germany didn't really have anyone who stood out consistently. The best players are ones who return in the middle of it. Stuhfaulth is the hero against Italy, while King Richard returns from his Olympic suspension (I assume) to crush Sweden. Like Pitto, Leinberger isn't a bad choice, but I'd probably pick even Ludwig Hoffmann ahead of him. Elsewhere, Ray Braine has a couple of great games and some not so great, but he is described as one of the best centre-forwards in Europe. Austria have a couple of great players during the fall in Gschweidl and Smistik, but both seem to fall off the wagon during the spring. Horvath is the only one who seems consistently good. As for Hungary, I'm pleased to report Turay and especially Takacs have improved since last season. Since their Mitropa win falls into this time frame for me, I've included them both. Bukovi seems to top Turay at this point, but I'm not quite sure about his overall rep. Kohut was better than any of them at international level, though. Speaking of the Mitropa, I'm struggling with that competition a little bit. It falls awkwardly smack dab in the middle of my cut-off period (which was Sep 1, BTW), so I'm not quite sure how to handle it yet. At the moment I'm pushing it into the following season like I do with the South American seasons. Segueing nicely into South America, they have a very quiet season, with no Copa America, and heavy rotation going on in the few internationals. Actually, they do have games against European club sides, including Uruguay's historic first loss to a European team against Ferencvaros. The reports I managed to get my hands on didn't single out any stars, though. But since this is such a quiet season, I figured some of the SA-greats would coast off last season's reputation and get a nomination based on domestic achievements. I had to unfortunately drop Cherro last time, so it's only fair to make amends. Saving the best for last, I was surprised to find out Scotland continued their Wembley Wizards form to the following season, crushing Wales and Ireland in impressive fashion. Heavy wind and a Jackson injury ruined the game against England, but as the only really outstanding side, their players are rewarded in my awards. Overkill to give them the top 3 spots? Maybe, but no one stepped up to the plate to challenge them. 1. Jackson 2. Gallacher 3. Morton Jackson wins his second Ballon because his injury seemed to be integral in stopping the Scottish machine against England. Also because Gallacher seemed to have much more impressive domestic seasons before this one. I've been surprisingly underwhelmed by Meiklejohn so far. McMullan has clearly been the top dog of the halfbacks, and even Gibson seems to be ahead of him. Blenkinsop, Ernie (England) Braine, Raymond (Belgium) Camsell, George (England) Cherro, Roberto (Argentina) Dean, Dixie (England) Gallacher, Hughie (Scotland) Gschweidl, Fritz (Austria) Hofmann, Richard (Germany) Horvath, Hans (Austria) Hulme, Joe (England) Jackson, Alex (Scotland) James, Alex (Scotland) Juve, Jorgen (Norway) Kohut, Vilmos (Hungary) McMullan, Jimmy (Scotland) Morton, Alan (Scotland) Puc, Antonin (Czechoslovakia) Smistik, Josef (Austria) Stuhlfauth, Heinrich (Germany) Takacs, Jozsef (Hungary) Tarasconi, Domingo (Argentina) Turay, Jozsef (Hungary) Zamora, Ricardo (Spain) TotS: Stuhlfauth Caligaris Blenkinsop Bukovi Smistik McMullan Jackson Takacs Gallacher Horvath Morton Very underwhelming list outside the Scots. Other goalkeepers who had greatr seasons were Van Der Meulen and Sechahye, surprisingly because both teams are leaking goals. Defensively I thought about making it an all-English affair, but Caligaris now looks to have taken the spot as the top dog in Europe. After the disappearance of old reliables Kada and Andrade, the halfback line is looking pretty insecure. I might replace Bukovi with one of them based on past rep alone. Puck Van Heel (player, not poster) was one challenger. James threatened to make it four Scottish forwards, but I didn't dare go there. Notes: -Karl Kurz retired from football in 1927, but is now back after a year and a half and is one of Austria's best players. A bit awkward, really. -Austria's good performance against Italy seems to be attributed to some kind of pressing tactics, as well as other tactical nuances I can't quite figure out. Meanwhile, Holland is still devoted to their offside trap tactics. That backfires splendidly against Norway, because the Danish ref can't figure out what's going on, either! Jorgen Juve bangs his head against the offside trap for half an hour, then proceeds to score an offside goal or two, while an angry Van Kol tries to educate the ref on what they're doing. This is doubly funny because the Danes like to laugh at the Swedes for their clueless refs. -An example of how hard it sometimes can be to figure these reports out. From the Italy-Holland game. Dutch: A fantastic performance from our team, despite the loss. We proved we were clearly equal to the strong Italians. Many of our players were better than the opponents, and especially our halfback line was better than theirs. Italians: We were clearly the better team out there, much superior in technique and stamina. Despite our clear dominance, we only scored the winning goal late in the game. Yeah, thanks guys.
After a long time I resume this work, in parallel with the @Ariaga II review. I had stayed in the season-by-season review since 1995 under the original parameters of @Tom Stevens, modifying the top 23 (if necessary) and adding an "official list" of honorable mentions trying to review each case in detail. I had already done this review for 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1998, so this would be my final review of 1999 to end the 20th century (1920-1999): 1999 Modifications on the previous top 23: > IN: David Ginola (France & Tottenham Hotspur [ENG]) > IN: Oliver Kahn (Germany & Bayern Munich [GER]) > IN: Claudio López (Argentina & Valencia [SPA]) < OUT: Zvonimir Boban (Croatia & AC Milan [ITA]) < OUT: Ryan Giggs (Wales & Manchester United [ENG]) < OUT: Alessandro Nesta (Italy & Lazio [ITA]) Top 23 AMOROSO, Márcio (Brazil & Udinese [ITA]) BATISTUTA, Gabriel (Argentina & Fiorentina [ITA]) BECKHAM, David (England & Manchester United [ENG]) BLANC, Laurent (France & Olympique de Marseille [FRA]) CAMPBELL, Sol (England & Tottenham Hotspur [ENG]) EFFENBERG, Stefan (Germany & Bayern Munich [GER]) FIGO, Luís (Portugal & Barcelona [SPA]) GINOLA, David (France & Tottenham Hotspur [ENG]) KAHN, Oliver (Germany & Bayern Munich [GER]) KEANE, Roy (Ireland & Manchester United [ENG]) LÓPEZ, Claudio (Argentina & Valencia [SPA]) MALDINI, Paolo (Italy & AC Milan [ITA]) MATTHÄUS, Lothar (Germany & Bayern Munich [GER]) RAÚL (Spain & Real Madrid [SPA]) RIVALDO (Brazil & Barcelona [SPA]) RUI COSTA (Portugal & Fiorentina [ITA]) SCHOLES, Paul (England & Manchester United [ENG]) SHEVCHENKO, Andriy (Ukraine & Dynamo Kyiv [UKR]) STAM, Jaap (Netherlands & Manchester United [ENG]) THURAM, Lilian (France & Parma [ITA]) VERÓN, Juan Sebastián (Argentina & Parma [ITA]) VIEIRA, Patrick (France & Arsenal [ENG]) YORKE, Dwight (Trinidad and Tobago & Manchester United [ENG]) Podium 1° RIVALDO (Brazil & Barcelona [SPA]) 2° BECKHAM, David (England & Manchester United [ENG]) 3° BATISTUTA, Gabriel (Argentina & Fiorentina [ITA]) Contenders 4° FIGO, Luís (Portugal & Barcelona [SPA]) 5° SHEVCHENKO, Andriy (Ukraine & Dynamo Kyiv [UKR]) 6° RAÚL (Spain & Real