Best team ever.

Mark

What would be your best team ever- any formation, assume each player is in their prime. I don't know soccer well enough to comment myself having only got back into it recently, so fire away.

Big Ears

Well im tired at the moment so i wouldnt be able to think of my best team . But a few players people should consider are : Pele , Cruyff , Maradonna , Becembauer(sp ?) ,Platini , Fontaine , Best , Charlton , Russian Goalkeeper (yatsin , i could be totally wrong but the guy im thinking of is a Legend ) , maldini , Zidane , Hierro (just to add a few recent ones )

I could name a lot of brazilians but they r often similiar players with similiar talent . Jaoirzinho is one brazilian .

PiE

AC Milan, circa '89-'94.

mike65

I'd say Liverpool in the mid-late 80s but as they were banned from European competition I can't really...(but they would have won everything if were playing!)

Mike.

Seaneh

Originally posted by mike65
I'd say Liverpool in the mid-late 80s but as they were banned from European competition I can't really...(but they would have won everything if were playing!)

Mike.

Milan last 80's -mid 90's.

Simple as.

wynters

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Lev Yashin

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Carlos Alberto

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Baresi---- Beckenbauer----Maldini

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Roy Keane

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Zidane

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George Best

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Pele

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Maradonna

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Van Basten

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Subs;
Schmichel
Passerella
McGrath
Platini
Cruyff
Ronaldo
Muller

Johnny_the_fox

Formation (3-5-2)

GK - Andoni Zubizarreta (Spa)

DL - Paulo Maldini (Ita)
DR - Alan Hansen (Sco)
DC - Paul McGrath (Ire)

ML - Diego Maradona (Arg) [Captain]
MR - Roberto Donadoni (Ita)
MC - Johann Cruyff (Hol)*
MC - Lothar Matthäus (Ger)
MC - Roberto Baggio (Ita)

FC - John Aldridge (Ire)
FC - Gabriel Batistuta (Arg)


Subs
GK - Packie Bonner (Ire)
Defenders - Mark Lawrenson (Ire), Alan Kennedy (Eng)
Midfielders - Carlos Valderrama (Col), Ronnie Whelan (Ire)
Forward - Robbie Fowler (Eng)


*edit

cournioni

Originally posted by wynters

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Lev Yashin

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Carlos Alberto

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Baresi---- Beckenbauer----Maldini

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Roy Keane

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Zidane

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George Best

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Pele

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Maradonna

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Van Basten

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Subs;
Schmichel
Passerella
McGrath
Platini
Cruyff
Ronaldo
Muller

I have to say that is a great team... That would be more or less my team except you'd have to have Puskas in there somewhere.

eirebhoy

I don't get why most teams you see would have about 3/4 of their team pre-1990. There are so many players that are better than the likes of George best but they aren't old enough to get in. The standard of football has raised substantly since 1990 but most people still have very few of the later or current players in their team.

You see players like Lee Trundle in the 3rd division and he looks like a superstar but most people say, ah you can't judge a player until he plays at the highest level. Players Cruyff were not playing against the players that Zidane is today.

These days players are so much fitter, while years ago they were running around with a bear belly and a hangover. We here names from years back and instantly think, legends. IMO Thierry Henry is just as good as anyone else but there are so many players like him these days that he doesn't stick out.

Jivin Turkey

Originally posted by wynters

Roy Keane

YAWN!

eirebhoy

Originally posted by Jivin Turkey
YAWN!

What's the yawn for mate? I'm sure anyone with a good sense of judgement would have him in the team in a flash. He was the 5th player named in Pele's all time greats too.

Jivin Turkey

Originally posted by eirebhoy
What's the yawn for mate? I'm sure anyone with a good sense of judgement would have him in the team in a flash. He was the 5th player named in Pele's all time greats too.

Bear in mind El Hadji Diouf made it into Pele's 100 ALL TIME GREATS, as well as a number of crap Asian players. Are you telling me they should be in the team?

Keane is not better than the man he replaced at united, Bryan Robson, or the man who has replaced him as the premierships best midfielder, Patrick Vieria.

Guy:Incognito

so y does any manager aske dto pick a team alweays put ry keane in, hes quite simple the best player weve ever had, and im sure that if liam brady and paul mcgrath ( next 2 best imo) were honest they wud say the same. Anyone who says differently is either a) going on the world cup incident b) doesnt know about football or c) both.



edit
oh and george best was the most skillfull player (along with maradona) to ever play the game and the fact that he could run around and still be THAT good while being an alcoholic just makes him even better, theres not maney people who could play amateur football and drink as much as him, never mind top flight.

doozerjack

quote:

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Originally posted by mike65
I'd say Liverpool in the mid-late 80s but as they were banned from European competition I can't really...(but they would have won everything if were playing!)

