World Soccer Magazine, Greatest XI of all time

I have Argentina's top goal scorer in my team

RealGunner wrote:To make the thread interesting. ( we probably have done this a lot of times )

What would be your ( all of you) greatest 11 of all time ( The players you have WATCHED)

From the top of my head, so no real thought into it to make it functional...


Bench/INC: Buffon, Ferdinand, Zidane, Bergkamp, Stevie G, Batistuta, Totti, Iniesta, Xavi, Giggs

Tomwin Lannister wrote:Personally I think it's pointless comparing people from such different time periods.

Different rules, different ball, different tactics, different opposition etc etc.

I bet modern players who come against an old-style leather ball that maybe was soaked with water would probably break their feet if they try to shoot is as they are used to with modern plastic balls. And many old-style defenders probably wouldn't last longer than 5 minutes on the pitch until they get sent off. XD

How much players appeared in the lineups. As we see, Moore just beat Baresi, and Yashin is clearly the goalie choice.

66 Beckenbauer
66 Maradona
63 Pele
58 Cruyff
48 Maldini
46 Messi
30 Yashin
28 Zidane
26 Di Stefano
24 Cafu
24 Moore

21 Baresi
19 Platini
18 Carlos Alberto
15 Garrincha
14 Roberto Carlos
12 Best
12 Facchetti
11 Djalma Santos
11 Puskas
9 Banks
8 Ronaldo
7 Müller
7 Cristiano Ronaldo
6 Nilton Santos
6 Schmeichel
6 Zoff
5 Buffon
5 Van Basten
5 Matthaus
4 Casillas
4 Iniesta
4 Passarella
4 Vogts
4 Xavi
3 Cannavaro
3 Charles
3 B. Charlton
3 Desailly
3 Didi
3 Eusebio
3 Maier
3 McGrath
3 Thuram
3 Jennings
3 Socrates
3 Rivelino
2 R. Andrade
2 Baggio
2 Blokhin
2 Cerezo
2 Figueroa
2 Gentile
2 Gento
2 Giggs
2 Kahn
2 Krol
2 Matthews
2 Neeskens
2 Schnellinger
2 Scirea
2 Van der Sar
2 Zico

Yeah, the leather balls were really heavy when it got soaked with water. Anyway...

GK: Buffon
CB: Maldini*
CB: Sammer*
CB: Nesta
RWB: Cafu
LWB: Roberto Carlos
DM: Fernando Redondo
DM: Mauro Silva
ACM: Zinedine Zidane
CF: Raul*
ST: Ronaldo

The ones with asterisks can be replaced by Hierro, Thuram and Totti. Also, I know the sweeper role was around during the 90's but I'm almost certain only Hierro and Sammer played so to keep it civil, I'll just leave it as CB. 3-5-2 btw...

Don't think it's effective but I'm sure that side would win off of sheer talent...

RealGunner wrote:To make the thread interesting. ( we probably have done this a lot of times )

What would be your ( all of you) greatest 11 of all time ( The players you have WATCHED)

Tried to create as balanced team as possibly could from players I have seen:


subs: Casillas, Cannavaro, Thuram, Redondo, Iniesta, Raul, Bergkamp, Henry.

Blasphemous list

Took me a day but this is my 11 of the best players i have seen.


--------------------------Van Der Sar--------------------------
Cafu---------------Nesta--------------Maldini-------------Cole
-----------------------------Vieira-----------------------------
-----------------Xavi-----------------Zidane-------------------
Messi-----------------------Ronaldo--------------------Henry--

Subs: Buffon, Roberto Carlos, Bergkamp, Ronaldinho, Christiano Ronaldo, Sol Campbell, Gilberto Silva

RealGunner wrote:Took me a day but this is my 11 of the best players i have seen.


--------------------------Van Der Sar--------------------------
Cafu---------------Nesta--------------Maldini-------------Cole
-----------------------------Vieira-----------------------------
-----------------Xavi-----------------Zidane-------------------
Messi-----------------------Ronaldo--------------------Henry--

Subs: Buffon, Roberto Carlos, Bergkamp, Ronaldinho, Christiano Ronaldo, Sol Campbell, Gilberto Silva

I like it a lot. However, is Van der saar truly the best keeper you've seen ?

Didn't Maldini played his best football as LB ? ( genuine question )

I have seen more of Maldini at CB than LB. Also wanted to go with the Nesta-Maldini Partnership

Van der sar was always going to be the controversial decision but for me he is one of the best keepers of the last decade or so. It was between him, Kahn, Seaman and Buffon. So yea, was hard to decide.

I'd also add Rivaldo , at least on the bench

Buffon

Cafu....baresi...nesta...Maldini...
...............rijkaard...............
..............Xavi.....Zidane......
.....Messi......van Basten......Ronaldinho....

Of my lifetime

Buffon
Cafu - Nesta - Cannavaro - Maldini
Zidane - Redondo
C.Ronaldo - Messi - Ronaldinho
Ronaldo

Thought you were always a keane fan

RealGunner wrote:Thought you were always a keane fan

He's criminally underrated. People seriously don't know how good he was. The hatchet man image is plain wrong. Redondo is more glamour and rock'n'roll though

I submitted that team without proof-reading first though, I had been tinkering different DMs

jibers wrote:Buffon

Cafu....baresi...nesta...Maldini...
...............rijkaard...............
..............Xavi.....Zidane......
.....Messi......van Basten......Ronaldinho....

goat choice.
MilanBarca ftw!

That team would beat most teams 10-0, but against other great XIs would get recked because of no defensively stability. Also, Maldini should be at LB with Beckenbauer as the CB, even though he was actually a Sweeper which is quite a bit different. My best formation would be:


Kahn, Cannavaro, Baresi, Pirlo, R9, Cruyff, Di Stefano, and Muller would all fight for starting spots, but I prefer this team and think its the best.

Buffon
Thuram - Nesta - Puyol - Maldini
Albelda - Baraja
Messi - Totti - Ronaldinho
Raul

#Hipster

Players I have seen play.

----------van der Sar---------
Zanetti---Nesta---Ayala---Lizarazu
---------Xavi-----Cocu--------
Messi--------Zidane-------Nedved
------------Ronaldo (R9)----------

Bench: Casillas, Maldini, Thuram, Vieira, Gerrard, Ronaldinho, Henry

With players that I have seen play it would look like this:


Only caught the end of Maradona's, Matthaus', and Baresi's careers so I didn't put them in.

juventus101 wrote:That team would beat most teams 10-0, but against other great XIs would get recked because of no defensively stability. Also, Maldini should be at LB with Beckenbauer as the CB, even though he was actually a Sweeper which is quite a bit different. My best formation would be:

--Buffon--
--Thuram-- --Scirea-- --Beckenbauer-- --Maldini--
--Zidane-- --Matthaus--
--Messi-- --Baggio-- --Maradona--
--Pele--

Kahn, Cannavaro, Baresi, Pirlo, R9, Cruyff, Di Stefano, and Muller would all fight for starting spots, but I prefer this team and think its the best.

You claim others have no defensive stability yet you name Zidane at DM?  

Zidane, Baggio and Maradona in one team with Zizou as a deep lying play maker. Sounds lovely...

Zidane getting more votes than Di Stefano

From what I've 'heard'



From what I've seen