In this thread, I'd like all football (soccer) fans to post what their all time starting XI is. In your line up just pick who you think is the best ever player for that position, there are no restrictions and I don't mean a team that actually played together. I mean a custom team of your choice, that you believe contains the best players ever. You can pick your players from any league, any country and any time that they played in. You can use any formation you like and you can pick a bench too if you want.
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All time XI
- Thread starter Ming
- Start date
Here's mine:
GK - Peter Schmeichel. Few goalkeepers (if any) are more intimidating or as concerned with keeping a clean sheet. Amazing reflexes and of course, has the odd goal in him. He also holds a very impressive record in the Premier League for the greatest clean sheets-to-games ratio with 42% of the matches he played in ending with a clean sheet.
RB - Cafu. Almost tireless and usually rampant, he has a record-breaking 142 caps for Brazil. Being a good crosser and quite skillful always helps especially when you're as attacking as Cafu, he also played in three World Cup finals, winning two of them.
CB - Franz Beckenbauer. The best German football player of all-time, Der Kaiser was usually the most dominant player on the pitch when he played (hence, Der Kaiser) and he was the epitome of a centre back that could play from the back. A fine distributor, cool on the ball and a superb tackler. The three-time European Cup winner is, for me, an obvious inclusion.
CB - Paolo Maldini (C). Having made just over 900 appearances for Milan he's shows tremendous loyalty. Two-footed, consistent and a great leader. The World Cup winner has also won the Champions League five times making Maldini easily one of the best defenders ever.
LB - Roberto Carlos. Powerful, fast and sometimes deadly in front of goal, Cafu's Brazilian companion was just as dangerous at attacking and just as solid at defending as he was. Also quite a good free-kick taker, the World Cup winner's shots were thunderous.
CM - Diego Maradona. Strong with spectacular ball control and dribbling, Diego Maradona is generally regarded as the best player of all-time. Also a great finisher and dangerous free-kick taker, Maradona was special at what he did. The World Cup winner (a World Cup many credit him for single-handedly winning) played for many clubs and made an impact wherever he went.
CM - Lothar Matthaus. Somebody's got to do the dirty work. Who better than somebody who despises losing so much that it'd make him do absolutely anything to win. Matthaus playing alongside his rival in Maradona would be quite cool (almost picked Bobby Moore ahead of Maldini for that reason). Matthaus can tackle well and attack well if he had to. Matthaus has made more World Cup appearances than anybody, playing in five different tournaments. So Matthaus was consistently World-Class.
CAM - Alfredo Di Stefano. The Blond Arrow could play almost anywhere on the pitch, being that versatile makes him a fine choice for midfield. He read the game very well and had outstanding vision. Maradona's fellow Argentinian was selected ahead of Zidane which might cause a lot eyes to roll but Di Stefano had almost everything to his game, maybe the most complete football player ever is another must-have in my All-Time XI.
RW - Garrincha. Regarded by some as the best dribbler in history, Garrincha had pace (lots of it) and an end product to back it up. A two-time World Cup winner, Garrincha at times, outshined Pele. Being two-footed down the wing helps tremendously and Garrincha could go either way.
ST - Gerd Muller. Deceptively quick and clinical, Der Bomber is the greatest goalscorer in the history of major league football. He never fit the conventional idea of a great striker but had awesome balance and was top-class in the air. The World Cup winner scored 68 goals in only 62 appearances for Germany, he scored a total of 66 goals in 74 appearances in the European Cup, a trophy he won for three consecutive seasons with Bayern Munich in 74,75 and 76. The Ultimate Opportunist of football had a total of 365 goals in 427 Bundesliga matches.
LW - George Best. One of the most talented players of all-time. He was quick, skillful, two-footed and a goalscorer with terrific balance. The European Cup winner has been labeled my many as the best player to never play in the World Cup.
