This is a poll for the best all round midfielder, d-mid or 2 way midfielder. Thus there are a number of players who played in very different styles here. The key point is that they must do more than simply attack.
My Bias' tells me to vote for the legend that was Matthaeus. But Since I've only seen a fraction of these players play how can I choose who is better.
Matthaus. He had great stamina and he managed to play until he was 40. Not only that he can play in a few positions.
Jozsef Bozsik - there are so many great players (and Duncan Edwards had the potential to be one of the greatest ever), but Bozsik was basically the player who defined the role of a modern midfielder.
this is going to be close... Mathaus caught my eye, but I could not rightly choose him and leave Rijkaard out and at the same time, both to me, while truly worldclass players lacked the drive of Roy Keane. It saddened me not to be able to vote for Redondo as well... ahhh. I've got an idea... maybe comme, you could take the 2nd placed players and make a team of them... they surely would not be too far behind.
Definately - what footage of him that there is shows him to be a truly remarkable player, but unfortunately we will never know how his career would have panned out. He certainly had all the potential to be one of the very best players ever to play, and from 56-57 he was possibly the best in the world at his position.
That's a great idea. These polls about the greatest ever XI are becoming cliched, regardless of who creates them. The second placed one might be more interesting and spontaneous in terms of votes.
comme, no Didi? Nevermind. I see you put him in the other thread. Anywho. I'm being a pest. My vote here would be for Beckenbauer I wonder if Rijkaard would have made this team if you had put him as a CB.
Rijkaard is worthy of a vote and he should be the defensive midfielder in the XI. He wasn't very well known for playing as an attacking midfielder though. As multi-dimentional as he was, attacking midfield is probably the only midfield position that Rijkaard would encounter some problems with. His winning goal in the 1990 European Cup final for AC Milan is in my opinion, the best example of him being placed in a more attacking midfielder-like position.
Edwards get an honourable mention, but it is between Redondo and Keane for me. Given the debate that we have had over the lack of steel in defence and the fact that the majority of players who will make the team will be noted for their skill over everything else, then I would select Keane. I feel he is required to add some aggression and tenacity into the midfield.
My nomination under "others" is Stefan Effenberg. I would take him anyday over Roy Keane - he was every bit as aggressive and commanding, but a better footballer.
Effenberg was a fine player, but does he really stand up to Coluna (who ammazingly has no votes), Bozsik, Matthaus and Rijkaard?
Rijkaard, Mathaus, Redondo, Keane. In that order. I really like Ardiles too, but he'd have to be paired with a more defensive mid to be most effective.
I'm slightly disappointed to see no votes for Blanchflower, although he might be a bit lightweight to play as a true d-mid. He was though a remarkable player. On the likes of Effenberg, he was considered, along with quite a few other modern players such as Vieira, Deschamps, Davids, Robson but just missed out on the list. His duals with Keane were superb.
Wh would you have voted for then? Please people, don't just vote "other", write in who you would have wanted.
Central Midfielder doesn't neccesarily mean being a defensive player, Hoddle and Platini were central, so can i vote for Michel?? If so then Platini, even though he's french.
No he doesn't (mostly due to his lack of success with Germany), but he's easily in the same league as Roy Keane.
No. Even if he did have a great international career I don't think he could really compete against those guys. The guys you've listed were not only more gifted but they were more versatile than Effenburg.
I would put him just a notch below Keane, but you've seen much more of Effenberg than I have and can probably give a fairer judgment.