The first edition of Radnedge's famous encyclopedia is from slightly later, before the 1994 World Cup. It's nice that they write the date of birth above the 225 players. Maybe you had that book in mind too? Born in the 19th century were: J.L. Andrade (Uruguay - b. 1898) Bloomer (England - b. 1874) Kalman Konrad (Hungary - b. 1895) Billy Meredith (England - b. 1874) Alan Morton (Scotland - b. 1893) Hector Scarone (Uruguay - b. 1898) Many have made room for newcomers indeed, with six remaining, but equally interesting are Konrad's and to a lesser extent Scarone's recognition. I also looked for the youngest inclusions and those were Tomas Brolin (Sweden - b. 1969), who got in for euro 1992, the 1993 Cup Winners Cup win and to a lesser extent 'Italia 90'. Dennis Bergkamp is the other one of 1969 but six months older than Brolin. "His talent was so obvious" they say. On that note, Moulijn is declared "maybe Holland's first post-war superstar", which is not totally baseless and without merit. But then I see they 'forgot' about including fellow Rotterdammer Wilkes (even if he had been included, like e.g. Barrett did in 1973, then you can still make an argument for that statement).
I did yes. I have the 1998 edition of that book and I think it is another excellent one that was superb for its time, it had a lot of players in it who I hadn't really heard of then, but it does omit a lot of earlier players. The youngest player in that one is Michael Owen. This omission of the early greats was then compounded by the various players of the century lists that came out and (rightly) left out the earlier players of the 19th century. Those lists I think then became in some ways defintive and as a result many people were further forgotten. Personally I feel something of a duty (maybe overstating it) to try to keep some memory or record of them alive.
Do you know maybe more recollections like the one of Ivan Sharpe? Or @peterhrt? Those can be very helpful too in tracking the genealogy of this thinking.
I don't know if this counts but these were the foreigners picked out in Association Football (1960). Great Czech players Jan Kosek, Baumruck, Fichta, Vaniek, Posek, the one-eyed Janda, Karel Kozeluh, Koletney, Kada. In the German bohemian ranks: Pilar, Dvorazek, Kurpiel, Kubik, Kienzl, Merz, Fischl, Less were most famous. Hungary Alfred Schaffer, centre or inside forward, Pataky, Schlosser, Orth, Szabo, Biro, Sarosi, Titkos, Mandl, the full-backs Rumbold and Revesz, the brothers Konrad, Vogl, Kertesz, Molnar, the goalies Zsak and Platko- I doubt they were ever surpassed. Every one of them at present day values would justify a new English transfer record. Austria Of the greatest Austrian players I shall name only name here M.J. Leuthe, Adolf Fischera, Studnicka, Cohn, Braunsteiner, Karl Pekarna, Popovic, Bauer, Svatoch, Wondrak, Scmieger, Kuthan, Kurz, Blum, Wieser, Bican, Josef Uridil, Binder. Later Ocwirk, Hanappi, Wagner, Zeman, Happel, Melchior, became names popular in every country. Italy De Vecchi, Rosetta, Ferrari, Piola, Meazza, Ferraris, Schiavio, Andreoli, Baloncieri, Caligaris, Combi, Rava, Foni, Parola, Amadei, Bacigalupo and Boniperti were of international fame. Switzerland Dr Ernst Kaltenbach, Schneebeli, Ramseyer, Schmiedlin, Minelli, Sechehaye, Lehmann, Amado, Fatton, Bickel, Pulver, the three brothers Abbeglen are just a few stars of international fame. Sweden Some of the most famous players were Helge Ekroth, Malm, Lindberg, Kock, Fribeg, Kaufeldt, Keller, Rydell, Alfredsson etc. Denmark Jacobsen, Meimcke, Gandil, Buchwald and Axel Andersson were important pioneers and early stars. Spain Zamora, Samitier, Piera, Dr. Alcantara, Aguirrezabala, Quincoces, and in more recent times, Gainza, Basaro, Kubala and Di Stefano were among the world’s finest footballers. Argentina Martino, Santos Gabino Sosa, Paco Garcia, Ignaci Romero, Corazzo, Ferreira, Evaristo and others were only a few of a large bevy of grand players. Di Stefano, Gomez, who moved to Milan FC for a record transfer and signing fee, Montuori, who helped Fiorentina to win a record title show the high level of Argentine soccer. Brazil The mulatto Friedenreich, the negro Leonidas, Fausto, Domingos, Valdemar do Brito, Batataes, Romen and Hercules belonged to the “immortals”.
