Greatest Football XI of All-time

[The Sean]

I wonder how many years it'll be before Messi is a shoo in for this team. A couple?

He's an extraordinary talent, and if he keeps playing and developing at his current level it's no stretch to see him being mentioned in these kind of discussions as his career goes on.

But to assume that he'll ever be a "shoo-in" is to hugely under rate so many of the great footballers he'd be competing with for a spot.

 

[garage flower]

He's an extraordinary talent, and if he keeps playing and developing at his current level it's no stretch to see him being mentioned in these kind of discussions as his career goes on.

But to assume that he'll ever be a "shoo-in" is to hugely under rate so many of the great footballers he'd be competing with for a spot.

Ok, I'll temper it a bit. A couple more years at his current level of performance and development...but if that takes in a European Cup and a few more trophies for Barca, as well as a starring role in an Argentinian world cup triumph THEN he becomes a shoo-in. Even if he's competing with Garrincha, George Best and the criminally underrated Stuart Ripley.

No mention of Ronaldo yet either (the fat Brazillian, not the orange cry-baby). He's got to be in the mix.

 

[Indipper]

Ronaldo isn't even one of the five best Brazilian footballers ever. Why would he be in an All-Time XI?

 

[grecian]

Okay, I'll give it a go.

GK Zoff
RB Gentile
LB Maldini
CB Moore
CB Passarella
RM Cruyf
CM Charlton
CM Platini
LM Maradona (spit)
CF Pele
CF Eusebio

Very close to Aussies side frustratingly. Pondered over the Right-back, but decided to play the most ironically named footballer ever, slightly out of position as I feel the side needed a bit of steel, considering the midfield. Great right-backs are oddly lacking in football as well, apart from Scott Hiley obviously. Gentile also did a savage attack on Diego every bit as good as Burrachagas (sp), so kudos to him for that.

Beckenbauer, Jennings, Zidane and Zico unlucky to miss out.....

 

[GIMH]

Nixon

Stevens
McGreal
Higgins
Roberts

Morrisey
Irons
Koumas
Nevin

Aldridge
Greenacre

subs
Achterberg
Nolan
Brannan
Mahon
Muir

That side is so ***y, would win the Premiership tbh. The thought of watching Mogsy & Nevin on opposite wings makes me wanna do ***ual things, can't believe I was priveliged enough to see them playing for my team

David Kelly misses out on the basis of me wanting to have Greenacre's babies and the fact that i can't leave Muir out of the squad but can't justify playing both him and Aldo

 

[garage flower]

Ronaldo isn't even one of the five best Brazilian footballers ever. Why would he be in an All-Time XI?

Not one of the five best brazilian front men? Really? Definitely in contention for this team.

 

[Tom Halsey]

Ronaldo isn't even one of the five best Brazilian footballers ever. Why would he be in an All-Time XI?

DWTA strongly.

 

[aussie]

Okay, I'll give it a go.

GK Zoff
RB Gentile
LB Maldini
CB Moore
CB Passarella
RM Cruyf
CM Charlton
CM Platini
LM Maradona (spit)
CF Pele
CF Eusebio

Very close to Aussies side frustratingly. Pondered over the Right-back, but decided to play the most ironically named footballer ever, slightly out of position as I feel the side needed a bit of steel, considering the midfield. Great right-backs are oddly lacking in football as well, apart from Scott Hiley obviously. Gentile also did a savage attack on Diego every bit as good as Burrachagas (sp), so kudos to him for that.

Beckenbauer, Jennings, Zidane and Zico unlucky to miss out.....

 

[aussie]

DWTA strongly.

Yea i agree, along with Pele, Zico, Garrincha & Carlos Alberto IMO.

 

[Indipper]

Yea i agree, along with Pele, Zico, Garrincha & Carlos Alberto IMO.

Apart from those you named, Rivelino and Zizinho are both better. Not by too much, but still. Artur Friedenreich is about Ronaldo's equal. Never thought of Carlos Alberto in that context TBH.

 

[garage flower]

As a striker, primarily picked to score goals, I'd have thought that only Pele of the players mentioned would be universally rated ahead of Ronaldo. Garrincha's a winger; Zico - as far as I'm aware - generally played deeper, off the main striker; Rivelino was a midfielder; Carlos Alberto was a defender (right back in the 1970 team?).

I don't know much about Zizinho, but I guess you could make a case for him. Sounds like Pele rated him very highly though, so that has to count against him (the great man not being renowned for his sound judgement on footballing matters)!!

Friedenreich was clearly something of a trailblazer, but very difficult to compare across such vastly different eras (e.g. he didn't play in the World Cup) and certainly impossible - I'd say - to make an indisputable case either way.

I'm obviously being a little biased towards the modern era players I've seen, but I think you're all vastly underrating big Ron (not the fat, racist ex-manager and general object of ridicule).

 

[Indipper]

Just speaking for strikers, Pele is probably the only Brazilian better than Ronaldo and Friedenreich (who didn't play in any World Cups because of administatorial disputes and age) as his equal. If you broaden strikers to forwards, he's a tied number 3.

