Any comments/suggestions/arguments? Feel free to mail me at the address at the bottom of the page and let me know what you think!
Substitutes Bench: Dino ZOFF, Luis MONTI, Michel PLATINI, EUSEBIO, Gerd MULLER
So there we have it. I've decided to stick to players who are retired rather than confuse matters by including players whose careers are not yet complete (actually, you're never all that sure with Diego Maradona, are you? He's probably planning yet another comeback, but I think we can fairly safely assume that his best days are now over).
I've opted for a 3-4-3 formation with a sweeper, since that was the only way I could use Beckenbauer to best effect. There are, in my opinion, just a couple of problems with the team:-
Anyhow, that's enough tactical discussion. Now, here are some short but sweet profiles of those great players:-
The First XI
Goalkeeper: Lev YASHIN (USSR)
Nicknamed the Black Spider or the Black Panther for his stunning agility and all-black kit, Yashin was at the heart of everything successful football-wise in the former Soviet Union.
With his extraordinary courage, athleticism and reactions, it is no coincidence that
the two greatest achievements of the Soviet Union at international level, winning the
inaugural European Championship in 1960 and finshing a national best fourth place in the 1966 World Cup in England,
just happened to be while Yashin kept goal for them. He could easily have been lost to ice hockey
at an early age, but thankfully for the game he opted for the famous Dynamo Moscow
club's footballing section.
Sweeper: Franz BECKENBAUER (West Germany)
Franz Beckenbauer has achieved the unique distinction of having finished as both
a winning and losing coach and player in a World Cup final: he lost in 1966 and 1986
as player and coach respectively; but won in 1974 and 1990. In his remarkable career
as a player, Beckenbauer won virtually everything: World Cup, European Championship,
European Champions Cup, European Cup Winners Cup, World Club Cup, German league and cup
and also an NASL league championship. Success followed him wherever he went, due
to his magnificent ability to read the game as sweeper, his well-timed tackles, and
his pioneering of the attacking sweeper role which revolutionised the German game
for the coming decades. Although he began as an impressive midfielder, his shift backwards
saw him consequently lead his club Bayern Munchen
to three straight European Cups, West Germany to the European Championship and, most importantly, his country to a 2-1 World Cup final win
as captain over the Netherlands in 1974.
Defender: Franco BARESI (Italy)
Baresi was at the heart of the AC Milan defence throughout the Italian club's most
fruitful period in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Even in a team which included
such stars as the Dutch trio of Van Basten, Gullit and Rijkaard, Baresi managed to
distinguish himself as an irreplacable part of the team. His services for his country
were also notable, as he was a part of the team which finished third at Italia 1990,
when Italy had appeared hot favourites until their surprise semi-final elimination at
the hands of a a cynical Argentine side on penalties. Four years later in the United States,
Baresi mounted a surprise recovery from injury to lead his side in the World Cup final
against Brazil; Baresi, as ever, was tremendous, but had the misfortune of being one
of three Italians who missed penalties as the Europeans went down on penalties again.
Defender: Daniel PASSARELLA (Argentina)
Daniel Passarella, of River Plate fame, holds a very special place in Argentina's
football history, as the captain of the first team from the country to win the World Cup.
A superbly able defender with great leadership qualities, he also has another claim
to uniqueness as the only Argentine to own two World Cup winners medals. He was a member
of the Maradona-inspired squad in 1986 which regained the world crown, although
admittedly Passarella did not play a single minute in the tournament. As manager of
the national team, he guided Argentina to the last eight in 1998, but there is no
doubting his greatest moment, in his home stadium of Monumental in 1978 when the
Dutch were beaten 3-1 after extra-time, and Passarella became the first South American
to get his hands on the new World Cup trophy.
Wing-back: Giacinto FACCHETTI (Italy)
If Beckenbauer was responsible for transforming the role of the sweeper in the
modern game, then equal credit has to be given to Italy's Facchetti in changing the
view of the job of full-backs. He was the first in a new breed of attack-minded
flank defenders, and his goal scoring tallies, especially in the notoriously defensive Serie A,
speak volumes about his effectiveness going forward. Facchetti was a vital cog in
the Inter Milan team which won back-to-back European and World Club titles in 1964 and 1965,
and five years later (having survived the 1966 shock of that infamous World Cup
loss at the hands of North Korea) captained his side in the World Cup final in Mexico City.
His Italian team were beaten 4-1 on the day, but that was no disgrace; they were
playing perhaps the finest team in history, the Brazilian class of 1970. It always
required such magnificence to get the better of Facchetti.