Here is another list from the same book: Goalkeepers Sam Hardy Elisha Scott Rudi Hiden Ricardo Zamora Beara Jerry Dawson Leigh Richmond Roose Frank Swift Bert Trautmann Harry Hibbs Gil Merrick Ted Taylor Howard Matthews Jack Harding Albert Gray Ted Ditchburn Joe Glossop Jack Whitley Bert Williams Ted Sagar Sam Bartram R.G. Brebner Howard Baker Full-Backs Bob Campbell Jock Marshall Jock Hutton George Young Howard Spencer Bob Crompton Herbert Smith Jesse Pennington Laurie Scott George Male David Taylor James Sharp Jimmy Blair Dicky Downs Karl Sesta Leslie Hofton Moses Russell AM Walters PM Walters Alf Ramsey Sam Barkas Tom Cooper Ernest Blenkinsop Bert Sproston George Hardwick John Carey CB Fry Bill McCracken Jose Emilio Santamaria William Martinez Victor Rodriguez Andrade Centre-halfs John Charles Harry Johnston Billy Wright Stan Cullis Billy Wedlock Johnnie Holt Charlie Roberts Ernest Needham Ernst Ocwirk Frank Barson Joe McCall Alex Raisbeck Andy Aitken Nils Middelboe Jack Hill Tom Bradshaw Tom Griffiths Jimmy Seddon Tom Boyle Colin Veitch Davie Meiklejohn Neil McBain Jimmy Harrop Fred Keenor Jack Barker Neil Franklin Tom Wilson Charles Thomson Frank Buckley Herbert Roberts Wing halves Matt Busby George Richards Norman Bullock George Brown Jimmy Gibson Neil Gibson Jack Crayston Frank Cuggy Tom Galley Jackie Bray Frank Soo Henry Cockburn Jimmy McMullen Charlie Jones Ken Willingham Bill Shankly Peter McWilliam Andy Ducat Clifford Britton Bob Glendinning William Hardy David Steele Harry Healless Willis Edwards Ronnie Burgess Bill Nicholson Alex Forbes Ray Barlow Ronnie Clayton Duncan Edwards Wilf Copping Kenneth Hunt Ben Warren Tom Brittleton Arthur Grimsdell Joe Mercer Ron Flowers Outside forwards Billy Meredith Stanley Matthews Alan Morton Alex Jackson Joe Hulme Julinho Billy Bassett WC Athersmith Fred Spiksley John Rutherford Jack Sharp Fred Pentland Jocky Simpson Charles Wallace Alfed Quantrill Sam Chedgzoy Sammy Crooks Bobby Langton Willie Waddell Jimmy Delaney George Wall Jimmy Dimmock Fred Tunstall Eric Brook Cliff Bastin Billy Liddell Johnny Hancocks Jack Rowley Jimmy Mullen Harold Hardman Fred Walden Ted Vizard Bobby Mitchell Tom Finney Inside forwards John Goodall Vivian Woodward William Gillespie Clem Stephenson John Duncan Peter Doherty Wilf Mannion Steve Bloomer Joe Smith Bob Whittingham Bobby Charlton Nuts Cobbold RE Foster Tom McInally Len Shackleton Alex James Harold Fleming Roy Bentley Stan Mortenson Charles Buchan George Holley Tommy Walker Jimmy Hagan David Jack Joe Bache James Howie Billy Walker Andrew Cunningham Fred Tilson Raich Carter Walter Fielding Juan Schiaffino Didi Syd Puddefoot Gordon Hodgson Joe Bradford Willie Hall Jackie Sewell Patsy Gallagher Alec Stevenson Centre-forward Alf Common Pongo Waring Gunnar Nordahl Jackie Milburn Tommy Lawton Dixie Dean Jimmy McGrory Sandy Turnbull Nat Lofthouse John Charles Hughie Gallacher George Hilsden George Camsell Jack Rowley Bert Freeman Harry Stapley Albert Sheppard GO Smith RS McColl Len Davies Jimmy Hampson George Hunt Jimmy Quinn Harry Hampton Ted Drake Derek Dooley Trevor Ford
I found a few more things luckily (both in my collection, library and new acquisitions). Will post it soon.
It falls slightly outside the scope but since it has the same editor; Normann Barrett's 'Book of Football' (published June 1981). The book had an "introduction" by Bobby Charlton, who wrote that "the world is waiting for a new Pelé and a new Cruyff to burst on to the scene", which is from a few angles an interesting comment too (to write this in a foreword). The next page started with Alex James. Some players got discussed in three full-blown pages (Alex James), others in two-thirds a page (Diego Maradona). Names written below in order of appearance in the book and table of contents. Alex James (Scotland - b. 1901) Horatio Carter (England - b. 1913) Len Shackleton (England - b. 1922) - discussed together with HC Tommy Harmer (England - b. 1928) John White (Scotland - b. 1937) - discussed together with TH Wilf Mannion (England - b. 1918) Peter Doherty (Northern Ireland - b. 1913) Johnny Giles (Ireland - b. 1940) Dixie Dean (England - b. 1907) George Camsell (England - b. 1902) Jimmy Greaves (England - b. 1940) Ted Drake (England - b. 1912) Joe Payne (England - b. 1914) Stephen Bloomer (England - b. 1874) Charles Buchan (England - b. 1891) - discussed together with SB Denis Law (Scotland - b. 1940) Hughie Gallacher (Scotland - b. 1903) Jimmy McGrory (Scotland - b. 1904) Bobby Charlton (England - b. 1937) Ferenc Puskas (Hungary - b. 1927) Gerd Müller (West Germany - b. 1945) Tommy Lawton (England - b. 1919) Pele (Brazil - b. 1940) Billy Wright (England - b. 1924) Joe Mercer (England - b. 1914) Danny Blanchflower (Northern Ireland - b. 1926) Frank McLintock (Scotland - b. 1939) Stanley Cullis (England - b. 1915) Neil Franklin (England - b. 1922) - discussed together with SC Johnny Carey (Ireland - b. 1919) Bobby Moore (England - b. 1941) George Young (Scotland - b. 1922) Willie Woodburn (Scotland - b. 1919) - discussed together with GY Ruud Krol (Netherlands - b. 1949) Frank Swift (England - b. 1914) Lev Yashin (Soviet Union - b. 1929) Gordon Banks (England - b. 1937) Peter Shilton (England - b. 1949) Ray Clemence (England - b. 1948) Pat Jennings (Northern Ireland - b. 1945) Johnny Hancocks (England - b. 1919) Jimmy Mullen (England - b. 1923) - discussed together with JH Stanley Matthews (England - b. 1915) Tom Finney (England - b. 1922) Alec Jackson (England - b. 1905) Alan Morton (Scotland - b. 1896) Garrincha (Brazil - b. 1933) Francisco Gento (Spain - b. 1933) Billy Liddell (Scotland - b. 1922) Dave Mackay (Scotland - b. 1934) Norman Hunter (England - b. 1943) Nobby Stiles (England - b. 1942) Diego Maradona (Argentina - b. 1960) Billy Bremner (Scotland - b. 1942) Alan Ball (England - b. 1945) Kevin Keegan (England - b. 1951) Osvaldo Ardiles (Argentina - b. 1952) Johan Cruyff (Netherlands - b. 1947) John Charles (Wales - b. 1932) Franz Beckenbauer (West Germany - b. 1945) Alfredo di Stefano (Argentina - b. 1926) George Best (Northern Ireland - b. 1946) Duncan Edwards (England - b. 1936) Maradona, Ardiles and Keegan are the youngest inclusions here. Keegan has two pages dedicated to him and Ardiles one page (effectively no more than two-thirds of a page, like Maradona). The oldest inclusion is Stephen Bloomer (b. 1874), Buchan (b. 1891) and Alex James (b. 1901). James had as said three pages, and Bloomer and Buchan were discussed together on one page (albeit with two very small photographs instead of a larger one like Ardiles/Maradona).
I discovered that the 'world football handbook' might have more extensive lists by him, and I ordered as a test the 1967 and 1969 one. It is indeed what I hoped to see but... 1967 deals with 1966 (publication date: September 1966). It includes and textually discusses the World Cup of course. Luckily, per the 1969 one it seems to have been a consistent feature. So now I immediately ordered the 1968 edition too (which then deals 1967) - sorry if this is confusing. The "Fifty world stars" were (September 1966): Florian Albert (Ferencvaros and Hungary - b. 1941) Amancio Amaro (Real Madrid and Spain - b. 1939) Amarildo Tavares (AC Milan and Brazil - b. 1939) Luis Artime (Independiente and Argentina - b. 1938) Georgi Asparuhov (Levski and Bulgaria - b. 1943) José Augusto (Benfica and Portugal - b. 1937) Jim Baxter (Sunderland and Scotland - b. 1939) Ferenc Bene (Ujpest and Hungary - b. 1944) George Best (Manchester United and Northern Ireland - b. 1946) Hans Buzek (F.K Austria and Austria - b. 1938) Carlos Alberto Torres (Flamengo and Brazil - b. 1944) Bobby Charlton (Manchester United and England - b. 1937) Mario Coluna (Benfica and Portugal - b. 1935) Mario Corso (Internazionale and Italy - b. 1941) Dudu (Palmeiras and Brazil - b. 1939) Mike England (Blackburn Rovers and Wales - b. 1941) Lothar Emmerich (Borussia Dortmund and West Germany - b. 1941) Luis Eyzaguirre (Universidad and Chile - b. 1939) Eusebio da Silva Ferreira (Benfica and Portugal - b. 1942) Giacinto Facchetti (Internazionale and Italy - b. 1942) Milan Galic (Partizan Belgrado and Yugoslavia - b. 1938) Garrincha (Botafogo and Brazil - b. 1933) Jano Geleta (Dukla and Czechoslovakia - b. 1943) Philippe Gondet (Nantes and France - b. 1942) Jimmy Greaves (Tottenham Hotspur and England - b. 1940) Kurt Hamrin (Fiorentina and Sweden - b. 1934) Sigi Held (Borussia Dortmund and West Germany - b. 1942) Willie Henderson (Rangers and Scotland - b. 1944) Jairzinho (Botafogo and Brazil - b. 1944) Cliff Jones (Tottenham Hotspur and Wales - b. 1935) Jef Jurion (Anderlecht and Belgium - b. 1937) Denis Law (Manchester United and Scotland - b. 1940) Slava Metrevelli (Torpedo and Soviet Union - b. 1936) Bobby Moore (West Ham United and England - b. 1941) Lucien Muller (Barcelona and France - b. 1934) Pelé (Santos and Brazil - b. 1940) Svatopluk Pluskal (Dukla Prague and Czechoslovakia - b. 1930) Gianni Rivera (AC Milan and Italy - b. 1943) Leonel Sanchez (Universidad and Chile - b. 1936) Karl Heinz Schnellinger (AC Milan and West Germany - b. 1939) Uwe Seeler (Hamburg and West Germany - b. 1936) Dragoslav Sekularac (Red Star Belgrade and Yugoslavia - b. 1937) Luis Suarez (Internazionale and Spain - b. 1935) Jose Torres (Benfica and Portugal - b. 1936) Paul van Himst (Anderlecht and Belgium - b. 1943) Velibor Vasovic (Partizan Belgrade and Yugoslavia - b. 1939) Valeri Voronin (Torpedo Moscow and Soviet Union - b. 1939) Lev Yashin (Dynamo Moscow and Soviet Union - b. 1929) I can post scans of the write-ups if that's preferred. Like I said, when I get the 1967 list then I'll post that one too. I suspect to see a few names we'd associate with the 1965 - 1975 period. In this 1966 list George Best (b. 1946) is the youngest inclusion. "Perhaps the outstanding British discovery of 1964-65. Best not only consolidated his position in Manchester United and Ireland teams but showed himself the most talented Irish winger since the war." After him there are four players from 1944: Bene, Carlos Alberto, Henderson and Jairzinho. The youngest non-British player is Jairzinho (25 December 1944). The oldest inclusion is Lev Yashin (b. 1929). He's followed by Pluskal (b. 1930) and Garrincha (b. 1933). Garrincha was past his best (played just 40 club matches in the four years between 1963 and 1966) but he scored that memorable free kick goal against Bulgaria in the World Cup and scored 3 goals in 7 matches for Brazil in 1966. Difficult to say what Glanville's thoughts were.