Madrid [SPA]) Honorable Mentions ADAMS, Tony (England & Arsenal [ENG]) ALBERTINI, Demetrio (Italy & AC Milan [ITA]) ALEX (Brazil & Palmeiras [BRA]) ALMEYDA, Matías (Argentina & Lazio [ITA]) ANELKA, Nicolas (France & Arsenal [ENG]) ARCE, Francisco (Paraguay & Palmeiras [BRA]) BASLER, Mario (Germany & Bayern Munich [GER]) BENARBIA, Ali (Algeria & Girondins de Bordeaux [FRA]) BERGKAMP, Dennis (Netherlands & Arsenal [ENG]) BIERHOFF, Oliver (Germany & AC Milan [ITA]) BLANCO, Cuauhtémoc (Mexico & América [MEX]) BOBAN, Zvonimir (Croatia & AC Milan [ITA]) BUFFON, Gianluigi (Italy & Parma [ITA]) CANNAVARO, Fabio (Italy & Parma [ITA]) CHIESA, Enrico (Italy & Parma [ITA]) COCU, Phillip (Netherlands & Barcelona [SPA]) COLE, Andy (England & Manchester United [ENG]) CÓRDOBA, Iván (Colombia & San Lorenzo [ARG]) CRESPO, Hernán (Argentina & Parma [ITA]) DANI (Spain & Mallorca [SPA]) DAVIDS, Edgar (Netherlands & Juventus [ITA]) DELVECCHIO, Marco (Italy & AS Roma [ITA]) DESAILLY, Marcel (France & Chelsea [ENG]) ÉMERSON (Brazil & Bayer Leverkusen [GER]) GIGGS, Ryan (Wales & Manchester United [ENG]) GUARDIOLA, Josep (Spain & Barcelona [SPA]) HAGI, Gheorghe (Romania & Galatasaray [TUR]) HASSELBAINK, Jimmy Floyd (Netherlands & Leeds United [ENG]) JARDEL, Mário (Brazil & Porto [POR]) JEREMIES, Jens (Germany & Bayern Munich [GER]) KIRSTEN, Ulf (Germany & Bayer Leverkusen [GER]) KLUIVERT, Patrick (Netherlands & Barcelona [SPA]) LARSSON, Henrik (Sweden & Celtic [SCO]) LEONARDO (Brazil & AC Milan [ITA]) LIZARAZU, Bixente (France & Bayern Munich [GER]) MANCINI, Roberto (Italy & Lazio [ITA]) MARCELINHO CARIOCA (Brazil & Corinthians [BRA]) MARCELINO (Spain & Mallorca [SPA]) MARCOS (Brazil & Palmeiras [BRA]) MAZINHO (Brazil & Celta de Vigo [SPA]) MENDIETA, Gaizka (Spain & Valencia [SPA]) MICOUD, Johan (France & Girondins de Bordeaux [FRA]) MIHAJLOVIC, Sinisa (Yugoslavia & Lazio [ITA]) MORIENTES, Fernando (Spain & Real Madrid [SPA]) MOSTOVOI, Aleksandr (Russia & Celta de Vigo [SPA]) NESTA, Alessandro (Italy & Lazio [ITA]) NILIS, Luc (Belgium & PSV Eindhoven [NED]) NOWOTNY, Jens (Germany & Bayer Leverkusen [GER]) NUNO GOMES (Portugal & Benfica [POR]) OWEN, Michael (England & Liverpool [ENG]) PALERMO, Martín (Argentina & Boca Juniors [ARG]) PETIT, Emmanuel (France & Arsenal [ENG]) POYET, Gustavo (Uruguay & Chelsea [ENG]) PREETZ, Michael (Germany & Hertha Berlin [GER]) REBROV, Serhiy (Ukraine & Dynamo Kyiv [UKR]) RINCÓN, Freddy (Colombia & Corinthians [BRA]) RIQUELME, Juan Román (Argentina & Boca Juniors [ARG]) ROA, Carlos (Argentina & Mallorca [SPA]) ROBERTO CARLOS (Brazil & Real Madrid [SPA]) ROMÁRIO (Brazil & Flamengo [BRA]) RONALDINHO (Brazil & Gremio [BRA]) RONALDO (Brazil & Inter Milan [ITA]) SALAS, Marcelo (Chile & Lazio [ITA]) SALGADO, Míchel (Spain & Celta de Vigo [SPA]) TOLDO, Francesco (Italy & Fiorentina [ITA]) TOTTI, Francesco (Italy & AS Roma [ITA]) VAMPETA (Brazil & Corinthians [BRA]) VAN NISTELROOY, Ruud (Netherlands & PSV Eindhoven [NED]) VIERI, Christian (Italy & Lazio [ITA]) WEAH, George (Liberia & AC Milan [ITA]) WILTORD, Sylvain (France & Girondins de Bordeaux [FRA]) ZAHOVIC, Zlatko (Slovenia & Porto [POR]) ZOLA, Gianfranco (Italy & Chelsea [ENG]) All Tops 23 Honorable Mentions (1920-1984) Honorable Mentions (1985- )
Typical stuff that for this year only 1 Dutch player is in, but four British players, three Germans, three Argentines. Just nonsense and not reflective of reality. What did Campbell accomplish (finishing 11th with club) other than always being dragged out of position (for club)? Why doesn't he register in ESM or Ballon d'Or at all. Why did his club hardly worse without him in the team? The echo chamber in full flow here. For countries like this there is not a double handicap, but a second chance years after the fact. How is this better than what Van Dijk did in 2015-16 (who will probably not get listed by the always anti Dutch Peru FC). Why is Vieira in this but not PFA nominated Bergkamp, who also ranked very high in the Opta Index?
This is a statistic that I found interesting to reflect the impact and consistency of everyone in every decade based on the considerations in these lists. Basically I assigned the following coefficients to each consideration: +001 = For every nomination in a Top 23 +0.5 = For every Honorable Mention +001 = For every 1st Place +0.8 = For every 2nd Place +0.6 = For every 3rd Place The contenders will add from +0.5, descending -0.1 by occupied position. Trying to group each generation and each player to find a suitable period for him I considered the period of each decade as the period between decades and only listed here those who reached 4 points, at least: 1920-1929 08.8 = SCARONE, Héctor (Uruguay) 08.6 = MORTON, Alan (Scotland) 08.4 = PESEK, Karel (Czechoslovakia) 07.5 = GALLACHER, Hughie (Scotland) 06.6 = WALKER, Billy (England) 06.3 = ANDRADE, José Leandro (Uruguay) 06.3 = ORTH, György (Hungary) 06.0 = BUCHAN, Charlie (England) 05.8 = JACKSON, Alex (Scotland) 05.6 = SAMITIER, Josep (Spain) 05.4 = SEOANE, Manuel (Argentina) 05.3 = ZAMORA, Ricardo (Spain) 04.6 = BRAUN, József (Hungary) 04.6 = FRIEDENREICH, Arthur (Brazil) 04.5 = JACK, David (England) 04.5 = McGRORY, Jimmy (Scotland) 04.3 = DEAN, Dixie (England) 04.3 = PETRONE, Pedro (Uruguay) 04.0 = KONRÁD, Kálmán (Hungary) 04.0 = NASAZZI, José (Uruguay) 1925-1934 08.9 = ORSI, Raimundo (Argentina) 07.5 = GALLACHER, Hughie (Scotland) 07.4 = MEAZZA, Giuseppe (Italy) 06.8 = DEAN, Dixie (England) 06.3 = JACKSON, Alex (Scotland) 06.1 = MORTON, Alan (Scotland) 06.1 = SINDELAR, Matthias (Austria) 06.0 = SCARONE, Héctor (Uruguay) 05.6 = MONTI, Luis (Argentina) 05.5 = McGRORY, Jimmy (Scotland) 05.5 = PUC, Antonín (Czechoslovakia) 05.5 = SCHIAVIO, Angelo (Italy) 05.3 = ZAMORA, Ricardo (Spain) 05.0 = JACK, David (England) 04.8 = AVAR, István (Hungary) 04.8 = JAMES, Alex (Scotland) 04.6 = NASAZZI, José (Uruguay) 04.5 = CHERRO, Roberto (Argentina) 04.5 = PLÁNICKA, Frantisek (Czechoslovakia) 04.5 = TAKÁCS, József (Hungary) 04.4 = SCHALL, Toni (Austria) 04.3 = ANDRADE, José Leandro (Uruguay) 04.3 = SEOANE, Manuel (Argentina) 04.1 = FERREIRA, Manuel (Argentina) 04.0 = FERRARI, Giovanni (Italy) 1930-1939 11.1 = SINDELAR, Matthias (Austria) 10.7 = MEAZZA, Giuseppe (Italy) 07.6 = SÁROSI, György (Hungary) 06.9 = ORSI, Raimundo (Argentina) 06.8 = BASTIN, Cliff (England) 06.8 = NEJEDLY, Oldrich (Czechoslovakia) 05.8 = ERICO, Arsenio (Paraguay) 05.6 = PIOLA, Silvio (Italy) 05.5 = FERRARI, Giovanni (Italy) 05.5 = HAPGOOD, Eddie (England) 05.5 = SASTRE, Antonio (Argentina) 04.6 = MORENO, José Manuel (Argentina) 04.5 = PLÁNICKA, Frantisek (Czechoslovakia) 04.3 = JAMES, Alex (Scotland) 04.1 = MONTI, Luis (Argentina) 04.0 = ANDREOLO, Michele (Uruguay) 04.0 = BRAINE, Raymond (Belgium) 1935-1944 10.1 = MORENO, José Manuel (Argentina) 08.6 = SÁROSI, György (Hungary) 08.2 = BICAN, Josef (Austria) 07.6 = SASTRE, Antonio (Argentina) 06.6 = PIOLA, Silvio (Italy) 06.3 = ERICO, Arsenio (Paraguay) 05.8 = GARCÍA, Atilio (Uruguay) 05.8 = LEÓNIDAS (Brazil) 05.8 = PEDERNERA, Adolfo (Argentina) 05.5 = DOMINGOS da Guia (Brazil) 05.5 = VARELA, Severino (Uruguay) 05.3 = ZSENGELLÉR, Gyula (Hungary) 05.1 = BINDER, Franz (Austria) 05.0 = SINDELAR, Matthias (Austria) 04.8 = ZIZINHO (Brazil) 04.6 = CARTER, Raich (England) 04.5 = LÁNGARA, Isidro (Spain) 04.0 = ANDREOLO, Michele (Uruguay) 04.0 = NEJEDLY, Oldrich (Czechoslovakia) 04.0 = SZEPAN, Fritz (Germany) 1940-1949 08.5 = MORENO, José Manuel (Argentina) 08.3 = PEDERNERA, Adolfo (Argentina) 07.9 = MAZZOLA, Valentino (Italy) 07.3 = BICAN, Josef (Austria) 07.3 = ZIZINHO (Brazil) 06.4 = MÉNDEZ, Norberto (Argentina) 06.3 = GARCÍA, Atilio (Uruguay) 05.9 = LABRUNA, Ángel (Argentina) 05.8 = MARTINO, Rinaldo (Argentina) 05.5 = LEÓNIDAS (Brazil) 05.2 = DEÁK, Ferenc (Hungary) 05.1 = ADEMIR de Menezes (Brazil) 05.0 = MATTHEWS, Stanley (England) 05.0 = PONTONI, René (Argentina) 04.6 = SASTRE, Antonio (Argentina) 04.6 = VARELA, Obdulio (Uruguay) 04.5 = BOYÉ, Mario (Argentina) 04.5 = LAWTON, Tommy (England) 04.5 = VARELA, Severino (Uruguay) 1945-1954 09.6 = PUSKÁS, Ferenc (Hungary) 08.1 = NORDAHL, Gunnar (Sweden) 07.6 = ADEMIR de Menezes (Brazil) 06.9 = GÓMEZ, Walter (Uruguay) 06.9 = MÉNDEZ, Norberto (Argentina) 06.5 = SCHIAFFINO, Juan Alberto (Uruguay) 06.0 = ZIZINHO (Brazil) 05.4 = MAZZOLA, Valentino (Italy) 05.3 = GREN, Gunnar (Sweden) 05.3 = MATTHEWS, Stanley (England) 05.2 = DEÁK, Ferenc (Hungary) 05.1 = KOCSIS, Sándor (Hungary) 05.1 = MARTINO, Rinaldo (Argentina) 04.9 = BASORA, Estanislao (Spain) 04.6 = JAIR (Brazil) 04.5 = BOZSIK, József (Hungary) 04.5 = LOUSTAU, Félix (Argentina) 04.5 = OCWIRK, Ernst (Austria) 04.4 = DI STÉFANO, Alfredo (Argentina) 04.3 = HIDEGKUTI, Nándor (Hungary) 04.3 = WALTER, Fritz (Germany) 04.0 = BAUER, José Carlos (Brazil) 04.0 = FINNEY, Tom (England) 04.0 = LIEDHOLM, Nils (Sweden) 04.0 = PEDERNERA, Adolfo (Argentina) 04.0 = PONTONI, René (Argentina) 04.0 = ZARRA, Telmo (Spain) 1950-1959 11.9 = DI STÉFANO, Alfredo (Argentina) 10.6 = PUSKÁS, Ferenc (Hungary) 09.6 = SCHIAFFINO, Juan Alberto (Uruguay) 08.1 = KOPA, Raymond (France) 06.8 = DIDI (Brazil) 06.7 = JULINHO (Brazil) 06.6 = KOCSIS, Sándor (Hungary) 06.6 = NORDAHL, Gunnar (Sweden) 06.0 = LIEDHOLM, Nils (Sweden) 05.5 = BOZSIK, József (Hungary) 05.3 = HIDEGKUTI, Nándor (Hungary) 04.5 = CZIBOR, Zoltán (Hungary) 04.5 = KUBALA, László (Hungary) 04.5 = WRIGHT, Billy (England) 04.3 = WALTER, Fritz (Germany) 04.0 = OCWIRK, Ernst (Austria) 04.0 = ZIZINHO (Brazil) 1955-1964 12.9 = DI STÉFANO, Alfredo (Argentina) 12.4 = PELÉ (Brazil) 09.5 = PUSKÁS, Ferenc (Hungary) 07.6 = GARRINCHA (Brazil) 07.5 = KOPA, Raymond (France) 07.4 = SÍVORI, Omar (Argentina) 07.1 = YASHIN, Lev (Soviet Union) 06.8 = DIDI (Brazil) 06.5 = SUÁREZ, Luis (Spain) 06.0 = GENTO, Francisco (Spain) 05.2 = JULINHO (Brazil) 05.1 = GREAVES, Jimmy (England) 05.0 = CHARLTON, Bobby (England) 05.0 = PEPE (Brazil) 04.6 = NETTO, Igor (Soviet Union) 04.6 = SANFILIPPO, José (Argentina) 04.6 = SCHIAFFINO, Juan Alberto (Uruguay) 04.5 = CORBATTA, Omar (Argentina) 04.5 = DJALMA SANTOS (Brazil) 04.5 = SANTAMARÍA, José (Uruguay) 04.4 = SEELER, Uwe (Germany) 04.1 = MASOPUST, Josef (Czechoslovakia) 04.0 = CHARLES, John (Wales) 04.0 = COUTINHO (Brazil) 04.0 = HAMRIN, Kurt (Sweden) 04.0 = NÍLTON SANTOS (Brazil) 1960-1969 13.5 = PELÉ (Brazil) 08.9 = CHARLTON, Bobby (England) 08.3 = EUSÉBIO (Portugal) 07.7 = SUÁREZ, Luis (Spain) 06.6 = SPENCER, Alberto (Ecuador) 06.5 = BEST, George (Northern Ireland) 06.3 = ALBERT, Flórián (Hungary) 06.1 = RIVERA, Gianni (Italy) 06.0 = PUSKÁS, Ferenc (Hungary) 05.6 = GREAVES, Jimmy (England) 05.5 = COLUNA, Mário (Portugal) 05.5 = MOORE, Bobby (England) 05.3 = MAZZOLA, Sandro (Italy) 05.1 = LAW, Denis (Scotland) 05.0 = ADEMIR da Guia (Brazil) 05.0 = AMANCIO (Spain) 05.0 = FACCHETTI, Giacinto (Italy) 05.0 = VORONIN, Valery (Soviet Union) 04.9 = ROCHA, Pedro (Uruguay) 04.6 = GARRINCHA (Brazil) 04.6 = YASHIN, Lev (Soviet Union) 04.4 = SEELER, Uwe (Germany) 04.4 = TOSTAO (Brazil) 04.1 = MASOPUST, Josef (Czechoslovakia) 04.0 = ARTIME, Luis (Argentina) 04.0 = DI STÉFANO, Alfredo (Argentina) 04.0 = GENTO, Francisco (Spain) 1965-1974 12.3 = CRUYFF, Johan (Netherlands) 09.8 = BECKENBAUER, Franz (Germany) 09.2 = MÜLLER, Gerd (Germany) 08.1 = BEST, George (Northern Ireland) 07.9 = ROCHA, Pedro (Uruguay) 07.2 = PELÉ (Brazil) 06.8 = RIVA, Luigi (Italy) 06.5 = ADEMIR da Guia (Brazil) 06.5 = TOSTAO (Brazil) 05.9 = CHARLTON, Bobby (England) 05.8 = MAZZOLA, Sandro (Italy) 05.5 = BREMNER, Billy (Scotland) 05.5 = JAIRZINHO (Brazil) 05.3 = DZAJIC, Dragan (Yugoslavia) 05.3 = EUSÉBIO (Portugal) 05.3 = RIVERA, Gianni (Italy) 05.0 = MOORE, Bobby (England) 05.0 = RIVELLINO, Roberto (Brazil) 04.8 = ARTIME, Luis (Argentina) 04.5 = JOHNSTONE, Jimmy (Scotland) 04.3 = ALBERT, Flórián (Hungary) 04.3 = NETZER, Günter (Germany) 04.2 = VAN HANEGEM, Wim (Netherlands) 04.1 = DEYNA, Kazimierz (Poland) 04.0 = DIRCEU LOPES (Brazil) 04.0 = FACCHETTI, Giacinto (Italy) 04.0 = FIGUEROA, Elías (Chile) 04.0 = KEIZER, Piet (Netherlands) 1970-1979 12.6 = CRUYFF, Johan (Netherlads) 08.9 = BECKENBAUER, Franz (Germany) 07.5 = FIGUEROA, Elías (Chile) 07.2 = MÜLLER, Gerd (Argentina) 06.5 = CUBILLAS, Teófilo (Peru) 06.5 = ZICO (Brazil) 06.3 = RIVELLINO, Roberto (Brazil) 06.1 = DEYNA, Kazimierz (Poland) 06.0 = VOGTS, Berti (Germany) 05.9 = KROL, Ruud (Netherlands) 05.3 = NETZER, Günter (Germany) 05.3 = RENSENBRINK, Rob (Netherlands) 05.1 = KEEGAN, Kevin (England) 05.0 = KEMPES, Mario (Argentina) 05.0 = NEESKENS, Johan (Netherlands) 04.5 = FILLOL, Ubaldo (Argentina) 04.5 = NELINHO (Brazil) 04.5 = PASSARELLA, Daniel (Argentina) 04.5 = ROBERTO DINAMITE (Brazil) 04.0 = BREMNER, Billy (Scotland) 04.0 = DZAJIC, Dragan (Yugoslavia) 04.0 = JAIRZINHO (Brazil) 04.0 = LATO, Grzegorz (Poland) 04.0 = LUÍS PEREIRA (Brazil) 1975-1984 12.9 = ZICO (Brazil) 09.8 = PLATINI, Michel (France) 09.6 = FALCAO, Paulo Roberto (Brazil) 07.5 = PASSARELLA, Daniel (Argentina) 07.3 = MARADONA, Diego (Argentina) 07.2 = RUMMENIGGE, Karl-Heinz (Alemania) 07.0 = DALGLISH, Kenny (Scotland) 06.1 = KEEGAN, Kevin (England) 05.9 = KROL, Ruud (Netherlands) 05.8 = SCIREA, Gaetano (Italy) 05.5 = FILLOL, Ubaldo (Argentina) 05.5 = JÚNIOR (Brazil) 05.5 = SÓCRATES (Brazil) 05.0 = FIGUEROA, Elías (Chile) 05.0 = KEMPES, Mario (Argentina) 05.0 = ROBERTO DINAMITE (Brazil) 04.6 = CRUYFF, Johan (Netherlands) 04.5 = BRADY, Liam (Ireland) 04.5 = STIELIKE, Uli (Germany) 04.3 = RENSENBRINK, Rob (Netherlands) 04.1 = ALONSO, Norberto (Argentina) 04.0 = FÖRSTER, Karlheinz (Germany) 04.0 = NELINHO (Brazil) 04.0 = REINALDO (Brazil) 04.0 = SIMONSEN, Allan (Denmark) 04.0 = SOUNESS, Graeme (Scotland) 04.0 = TONINHO CEREZO (Brazil) 1980-1989 13.7 = MARADONA, Diego (Argentina) 10.3 = PLATINI, Michel (France) 08.8 = ZICO (Brazil) 06.7 = RUMMENIGGE, Karl-Heinz (Germany) 06.3 = MATTHÄUS, Lothar (Germany) 06.1 = FALCAO, Paulo Roberto (Brazil) 06.1 = GULLIT, Ruud (Netherlands) 06.1 = VAN BASTEN, Marco (Netherlands) 06.0 = JÚNIOR (Brazil) 05.5 = CARECA (Brazil) 05.4 = TIGANA, Jean (France) 05.0 = GIRESSE, Alain (France) 05.0 = HODDLE, Glenn (England) 04.8 = SCIREA, Gaetano (Italy) 04.5 = FÖRSTER, Karlheinz (Germany) 04.5 = SCHUMACHER, Toni (Germany) 04.5 = SÓCRATES (Brazil) 04.3 = SÁNCHEZ, Hugo (Mexico) 04.1 = FRANCESCOLI, Enzo (Uruguay) 04.0 = DASAYEV, Rinat (Soviet Union) 04.0 = DE LEÓN, Hugo (Uruguay) 04.0 = ELKJAER LARSEN, Preben (Denmark) 04.0 = PASSARELLA, Daniel (Argentina) 04.0 = SOUNESS, Graeme (Scotland) 04.0 = VÖLLER, Rudi (Germany) 1985-1994 10.7 = MARADONA, Diego (Argentina) 10.1 = MATTHÄUS, Lothar (Germany) 09.6 = VAN BASTEN, Marco (Netherlands) 08.6 = BARESI, Franco (Italy) 07.6 = GULLIT, Ruud (Netherlands) 07.3 = BAGGIO, Roberto (Italy) 07.0 = RIJKAARD, Frank (Netherlands) 06.8 = KOEMAN, Ronald (Netherlands) 06.6 = LAUDRUP, Michael (Denmark) 06.5 = MALDINI, Paolo (Italy) 06.2 = STOICHKOV, Hristo (Bulgaria) 06.0 = ROMÁRIO (Brazil) 05.5 = VÖLLER, Rudi (Germany) 05.3 = SÁNCHEZ, Hugo (Mexico) 05.1 = BERGKAMP, Dennis (Netherlands) 04.5 = CARECA (Brazil) 04.5 = KLINSMANN, Jürgen (Germany) 04.5 = KOHLER, Jürgen (Germany) 04.5 = MÍCHEL (Spain) 04.4 = VIALLI, Gianluca (Italy) 04.1 = LINEKER, Gary (England) 04.1 = PAPIN, Jean-Pierre (France) 04.0 = BARNES, John (England) 04.0 = BEBETO (Brazil) 04.0 = BERGOMI, Giuseppe (Italy) 04.0 = HAGI, Gheorghe (Romania) 04.0 = ZENGA, Walter (Italy) 1990-1999 08.3 = BAGGIO, Roberto (Italy) 08.2 = BERGKAMP, Dennis (Netherlands) 08.0 = MALDINI, Paolo (Italy) 07.1 = BATISTUTA, Gabriel (Argentina) 07.1 = LAUDRUP, Michael (Denmark) 06.1 = BARESI, Franco (Italy) 06.0 = ROMÁRIO (Brazil) 06.0 = RONALDO (Brazil) 05.8 = KLINSMANN, Jürgen (Germany) 05.7 = STOICHKOV, Hristo (Bulgaria) 05.5 = SAVICEVIC, Dejan (Yugoslavia) 05.3 = LITMANEN, Jari (Finland) 05.3 = MATTHÄUS, Lothar (Germany) 05.2 = SAMMER, Matthias (Germany) 04.9 = RIVALDO (Brazil) 04.5 = BLANC, Laurent (France) 04.5 = DESAILLY, Marcel (France) 04.5 = KOHLER, Jürgen (Germany) 04.5 = RIJKAARD, Frank (Netherlands) 04.5 = SCHMEICHEL, Peter (Denmark) 04.5 = WEAH, George (Liberia) 04.4 = CANTONA, Éric (France) 04.0 = DEL PIERO, Alessandro (Italy) 04.0 = FIGO, Luís (Portugal) 04.0 = GIGGS, Ryan (Wales) 04.0 = GINOLA, David (France) 04.0 = SHEARER, Alan (England) 04.0 = SUKER, Davor (Croatia) 04.0 = VAN BASTEN, Marco (Netherlands) Statistics
Many times you have referred to the Opta index in your statements. I would be very grateful if you could share this information. Is there a place where there is a clear option of being able to access that index and thus try to have one more element of judgment when analyzing and placing each player in their right place?
1929-1930: This season was of particular interest to me. I was paying particular attention to the form of the teams, just to get an inkling of how they might have done if there had been a complete World Cup in 1930.Here's the resume. Of the possible challengers, Czechoslovakia were the most disappointing. Their forwards were in particularly poor form, and I doubt they would have made much on an impact in a WC. Planicka was disappointing in the Mitropa, and actually seems to have lost his spot at both club and NT-level to Staplik (or was injured). He's back by summer, though. Svoboda ended up doing enough to almost make it to my list. Hojer and especially Burgr were good in defence. Hungary were hot and cold like always. The capitulation against Italy is mentioned above, but they followed that up by crushing the Dutch. They don't seem like legitimate challengers, though. Takacs, Hirzer and Kohut were all good at times. One player who hasn't yet convinced me is Avar. He stood out in the Swiss summer tournament for clubs, and was considered a dangerous striker, but in the more high profile situations he was pretty anonymous. He wasn't the standout player for his club in the final stages of the Mitropa, and was disappointing at NT-level. Definitely not top 3 material, and in fact he didn't make my list at all. Austria came off better than the aforementioned, but didn't completely convince, either. The Wunderteam is still some time off. Horvath and Gschweidl were consistently good for them, and Hiden emerges as a top goalie. BTW, In the Czech game, he's reported as making "one of his famous excursions outside the penalty area". Germany and Spain were both doing better then the Danube contingent, but don't really seem to have the overall quality to really challenge for top honors. King Richard and Kuzorra were great for Germany, while Zamora and Quincoces were good for Spain. Spain's heroes from last season are already flopping this year, as expected. From the continent, Italy seem to be clearly the top team, even if they end up losing to Spain in the final game of their season. The defensive trio (that's FBs and goalie) are very good, and the forward line has class in Orsi and Meazza. From the lesser nations, Juve, Ramseyer and Thepot were all close to making it to my list. Pauli Jorgensen hasn't really convinced yet, except in one game against Sweden. It will be no surprise to hear the main European challenge would have come from the island. England had a great all-around side, which is reflected in my list. Hibbs was close to making it, too. Only Rimmer was considered a weak link. Andrade, Jose Leandro (Uruguay) Blenkinsop, Ernie (England) Caligaris, Umberto (Italy) Camsell, George (England) Cea, Pedro (Uruguay) Combi, Giampiero (Italy) Crooks, Sammy (England) Ferreira, Manuel (Argentina) Gallacher, Hughie (Scotland) Gschweidl, Fritz (Austria) Hofmann, Richard (Germany) Horvath, Hans (Austria) Jack, David (England) Jackson, Alex (Scotland) James, Alex (Scotland) Kuzorra, Ernst (Germany) Meazza, Giuseppe (Italy) Morton, Alan (Scotland) Nasazzi, Jose (Uruguay) Orsi, Raimundo (Argentina/Italy) Peucelle, Carlos (Argentina) Stabile, Guillermo (Argentina) Takacs, Jozsef (Hungary) On an individual level, though, there's one team that still reigns supreme... Top 3: Gallacher James Hofmann Once again it could have been a hat-trick for the Scots. Their defense got ambushed by England in a dark 5 minute period, but they still have the world's top attacking talent. After several close calls, Gallacher finally wins it. The view from Britain is as follows: "in his moments of brilliance [...] is not comparable to any other player. He is usually described as a genius, and it is difficult to find any other description." While the continent has the following to say: "Truly extraordinary. An artist like never seen in France." James gets second place, because "as an exponent of spectacular and clever football he has no equal." He's the MotM in the FA-Cup final (where Jack was disappointing). Morton could have made it three for playing "as he alone can" against England. But he was quiet at times in that match, so I decided to go for Richard Hofmann. The only doubt I have for him is that he seems to be a lot more highly thought of in Germany than in abroad. Not an absolute sure bet. TotS: Combi Nasazzi Caligaris Andrade Monti Gestido Jackson James Gallacher Hofmann Morton Combi wins a tight battle among a great selection of goalkeepers. The halfback-line is dominated by Americans, because the European scene is just crickets. I hear Andrade was by then already past his best, but I imagine even running on fumes he would have gotten the vote over all the non-challengers. Monti was a violent thug who melted down mentally in the final, but the European cupboard is just empty. Smistik was good for a couple of games, but then disappeared. Kada was good at times, but past his prime. Of the forwards, Jackson didn't reach the dizzying heights of his past seasons, but did enough to earn a spot over the next challenger, which to me seems Peucelle. Morton wins his spot over Orsi, because the latter had a couple of weaker games to go with his highlights. Meazza I felt was still in a promising wonderkid phase, and not quite ready for a TotS in his first international season. Meanwhile, the offside chronicles continue: When last we met the Dutch offside trap, they had been frustrated by what they thought to be the referee's failure to correctly interpret the offside rule, which had resulted in Norwegian upsets against their team. This time the shoe is on the other foot. Far from being discouraged, Denis & co. stay faithful to the system, earning a good result against the Italians. The Italian forwards complain about several questionable whistles for offside from the referee.