Subs
Johan Cruyff LW/RW
Pele ST
Lionel Messi LW/RW/ST
Gordan Banks GK
Bobby Moore CB
Zinadine Zidane CAM/CM
Ruud Gullit CM/CAM
GK - Peter Schmeichel. Few goalkeepers (if any) are more intimidating or as concerned with keeping a clean sheet. Amazing reflexes and of course, has the odd goal in him. He also holds a very impressive record in the Premier League for the greatest clean sheets-to-games ratio with 42% of the matches he played in ending with a clean sheet.
RB - Cafu. Almost tireless and usually rampant, he has a record-breaking 142 caps for Brazil. Being a good crosser and quite skillful always helps especially when you're as attacking as Cafu, he also played in three World Cup finals, winning two of them.
CB - Franz Beckenbauer. The best German football player of all-time, Der Kaiser was usually the most dominant player on the pitch when he played (hence, Der Kaiser) and he was the epitome of a centre back that could play from the back. A fine distributor, cool on the ball and a superb tackler. The three-time European Cup winner is, for me, an obvious inclusion.
CB - Paolo Maldini (C). Having made just over 900 appearances for Milan he's shows tremendous loyalty. Two-footed, consistent and a great leader. The World Cup winner has also won the Champions League five times making Maldini easily one of the best defenders ever.
LB - Roberto Carlos. Powerful, fast and sometimes deadly in front of goal, Cafu's Brazilian companion was just as dangerous at attacking and just as solid at defending as he was. Also quite a good free-kick taker, the World Cup winner's shots were thunderous.
CM - Diego Maradona. Strong with spectacular ball control and dribbling, Diego Maradona is generally regarded as the best player of all-time. Also a great finisher and dangerous free-kick taker, Maradona was special at what he did. The World Cup winner (a World Cup many credit him for single-handedly winning) played for many clubs and made an impact wherever he went.
CM - Lothar Matthaus. Somebody's got to do the dirty work. Who better than somebody who despises losing so much that it'd make him do absolutely anything to win. Matthaus playing alongside his rival in Maradona would be quite cool (almost picked Bobby Moore ahead of Maldini for that reason). Matthaus can tackle well and attack well if he had to. Matthaus has made more World Cup appearances than anybody, playing in five different tournaments. So Matthaus was consistently World-Class.
CAM - Alfredo Di Stefano. The Blond Arrow could play almost anywhere on the pitch, being that versatile makes him a fine choice for midfield. He read the game very well and had outstanding vision. Maradona's fellow Argentinian was selected ahead of Zidane which might cause a lot eyes to roll but Di Stefano had almost everything to his game, maybe the most complete football player ever is another must-have in my All-Time XI.
RW - Garrincha. Regarded by some as the best dribbler in history, Garrincha had pace (lots of it) and an end product to back it up. A two-time World Cup winner, Garrincha at times, outshined Pele. Being two-footed down the wing helps tremendously and Garrincha could go either way.
ST - Gerd Muller. Deceptively quick and clinical, Der Bomber is the greatest goalscorer in the history of major league football. He never fit the conventional idea of a great striker but had awesome balance and was top-class in the air. The World Cup winner scored 68 goals in only 62 appearances for Germany, he scored a total of 66 goals in 74 appearances in the European Cup, a trophy he won for three consecutive seasons with Bayern Munich in 74,75 and 76. The Ultimate Opportunist of football had a total of 365 goals in 427 Bundesliga matches.
LW - George Best. One of the most talented players of all-time. He was quick, skillful, two-footed and a goalscorer with terrific balance. The European Cup winner has been labeled my many as the best player to never play in the World Cup.
Subs
Johan Cruyff LW/RW
Pele ST
Lionel Messi LW/RW/ST
Gordan Banks GK
Bobby Moore CB
Zinadine Zidane CAM/CM
Ruud Gullit CM/CAM
GK : Oliver Khan
LCB : Paolo Maldini
CB : Franz Beckenbauer
RCB : Lilian Thuram
LW : Lionel Messi
CM: Zidane
CM: Xavi
RW : Christiano Ronaldo
CAM : Diego Maradona
ST: Pele
ST: Ronaldo (the real one)
Yes this team is made of mostly players that played in the past 20 years except for the few legendary players. I only go by players who I see dominate headlines or won tons of trophies.