Just for completeness, here another one from a Dutch perspective. "Summer 1967". It was a one-off (not a series). It was written by Hans Molenaar and Joop Niezen, two of the original founders of the 'Voetbal International' magazine (at the moment on the brink of bankruptcy). Niezen became some years later also the chief-editor (1969 - 1984), and of sister magazine 'Sport International' as well. Niezen (b. 1935), raised and living in The Hague, former (semi-)professional goalkeeper for his hometown and co-founder of the magazine in Rotterdam, was often cast in the role to go slightly against the grain (on radio and television) or neutralize extreme sentiments with level-headed, cold and detached analyses. "Dutch and other European footballers, who have been in the news during the past couple of years and of whom many will stay in the news for a considerable time." The foreign included "European footballers" were: Gordon Banks (England - b. 1937) Peter Bonetti (England - b. 1941) Sepp Maier (West Germany - b. 1944) Jean Nicolay (Belgium - b. 1937) Alex Stepney (England - b. 1942) Hans Tilkowski (West Germany - b. 1935) Ivo Viktor (Czechoslovakia - b. 1942) Lev Yashin (Soviet Union - b. 1929) Jack Charlton (England - b. 1935) Giacinto Facchetti (Italy - b. 1942) Sandor Matrai (Hungary - b. 1932) Billy McNeill (Scotland - b. 1940) Karl-Heinz Schnellinger (West Germany - b. 1939) Franz Beckenbauer (West Germany - b. 1945) Bobby Charlton (England - b. 1937) Mario Coluna (Portugal - b. 1935) Jef Jurion (Belgium - b. 1937) Josef Masopust (Czechoslovakia - b. 1931) Bobby Moore (England - b. 1941) Lothar Ulsass (West Germany - b. 1940) Florian Albert (Hungary - b. 1941) Amaro Amancio (Spain - b. 1939) Alan Ball (England - b. 1945) George Best (Northern Ireland - b. 1946) Harry Bild (Sweden - b. 1936) Renato Cappellini (Italy - b. 1943) Eusebio (Portugal - b. 1942) Janos Farkas (Hungary - b. 1942) Francisco Gento (Spain - b. 1933) Jimmy Greaves (England - b. 1940) Helmut Haller (West Germany - b. 1939) Sigi Held (West Germany - b. 1942) Paul van Himst (Belgium - b. 1943) Ove Kindvall (Sweden - b. 1943) Frits Künzli (Switzerland - b. 1946) Denis Law (Scotland - b. 1940) Sandro Mazzola (Italy - b. 1942) Gerd Müller (West Germany - b. 1945) Uwe Seeler (West Germany - b. 1936) Luis Suarez Miramontes (Spain - b. 1935)
Thanks also for the 1960 'Association Football' list. The Bobby Charlton write-up mentions his 1966 World Cup display, so those 'World Football Handbook' player portraits were definitely completed after the 1966 World Cup.
I found a surprisingly interesting book from 1963. It is boringly called "European International Football", written by Gordon Jeffery. I see it has also a positive summary in the Football Compendium. It will take some time to digest it all but I'll try. I'll mention both the noteworthy figures on the field and in general. Hugo Meisl is somewhat jokingly called "the Pitt, Disraeli, Bismarck and Napoleon of Austrian soccer rolled into one."
Albania - Austria Hugo Meisl Lowe Gramlick Gandon Shires M.D. Nicholson (both a football player and first FA president) Jimmy Hogan "'Standard' Austrian team" (no player is highlighted elsewhere): Hiden Schramseis Blum Braun Smistik Nausch Zischek Gschweidl Sindelar Schall Vogl 'Others who took part in some of the matches' Hoffmann Sesta Mock Gall Horvath Ernst Ocwirk ("a team built around that great attacking centre-half") Erich Hof ("hailed as the new Sindelar" in 1960) Belgium Bill Gormlie (administrator/manager) Henri Meert Joseph Mermans Pol Anoul Carre Lemberechts (those five "being possibly the outstanding ones") Joseph Jurion Paul van Himst Rik Coppens Bulgaria - To be continued later.