So if I'd choose an All-Time Brazilian XI in 3-4-3, it would have Ronaldo.

 

[Uppercut]

Is there a general feeling that George Best isn't quite up to all-time XI standard? I probably wouldn't have him in my side, but Bobby Charlton was in one of the teams named and I always thought of Best as more highly-rated than Charlton. (Different positions i know, but still).

I'll pick a team out of players I've seen, at their peak. It'll look piss-weak in comparison, but at least I have reasonable judgement on these guys.

Schmeichel

Cafu
Cannavaro
Stam
Maldini

C Ronaldo (There must be a better right winger than this that I don't remember, help me out here)
Keane
Zidane
Ronaldinho

Henry
Cantona

 

[grecian]

Is there a general feeling that George Best isn't quite up to all-time XI standard? I probably wouldn't have him in my side, but Bobby Charlton was in one of the teams named and I always thought of Best as more highly-rated than Charlton. (Different positions i know, but still).

I'll pick a team out of players I've seen, at their peak. It'll look piss-weak in comparison, but at least I have reasonable judgement on these guys.

Schmeichel

Cafu
Cannavaro
Stam
Maldini

C Ronaldo (There must be a better right winger than this that I don't remember, help me out here)
Keane
Zidane
Ronaldinho

Henry
Cantona

Nah Charlton better then Best IMHO. Got to remember that death does rather add laurels to someone. 49 goals from central midfield and a World Cup winners medal, and if he hadn't been taking off with 20 minutes to play against the hun in '70 could of been 2. He just lacks the charisma of Georgie, but most do. In the cold hard light of day his career was over by about 26, (last couple of years at United weren't stellar, by all accounts)no matter how dazzling he was.

Actually was thinking of doing an XI of World Cup winners and an XI of not, see how they shaped up against each other, not actually sure George would get in that though either. A lot of Dutch blokes, Eusebio, Di Stefano, Weah, Zico, Puskas, Platini, all ahead of him for me.

Actually for players who's career was over by their mid-twenties, can't go much past Van Basten.

Or Duncan Edwards, I suppose

 

[Uppercut]

Nah Charlton better then Best IMHO. Got to remember that death does rather add laurels to someone. 49 goals from central midfield and a World Cup winners medal, and if he hadn't been taking off with 20 minutes to play against the hun in '70 could of been 2. He just lacks the charisma of Georgie, but most do. In the cold hard light of day his career was over by about 26, (last couple of years at United weren't stellar, by all accounts)no matter how dazzling he was.

Actually was thinking of doing an XI of World Cup winners and an XI of not, see how they shaped up against each other, not actually sure George would get in that though either. A lot of Dutch blokes, Eusebio, Di Stefano, Weah, Zico, Puskas, Platini, all ahead of him for me.

Actually for players who's career was over by their mid-twenties, can't go much past Van Basten.

Or Duncan Edwards, I suppose

I haven't seen either of them, so I don't know. It's got nothing to do with him being dead- you're forgetting I'm from a place where his profile was always massive. But I've seen Best regularly feature in "best player ever" debates, unlike Charlton. Pele went on record saying he was the best he'd ever seen. I just found it odd that noone so much as mentioned him.

Put it this way- I've never once heard someone claim Bobby Charlton was the best footballer ever. People claim that about Best all the time.

 

[grecian]

I haven't seen either of them, so I don't know. It's got nothing to do with him being dead- you're forgetting I'm from a place where his profile was always massive. But I've seen Best regularly feature in "best player ever" debates, unlike Charlton. Pele went on record saying he was the best he'd ever seen. I just found it odd that noone so much as mentioned him.

Put it this way- I've never once heard someone claim Bobby Charlton was the best footballer ever. People claim that about Best all the time.

Yeah, but they're wrong

Pele's comments always to be taking with a pinch of salt, to be fair. does tend to be a rent-a-quote, sadly.

I didn't see either too, and I guess they're talking about talent with Georgie, which is probably fair enough actually, just a great shame it was squandered so hugely IMHO. Still think bobby is criminally under-rated because of lack of looks or interesting personality disorders, but that's probably just me....

 

[Indipper]

Best is a romantic figure. Brian Jones of footie. At his short prime he was perhaps one of the best ever but lots of guys are great for a short while. Just look at Baggio. Brilliant player and in the mid-90s there were few better, but no one will suggest he was one of the greatest of all time.

And Charlton is overrated by the Brits.

 

[grecian]

And Charlton is overrated by the Brits.

Nah, just by me, by the looks of it

EDIT: Oh and Franz Beckenbauer did say Charlton "was just a bit better then me" in 66 anyway, apparently, but maybe he was being modest......

 

[fredfertang]

George Best could do things with a football that not even Robin Friday could do - he was definitely the best I have seen

 

[Uppercut]

I would have thought of Charlton as a sort of Paul Scholes-type player, both in style and in the fact that they're generally underrated but still not quite in the top echelon of footballers.