Mike.

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Not convinced they would have won everything in Europe, seeing as they hardly won everything domestically. Both Lpool and Everton shared the honours, 2 champs apiece, Arsenal the other, in mid-late 80's, it was hardly domination.

I think Wynter's hit the nail on the head with his team. The debate could go on endlessly about subs (apart from Schmeichel), but I'd consider Laudrup, Van Ceulemens, Robson, Dalglish, Law, amongst others from the 70's and 80's, and taking eirebhoy's point on board, Bergkamp, Rivaldo, and Cantona too.

NightStrike

Originally posted by Johnny_the_fox
Formation (3-5-2)

GK - Andoni Zubizarreta (Spa)

DL - Paulo Maldini (Ita)
DR - Alan Hansen (Sco)
DC - Paul McGrath (Ire)

ML - Diego Maradona (Arg) [Captain]
MR - Roberto Donadoni (Ita)
MC - Johann Cruyff (Ire)
MC - Lothar Matthäus (Ger)
MC - Roberto Baggio (Ita)

FC - John Aldridge (Ire)
FC - Gabriel Batistuta (Arg)


Subs
GK - Packie Bonner (Ire)
Defenders - Mark Lawrenson (Ire), Alan Kennedy (Eng)
Midfielders - Carlos Valderrama (Col), Ronnie Whelan (Ire)
Forward - Robbie Fowler (Eng)

Some dodgy choices there, like Ronnie Whelan and Robbie Fowler!
Also since when is Johann Cruyff Irish?! Wish he was Actually I don't now or that Jordi thing would be playing for us.

s8n

man. utd treble winning side '99
A.c. Milan 2004

DerekD Goldfish

St. Pats mid nintes if there is a better midfeild partnership than Osam and Gormley i havent seen it.

sikes

spurs double winning side of 60/61

arsenal now are the only team to have come close to their flair and pure brillance in england, can't really comment on european teams

TwoShedsJackson

Originally posted by Johnny_the_fox
Formation (3-5-2)

GK - Andoni Zubizarreta (Spa)

FC - John Aldridge (Ire)

Subs

Defenders - Mark Lawrenson (Ire), Alan Kennedy (Eng)
Midfielders - Carlos Valderrama (Col), Ronnie Whelan (Ire)

Lol?? I don't think any of those players would get into any rational description of a best team ever.

cournioni

Originally posted by Jivin Turkey
Bear in mind El Hadji Diouf made it into Pele's 100 ALL TIME GREATS, as well as a number of crap Asian players. Are you telling me they should be in the team?

Keane is not better than the man he replaced at united, Bryan Robson, or the man who has replaced him as the premierships best midfielder, Patrick Vieria.

Keane was the key the treble winning side of '99. Who out of those players you have mentioned there have been a key player in a very successful team like United in '99? No one.

Bryan Robson was a great player in his time. But that was in his time. Keane is the best in his time and he has been hugely successful. You're trying to say he's not good enough?! You should get your head out of your arse boy.

Mighty_Mouse

Good players can only play against what is put in front of them. Remember todays football also gives loads of benefits to attacking players.

Would Henry of been as good in an era of the tackle from behind, rare yellow cards etc ...........George Best, Maradona and esp. Pelp got kicked up and down football fields all over europe and still showed their class.

Henry wouldn't get near my best team. After a few months of being "the best in Europe" ...........I dont think so!!

jank

who has henry in their team!!??

ah right nobody!
so your point is.....


post up your team so we can criticize your team seletion

Johnny_the_fox

ach... come on...

GK - Andoni Zubizarreta (Spa) - honours: six Spanish league championships, three Spanish Cup titles, a European Cup Winners’ Cup title and a European Champions Cup title. He played more than 600 league games in Spain and won 126 caps, both are Spanish records.