Czechoslovakia Planicka ("one of the greatest goalkeepers") Antonin Puc ("the forward star") Nejedly ("another great player of the 1934 team") Bican Kopecky Bradac Ludl Senecky Novak Pluskal Masopust Popluhar Denmark Karl Aage Hansen John Hansen Carl Praest Viggo Jensen Nils Middelboe ("the giant") Harald Nielsen Flemming Nielsen Joern Sorensen England - (the write up deals predominantly with when England lost their monopoly and predominance, and later falling outside of the 'top group' of countries) Finland - France Robert Guerin Jules Rimet Henri Delaunay Gabriel Hanot "Three men played prominent parts" Paul Nicholas (manager) Raymond Kopa Just Fontaine East Germany - West Germany Sepp Herberger ("For much of this they have to thank the calculating brain of their veteran national team manager") ------- Will be continued...
The Football Compendium noted about this book: "This is one of the earliest attempts at a serious study of the game in the wider European context." Greece - Hungary Gustav Sebes Grosics Buzansky Lantos Bozsik Lorant Zakarias Budai Kocsis Hidegkuti Puskas Czibor Sipos Matrai Kotasz Sandor Tichy Fenyvesi Gorocs Albert Iceland Albert Gudmondson Beck Schram Northern Ireland - Ireland - Italy Vittorio Pozzo ("his story cannot be separated from the story of the game in Italy") Orsi Monti ("the introduction of foreign players into Italian football or even into the Italian national team is not a post-war innovation") -------------------- I realize (think) that this work might not be perfect but because it's written in 1962/1963, and a serious study on the development and significant figures across many different European countries indeed, it is worth typing out.
Luxembourg - Malta - Netherlands "To them 'football is only a game' [...]. [T]hat is, as playing performance and results were concerned. There has never been a time when the sound counsels of Netherlands representatives have not been of value in the organization of world football. Indeed, that same almost obstinate adherence to amateurism that retarded their development on the field of play has been valuable in the development of the world game." - very intriguing comments (among others) Faas Wilkes ("the cream of the natural talent [...] probably the best forward the Netherlands have yet produced") De Munck Appel Timmermans Van der Hart Heer Hopster Lotsy Norway Gunnar Andersen Per Skou Thorbjorn Svenssen Poland Gora Nytz Dytko Willimowski Pohl Brychcy Portugal Eusebio ("one of the great players in European football") Simoes Serafim Rumania Prince Carol of Rumania Steiner Vogl ------ Next part will be the last one.
Scotland - Spain T. Atkins Zamora ("Much the outstanding player that afternoon, and indeed in Spanish football throughout their first period of international football") Sweden Knut Nordahl Bertil Nordahl Gunnar Nordahl ("Italian clubs [...] had many of the best players on view. All three of these [brothers] were signed by Italian clubs.") Rosen Gren ("an exceptional player by any standard") Liedholm Carlsson Erik Nilsson Switzerland Karl Rappan ("almost legendary figure") Turkey - Soviet Union Clement Charnock Harry Charnock Gaskell Lev Yashin Wales William Meredith John Charles ("two players any country in the world would like to have") Yugoslavia - ------------------------------------- This was the last part. As I said, I digested this because it was an overview compiled in 1962/1963.
This one is also listed on Pelé's Wikipedia page, and he got a (miniature) statue for it. L'Equipe 12 July 1980: Other footballers to receive votes - and finishing in the top 50 - were: Stanley Matthews (England - b. 1915), Alfredo di Stefano (Argentina - b. 1926) and Johan Cruijff (Netherlands - b. 1947). Pelé received votes, and was even placed on top, by the Brazilian representative. The other three footballers were listed in the top 12 from other countries, but did not receive votes by the representatives of their own country (e.g. no votes for Matthews by the British voter; Di Stefano not in the top 12 of the Argentinian journalist etcetera). Pelé received top votes by 25% of the representatives, but was also omitted in a few top-12 lists such as The Guardian (United Kingdom) and Neues Deutschland (GDR).