Wing-back: GARRINCHA (Brazil)
The "little bird" was struck down by polio at a very early age, and doctors told
his parents he may never be able to walk properly. How ironic that he should turn
into arguably the most skilful, devastatingly effective right-winger of all time,
and certainly of his generation. His wing trickery mesmerised opposing defenders,
helping him and Brazil to their first two World Cups in 1958 and 1962. In 1958, his role
was smaller, and a 17 year old kid called Pele (who he?) stole the show, but in
1962, Garrincha dominated, perhaps assisted by Pele's absence through injury,
and his performances were particularly noteworthy in the quarter and semi-finals. He was
actually sent off in the 1962 semi, but a Brazilian appeal saw to it that he was
cleared to play in the final against Czechoslovakia, and Brazil won 3-1. Nobody would
have grudged the Final appearance and winners medal to him...except perhaps the Czechoslovakians...
Midfielder: Diego MARADONA (Argentina)
Controversial but brilliant is probably the most apt description of Diego
Armando Maradona. Even early in his career his potential was clear: he was nearly
selected for the Argentinian World Cup winning squad of 1978 as a teenager. He later
transferred from Boca Juniors to Barcelona for a world record fee, but his time in Spain
was marred by injury (often inflicted by deliberate fouling) before his move to
Napoli helped take the club to their only scudetto and European honour, the UEFA Cup.
His greatest moment came in captaining Argentina, at times it seemed single-handedly
with brilliant and controversial goals alike, to the 1986 World Cup. He took them
back to the final in 1990, where they lost out to a revenge-seeking West Germany,
but sadly was banned in 1991 for 18 months due to drug abuse. This sent his career
into pretty much continual decline, punctuated only by a brief appearance at the
1994 finals before another drug ban. He certainly provided fans with some
disappointing memories, but incredible moments like his solo goal against England
in '86, perhaps the best goal ever, will live on forever.
Midfielder: Johann CRUYFF (Netherlands)
The Dutch "Total Football" side of the 1970s were one of the best sides never to
win a World Cup. Cruyff was the man who made them tick. He achieved club fame with
Ajax Amsterdam, who won a hat-trick of consecutive European Cups with Cruyff pulling
the strings, and then Barcelona (where he transferred to for a record fee). His
legendary status was attained largely between 1971 and 1974, when he won those
European trophies and led the Netherlands to the 1974 World Cup final with a
brand of exhilarating football which matched his own style, and a tactical system
of "total football" which reflected his own completeness as a player. Luck deserted
Cruyff on the day of the final though, and he was marginalised by West German
man-marker Berti Vogts. The Dutch lost 2-1, and Cruyff retired from international
football shortly before the 1978 finals (in which the Dutch were again runners-up)
to be denied the World Cup gold medal he so richly deserved.
Forward: Ferenc PUSKAS (Hungary)
"The Galloping Major" may have been scorned by England captain
Billy Wright just before Hungary's Wembley friendly with them in
1953, but before long he was widely recognised as perhaps the best player
in the world. His team won 6-3 that day, and 7-1 back in Budapest.
Puskas won Olympic Gold with Hungary in 1952, but he and his
"Magical Magyars" were denied World Cup gold in 1954 after losing
3-2 to West Germany in the final despite taking a 2-0 lead. Puskas
captained the team that day, but was not fully fit. The Hungarian
team was largely broken up after the revolution of 1956, but Puskas
went on to find fame in Spain, playing his part in the 5-in-a-row
European Cup winning Real Madrid side, thanks to a prolific partnership
with the equally great Di Stefano. Puskas also had one last
appearance on the World Cup stage, playing for his adopted country,
although without much success, in 1962.
Forward: Alfredo DI STEFANO (Argentina/Spain)
Di Stefano was born in Buenos Aires, won the Copa America with
Argentina, but found real glory in Spain with both Real Madrid and
his new national side. He scored bucketloads of goals for both,
winning five straight European Cups with his club, part of which time
he spent paired up with the legendary Puskas, and setting the record
for national team goals for Spain. Di Stefano was a remarkably rounded
player, and his stamina allowed him to play his not insignificant
part all across the pitch. Barcelona must have regretted waiving their
chance to sign him before he joined their arch-rivals in Madrid. Di
Stefano, though, must have regretted one thing above all else: he never
played in the World Cup finals. Yet despite that, in an All-Time XI
which contains thirteen World Cup Final appearances between them
and no less than nine winners medals, Di Stefano most certainly does
not seem out of place in terms of ability.
