2:15 pm
Ok guys , been along time since the last competition. So here is the new one and its a thinking & tactical comp! I want you to give me your ‘Best starting 11′ from anywhere in the world that you have seen play in the flesh or seen live on TV. So for example you cannot pick Pele if you are 20 years of age, because you might have heard good things or seen recorded clips. But you would have never of seen him play live! When you have named each player, i would like you to give me a little bit of info on that player and what he brings to your team(Nothing long,just a short description). I will then look at all the teams and a prize will go to the best team that i feel can take on my team. All the best to you aspiring managers!!!
DICHIO’S BEST ELEVEN
1. PETER SCHMEICHEL - the big Danish stopper was a very commanding presence
2. CAFU- the Brazilian with un-limited energy and great attacking force
3. PAULO MALDINI- fantastic full-back who could slot in at centre as well
4. PATRICK VIERA- dominant french midfielder who could play as well
5. FRANCO BARESI- legendary Italian who held the famous back-line in shape for years
6. MARCEL DESAILLY- powerful brute of a defender
7. CRISTIANO RONALDO- portuguese flyer with the quickest feet ever
8. PAUL GASCOIGNE- most naturally gifted english player of our generation
9. MARCO VAN BASTEN- great finisher who was my favourite player to wear the AC Milan shirt
10. DIEGO MARADONA- arguably the best player in the world
11. RUUD GULLIT- powerful Dutch forward who was as great in the air as he was on the ground
Dannyboy!This is the best starting 11 of all time! Looking foward to winning the kit!!.
1.Kahn- Won WC and Euro. This is a proven stopper. WIns the big games
2.Maldini- Is there any better? Mr longevity. Won everything
3. Thuram- Solid defender and fearless. Would play right back on my squad
4. Baresi- Best sweeper ever. Tough Italian
5- Beckenbauer-Best defender ever. Nuff said
6-Zidane- Unbelievable skill. Great football mind and amazing determination
7.Cruyff- left middle. The REAL dutchmaster
8.Maradona-centre right. The creator. Killed my boyhood dream of England winning 86 WC.
9.Pele- obvious choice. Changed the game in his time
!0. Dennis Bergkamp- Arsenal legend. Great in support, and clever passer. Can finish
11. Ronaldo- Not Christiano! This is a pure finisher. Power, speed and athletic. A defenders nightmare
Coach-Aragones. The Spanish elder. Gets respect. Players love him
Subs
Moore- legend
Schmeichel-tough minded Dane. Winner
Figo- great skill
Vanbasten- Another clinical finisher
Henry- Tough to leave out of 11
Larsson- underrated.
1. Gordon Banks - unbelievable reflexes - the save he made from Pele in the 1970 World Cup will be remembered as one the saves of all time.
2. Carlos Alberto - Brazil Captain - scored a goal in the 1970 World Cup final that ended an eight man move that some call the greatest goal in World Cup history.
3. Paulo Maldini - consumate professional.
4. Bobby Moore - England captain - pure class.
5. Franz Beckenbaur - probably the finest sweeper of all time(and probably invented the sweeper role).
6. Bobby Charlton - one of the hardest shots in football and scorer of many spectacular long range efforts.
7. George Best - a genius, what more can I say !
8. Johann Cryuff - the Dutch maestro
9. Gerd Muller - no better poacher on the game.
10. Pele - greatest ambassador the game has ever had and true class in every sense.
11. Diego Maradona - as an Englishman who cannot forget the “hand of god” goal it kills me to include this guy but I have to admit that along with Best he had the most natural talent in the game.
1/tafferel,
2/cafu
3/carlos
4/nesta
5/desailly
6/platini
7/hoddle
8/mattahaus
9/kaka
10/klinsmann
11/zindane
4,3,2,1 system…called the christams tree. This would cause your team lots of problems, solid at back, great creativity and goals galore….
9/
Hey Danny,
I too looked for some newer players from whats already here. If I followed my heart, the team would be full of Man U, Panathinaikos and TFC players!