Probably I'll receive the 1968 Football Handbook next week but this was the 1976 World Football Handbook. On this occasion with the prefix "Sunday Times". Date of publication: August 1975. Includes the 1974-75 season. "Compiled by Brian Glanville" it says on the cover but apparently also with input by others. "Fifty World Stars" Jovan Acimovic (Yugoslavia and Red Star Belgrade - b. 1948) Ruben Ayala (Argentina and Atletico Madrid - b. 1950) Carlos Babington (Argentina and Wattenscheid - b. 1949) Franz Beckenbauer (West Germany and Bayern Munich - b. 1945) Oleg Blokhin (Soviet Union and Dynamo Kiev - b. 1952) Hristo Bonev (Bulgaria and Lokomotiv Plovdiv - b. 1947) Rainer Bonhof (West Germany and Borussia Monchengladbach - b. 1952) Paul Breitner (West Germany and Real Madrid - b. 1951) Billy Bremner (Scotland and Leeds United - b. 1942) Carlos Caszely (Chile and Levante - b. 1950) Mike Channon (England and Southampton - b. 1948) Ray Clemence (England and Liverpool - b. 1948) Johan Cruyff (Netherlands and Barcelona - b. 1947) Dragan Dzajic (Yugoslavia and Bastia - b. 1946) Ralf Edstrom (Sweden and PSV - b. 1952) Elias Figueroa (Chile and Internacional - b. 1946) Robert Gadocha (Poland and Nantes - b. 1946) Jerzy Gorgon (Poland and Gornik - b. 1949) Jean-Marc Guillou (France and Nice - b. 1945) Arie Haan (Netherlands and Anderlecht - b. 1948) Ronnie Helstrom (Sweden and Kaiserslautern - b. 1949) Uli Hoeness (West Germany and Bayern Munich - b. 1952) Rene Houseman (Argentina and Huracan - b. 1953) Leighton James (Wales and Burnley - b. 1953) Pat Jennings (Northern Ireland and Tottenham Hotspur - b. 1945) Hans Krankl (Austria and Rapid Vienna - b. 1953) Ruud Krol (Netherlands and Ajax - b. 1949) Grzegorz Lato (Poland and Stal Mielec - b. 1950) Enver Maric (Yugoslavia and Velez Mostar - b. 1948) Francisco Marinho (Brazil and Botafogo - b. 1952) Gerd Muller (West Germany and Bayern Munich - b. 1945) Johan Neeskens (Netherlands and Barcelona - b. 1951) Branko Oblak (Yugoslavia and Hajduk Split - b. 1947) Machado Octavio (Portugal and Porto - b. 1949) Wolfgang Overath (West Germany and Cologne - b. 1943) Luis Pereira (Brazil and Atletico Madrid - b. 1949) Jan Pivarnik (Czecholovakia and Slovan Bratislava - b. 1947) Laurent Pokou (Ivory Coast and Rennes - b. 1947) Roland Sandberg (Sweden and Kaiserslautern - b. 1946) Peter Shilton (England and Stoke City - b. 1949) Jurgen Sparwasser (East Germany and Magdeburg - b. 1948) Wim Suurbier (Netherlands and Ajax - b. 1945) Andrzej Szarmach (Poland and Gornik Zabrze - b. 1950) Colin Todd (England and Derby County - b. 1948) Jan Tomaszewski (Poland and LKS Lodz - b. 1948) Wim van Hanegem (Netherlands and Feyenoord - b. 1944) Paul van Himst (Belgium and Racing White - b. 1943) Berti Vogts (West Germany and Borussia Monchengladbach - b. 1946) Jose Maria 'Ze Maria' (Brazil and Corinthians - b. 1949) Dino Zoff (Italy and Juventus - b. 1942) "Note: One of the game's most brilliant midfield inside-forwards, KAZIMIERZ DEYNA (Legia Warsaw and Poland) announced his intention of retiring at the end of the season, at 28. It remained to be seen whether he would stick to this decision." (the write-ups have the club first and national team second but I swapped the order - with Deyna it are 51 names yes) This was the last edition I could find under this guise, 'World Football Handbook' edited by Glanville. This 1976 edition had (not shockingly) Cruijff on the cover and indeed the write-up is without critical points a positive one and notes "there is reason to call him the outstanding player of the day [...] He is, among other things, an excellent linguist." [as if that matters] If one is interested in the write-ups give a shout. It extends to the end of the 1974-75 season.
The L'Equipe poll and the Miroir Football 1977 + 1978 list was tracked with help from these two useful websites. http://museedelapresse.com/ http://www.journaux-collection.com/ I used search terms as 'Pelé 1978/1979/1980/1981', 'grands joueurs'/'meilleur joueurs', 'meilleur football', 'meilleures' for this. If there's more (or something that looks good) it would be good to know.