Now that we've finished the first decade on the project, it's time to look back and reflect on all the things we've learned. While in essence the game is still the same, there are also many things that were unique to the 20s. I think after going through this montage, courtesy of our trusted collaborator Google Translate, you'll agree the game of the 20s must have truly been something special: "a capitalist jumps into the field, hugging Monjardín., They go seven minutes." -Suddenly, a wild capitalist appears. "Fridrich shows his ugly uncle when he cuts from the goal." -Look at him! Those disgusting warts and horrible hook nose. "The Belgian musicians had apparently left the music of our national anthem at home" -Can't play. Left music at home. "We almost won the victory." -Maybe next time. "Another cartoon of a referee" -Today's referee Oswald the lucky rabbit. "it is destined that the ball should not violate the Portuguese goal and our overwhelming superiority is dispersed in the void." -Match commentary by Slayer. "from my tissues imported from Nigeria made by my workers leggings" -Those are some fancy-ass tissues, I admit. "We are so anus for Czechoslovakia it is evening for us." -Have you ever been this anus for anything? "Interest in the matches against the Belgians seems to be decreasing rather than decreasing." -It had to be one or the other. "In the meantime, everything has come to an end" -Match report by Jim Morrison. "the locker room of the Hungarian team resembles a room." -Thanks for the vivid description, James Joyce. He ain't wrong, though. "There are, in the sleeping car, some night dress elegance. Wallet has sky blue pajamas; Gallay wears an all white with a blue border" -The true reason France lost to Hungary 13-1. Oh well, you should've seen those hot pants. "Abegglen II, will realize; he was suddenly arrested, but the referee did not whistle for the fault." -Monty Python ending to the match. Arresting people is surely worthy of at least a yellow, ref. "Whether it was a success, this first test of harmony singing, which we simply call “community singing”, because the English are dressed in clothes? song was sung along only very timidly, the second on the melody of "Oak wood is oak" went a bit better," -Oak wood is oak. The #1 hit of 1927. Sung in honor of English clothes everywhere. "Then a little guy in pants and in a pink silk shirt appears on the grass" -Who is it? Is it a garden gnome? "the referee, Mr. Braun, from Vienna! that its size and his fancy costume did not prevent to lead the game with a master's hand." -Remember kids. You can still be a great referee even if you're a ridiculously dressed leprechaun. Or can you? Another report differs: "Mr. Braun from Weenen, three peat high, was an arbitrator. He appeared in long trousers as usual, and before the break in white and then in a blue shirt. This bellhop-on-the-fly was sometimes unable to keep up with the pace, always running on one side of the field and making a lot of mistakes, but immediately corrected those mistakes again with another error, so that the balance was always balanced." -Look at this bellhop-on-the-fly! Who does he think he is with his fancy long pants? The emperor? Switching outfits in the middle of a game like a grand diva. I don't want to go look for a picture of this Mr. Braun from Vienna. No picture could do justice. "the strike line is permanently torn from the corpses who were lucky." -Thanks again, Slayer. "It really did look like a slippery gay" -Honestly? It really did. "so much so that most of the goals on the other side were also started and prepared by this SHIT." -Now now, how bad could he have been if he set up several goals? "SWITZERLAND — GERMAN COUNTRY o — 4." -Some German country. Possibly Germany. "Fernandez, a second Negro, had been called. He played as impassively as his fellow colorist next to him and he has the same "teloscopic" legs, which can apparently be extended or extended at will." Rare image of Fernandez the colorist in action. "Finally, however, the guests put on a sharp finish and scored twice more: at 38 min. when kicking again with Hitler." -The ultimate super-sub settles the match.
Overall 1929-30 was not a good season for Alex James. He was often unfit and generally poor in his first season for Arsenal, and was dropped from the Scotland team after being played out of position in the England game, not to return for another two and a half years. In his own words: I often wonder what Herbert Chapman would have done at the end of the season if we had not won the cup. Chapman was never a man to give two thoughts to the fact that a player had cost many thousands of £s to buy. If he did not make good, well, he was no use to Arsenal and would have to go. They had paid £9,000 for me but, I tell you quite frankly, that if we hadn't won at Wembley, I am fairly certain in my own mind that Alex James would have been up for sale again. His legs had suffered a lot of damage at Preston from heavy tackling, which he kept quiet about during the transfer process. Unaware of this, the Arsenal crowd gave him a hard time. Every day when I went down to the ground for training there would be a pile of letters waiting for me. Practically all in the same strain. Advising me to go back to Scotland or stand down or give a better man a chance and so on. Even when fit, Arsenal sometimes left him out. There were several tactical disagreements with Chapman, one of which was James's habit of taking free kicks quickly before anyone was ready. The referee would simply order the kick to be retaken. An irritated Chapman told him to stop doing it. In the FA Cup final James did it again, the ball ended up in the net and the referee gave the goal. James then played a perfect through ball to create another goal and Arsenal had won their first FA Cup. James was the best player on the field in what was considered the most important match of the English season, attracting many complimentary headlines. One read: James Replies To His Critics. A reminder that he had redeemed himself from an otherwise indifferent season.
Here is a cumulative score for each five-year period based on the same formula: 1920-1924 (First Half of the 1920's) 5.8 = PESEK, Karel (CZE) 5.3 = ORTH, György (HUN) 5.0 = BUCHAN, Charlie (ENG) 4.6 = WALKER, Billy (ENG) 4.1 = BRAUN, József (HUN) 3.3 = SCARONE, Héctor (URU) 3.1 = FRIEDENREICH, Arthur (BRA) 3.0 = ANDRADE, José Leandro (URU) 3.0 = KONRÁD, Kálmán (HUN) 3.0 = MOLNÁR, György (HUN) 3.0 = MORTON, Alan (SCO) 3.0 = NECO (BRA) 3.0 = WILSON, Andy (SCO) 2.9 = STEPHENSON, Clem (ENG) 2.8 = PETRONE, Pedro (URU) 2.6 = ROMANO, Ángel (URU) 2.5 = CHAMBERS, Harry (ENG) 2.5 = KELLY, Bob (ENG) 1925-1929 (Second Half of the 1920's) 6.5 = GALLACHER, Hughie (SCO) 5.8 = JACKSON, Alex (SCO) 5.6 = MORTON, Alan (SCO) 5.5 = SCARONE, Héctor (URU) 4.5 = McGRORY, Jimmy (SCO) 4.3 = DEAN, Dixie (ENG) 3.8 = SEOANE, Manuel (ARG) 3.6 = SAMITIER, Josep (SPA) 3.3 = ANDRADE, José Leandro (URU) 3.3 = ZAMORA, Ricardo (SPA) 3.1 = FERREIRA, Manuel (ARG) 3.0 = PUC, Antonín (CZE) 2.6 = BALONCIERI, Adolfo (ITA) 2.6 = PESEK, Karel (CZE) 2.5 = BROWN, George (ENG) 2.5 = GOODALL, Roy (ENG) 2.5 = JACK, David (ENG) 2.5 = KOHUT, Vilmos (HUN) 2.5 = LIBONATTI, Julio (ARG) 2.5 = MEIKLEJOHN, Davie (SCO) 2.5 = SCHIAVIO, Angelo (ITA) 2.5 = TAKÁCS, József (HUN) 2.4 = SCHALL, Toni (AUT) 1930-1934 (First Half of the 1930's) 6.9 = MEAZZA, Giuseppe (ITA) 6.9 = ORSI, Raimundo (ARG) 6.1 = SINDELAR, Matthias (AUT) 4.1 = MONTI, Luis (ARG) 4.0 = FERRARI, Giovanni (ITA) 3.8 = AVAR, István (HUN) 3.8 = BASTIN, Cliff (ENG) 3.5 = PLÁNICKA, Frantisek (CZE) 3.3 = JAMES, Alex (SCO) 3.0 = CROOKS, Sammy (ENG) 3.0 = HAPGOOD, Eddie (ENG) 3.0 = QUINCOCES, Jacinto (SPA) 3.0 = SCHIAVIO, Angelo (ITA) 2.8 = NEJEDLY, Oldrich (CZE) 2.6 = BROOK, Eric (ENG) 2.6 = NASAZZI, José (URU) 2.5 = BLENKINSOP, Ernie (ENG) 2.5 = CHERRO, Roberto (ARG) 2.5 = COMBI, Gianpiero (ITA) 2.5 = DEAN, Dixie (ENG) 2.5 = JACK, David (ENG) 2.5 = PUC, Antonín (CZE) 2.5 = VARALLO, Francisco (ARG) 2.5 = ZISCHEK, Karl (AUT) 1935-1939 (Second Half of the 1930's) 6.6 = SÁROSI, György (HUN) 5.8 = ERICO, Arsenio (PAR) 5.6 = PIOLA, Silvio (ITA) 5.0 = SINDELAR, Matthias (AUT) 4.6 = MORENO, José Manuel (ARG) 4.0 = ANDREOLO, Michele (URU) 4.0 = NEJEDLY, Oldrich (CZE) 4.0 = SASTRE, Antonio (ARG) 3.8 = MEAZZA, Giuseppe (ITA) 3.8 = ZSENGELLÉR, Gyula (HUN) 3.0 = BASTIN, Cliff (ENG) 3.0 = BRAINE, Raymond (BEL) 3.0 = DOMINGOS da Guia (BRA) 2.8 = DRAKE, Ted (ENG) 2.8 = LEÓNIDAS (BRA) 2.6 = CARTER, Raich (ENG) 2.6 = LAWTON, Tommy (ENG) 2.5 = BINDER, Franz (AUT) 2.5 = CSEH, László (HUN) 2.5 = DE LA MATA, Vicente (ARG) 2.5 = HAPGOOD, Eddie (ENG) 2.5 = KOSTÁLEK, Josef (CZE) 2.5 = LÁNGARA, Isidro (SPA) 2.4 = BICAN, Josef (AUT) 1940-1944 (First Half of the 1940's) 5.8 = BICAN, Josef (AUT) 5.5 = MORENO, José Manuel (ARG) 5.3 = GARCÍA, Atilio (URU) 4.8 = PEDERNERA, Adolfo (ARG) 4.8 = ZIZINHO (BRA) 4.5 = VARELA, Severino (URU) 3.6 = SASTRE, Antonio (ARG) 3.0 = LABRUNA, Ángel (ARG) 3.0 = LEÓNIDAS (BRA) 2.9 = PORTA, Roberto (URU) 2.8 = SOSA, Carlos (ARG) 2.6 = BINDER, Franz (AUT) 2.6 = MUNDO (SPA) 2.6 = VARELA, Obdulio (URU) 2.5 = DOMINGOS da Guia (BRA) 2.5 = MAZZOLA, Valentino (ITA) 2.5 = PIRILLO, Sylvio (BRA) 2.5 = SALOMÓN, José (ARG) 2.5 = VILLADÓNIGA, Segundo (URU) 1945-1949 (Second Half of the 1940's) 5.9 = MÉNDEZ, Norberto (ARG) 5.4 = MAZZOLA, Valentino (ITA) 5.2 = DEÁK, Ferenc (HUN) 4.6 = ADEMIR de Menezes (BRA) 4.0 = PONTONI, René (ARG) 3.8 = MARTINO, Rinaldo (ARG) 3.5 = LAWTON, Tommy (ENG) 3.5 = PEDERNERA, Adolfo (ARG) 3.3 = GREN, Gunnar (SWE) 3.0 = CHICO (BRA) 3.0 = DANILO ALVIM (BRA) 3.0 = GÓMEZ, Walter (URU) 3.0 = LOUSTAU, Félix (ARG) 3.0 = MATTHEWS, Stanley (ENG) 3.0 = MORENO, José Manuel (ARG) 3.0 = NORDAHL, Gunnar (SWE) 2.9 = LABRUNA, Ángel (ARG) 2.6 = MANNION, Wilf (ENG) 2.5 = BAUER, José Carlos (BRA) 2.5 = BOYÉ, Mario (YUG) 2.5 = LEÓNIDAS (BRA) 2.5 = LOIK, Ezio (ITA) 2.5 = PUSKÁS, Ferenc (HUN) 2.5 = ZARRA, Telmo (SPA) 2.3 = ZSENGELLÉR, Gyula (HUN) 1950-1954 (First Half of the 1950's) 7.1 = PUSKÁS, Ferenc (HUN) 5.1 = KOCSIS, Sándor (HUN) 5.1 = NORDAHL, Gunnar (SWE) 5.0 = SCHIAFFINO, Juan Alberto (URU) 4.3 = HIDEGKUTI, Nándor (HUN) 4.3 = WALTER, Fritz (GER) 4.0 = BOZSIK, József (HUN) 4.0 = OCWIRK, Ernst (AUT) 3.9 = GÓMEZ, Walter (URU) 3.5 = BALTAZAR (BRA) 3.5 = CLÁUDIO (BRA) 3.5 = KUBALA, László (HUN) 3.5 = ZIZINHO (BRA) 3.4 = BASORA, Estanislao (SPA) 3.0 = ADEMIR de Menezes (BRA) 3.0 = CZIBOR, Zoltán (HUN) 3.0 = DI STÉFANO, Alfredo (ARG) 3.0 = JULINHO (BRA) 2.8 = WILKES, Faas (NED) 2.6 = JAIR (BRA) 2.5 = BONIPERTI, Giampiero (ITA) 2.5 = HANSEN, John (DEN) 2.5 = LIEDHOLM, Nils (SWE) 2.4 = NYERS, István (HUN) 2.3 = MATTHEWS, Stanley (ENG) 1955-1959 (Second Half of the 1950's) 8.9 = DI STÉFANO, Alfredo (ARG) 6.5 = KOPA, Raymond (FRA) 4.8 = DIDI (BRA) 4.6 = SCHIAFFINO, Juan Alberto (URU) 3.8 = SÍVORI, Omar (ARG) 3.7 = JULINHO (BRA) 3.6 = NETTO, Igor (USSR) 3.6 = PELÉ (BRA) 3.5 = CORBATTA, Omar (ARG) 3.5 = GENTO, Francisco (SPA) 3.5 = LIEDHOLM, Nils (SWE) 3.5 = PUSKÁS, Ferenc (HUN) 3.5 = YASHIN, Lev (USSR) 3.1 = ANGELILLO, Antonio (ARG) 3.0 = GARRINCHA (BRA) 3.0 = SANTAMARÍA, José (URU) 3.0 = WRIGHT, Billy (ENG) 2.6 = SANFILIPPO, José (ARG) 2.5 = CHARLES, John (WAL) 2.5 = HORMAZÁBAL, Enrique (CHI) 2.5 = RIAL, Héctor (SPA) 2.5 = STRELTSOV, Eduard (USSR) 2.5 = VAIRO, Federico (ARG) 2.4 = FONTAINE, Just (FRA) 1960-1964 (First Half of the 1960's) 8.8 = PELÉ (BRA) 6.0 = PUSKÁS, Ferenc (HUN) 5.1 = SUÁREZ, Luis (SPA) 4.6 = GARRINCHA (BRA) 4.6 = GREAVES, Jimmy (ENG) 4.1 = MASOPUST, Josef (CZE) 4.0 = DI STÉFANO, Alfredo (ARG) 3.9 = SEELER, Uwe (GER) 3.6 = SÍVORI, Omar (ARG) 3.6 = YASHIN, Lev (USSR) 3.5 = CHARLTON, Bobby (ENG) 3.5 = COLUNA, Mário (POR) 3.5 = COUTINHO (BRA) 3.5 = PEPE (BRA) 3.5 = SPENCER, Alberto (ECU) 3.0 = EUSÉBIO (POR) 2.8 = RIVERA, Gianni (ITA) 2.6 = LAW, Denis (SCO) 2.5 = DJALMA SANTOS (BRA) 2.5 = GENTO, Francisco (SPA) 2.5 = IVANOV, Valentin (USSR) 2.5 = JONES, Cliff (WAL) 2.5 = MACKAY, Dave (SCO) 2.5 = VORONIN, Valery (USSR) 1965-1969 (Second Half of the 1960's) 6.5 = BEST, George (NIR) 5.4 = CHARLTON, Bobby (ENG) 5.3 = EUSÉBIO (POR) 4.9 = ROCHA, Pedro (URU) 4.7 = PELÉ (BRA) 4.4 = TOSTAO (BRA) 4.3 = ALBERT, Flórián (HUN) 4.0 = ADEMIR da Guia (BRA) 4.0 = MOORE, Bobby (ENG) 3.8 = MAZZOLA, Sandro (ITA) 3.5 = BECKENBAUER, Franz (GER) 3.5 = FACCHETTI, Giacinto (ITA) 3.5 = RIVA, Luigi (ITA) 3.3 = CRUYFF, Johan (NED) 3.3 = RIVERA, Gianni (ITA) 3.1 = SPENCER, Alberto (ECU) 3.1 = VERÓN, Juan Ramón (ARG) 3.0 = AMANCIO (SPA) 3.0 = CHARLTON, Jack (ENG) 2.6 = SUÁREZ, Luis (SPA) 2.5 = ARTIME, Luis (ARG) 2.5 = BREMNER, Billy (SCO) 2.5 = CARLOS ALBERTO (BRA) 2.5 = EDU (BRA) 2.5 = JAIRZINHO (BRA) 2.5 = LAW, Denis (SCO) 2.5 = MÜLLER, Gerd (GER) 2.5 = PERFUMO, Roberto (ARG) 2.5 = VORONIN, Valery (USSR) 2.3 = DZAJIC, Dragan (YUG)
1970-1974 (First Half of the 1970's) 9.0 = CRUYFF, Johan (NED) 6.7 = MÜLLER, Gerd (GER) 6.3 = BECKENBAUER, Franz (GER) 4.3 = NETZER, Günter (GER) 4.1 = DEYNA, Kazimierz (POL) 3.5 = NEESKENS, Johan (NED) 3.3 = RIVA, Luigi (ITA) 3.2 = VAN HANEGEM, Wim (NED) 3.1 = BRINDISI, Miguel Ángel (ARG) 3.0 = ANCHETA, Atilio (URU) 3.0 = BREMNER, Billy (SCO) 3.0 = CUBILLAS, Teófilo (PER) 3.0 = DZAJIC, Dragan (YUG) 3.0 = JAIRZINHO (BRA) 3.0 = LUÍS PEREIRA (BRA) 3.0 = RIVELLINO, Roberto (BRA) 3.0 = ROCHA, Pedro (URU) 3.0 = SOTIL, Hugo (PER) 2.5 = ADEMIR da Guia (BRA) 2.5 = DIRCEU LOPES (BRA) 2.5 = FIGUEROA, Elías (CHI) 2.5 = GADOCHA, Robert (POL) 2.5 = JOHNSTONE, Jimmy (SCO) 2.5 = KEIZER, Piet (NED) 2.5 = KROL, Ruud (NED) 2.5 = MARINHO CHAGAS (BRA) 2.5 = PELÉ (BRA) 2.5 = VOGTS, Berti (GER) 2.3 = ARTIME, Luis (ARG) 2.1 = TOSTAO (BRA) 1975-1979 (Second Half of the 1970's) 5.1 = ZICO (BRA) 5.0 = FIGUEROA, Elías (CHI) 4.6 = KEEGAN, Kevin (ENG) 4.5 = FILLOL, Ubaldo (ARG) 4.5 = KEMPES, Mario (ARG) 4.5 = PASSARELLA, Daniel (ARG) 4.3 = RENSENBRINK, Rob (NED) 3.6 = CRUYFF, Johan (NED) 3.5 = CUBILLAS, Teófilo (PER) 3.5 = FALCAO, Paulo Roberto (BRA) 3.5 = NELINHO (BRA) 3.5 = ROBERTO DINAMITE (BRA) 3.5 = SIMONSEN, Allan (DEN) 3.5 = VOGTS, Berti (GER) 3.4 = DALGLISH, Kenny (SCO) 3.4 = KROL, Ruud (NED) 3.3 = RIVELLINO, Roberto (BRA) 3.1 = ALONSO, Norberto (ARG) 2.9 = BETTEGA, Roberto (ITA) 2.6 = BECKENBAUER, Franz (GER) 2.5 = BERTONI, Daniel (ARG) 2.5 = BONHOF, Rainer (GER) 2.5 = KRANKL, Hans (AUT) 2.5 = LATO, Grzegorz (POL) 2.5 = MARADONA, Diego (ARG) 2.5 = PLATINI, Michel (FRA) 2.5 = REINALDO (BRA) 