1. Oliver Kahn
2. Zinedine Zidane
3. Thierry Henry
4. Paul Scholes
5. Ronaldinho
6. Franz Beckenbauer
7. Lothar Matthaus
8. Marco van Basten
9. Lionel Messi
10. Diego Maradona
11. Fabio Cannavaro
Here’s my starting XI
Formation: 3-4-3
GK. Gigi Buffon
CB. Fabio Cannavarro
LB. Paolo Maldini
RB. Sergio Ramos
LW. Pavel Nedved
LCM. De Rossi
RCM. Iniesta
RW. Frank Ribery
CF. Del Piero
RF. C. Ronaldo
LF. Kaka
Subs: Me
This team OWNS! Really though all you need is Kaka. If fifa regulation didn’t have a minimum amount of players to play at one time, the tam that had only Kaka would be champs. Which is why TFC should sell all their players and fire staff and buy Kaka, giving him all the responsabilty because he’s amazing. Oh and FORZA AZZURRI and JUVE — hope they beat Chelsea.
GK - Peter Schmeichel - shouts, intimidating physique, shot stopper, aerial ability
RB - Cafu - very fit, quick, good passer and tackler
LB - Paulo Maldini - both the traditional defensive role and being a danger in the opponent’s penalty area
CB - Jaap Stam - good hard tackler, dominant, controlled the backline
CB - Fabio Cannavaro - very clever defender, always controls where he wants the attacker
RM - David Beckham - pin point crosses, brilliant free kick taker
LM - Ryan Giggs - fast, hard to deal with, excellent dribbler
CM - Zinedine Zidane - midfield maestro, runs with the ball, scores, dribbles, brilliant passer. all round footballer
CM - Roy Keane - leader, aggressive, competitive and tackles
ST - Diego Maradona - runs at players and scores, makes it look easy
ST - Marco van Basten - strength on the ball, his tactical awareness and spectacular strikes, perfect striker
Hey Danny, I’ve picked players that I have been able to watch over my life so far.
GK. Gianluigi Buffon- Great keeper at club and international level.
LB.Roberto Carlos- He likes to push forward and join the attack.
CB. Paolo Maldini- My Fav player, and also was a solid d-man in his prime.
CB. Marcel Desailly- Rock solid in the air.
RB.Philip Lahm- Same type of player as Carlos, still young has alot to prove.
LM. Cristiano Ronaldo- As much as I dislike this player, he has loads of talent.
CM.Roberto Baggio- WOW what a great player to watch.
CM.Zidane- the skill, and talent he had in the middle I don’t think will see another player like him for years to come.
RM.STEVEN GERRARD- He adds that toughness ball winner, to my midfield.
ST. Diego Maradona- with his talent and great finishing, i don’t think he would miss any ball Zidane plays him.
ST.Ronaldo- I will never forget in the 1998 world cup what a fantastic perfomance he played.
Head Coach.Marcello Lippi- He has won many club titles but to see him lead the Italian national team to another world tilte despite all the criticism and distractions.
1. Peter Schmeichel, Most reliable and dominant keeper I have seen.
2. Rob Jones, Liverpool defender whose career was dogged by injury, as good a full back as I have ever seen.
3. Paolo Maldini, record for Milan speaks for itself, rare to see such loyalty to one club these days.
4. Franz Beckenbauer, cultured defender as good at starting attacks as defending.
5. Franco Baresi, another skillfull defender, organised and rarely at fault positionally.
6. Diddier Deschamps, allowed the rest of his team to play, a team containing the attacking flair shown here would need somebody of his calibre.
7. Diego Maradona, the best I have seen, albeit in small doses as his career began to decline, still obviously head and shoulders above everybody else on the pitch.
8. Zinedine Zidane, up there with Pele and Maradona in my opinion as the three greatest players to have played the game.
9. Robbie Fowler, the finest finisher I have ever had the pleasure to watch, with Baggio feeding him would be unstoppable.
10.Roberto Baggio, doubtless skill and scorer of some of the best goals I have ever seen.
11.Ryan Giggs, gets better with age, has played at the highest level for years and adapted to remain at the top of the game.
——————————-SCHMEICHEL——————————–
—————————–BECKENBAUER—————————-
—————–BARESI———————-MALDINI—————-
–GARRINCHA—–PLATINI——GERSON—CRUYFF–
————————–MARADONA—————————
–
———————PELE——–RONALDO———————-
This is the absolute SICKEST starting XI !! WoW how much would you pay to see all these guys on the same team!?