LCB : Paolo Maldini
CB : Franz Beckenbauer
RCB : Lilian Thuram
LW : Lionel Messi
CM: Zidane
CM: Xavi
RW : Christiano Ronaldo
CAM : Diego Maradona
ST: Pele
ST: Ronaldo (the real one)
Yes this team is made of mostly players that played in the past 20 years except for the few legendary players. I only go by players who I see dominate headlines or won tons of trophies.
Being young I have only seen a few players on your eleven and therefore my team is filled with players still playing and is basically a current World XI
GK -Iker Casillas - The best GK in the world right now and has been for quite a few years. Although he doesn't have to do much, he rarely makes an error and has proved this by being captain of Spain and RM.
RB- Phillip Lahm- the man is faultless. He does everything you could ever ask for from a fullback. He can defend and attack and is very effective at both.
CB- John Terry - this is a less obvious one. JT at his best is very good. Great leader and can drag a whole team by himself.
CB- (not sure. Pique/vidic/t.silva. Not sure who too pick)
LB - Ashley Cole - see lahm
RM - Ronaldiniho - He was quality at Barcelona. Really helped them progress to the stage they are at now. Without him i don't think they would have been able to have got the success they are experiencing now.
CM - Steven Gerrard. It is a shame he will never win a premiership. Always wished he moved to a club worthy of his quality but he was never to know that liverpool would go from champions league winners to where they are now. He has driven L'pool forward for years. Scores goals, creates goals and can defend as well. Doesn't get enough credit in the world game.
CM- Cesc Fabregas - Arsenal career was hampered by injuries and being captain. Spain and barca career overshadowed by Xavi and iniesta but in my opinion he is better than both of them. He has proven he can score goals as a cf this season and was so influential for Arsenal as a cm. He can do a range of things on a football pitch and was an absolute bargain at £35million.
LM- Cristiano ronaldo. The best in the world right now(better than messi). Got all his goals from the wing whilst playing in a fairly individualistic team. Scores all types of goal with ease.
ST- Theirry Henry- The man is a legend. Greatest player in the history of the premiership. Scored tons of goals and so many were absolutely incredible. Should have won ballen dor's but they went to ronaldiniho and Kaka.
St - Leo Messi- Fairly obvious.
GK -Iker Casillas - The best GK in the world right now and has been for quite a few years. Although he doesn't have to do much, he rarely makes an error and has proved this by being captain of Spain and RM.
RB- Phillip Lahm- the man is faultless. He does everything you could ever ask for from a fullback. He can defend and attack and is very effective at both.
CB- John Terry - this is a less obvious one. JT at his best is very good. Great leader and can drag a whole team by himself.
CB- (not sure. Pique/vidic/t.silva. Not sure who too pick)
LB - Ashley Cole - see lahm
RM - Ronaldiniho - He was quality at Barcelona. Really helped them progress to the stage they are at now. Without him i don't think they would have been able to have got the success they are experiencing now.
CM - Steven Gerrard. It is a shame he will never win a premiership. Always wished he moved to a club worthy of his quality but he was never to know that liverpool would go from champions league winners to where they are now. He has driven L'pool forward for years. Scores goals, creates goals and can defend as well. Doesn't get enough credit in the world game.
CM- Cesc Fabregas - Arsenal career was hampered by injuries and being captain. Spain and barca career overshadowed by Xavi and iniesta but in my opinion he is better than both of them. He has proven he can score goals as a cf this season and was so influential for Arsenal as a cm. He can do a range of things on a football pitch and was an absolute bargain at £35million.
LM- Cristiano ronaldo. The best in the world right now(better than messi). Got all his goals from the wing whilst playing in a fairly individualistic team. Scores all types of goal with ease.
ST- Theirry Henry- The man is a legend. Greatest player in the history of the premiership. Scored tons of goals and so many were absolutely incredible. Should have won ballen dor's but they went to ronaldiniho and Kaka.
St - Leo Messi- Fairly obvious.
FitFinlay4Life
What's the craic?