FC - John Aldridge (Ire) - 882 appearances and 474 goals

Subs
Defenders -
Mark Lawrenson (Ire) - Division One 81/2, 82/3, 83/4, 85/6, 87/8; European Cup 83/4; FA Cup 85/6; League Cup 81/2, 82/3, 83/4;

Alan Kennedy (Eng) - At Liverpool 356 appearances and 21 goals - plus First Division Championship 1978/79, 1979/80, 1981/82, 1982/83, & 1983/84, League (Milk) Cup 1981, 1982, 1983 & 1984, European Cup 1981 & 1984, Charity Shield 1979, 1980 & 1982

Midfielders -
Carlos Valderrama (Col) - Columbia wouldnt have made it to the World cups without him... as he did what Maradona did for Argentina


Ronnie Whelan (Ire) - At Liverpool 443 appearances and 73 goals - plus
First Division Championship 1981/82, 1982/83, 1983/84, 1985/86, 1987/88 & 1989/90, FA Cup 1986 & 1989, League/Milk Cup 1982, 1983 & 1984, European Cup 1984, Charity Shield 1982, 1986 (shared), 1988, 1989 & 1990 (shared), Screen Sport Super Cup 1986

Forward -
Robbie Fowler (Eng) - At Liverpool 330 appearances and 171 goals - plus Coca Cola Cup 1995, Worthington Cup 2001, FA Cup 2001, UEFA Cup 2001, Super Cup 2001.

uch

Pat Jennings would have to be in Net,
Pure Class

therecklessone

Originally posted by Mighty_Mouse
Good players can only play against what is put in front of them. Remember todays football also gives loads of benefits to attacking players.

Would Henry of been as good in an era of the tackle from behind, rare yellow cards etc ...........George Best, Maradona and esp. Pelp got kicked up and down football fields all over europe and still showed their class.

I've got to agree with that (but not just because its Henry who's mentioned). Would VN or Henry be half the players they are with Gentile or Ron "Chopper" Harris kicking seven shades of sh*te out of them week, in week out? I doubt it.

As a unit the greatest football team ever was the Brazil 1970 WC winners. They oozed class and confidence in all departments. Spurs double winning team were superb as well (and not just cos I'm a Spurs fan ), but you could take any of four or five Real Madrid teams as well.

I'll be honest and say that the only player from the last 10 years who would definitley feature in a 16 man squad I'd pick would be Zidane. And thats squad, not team. Don't know whether he's make the team to be honest.

eirebhoy

Originally posted by therecklessone
I'll be honest and say that the only player from the last 10 years who would definitley feature in a 16 man squad I'd pick would be Zidane. And thats squad, not team. Don't know whether he's make the team to be honest.

Believe it or not. That is because there are so many great players these days that Zidane isn't league's ahead of the rest. If Zidane played back in the 50's he would be the best thing since sliced bread and he would be in everyones team.

adeldorf

Kelly
Lynch
Webb
Hawkins
Oman
Ryan
Keddy
Hunt
Heary
Crowe
Grant

subs: Gregg, Mc Nally, Harkin, Rice, Doyle, Caffrey

Manager: The impressive, Stephen Kenny!

What a team! ... apperantly they're going to win the Eircom League this season ?!!?!?

Jivin Turkey

Originally posted by Stekelly
so y does any manager aske dto pick a team alweays put ry keane in, hes quite simple the best player weve ever had, and im sure that if liam brady and paul mcgrath ( next 2 best imo) were honest they wud say the same. Anyone who says differently is either a) going on the world cup incident b) doesnt know about football or c) both.

Just because in your opinion Roy Keane is the best player Ireland ever had doesnt mean he is in the best XI ever to grace the world. Plus Im sure if you sat down PmG and LB and Johnny Giles for that matter, they would not have Keanes arrogance to admit they were better players. The call between them all is too close t osay Keane is the best.

Jivin Turkey

Originally posted by PORNAPSTER
Keane was the key the treble winning side of '99. Who out of those players you have mentioned there have been a key player in a very successful team like United in '99? No one.

Bryan Robson was a great player in his time. But that was in his time. Keane is the best in his time and he has been hugely successful. You're trying to say he's not good enough?! You should get your head out of your arse boy.

I never said Keane was not a good player, he is a world beater. I said that people including him in the best EVER XI are blinded by their own bias. So to answer you I am saying hes not good enough. And Im the one with my head up my arse?

Matthaus
Robson
Hierro
Desailly
Carlos Dunga
even Patrick Vieria

And these are just players in my lifetime. How many more from beyond that (Brazilians/Germans/Dutch/Italians from the 60s to 80s) would play Keane off the park? 10? 15?