Forward: PELE (Brazil)
There is little to be said about Pele which hasn't already been
said. In the eyes of many, he is quite simply the best footballer
ever to have played the game. A record three times World Cup winner, at just 17
years old in 1958, again in 1962 (although he missed the final due
to injury) and in 1970, he scored over one thousand goals in his career
which also saw him win the Copa America with Brazil and the Copa Libertadores
and World Club Cup with his club Santos, who enjoyed their best ever
period with Pele leading the line. His control was second to none,
as exhibited with a spectacular goal against Sweden in the 1958 final,
and his ingenuity was endlessly exciting. This was shown most
significantly, ironically, in two misses in the 1970 World Cup: once where
he only just missed with an audacious lob from his own half, and again
when he dummied the ball and ran the other way around the goalkeeper in a one-on-one
situation, before shooting just wide from an acute angle. Ultimately, although
they were failures, Pele was most definitely a winner; those misses
merely epitomised everything which was great about him.
The Substitutes
Goalkeeper: Dino ZOFF (Italy)
Zoff was 40 years old by the time he finally got his hands on the
World Cup, as captain of Italy's 1982 team. He had performed magnificently
throughout a long career with his main club, Juventus, and for the
national team also before he so nearly became the first goalkeeper
to keep a clean sheet in a World Cup final against West Germany until
Paul Breitner's late consolation for the runners-up. Zoff, whose
experience between the posts was a major asset to whichever team
he was playing for, could hardly have been bothered, though. At the last
opportunity, he had won the big one.
Defender: Luis MONTI (Argentina/Italy)
They don't make 'em like Luis Monti any more. The big Argentine was
capable on the ball, and excellent in the tackle, but also gained a reputation
for cynicism when called for - as Cris Freddi so fittingly put it in
The Complete Book of the World Cup, Monti was "a thug but a great one".
He played in the Argentina side which lost the first ever World Cup
final to Uruguay in 1930, but was on the winning side four years later
with his new adopted country, Italy, where he now played his club
football. Whatever the nature of his play, Monti was one of the
most influential pre-war players, and thoroughly deserved his winners
medal (whoever he won it with).
Midfielder: Michel PLATINI (France)
Michel Platini's superb control, vision and goalscoring combine
to make him one of the greatest midfielders in the sport's history.
Twice his magnificent French side of the 1980s was eliminated from
the World Cup at the semi-final stage, but Platini at least received
the consolation of a European Championship with France win 1984 and
the European Cup with Juventus a year later, when he himself scored the
penalty for a 1-0 win over Liverpool.
Forward: EUSEBIO (Portugal)
Eusebio, born in Mozambique, was, despite playing for Portugal
the first great African star, and remains the greatest to date. His
exploits with Lisbon club Benfica were his most successful, where he won
two consecutive European Cups, and the dynamic, effective forward
also inspired Portugal to a best-ever semi-final place at the 1966
World Cup. One single match in that tournament demonstrated his
enormous influence: at 3-0 down to shock-troops North Korea in the
quarter-finals, Eusebio scored four times to help Portugal to an
incredible 5-3 victory, en route to the tournament's Golden Boot.
Forward: Gerd MULLER (West Germany)
No other player has scored as many goals in World Cup finals matches
as Gerd Muller: 14 in all, spread over just 12 games 1970 and 1974.
Muller scored 10 goals in 1970 to win the Golden Boot and help West Germany to the last four, but more
importantly scored the West Germans' winning goal in the 1974 final.
In addition to his World Cup exploits, "Der Bomber", a stocky
goalscorer extraordinaire, won three European Cups with the great
Bayern side of the 1970s, and the European Championship with his
country in 1972.
That's it, then: probably the best squad in the world. I was considering
making it a squad of 22, but to be honest it would be even more difficult
ro decide between the dozens of brilliant players left just outside my top sixteen.
Maybe someday though...watch this space.
Of course, this cannot be the ultimate team of all time. There are
many players currently still playing who would have a chance of consideration,
such as Jurgen Kohler, Lothar Matthaus, Paolo Maldini and Roberto Baggio to name
just a few, plus at least on or two from the French 1998 World Cup winners.
That's not to mention the many players with terrific potential to
go on and become true legends, players like Ronaldo and Denilson. This
job ain't easy, you know...
Take me back to the footy index!
"Pele...he was unique, he was a one-off. He was like Eusebio..." - Jonathan Watson as Denis Law, Only an Excuse, BBC Scotland
© 1997 gscotland[at]hotmail.com
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