I tried to pick players that nobody else already chose. You took Schmeichel so I almost went with my other favourite keeper growing up, the aerobatic Jorge Campos. The memory of Euro 2004 was a bit fresher than Campos’ exploits during the 90’s so he was just edged out for a spot on my squad.
1. Antonios Nikopolidis - Greek keeper became a legend during Euro 2004. Need him in that form to compete.
2. Paolo Montero - The Uruguayan was a rock to rely on in the back.
3. Denis Kolodin - The Russian back with a scary boot.
4. Alessandro Nesta - Fantastic centre back with a nose for the ball.
5. Goran Gavrančić - A great Serbian back. Part of the “Famous Four”, Very underrated.
6. Enzo Franzescoli - El Principe! Still my favourite player ever. Made it look way too easy.
7. Carlos Valderrama - El Pibe controling the midfield with El Prinicipe??? Would be beautiful!!
8. Clarence Seedorf - Great on and off the pitch. Funds a sports program in his homeland of Suriname for children in need.
9. Lothar Matthäus - The first German player I ever saw. Another legend for my midfield who can drop back while Kolodin pushes forward.
10. Kanu - A hero from my childhood. Provides height up front.
11. Romario - Score, score, score, and score some more!
Doubt my squad could compete with yours. You got the edge with your keeper. Schmeichel was unbelievable!
Okay Danny, I am a young blood , and i will stick to the players that i consider of MY TIME. (I also had to thrown in a couple of legends)
GK - Iker Casillas - Has been, to the World Cup twice as At 21, he was one of the youngest first-choice goalkeepers in the tournament.
LB - Serigo Ramos - He is known for his runs on the right flank, crosses and vigorous defending, also contributing with a fair share of goals from his position.
CB - Fabio Cannavaro - well known for his fierce defending and interception.
CB - Nemanja Vidic- known for his for his aggressive no-nonsense defensive style
RB - Roberto Carlos - He is known for his trademark and sometimes seemingly impossible free kicks and explosive shots.
LM - Robinho - Known for his speed, and fast feet. Has the ability to take on opponents, with his famous step overs.
CM -Ricardo Kaka -is self-explanatory when he is the highest paid footballer in the world, known for his footwork, speed, his pin-point passing, and ability to score goals,
CM - Zinedine Zidane - His name is self explanatory he is considered among the greatest footballers to ever play the game
RM - Cristiano Ronaldo- Is known for his speed, his freekick, his quick feet, his freekick, his everything!, him and Robinho attacking from both wings would be like suicide for a team
FW - Zlatan Ibrahomivic- is known for his incredible techinque, and his self-confidence, in be able to do to whatever with the ball
FW - Ronaldo - We All know he is known for taking on 5 defenders, and beating the goalie to score, in my opinion best striker that ive seen play.
Bring Em On
Hello Danny
A great competition for an Addidas prize – a nice pair of Predator soccer shoes for the upcoming season sounds very cool
Here is my best shot:
1. Gianluigi Buffon – Italy’s great goalkeeper and leader who can run a team and make amazing saves
2. Roberto Carlos – Brazil’s amazing left defender with a solid work ethic who can drive the ball up the field and center for a winner - all the time!!
3. Cafu – Brazil’s right hand man who can control a solid D and drive up the pitch like Mr. Carlos
4. Javier Zanetti – Argentina’s great right back who puts up a fight like no other
5. Philipp Lahm – German’s great defender with skills
6. Lionel Messi – Argentina’s best player at the moment. Has a winger he has a never ending supply of amazing plays & energy
7. Zinedine Zidane – France’s best player ever – he is the man on the pitch
8. Cristiano Ronaldo – Portugal’s brilliant player who is one of the best ever
9. Ronaldinho – Brazil’s best player today – what he can do with the ball is unbelievable - challenges physics
10. Diego Maradona – Argentina’s best player of the century - 2nd in the world after Pele - scoring goals in unbelievable ways was second nature for him
11. Ronaldo – Brazil’s best player in the 90s he was the Man and no one could stop him
Cheers Danny!
Zizou
hey Danny, growing up in toronto in a italian family, football was the sport to watch and still is. This is my top 11 of all time!
1. luigi Buffon- 2006 world cup allowed 1 own goal and a penalty in final.