Plus on the point that Henry wouldnt last in against people like Gentile and 'Chopper', I disagree, Henry would be far too fast, and probably extremely stronger than each of them as a result of todays training methods and conditions. He'd be the one dishing it out. (But all that talk is hypothetical anyway)

DEG viper

I'll be honest and say that the only player from the last 10 years who would definitley feature in a 16 man squad I'd pick would be Zidane. And thats squad, not team. Don't know whether he's make the team to be honest.

What about maldini

raven136

Yashin

Baresi Hansen Maldini


Keane

Santos Zidane Liddel

Maradonna


Van Basten Del Piero


Subs
Pele
Clemence
Maldini
Baggio
Daglish

cournioni

Originally posted by Jivin Turkey
I never said Keane was not a good player, he is a world beater. I said that people including him in the best EVER XI are blinded by their own bias. So to answer you I am saying hes not good enough. And Im the one with my head up my arse?

Matthaus
Robson
Hierro
Desailly
Carlos Dunga
even Patrick Vieria

And these are just players in my lifetime. How many more from beyond that (Brazilians/Germans/Dutch/Italians from the 60s to 80s) would play Keane off the park? 10? 15?

Have you ever seen Roy Keane being played off the park by anyone? How about Zidane in '99?! No don't think so. And I think Zidane is one of the best players ever. He is pure magic.

None of the players you have listed ever have convinced me enough to say that they are better than Keane. Remember, Keane, considering his age and his career threatening injuries is still the key player in the United squad. Keane in his prime was the best player in the world IMO. Remember he was a key player in the most successful United side ever now that is saying alot.

raven136

i think you are wrong and i say this with all due respect and consider the fact that i have Keane in my team.

Twice i have seen keane played off the park

Zidane and davids both on separate occasions played him off the park

Also the carling cup final against liverpool he was no where near the level that gerrard reached that day.It is a silly argument to say he has never been played off the park...all players at some point have been outplayed by their opposite number

therecklessone

Originally posted by DEG viper
What about maldini

Like I said, only definite player would be Zidane.

Thats not to say I don't respect Maldini, cos he is a superb player and an example to all defenders of how to play the game. He would be up against some stiff competition.

johnor

My team:

GK: Lev Yashin

SW:Baresi
DC:Maldini
DC:Beckenbauer
DC:B Moore

MC:B Charlton (c)
MC:Zidane
MC Desailly(of old).....
AM:Maradonna

FC:Best
FC:VanBasten


Subs:
Eusebio, Schmechial, Koeman, Dunga, Baggio



Would have liked to include: Gattuso, Cafu, Ronaldo, Gary breen & Cyruff but sure....

john

Jivin Turkey

Originally posted by PORNAPSTER
Have you ever seen Roy Keane being played off the park by anyone? How about Zidane in '99?! No don't think so. And I think Zidane is one of the best players ever. He is pure magic.

None of the players you have listed ever have convinced me enough to say that they are better than Keane. Remember, Keane, considering his age and his career threatening injuries is still the key player in the United squad. Keane in his prime was the best player in the world IMO. Remember he was a key player in the most successful United side ever now that is saying alot.

Yes a number of times, Patrick Vieria usually does it at least once a year. Besides that did Keane ever come up against any of the players I mentioned when they were in their prime? No. You ask me to remember that Keane is still a key player in the united squad despite his age and injuries, and also he was a key player in the most successful united team EVER.

So what? We arent arguing over uniteds best players! Some of the players I have mentioned were players with some of the most successful teams in history! Most of them have won world cups, some of them were even WC winning captains. To suggest that Keane is better than Lothar Matthaus or Desailly in their prime is laughable. How many Serie A's did Desailly win, how many CL's, how many world cups, how many european championships? How many caps does he have for France?

If Keane wasnt Irish he wouldnt be rated as highly here, its a matter of fact. Even today the likes of Gerrard and Vieria can offer so much more.

SanFranMan

This "playing off the park" thing gets bandied about a bit much. Its probly a bit of an exaggeration to apply it to Keane re Vieira, dont recall either playing the other off the park, they're well matched and unusually enough respect each other for it, although Phil Neville (bizarrely) quite literally did play Vieira off the park once(!). More often than not Vieira is ineffective in the ManU-Arsenal games.

Likewise Davids, who has been quoted as rating Keane and Scholes as his top 2 midfielders in Europe just last season, dont recall Keane being outplayed by Edgar. (but am open to correction if someone can name the game, certainly wasnt when they met in 99 or 03)

As for Gerrard, he too has waxed about his admiration for Keane, and granted Keane had a poor day in the Cup Final, he wasnt exactly fully fit. Gerrard's a way off him still, as he has acknowledged himself.