Here is the World Football Handbook list of 1968 (published August 1967). A few differences with the IFB top 20 list that was written about 6 months later. "World Stars" Florian Albert (Ferencvaros and Hungary - b. 1941) Amancio Amaro (Real Madrid and Spain - b. 1939) Amarildo Tavares (AC Milan and Brazil - b. 1939) Luis Artime (Independiente and Argentina - b. 1938) Georgi Asparuhov (Levski and Bulgaria - b. 1943) José Augusto (Benfica and Portugal - b. 1937) Alan Ball (Everton and England - b. 1945 Gordon Banks (Stoke City and England - b. 1937) Jim Baxter (Sunderland and Scotland - b. 1939) Franz Beckenbauer (Bayern Munich and West Germany - b. 1945) Ferenc Bene (Ujpest and Hungary - b. 1944) George Best (Manchester United and Northern Ireland - b. 1946) Bobby Charlton (Manchester United and England - b. 1937) George Cohen (Fulham and England - b. 1939) Mario Coluna (Benfica and Portugal - b. 1935) Mario Corso (Internazionale and Italy - b. 1941) Mike England (Blackburn Rovers and Wales - b. 1941) Eusebio da Silva Ferreira (Benfica and Portugal - b. 1942) Giacinto Facchetti (Internazionale and Italy - b. 1942) Janos Farkas (Vasas and Hungary - b. 1942) Milan Galic (Standard Liege and Yugoslavia - b. 1938) Jano Geleta (Dukla and Czechoslovakia - b. 1943) Philippe Gondet (Nantes and France - b. 1942) Jaime Graca (Benfica and Portugal - b. 1942) Jimmy Greaves (Tottenham Hotspur and England - b. 1940) Helmut Haller (Bologna and West Germany - b. 1939) Kurt Hamrin (Fiorentina and Sweden - b. 1934) Sigi Held (Borussia Dortmund and West Germany - b. 1942) Geoff Hurst (West Ham United and England - b. 1941) Jairzinho (Botafogo and Brazil - b. 1944) Jimmy Johnstone (Celtic and Scotland - b. 1944) Denis Law (Manchester United and Scotland - b. 1940) Bobby Moore (West Ham United and England - b. 1941) Lucien Muller (Barcelona and France - b. 1934) Pelé (Santos and Brazil - b. 1940) Martin Peters (West Ham United and England - b. 1943) Gianni Rivera (AC Milan and Italy - b. 1943) Karl Heinz Schnellinger (AC Milan and West Germany - b. 1939) Uwe Seeler (Hamburg and West Germany - b. 1936) Alberto Spencer (Penarol and Ecuador, Uruguay - b. 1937) Luis Suarez (Internazionale and Spain - b. 1935) José Torres (Benfica and Portugal - b. 1936) Paul van Himst (Anderlecht and Belgium - b. 1943) Velibor Vasovic (Partizan Belgrade and Yugoslavia - b. 1939) Valeri Voronin (Torpedo Moscow and Soviet Union - b. 1939) Ray Wilson (Everton and England - b. 1934) Lev Yashin (Dynamo Moscow and Soviet Union - b. 1929) The season summaries - for example the one for the European Cup - already give away that his list might look different and updated half a year later (as shown by his IFB list). The goalkeeper Viktor is called "brilliant" and "excellent" and one who is "able to win trophies for his side". Cruijff (who is in the Handbook 1969 list as we'll see) was in the 1968 Handbook typified as "extremely gifted" and "a new European star", "a genuinely great performer" - it was still before the Real Madrid matches and some others (e.g. Everton) that might have pushed him into the IFB list. The youngest player in this list is George Best (which he also was in the 1967 list). Alberto Spencer is an interesting case in that he's listed for two national teams. This list has also 47 names and not 50. It is not called "Fifty World Stars" as in the earlier and later editions but maybe some names have been edited out somehow. I also made a request for the 1966 list (the first edition of this series in this guise), to look at who is the youngest there. Next is the 1969 list (thus published August 1968).
World Football Handbook 1969 (published August 1968). "World Stars" Florian Albert (Ferencvaros and Hungary - b. 1941) Amancio Amaro (Real Madrid and Spain - b. 1939) Luis Artime (Palmeiras and Argentina - b. 1938) Georgi Asparuhov (Levski and Bulgaria - b. 1943) José Augusto (Benfica and Portugal - b. 1937) Alan Ball (Everton and England - b. 1945) Gordon Banks (Stoke City and England - b. 1937) Jim Baxter (Sunderland and Scotland - b. 1939) Franz Beckenbauer (Bayern Munich and West Germany - b. 1945) Ferenc Bene (Ujpest and Hungary - b. 1944) George Best (Manchester United and Northern Ireland - b. 1946) Anatoliy Byshovets (Dynamo Kyiv and Soviet Union - b. 1946) Bobby Charlton (Manchester United and England - b. 1937) George Cohen (Fulham and England - b. 1939) Mario Coluna (Benfica and Portugal - b. 1935) Mario Corso (Internazionale and Italy - b. 1941) Johan Cruyff (Ajax and Netherlands - b. 1947) Mike England (Blackburn Rovers and Wales - b. 1941) Eusebio da Silva Ferreira (Benfica and Portugal - b. 1942) Giacinto Facchetti (Internazionale and Italy - b. 1942) Janos Farkas (Vasas and Hungary - b. 1942) Jano Geleta (Dukla and Czechoslovakia - b. 1943) Jaime Graca (Benfica and Portugal - b. 1942) Jimmy Greaves (Tottenham Hotspur and England - b. 1940) Helmut Haller (Bologna and West Germany - b. 1939) Kurt Hamrin (Fiorentina and Sweden - b. 1934) Sigi Held (Borussia Dortmund and West Germany - b. 1942) Geoff Hurst (West Ham United and England - b. 1941) Jairzinho (Botafogo and Brazil - b. 1944) Jimmy Johnstone (Celtic and Scotland - b. 1944) Denis Law (Manchester United and Scotland - b. 1940) Oscar Mas (River Plate and Argentina - b. 1946) Bobby Moore (West Ham United and England - b. 1941) Ermindo Onega (River Plate and Argentina - b. 1940) Pelé (Santos and Brazil - b. 1940) Roberto Perfumo (Racing Club and Argentina - b. 1942) Martin Peters (West Ham United and England - b. 1943) Jose Pirri (Real Madrid and Spain - b. 1945) Luigi Riva (Cagliari and Italy - b. 1944) Gianni Rivera (AC Milan and Italy - b. 1943) Pedro Rocha (Penarol and Uruguay - b. 1942) Karl Heinz Schnellinger (AC Milan and West Germany - b. 1939) Uwe Seeler (Hamburg and West Germany - b. 1936) Alberto Spencer (Penarol and Ecuador, Uruguay - b. 1937) Eduard Streltsov (Torpedo Moscow and Soviet Union - b. 1937) Luis Suarez (Internazionale and Spain - b. 1935) José Torres (Benfica and Portugal - b. 1936) Paul van Himst (Anderlecht and Belgium - b. 1943) Valeri Voronin (Torpedo Moscow and Soviet Union - b. 1939) Ray Wilson (Everton and England - b. 1934) This are 50 names again. Some notable but understandable changes (e.g. Yashin out, Streltsov in) The youngest players are Cruijff (b. April 1947), Best (b. May 1946) and Byshovets (b. April 1946) The oldest are Kurt Hamrin (b. November 1934), Ray Wilson (b. December 1934), Suarez (b. May 1935) and Coluna (b. August 1935).