2. Franco Baresi- best defender of all time.
3. Paulo Maldini- the face of milan for the past 20yrs.
4. Cafu- solid defender with quick attacking sense.
5. Roberto Carlos- smart strong player with the best left foot in the world.
6. Michel Platini- holds the record for european champ goals.
7. S.Gerrard- great captin, talented player with big heart.
8. Z. Zidane, great feet, free kicks and very creative to make space.
9. Ronaldinho- very clever player, can undress any defender at any given time.
10. D. Maradona- natural goal machine!
11. Roberto Baggio- fifa player of the year 1993, scored more than 200 seria a goals. Had the opportunity to watch him play for Juve in Italy!
Hey Danny here are my best 11.
1. Dino Zoff
2. Fabio Cannavaro
3. Guiseppe Bergomi
4. Franco Baresi
5. Alessandro Nesta
6. Zinadine Zidane
7. Francesco Totti
8. Micheal Ballack
9. David Beckham
10. KAKA
11. Paolo Rossi
4-4-2, and I’m only 18 so there’s alot of players I really want to put but I’ve only seen them on youtube. (maradona, george best, etc.)
GK: Given - Best keeper I’ve ever seen, simple as that.
RB: Cafu - I really didn’t think I was gonna end up putting him in but I tried for like 15 minutes and I couldn’t think of a better right back.
CB: King - most underrated player in the world IMO
CB: R. Ferdinand - I probably wouldn’t have put him in here if it wasn’t for his dominant and flawless performance in the CC final on sunday
LB: Evra - very tough decision with the fullbacks but I went for pace here.
RW: Ronaldo - what you said
CM: Fabregas - would help my team play the kind of passing football that would dominate any team (it was a tough one between him Pirlo and Carrick)
CM: Gerrard - I know he isn’t the most skilled player and looks kinda ackward sometimes but he’s the definition of a clutch player (see FA cup final vs. wet spam, i forget the year)
LW: Messi - best player in the world right now IMO
CF: Henry - back in his arsenal days he completely ran the show
ST: Berbatov - ridiculously skilled. lazy c*nt wouldn’t have to do any running on this team. (I was very close to putting you here, but I dont wanna look like a kiss ass)
Sorry about how young my team is but I’m trying to be honest here, I started watching soccer when I was 11-12 and for the first year or so I was quite the n00b. Don’t worry though I’m obsessed now. I’m a spurs fan by the way just so u dont think im man utd because i put a fwe man utd players in there.
Well DD, I will stick to players I have seen in the flesh. I know this makes it harder for me, but it is so hard to follow all that a player has to offer on tv. This will mean my team is disjointed and a bit of a time warp. I was born in Toronto and have seen most of my soccer on these shores. I am going to date myself here. I lived in England for one football season 79-80. I have vivid memories of those players and those games to this day…
My keeper
1 Ray Clemence - Liverpool - a super keeper on a super team (with honourable mention to Craig Forrest playing for Canada at Varsity Stadium)
Defenders
2 Kenny Sansom - saw him play for Crystal Palace, he ran that team
3 Viv Anderson - when with Nottingham Forest he would do a fullback overlap with Trevor Francis that was hard to stop, smart defender too
4 David O’Leary- Arsenal -big, strong and smart
5 Alan Kennedy-Liverpool a great player on a great team, I am ignoring that he plays the same position as Sansom -I had to have a Kennedy on my all time 11
Midfielders
Liam Brady - my first football hero - I was a young Canadian kid off to explore my English roots and I discover Highbury and this slight, tough Irish midfielder who was a joy to watch.
Peter Lorimer -right wing- a wicked shot and a nod to those days of the Blizzard
Gianfranco Zola - in his Parma years they came to Varsity Stadium one summer to play a local all star team, what a first touch !
Marc Overmars - saw him in Dallas World Cup 94 against Brazil. speedy, speedy speedy
Strikers
Dennis Bergkamp- World Cup 94 against Brazil- Bergkamp had speed, style, control and accuracy.
Nicholas Anelka- Man City- made sure my English summer holiday overlapped with the start of the EPL season 2003. Saw Man City destroy Charlton and Anelka was everywhere. You could see why so many teams have signed him- enigmatic and talented.