Zidane, fair enough, he could play anyone off the park on any given day.

Of course every player has off days, but "played off the park"?.
"Patrick Vieria usually does it at least once a year" = nonsense.


Anyway, sorry for getting sidetracked. Arent there any votes for Bergkamp?

Villain

GK - Pat Jennings

D - Paulo Maldini
D - Baresi
D - McGrath
D - Beckenbauer

M - Maradona
M - Matthaeus
M - Zidane


F - Ronaldo
F - Pele
F - Gerd Müller


Subs
GK - Peter Shilton
Defenders - Lawrenson, Hansen
Midfielders - Cryuff, Rivaldo
Forward - Henry,Klinsmann

Guy:Incognito

Granted bergkamp is one if the the most technically gifted players ever in the premiership.
thats all on that matter, im a great admirer of his.


The reason keane is so good is the same reason that i dont rate the likes of robbie keane amd diouf, becaus e they make ever situation seem difficult. Roy keane does the simple thing every time and makes the easy pass. Im a liverpool fan and think gerrard on his day is a very good player, but wen i see him trying stupid passes it makes me cringe, the guy is an admirer of keane but wont follow the simplest thing that makes keane great, the simple option. Zidane is great wen he decides to turn it on, but if defending needs to be done, like the rest of madrids team hes not interested. Keane has the whole package, he covers box to box. There are very few players, and ill include zidane in this , that wud have given a crap after getting the yellow card in the champons league semi that wud have bothered to try knowing that they werent going to play in the final, , bu tthat seemed to spurr keane on even more. I dont care what anyone says, and ive discussed this with people i play football with every week whove played at the top level in irish football, and they agree more than me, but keane got us to the last world cup. He battled us thru the games and anypne being honest with themselves wud have given us a shot at getting to the final t least if keane wa playing. If that doesnt make on of the best players ever i dont know what does. The game againt saudi arabia was a farce, and the spanish game was there for us to win. Id be willing to put a lot of money on ireland beating germany and spain if keane had been playing. Desailly was a great player but who can pick out great particular performances and say that he single handedly dragged a team thru a competition? His whole career revolves around 5 season he spent with milan. he was only 30 wen he went to chelsea so he was still reasonably in his prime, and chelsea have won pretty much feck all since hes there, in fact w/o checking id say liverpool have won more tropehys than chelsea in the last few years. Ill be honest and say that i never bought into the whole keane thing until i actually started watching full games that he was involved in. the mans work rate is incredible.he very rarely does anything but take the easy option wen making a pass or doing anything at all, that alone separates him from a lot of other players who try the spectacular and end up looking stupid.

At the end of the day there are very few people in the professional football world that would dispute keane being in the best team ever, and that has to say something.

Oh and on the Henry note he very rarely dishes anything out, he purposefully avoides confrontation, the sky sports team ( im not procaimimg them the experts but they agree with my opinion) before the man utd arse match on sunday agree, that the reason henry doesnt suffer injuries is becos he avoides crunching tackles, whicjh pretty much rubbishes trhe idea that he would survive with the tackles of the last few decades, at the end of the day pele and maradona wer special players, the likes of which we may never see agin and both these eneded up getting kiked up and down the pitch. If sum1 wants to kik u they will. I think paul mcgrath proved that a footballing brain and an amazing sense of position could make up for having virtually no pace at all.

Villain

Pornapster, while your love for Keane is nice, I think it's clouding your judgement.

He was a great and still is a good player, but I would never rate him above the 5 midfielders I picked Maradona,Matthaeus, Zidane, Cryuff and Rivaldo.

I also would argue that McGrath was the greatest ever Irish player, he was the best reader of the game I have ever seen, also he's temperment was great.

I mean Keane in the past had a serious temper issue, he let himself down a lot, he even admits to that himself in his book. Just look at his latest sending off, it cost UTD badly.

Brady is another Irish player that I would rank higher than Keane, he performed excellently abroad and was a class act.

Roy Keane is a world class player no douth but I think if we are having this debate in another 50 years the players I listed would come ahead of him and probably a few new ones as well.

Oh also people seem to have forgotten Gerd Müller, a top class striker. Great header of the ball, scored 14 goals in 13 world cup games, and only 1 was a peno.