1980-1984 (First Half of the 1980's) 7.8 = ZICO (BRA) 7.3 = PLATINI, Michel (FRA) 6.2 = RUMMENIGGE, Karl-Heinz (GER) 6.1 = FALCAO, Paulo Roberto (BRA) 4.8 = MARADONA, Diego (ARG) 4.5 = JÚNIOR (BRA) 4.3 = SCIREA, Gaetano (ITA) 4.0 = SÓCRATES (BRA) 3.6 = DALGLISH, Kenny (SCO) 3.5 = BRADY, Liam (IRE) 3.5 = FÖRSTER, Karlheinz (GER) 3.5 = GIRESSE, Alain (FRA) 3.5 = SOUNESS, Graeme (SCO) 3.0 = CABRINI, Antonio (ITA) 3.0 = DE LEÓN, Hugo (URU) 3.0 = PASSARELLA, Daniel (ARG) 3.0 = SCHUMACHER, Toni (GER) 3.0 = STIELIKE, Uli (GER) 2.9 = TIGANA, Jean (FRA) 2.6 = FRANCESCOLI, Enzo (URU) 2.5 = ARCONADA, Luis (SPA) 2.5 = BONIEK, Zbigniew (POL) 2.5 = BREITNER, Paul (GER) 2.5 = CONTI, Bruno (ITA) 2.5 = ÉDER (BRA) 2.5 = HANSEN, Alan (SCO) 2.5 = KROL, Ruud (NED) 2.5 = LEANDRO (BRA) 2.5 = TARDELLI, Marco (ITA) 2.5 = TONINHO CEREZO (BRA) 2.3 = RUSH, Ian (WAL) 1985-1989 (Second Half of the 1980's) 8.9 = MARADONA, Diego (ARG) 5.8 = MATTHÄUS, Lothar (GER) 5.6 = GULLIT, Ruud (NED) 5.6 = VAN BASTEN, Marco (NED) 4.3 = SÁNCHEZ, Hugo (MEX) 4.0 = CARECA (BRA) 3.8 = KOEMAN, Ronald (NED) 3.5 = MÍCHEL (SPA) 3.5 = RIJKAARD, Frank (NED) 3.0 = BARESI, Franco (ITA) 3.0 = HODDLE, Glenn (ENG) 3.0 = PLATINI, Michel (FRA) 3.0 = SOUTHALL, Neville (WAL) 2.6 = LINEKER, Gary (ENG) 2.5 = BARNES, John (ENG) 2.5 = BELANOV, Igor (USSR) 2.5 = BREHME, Andreas (GER) 2.5 = ELKJAER LARSEN, Preben (DEN) 2.5 = LERBY, Soren (DEN) 2.5 = PFAFF, Jean-Marie (BEL) 2.5 = TIGANA, Jean (FRA) 2.5 = VÖLLER, Rudi (GER) 1990-1994 (First Half of the 1990's) 6.8 = BAGGIO, Roberto (ITA) 5.7 = STOICHKOV, Hristo (BUL) 5.6 = BARESI, Franco (ITA) 5.1 = BERGKAMP, Dennis (NED) 5.1 = LAUDRUP, Michael (DEN) 5.0 = MALDINI, Paolo (ITA) 4.5 = ROMÁRIO (BRA) 4.3 = MATTHÄUS, Lothar (GER) 4.0 = VAN BASTEN, Marco (NED) 3.6 = PAPIN, Jean-Pierre (FRA) 3.5 = RIJKAARD, Frank (NED) 3.5 = SAVICEVIC, Dejan (YUG) 3.0 = KLINSMANN, Jürgen (GER) 3.0 = KOEMAN, Ronald (NED) 3.0 = KOHLER, Jürgen (GER) 3.0 = VÖLLER, Rudi (GER) 2.9 = RAÍ (BRA) 2.5 = BATISTUTA, Gabriel (ARG) 2.5 = BEBETO (BRA) 2.5 = BERGOMI, Giuseppe (ITA) 2.5 = BROLIN, Tomas (SWE) 2.5 = GIGGS, Ryan (WAL) 2.5 = HÄSSLER, Thomas (GER) 2.5 = PANCEV, Darko (YUG) 2.5 = WADDLE, Chris (ENG) 2.4 = CANTONA, Éric (FRA) 2.4 = VIALLI, Gianluca (ITA) 1995-1999 (Second Half of the 1990's) 6.0 = RONALDO (BRA) 4.9 = RIVALDO (BRA) 4.6 = BATISTUTA, Gabriel (ARG) 4.3 = LITMANEN, Jari (FIN) 4.0 = DEL PIERO, Alessandro (ITA) 4.0 = FIGO, Luís (POR) 3.9 = ZIDANE, Zinedine (FRA) 3.8 = ROBERTO CARLOS (BRA) 3.7 = SAMMER, Matthias (GER) 3.5 = BLANC, Laurent (FRA) 3.5 = SUKER, Davor (CRO) 3.5 = WEAH, George (LIB) 3.3 = BECKHAM, David (ENG) 3.1 = BERGKAMP, Dennis (NED) 3.0 = MALDINI, Paolo (ITA) 3.0 = RUI COSTA (POR) 3.0 = SHEARER, Alan (ENG) 3.0 = THURAM, Lilian (FRA) 2.9 = ZOLA, Gianfranco (ITA) 2.8 = KLINSMANN, Jürgen (GER) 2.8 = RAÚL (SPA) 2.5 = BIERHOFF, Oliver (GER) 2.5 = DESAILLY, Marcel (FRA) 2.5 = GINOLA, David (FRA) 2.5 = HIERRO, Fernando (SPA) 2.5 = LAUDRUP, Brian (DEN) 2.5 = SALAS, Marcelo (CHI) 2.5 = SCHMEICHEL, Peter (DEN) 2.4 = MIJATOVIC, Predrag (YUG) Statistics
1930-1931: Another tough season where there aren't a lot of consistent standouts. I'll jump right into it by revealing my top 3: 1. James 2. Orsi 3. Gschweidl As you can see, I'm mostly following Tom's lead here. James no longer had a NT-dimension, but I feel his rep was well-enough established to take the accolade this year. The reports are impressed with his genius in the way he drops deep and assumes the role previously left for halfbacks. Since it turned out for James wasn't so impressive at club-level, I've dropped him from the podium for last season, although his NT-rep and FA-cup heroics might still be enough to earn him a spot. He's replaced with Horvath for the TotS. I did a quick read-through, and Arsenal are hailed as a great side at the end of the year, but some of the mid-season views were less enthusiastic. At any rate, at this point I'd restrict their players to the internationally established Jack and James. As usual, I'd drop all the club-level players, which would be Figueroa, Scopelli, Waring and Zozaya. McGrory is back in the NT but has yet to impress. Second place goes to Orsi. He's not great in every game, and one report said he was better around 1928, but seems to be the biggest star for an impressive Italy. Meazza is there, too. Ferrari hasn't stood out so far, but Combi and Caligaris are great. The big news this season is the emergence of the Wunderteam. They start out by crushing a Scottish C-team, who were without not only Anglo-Scot stars, but also without players from the top Scottish clubs. They're busy touring, I understand. The C-team is crushed 5 goals to 0. The Austrians paid 1000 pounds sterling for the privilege and were promised no second-class material... The Wunderteam continues with a Germany-drubbing, played during a FIFA congress with a lot of high-profile people in the audience. This is where the hype really begins. The verdict is unanimous: Austria has the best team in Europe, if not the world. Alex Jackson is present, and compares the Wunderteam to the Wembley Wizards. Jackson has also "never seen a better centre-half than Smistik". The hero of the match is actually Hiden, though, who is carried off by a crowd afterwards. Rainer doesn't need to be there, IMO. On the German side, Kress is "better than Stuhlfauth has ever been". Richard Hofmann comes off as a big star, but I'm still not fully convinced. His performances seem pretty inconsistent. Still, I included him because it's a slow year. For the top 3, I came to the same conclusion Tom did. The Wunderteam really is Sindelar. They emerge when he does, and when he's gone against Switzerland, the team doesn't impress. However, here's the big if. I don't think the media noticed it just yet. They consider the success to be a team effort, whereas for Italy Orsi and Meazza are more clearly the stars. Austria's inner trio all seem to impress in turn. That's why I picked Gschweidl, with his more concrete accolades, for #3. Elsewhere, the incredibly strong and energetic Minelli emerges as a top-level defender. Thepot had another good season, so it was time to include him. Avar finally impresses somewhat at NT-level. Titkos was a hero in the game against Austria. Horvath was still good, but seems to lose his spot in the spring. Pauli Jorgensen is now a star at Scandinavian level, at least. My list is completed by two club players. Braine was a star at Mitropa-level, and I also felt Argentina had a high-enough reputation for a player to get in even though they only played experimental internationals. I settled on 1930 top scorer Cherro. Avar, Istvan (Romania/Hungary) Blum, Josef (Austria) Braine, Raymond (Belgium) Caligaris, Umberto (Italy) Cherro, Roberto (Argentina) Combi, Giampiero (Italy) Ferraris, Attilio (Italy) Crooks, Sammy (England) Gschweidl, Fritz (Austria) Hiden, Rudi (Austria) Hofmann, Richard (Germany) James, Alex (Scotland) Jorgensen, Pauli (Denmark) Meazza, Giuseppe (Italy) Minelli, Severino (Switzerland) Orsi, Raimundo (Argentina/Italy) Schall, Anton (Austria) Sindelar, Matthias (Austria) Smistik, Josef (Austria) Svoboda, Frantisek (Czechoslovakia) Tarasconi, Domingo (Argentina) Thepot, Alexis (France) Titkos, Pal (Hungary) TotS: Hiden Minelli Blum Meiklejohn Smistik Ferraris Crooks James Gschweidl Meazza Orsi Right-sided Minelli leaves Blum and Caligaris to duke it out for the other spot. Half-line is still pretty quiet outside Smistik. Meiklejohn quieted the great Dixie Dean in the England match, and Ferraris impressed at times for Italy. Van Heel was once again a possibility, but I'm not sure if he's a big deal at continental level. Pesek is also enjoying an Indian summer. In attack Crooks was great even when England wasn't. The rest we've already gone through.
