World Soccer magazine has been the bible for English language fans around the world for decades. Long before television offered us access to games from around the world on a daily basis, World Soccer was a link to the sport beyond domestic and regional boundaries. No edition of a World Cup could be complete without a World Soccer preview and analysis. For this July’s edition of the magazine a panel of over seventy World Soccer correspondents, former players and writers was asked to pick their best ever XI. The selection was based on a 4-4-2 formation and a manager was also selected. The panels’ final selection can be found by following the link and you can also see how each panelist voted. As with any discussion of this type, the selection of a best all-time eleven comes with severe limitations. For example, how do you reconcile voting for a player based on reputation that you did not see play versus a player you may have watched 20 or 30 times a season over the last decade? Based on the age of some of the panelists it is clear that some selections were based on historical reputation rather than first hand knowledge. The revered soccer journalist Brian Glanville is in a position to comment on the merits of Russian goalkeeper Lev Yashin from the 50s and 60s and the legendary Brazilian winger Garrincha from the same era but how many others can? Then there is the issue of comparing players from different generations – even players you may have first hand knowledge of. The game is still played between 11 players on each side, a ball is still an essential requirement and who ever scores the most goals wins – all that remains true. But take a look at a match from the 60s or even the 70s and judge it against the game of today in terms of pace, stamina and all-round athleticism and there is no comparison. Nobody anticipated the wide ranging impact of the change in the pass back rule over two decades ago. Brought in after a very forgettable 1990 World Cup in Italy the rule was aimed at addressing time wasting by goalkeepers. Goalkeepers had become not only the safety valve for defenders in trouble but it also offered goalkeepers the chance to waste time legally. On receiving a pass back from a defender prior to 1992 a goalkeeper was entitled to catch a ball then, if no attacker was close by, he could dribble the ball around in the penalty area while killing time and then pick the ball up once more if an attacker came near. In one fell swoop the 1992 decision by the IFAB banned goalkeepers from (a) handling the ball after a pass back from a defending player and (b) handling the ball twice during the same sequence of play. Suddenly goalkeepers were required to have the skills of an outfield player and the final piece fell into place that brought about the triumph of pressing high up the field. Prior to 1992 when a pass was played back to a goalkeeper the opposition’s default move was to drop deep and regroup knowing that a drop kick deep into their half was the most likely outcome. Then all of a sudden a pass back offered an opportunity to put pressure on the goalkeeper with the result possibly being a recovery thirty or forty yards from the goal rather than the former 70 or 80 yards. Defenders also had to become more adept at playing their way out of trouble given that their goalkeeper had been transformed from a safety valve to a relatively high-risk option. Now, some will say that great players in one era would adapt and their superiority would still shine if they could be transported in time. In that case how do we go about assessing players from before WW2 who can only be judged by some very limited grainy footage and reports from the time? In addition there is the issue of balance to the team. It is almost universally accepted that a great team needs balance – great teams selected using the World Soccer method skews the emphasis on pure technical skill and fails to find a place for players that bring more rounded qualities to a side. However, none of these limitations ever stop us haranguing, justifying and pleading for our own favorites. My version is slightly different. My top two elevens are made up of players who I believe were generally at the top of their game for a protracted time since the turn of the century or in more simple terms, the year 2000. It makes it easier to compare players given that they have all played under the same conditions. In addition, I have used a 4-2-3-1 formation which gained broad-based acceptance around the same time. First XI Goalkeeper – Gianluigi Buffon (Parma, Juventus and Italy) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Right-back – Cafu (Roma, Milan and Brazil) Centre-back – Fabio Cannavaro (Parma, Inter, Juventus, Real Madrid and Italy) Centre-back – Alessandro Nesta (Lazio, Milan and Italy) Left-back – Paolo Maldini (Milan and Italy) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Deep midfield – Patrick Vieira (Arsenal, Juventus, Inter and France) Deep midfield – Zinidene Zidane (Juventus, Real Madrid and France) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Attacking midfield – Lionel Messi (Barcelona and Argentina) Attacking midfield - Andrés Iniesta (Barcelona and Spain) Attacking midfield – Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United, Real Madrid and Portugal) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Striker – Thierry Henry (Arsenal, Barcelona and France) Second XI Goalkeeper – Oliver Kahn (Bayern Munich and Germany) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Right-back – Javier Zanetti (Inter and Argentina) Centre-back – Roberto Ayala (Valencia and Argentina) Centre-back – Lucio (Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich, Inter and Brazil) Left-back – Roberto Carlos (Real Madrid and Brazil) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Deep midfield – Michael Ballack (Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Germany) Deep midfield – Juan Román Riquelme (Villarreal, Boca Juniors and Argentina) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Attacking midfield – Samuel Eto’o (Barcelona, Inter and Cameroon) Attacking midfield – Xavi Hernández (Barcelona and Spain) Attacking midfield – Ryan Giggs (Manchester United and Wales) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Striker – Didier Drogba (Chelsea and Ivory Coast) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Some other players I could not find a place for with much regret. Raul (Real Madrid and Spain) Carles Puyol (Barcelona and Spain) Alessandro Del Piero (Juventus and Italy) Andrea Pirlo (Milan, Juventus and Italy) Andriy Shevchenko (Milan and Ukraine) Ricardo Carvalho (Porto, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Portugal) Who would be in your 21st century first eleven?
Reported by Forbes.com 4 hours ago.
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