Here is the very first edition. "World Football Handbook 1966". Published September 1965. "World Stars" Florian Albert (Ferencvaros and Hungary - b. 1941) Amancio Amaro (Real Madrid and Spain - b. 1939) Amarildo Tavares (AC Milan and Brazil - b. 1939) Luis Artime (River Plate and Argentina - b. 1938) José Augusto (Benfica and Portugal - b. 1937) Jim Baxter (Rangers and Scotland - b. 1939) Ferenc Bene (Ujpest and Hungary - b. 1944) George Best (Manchester United and Northern Ireland - b. 1946) Bill Brown (Tottenham Hotspur and Scotland - b. 1931) Hans Buzek (F.K Austria and Austria - b. 1938) Carlos Alberto Torres (Flamengo and Brazil - b. 1944) Bobby Charlton (Manchester United and England - b. 1937) Mario Coluna (Benfica and Portugal - b. 1935) Mario Corso (Internazionale and Italy - b. 1941) Luis Eyzaguirre (Universidad and Chile - b. 1939) Eusebio da Silva Ferreira (Benfica and Portugal - b. 1942) Milan Galic (Partizan Belgrado and Yugoslavia - b. 1938) Garrincha (Botafogo and Brazil - b. 1933) Jano Geleta (Dukla and Czechoslovakia - b. 1943) Jimmy Greaves (Tottenham Hotspur and England - b. 1940) Kurt Hamrin (Fiorentina and Sweden - b. 1934) Willie Henderson (Rangers and Scotland - b. 1944) Cliff Jones (Tottenham Hotspur and Wales - b. 1935) Jef Jurion (Anderlecht and Belgium - b. 1937) Denis Law (Manchester United and Scotland - b. 1940) Rafael Leites (Nacional and Uruguay - b. 1943) Silvio Marzolini (Boca Juniors and Argentina - b. 1940) Slava Metrevelli (Torpedo and Soviet Union - b. 1936) Coen Moulijn (Feijenoord and Netherlands - b. 1937) Antonio Munguia (Necaxa and Mexico - b. 1942) Pelé (Santos and Brazil - b. 1940) Svatopluk Pluskal (Dukla Prague and Czechoslovakia - b. 1930) Gianni Rivera (AC Milan and Italy - b. 1943) Leonel Sanchez (Universidad and Chile - b. 1936) Jose Sasia (Penarol and Uruguay - b. 1933) Karl Heinz Schnellinger (AC Milan and West Germany - b. 1939) Uwe Seeler (Hamburg and West Germany - b. 1936) Dragoslav Sekularac (Red Star Belgrade and Yugoslavia - b. 1937) Agne Simonsson (IOS Goteborg and Sweden - b. 1935) Klaus-Dieter Sieloff (VFB Stuttgart and West Germany - b. 1942) Jacky Simon (Nantes and France - b. 1941) Luis Suarez (Internazionale and Spain - b. 1935) Roberto Telch (San Lorenzo and Argentina - b. 1943) Peter Thompson (Liverpool and England - b. 1942) Jose Torres (Benfica and Portugal - b. 1936) Igor Chislenko (Dynamo Moscow and Soviet Union - b. 1939) Paul van Himst (Anderlecht and Belgium - b. 1943) Valeri Voronin (Torpedo Moscow and Soviet Union - b. 1939) Lev Yashin (Dynamo Moscow and Soviet Union - b. 1929) It are 49 names. I guess I don't have to spell out who is the youngest player here and the oldest is again Yashin (b. 1929). Pelé is like the 1967, 1968 and 1969 yearbooks called "probably the greatest inside-forward of his generation, a remarkable goal-scorer of astonishing gymnastic powers." The rest of the write-up changed - for ex. during his lesser years - but this designation remained the same (not the case for every prominent player). Whether it changes in the 1970 and 1971 edition (dealing with 1970), I don't know yet. Although it has to be taken with a huge pinch of salt, for fun I'll post a couple of readers polls by Onze Mondial (1980 and 1995) and France Football (1989) next. If others are aware of more 'classic' polls, that will be nice.