1931-1932: An even more quiet season then last one, and I really struggled to fill the quota. Abegglen, Max (Switzerland) Blenkinsop, Ernie (England) Braine, Raymond (Belgium) Combi, Giampiero (Italy) Crooks, Sammy (England) Dean, Dixie (England) Ferraris, Attilio (Italy) Gschweidl, Fritz (Austria) Hiden, Rudi (Austria) Hofmann, Leopold (Austria) Hofmann, Richard (Germany) James, Alex (Scotland) Meazza, Giuseppe (Italy) Nausch, Walter (Austria) Orsi, Raimundo (Argentina/Italy) Planicka, Frantisek (Czechoslovakia) Rosetta, Virginio (Italy) Sarosi, György (Hungary) Schall, Anton (Austria) Sindelar, Matthias (Austria) Svoboda, Frantisek (Czechoslovakia) Varallo, Francisco (Argentina) Zischek, Karl (Austria) The team on everyone's lips is of course the Wunderteam. They're so dominant early on it seemed like I could put the entire team into my 23, but things start to balance out further on. The inside trio is the key to their success, and Sindelar is now firmly established as their top dog. There are rumors he's going to jump ship and join Slavia Prague. Besides that, Smistik and Blum are great early on, but seem to lose their spots when 1932 rolls in. Sesta emerges as a top replacement, but only plays in one international, creating a dilemma for me at left-back. Hiden is great in goal and Hofmann a good centre-half. Nausch and the wingers (Zischek and Vogl) seem to blow more hot and cold, but might all make it in a slow year. Italy are the other continental powerhouse, with the usual Orsi and Meazza as their key players. Rosetta is a great right-back. Ferraris and Pitto impress at times in midfield. Ferrari I wouldn't have there. He spends most of this time playing for Italy B. I might have seen Petrone there, too, but maybe it was just a city 11. I would also drop the Bologna players. They're Italy B-level, too. Taking into account the way their Mitropa-cup win happened, I don't think they need to be considered a particularly great side. Cesarini is a possibility based on this season, but maybe not in terms of all-around career. Of the other contenders, Hungary have mixed results (of course), including some true embarrassments. So I'd drop the T-crew in it's entirety. However, they do have a new star at centre-half in Györgi Sarosi, already a big deal. Czechoslovakia are another major side who are really struggling in the early 30s. In the summer they turn it around, though, by managing to stop the Wunderteam in its tracks. Planicka and Svoboda are the heroes of that match. Svoboda had received a lot of heat before that match for being such a blunt instrument, and was even dropped for a while, but comes back with a bang. Puc has been bad, too, and seems to have been dropped for a prolonged period. Nejedly hasn't broken through as a top player yet. Elsewhere, England have a great season, but their constant tinkering makes it hard to single out great individuals. Switzerland earn some great results thanks to the Abegglen brothers. Minelli was good early on, but misses some games due to injury. Quincoces (and Zamora) disappoint internationally, getting stuck in the mud in a nightmare England game. King Richard is still blowing hot and cold for Germany, but the hot is enough to earn him a spot. I filled the remaining spots with players based on domestic form, such as Dean, Braine and Varallo. And then there's Alex James. His injury is considered the reason Arsenal were left runners-up in both league and cup this season, and his Arsenal are described as a one-man team. He scores a whopping two goals in the league this season. There's an interesting piece written about him in the Times on the occasion of his first goal. It's worth being repeated in it's entirety, IMO (apologies for the weak text recognition): Spoiler (Move your mouse to the spoiler area to reveal the content) Show Spoiler Hide Spoiler Even those who take only an occasional interest in football must have- had their attention caught this week by the annoutice- nment that Alex James, who is acclaimed not only as the greatest footballer in the world to-day, but probably the greatest there has ever been, had scored hiis first :goat of the seasoni. l-lis team, the Arsenal, have played twenty-five League matches: they have scored fifty-seven goals: yet James did not score till last. Saturday. Sudil is his amazing skill that many people think that 'he. could, if lhe had chosen to seek the laurels of the goal-scorer, probably have scored at least once in every game he has played. His brain wotks like lightning, his feet move so quickly that they deceive the eye, there is the strength of steel in his muscles wvhen he kicks, so that, did he ..wish it, he could have been krown as the greatest goal-scorer in England. Instead of that, he is the gr.atest match-winner. It is certain that thirty out of the fifty- seven goals were the result of movements planned and initiated by him. Some expert observers put the proportion much hiigher. His amazing individual skill has been subordinated completely to the good of his side. Hle has been scheming in every game how le could add not to his owvn success but to the success of the Arsenal. b Some part of this self-abnegation is to be explained by the special technique of :thc Arsenal game which allots to James, although na onvard, the task of feeding the centre-fonvard and the wing men. It is now recognized as his chief function to niislead the opposing defence and then by a surprise pass to one of his own fonvard line make possible the winning shot. But James's superlative success in that task is based on the fact that to his unprecedented technical skill he adds an outstanding amount of the teamn spirit. He is a model footballer in the way he can control the ball and elude opponents: but he is still more a model footballer in the way lhe concentrates all his thought and effort in making opportunities for others to exploit' Top 3: 1. James 2. Sindelar 3. Schall Despite the overwhelming praise for James, I'm still torn over the top spot. Sindelar had much higher exposure on the continent, so that might have had an effect on my imaginary voting panel. TotS: Hiden Rosetta Blenkinsop L. Hofmann Sarosi Nausch Crooks James Sindelar Schall Orsi The Austrian left-back dilemma caused me to go for my back-up option in Blenkinsop. Crooks is consistently the top dog for the English. Orsi is by now a regular choice for the other wing, though there are occasional reports he's no longer as good as he was in 1928. Schall takes the third inside-spot over Gschweidl due to his domestic record. Internationally there isn't much between them.