I am a season ticket holder for TFC and I have been blogging my passion for the team since day one. I know that one day Toronto players will start supplanting these greats in my mind, but for now these are my guys.
Hi Danny, here’s my best eleven .
1. IKER CASILLAS - one of the best pure shot stoppers I have seen play, has been playing at a high level since he was 18.
2. JAVIER ZENETTI - very smart defender can join the attack and can create chances.
3. PAULO MALDINI - arguablly the best one on one defender in the world.
4. GARY PALLISTER - a powerful physical defender who will command the back line.
5. FRANK DE BOER - very good at set pieces, can defend well, great passer of the ball. Can also jump in on the attack.
6. THOMAS HITZLSPERGER - Has a rocket of a shot, can make nothing into something.
7. ZIDANE - very creative midfielder can take on any defender, good finisher as well.
8. STEVEN GERRARD - He’ s a gamebreaker just when you think your out of the match, he will get you back in.
9. CRISTIANO RONALDO - very quick winger, who can create and finish any chance he gets.
10. RUUD VAN NISTELROY - No one has scored more goals in the six yard box than him. One of the best pure goal scorers in the game.
11. ROBERTO BAGGIO - Always gives 110% and another great pure goal scorer.
Well I am 20 years old so my best XI will be fairly recent but here we go:
1. Petr Cech - dominant in goal with lighting quick reaction time and a second-to-none instinct when it comes to bossing the area. Had a dip in form for a couple seasons, but looks to be picking up right were he left off after his head injury.
2. Paulo Ferreria - in his prime he was as dependable a right back as you could find…especially when he was with Porto
3. John Terry - okay another Chelsea man, but who can deny the true quality of Captain JT. The definition of a hard-nose, no-nonsense centre-back. Couple his physical abilities with his uncanny leadership and you have a true champion
4. Carles Puyol - the spaniard is another dominating figure in defense…really showed what he was capable of when he lead the Spanish team to European glory
5. Roberto Carlos - the Brazilian needs no explanation brilliant down the flanks with a tremendous shot
6. Claude Makalele - the unsung hero who defined the defensive midfield position. There’s a reason they call it “the Makalele Role”
7. Christiano Ronaldo - like him or hate him, it would be silly to leave the tricky Portugese midfielder off you list.
8. Zinedine Zidane - a polarizing figure in the midfield…a general of the midfield which moves that could leave you speechless
9. Arjen Robben - a dazzling dutchmen that could be defenders in a blink of an eye
10. Lionel Messi - as slick and prolific as they get. Messi can change a game with one flick of the boot.
11. Ronaldo - in his prime if you gave the big brazilian even a sniff at goal he would make you pay. A true finisher.
quick discussion over dinner and here is our list…
1. Kenny Dalglish
2. Franz Beckenbauer
3. Danny Dichio
4. Peter Shilton
5. Zico
6. Marco Van Basten
7. Archie Gemmill
8. Rio Ferdinand
9. Gary Neville
10. Emlyn Hughes
11. Jim Brennan
1. Oliver Kahn - Almost singlehandedly won the World Cup for Germany in ‘02. Absolutely astounding when he was in his prime.
2. Roberto Carlos - Rock-solid as a defender, a brilliant free kick artist, and the epitome of what a wingback should be.
3. Franco Baresi - Paolo Maldini before Paolo Maldini was Paolo Maldini.
4. Paolo Maldini - Franco Baresi after Franco Baresi finished being Franco Baresi. What a great pairing they’d have been if they had been together in their prime.
5. Fabio Cannavaro - I don’t know what it is about Italians, but they absolutely never make mistakes at the back.
6. Zinedine Zidane - An absolute magician.
7. Ronaldinho - Before the injuries and indifference (or whatever it is) hit, he was a thrill to watch every time he touched the ball. His free kick in the ‘02 World Cup against England is still stunning to watch.
8. Cristiano Ronaldo - Never ceases to amaze.
9. Andriy Shevchenko - That Champions League game in ‘98 or so when he lit up Barcelona is one of the most impressive athletic performances I’ve ever seen.
10. Diego Maradona - Which is the bigger crime - that he’ll be remembered as a coke-bloated cartoon character, or that he destroyed all that talent?
11. Ronaldo - I’ve never seen anything like him. Ever.