Goalkeeper: Pat Jennings (Northern Ireland)
Right back: Steve Nicol (Scotland)
Centre back: Franz Beckenbauer (Netherlands)
Centre back: Alan Hanson (Scotland)
Left back: Paolo Maldini (Italy)
Right wing: George Best (Northern Ireland)
Centre Midfield: Graeme Souness (Scotland)
Centre Midfield: Sócrates (Brazil)
Left wing: Ryan Giggs (Wales)
Striker: Kenny Dalglish (Scotland)
Striker: Eric Cantona (France)
Subs:
Keeper: Peter Shmeichel (Denmark)
Left / Right back: Andreas Brehme (Germany)
Centre back: Bobby Moore (England)
Centre Midfield: Roy Keane (Republic of Ireland)
Centre Midfield: Zico (Brazil)
Right midfield: Luis Figo (Portugal)
Striker: Pele (Brazil)
I've went for a combination of player greatness (obviously) along with team chemistry because certain players may be the best in one respect but lacking in another (in particular, the 'ugly' part of football - defensive duty).
Right back: Steve Nicol (Scotland)
Centre back: Franz Beckenbauer (Netherlands)
Centre back: Alan Hanson (Scotland)
Left back: Paolo Maldini (Italy)
Right wing: George Best (Northern Ireland)
Centre Midfield: Graeme Souness (Scotland)
Centre Midfield: Sócrates (Brazil)
Left wing: Ryan Giggs (Wales)
Striker: Kenny Dalglish (Scotland)
Striker: Eric Cantona (France)
Subs:
Keeper: Peter Shmeichel (Denmark)
Left / Right back: Andreas Brehme (Germany)
Centre back: Bobby Moore (England)
Centre Midfield: Roy Keane (Republic of Ireland)
Centre Midfield: Zico (Brazil)
Right midfield: Luis Figo (Portugal)
Striker: Pele (Brazil)
I've went for a combination of player greatness (obviously) along with team chemistry because certain players may be the best in one respect but lacking in another (in particular, the 'ugly' part of football - defensive duty).
4-2-3-1
GK - Peter Schemeical
RB - Cafu
CB - Nesta
CB - Thuram
LB - Cole
RDM - Makelele
LDM - Viera
RW - Messi
CAM - Zidane
LW - Ronaldo
ST - Ronaldo
Subs
Kahn
Lahm
Xavi
Iniesta
Schloes
Ronaldinho
Henry
Went for players that I have seen play, that's why there is no Maradona/Pele/etc.
GK - Peter Schemeical
RB - Cafu
CB - Nesta
CB - Thuram
LB - Cole
RDM - Makelele
LDM - Viera
RW - Messi
CAM - Zidane
LW - Ronaldo
ST - Ronaldo
Subs
Kahn
Lahm
Xavi
Iniesta
Schloes
Ronaldinho
Henry
Went for players that I have seen play, that's why there is no Maradona/Pele/etc.
GK - Peter Schmeichel - As a United fan this was a nobrainer
RB - Cafu - together with my choice of Left back they totaly transformed the position into what it is today
LB - Roberto Carlos - See above
CB's - Paulo Maldini, Rio Ferdinand - both fantastic players and world class defenders
Holding Midfielder - Claude Makelele - simply the best in the world in this position now named after him
RW - Cristiano Ronaldo - another No Brainer
LW - Ryan Giggs - total legend
AM - Diego Maradonna - possibly the greatest footballer of all time
ST - Leo Messi - yes I think hes a touch overrated but you cant argue with his strike rate for Barca
ST - Pele - again Possibly the greatest of all time
RB - Cafu - together with my choice of Left back they totaly transformed the position into what it is today
LB - Roberto Carlos - See above
CB's - Paulo Maldini, Rio Ferdinand - both fantastic players and world class defenders
Holding Midfielder - Claude Makelele - simply the best in the world in this position now named after him
RW - Cristiano Ronaldo - another No Brainer
LW - Ryan Giggs - total legend
AM - Diego Maradonna - possibly the greatest footballer of all time
ST - Leo Messi - yes I think hes a touch overrated but you cant argue with his strike rate for Barca
ST - Pele - again Possibly the greatest of all time
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