Schmeichel
McGrath
Baresi
Maldini
Beckenbauer
Zidane
Maradona
Platini
Cryuff
Pele
Van Basten

ruanua (Donegal) - Posts: 4966 - 17/10/2009 12:18:41    457130

As usual the wind up merchants are ruining this. David Beckham and Roy keane and the like, we will have a nomination for Sammy McIlroy next.

patrique (Antrim) - Posts: 13709 - 17/10/2009 14:01:38    457179

On what I've seen or read, this is my team. But could pick a completely different one tomorrow with the likes of Charles, Ocwirk, Puskas, Schiaffino, Eusebio, Sindelaar, Zidane, Platini, Van Basten and Ronaldo (Brazil).

Lev Yashin

Franz Beckenbauer

Lilian Thuram - Obdulio Varela - Paolo Maldini

Garrincha - Alfredo Di Steffano - Diego Maradona

George Best - Pele - Johan Cruyff

Thomas Clarke (Tyrone) - Posts: 1002 - 17/10/2009 14:29:11    457190

im to young to have seen some of those players.ill just go by what i have seen

schmeichal
cafu nesta maldini

keane
c ronaldo messi

zidane

ronaldo raul ronaldinho (2004-2006)

pidge (Cork) - Posts: 543 - 17/10/2009 15:11:37    457212

Dino zoff
bobby moore, maldini , Baresi ,
Beckenbauer
Zidane , Cryuff , Maradona,
Pele
Ronaldo , F Puskas

Subs - Gheorgie Hagi , G Best , A di Stefano , Marco van Basten , L Figo , Zico , Carlos Alberta , Gerd Muller , Bobby Charlton , cafu , Lionel Messi

Legan4life (Longford) - Posts: 209 - 17/10/2009 17:02:30    457249

patrique
County: Antrim
Posts: 4853

457179 As usual the wind up merchants are ruining this. David Beckham and Roy keane and the like, we will have a nomination for Sammy McIlroy next.

I agree about Roy, Patrique. Not even the most patriotic Irish soccer fan could seriously include him in their greatest XI of all time! But Becks is a worthy inclusion in my opinion, what right wingers were better than him? The word genius is thrown abut lightly these days but thats what Becks was - a genius!

Loyal2TheRoyal (Meath) - Posts: 4522 - 17/10/2009 20:10:46    457330

Zoff
Beckenbauer Baresi Maldini

di Stefano Platini Cruyff Best

Maradona

Pele van Basten/Puskas

ballaghbuck (Galway) - Posts: 89 - 17/10/2009 21:21:29    457373

I did not include him,Roy Keane, in my XI but he would be a powerhouse if included. Spent so much of his career carrying Ireland and Man U. Not a fancy dan but his drive was unequalled. Still I will stick with the most skillfull i have seen.

Real Kerry Fan (None) - Posts: 2957 - 17/10/2009 21:46:08    457400

All time..... I thought the game was played before 1970?

allSOran (Sligo) - Posts: 690 - 18/10/2009 10:15:40    457551

4-1-2-1-2

Banks ( England )( Yashin , USSR , close 2nd )

Nasazzi ( Uruguay )
Carlos Alberto Torres ( Brazil )
Beckenbauer ( West Germany )
Moore ( England )

Keane ( Ireland )

Cruyff ( Holland )
Best ( N.Ireland )

Di Stefano ( Argentina )

Pele ( Brazil )
Maradona ( Argentina )

RenardRedHand (Tyrone) - Posts: 547 - 18/10/2009 10:55:16    457561

3-5-2 formation

GK: Dino Zoff
CD: Andres Brehme
CD: Franz Beckenbauer
CD: Franco Baresi
MF: Gheorghe Hagi
MF: George Best
MF: Michel Platini
MF: Johan Cruyff
MF: Diego Maradona
ST: Gerd Müller
ST: Ferenc Puskás

Subs
GK: Peter Schmeicel
CD: Paolo Maldini
CD: Bobby Moore
MF: Zico
MF: Sócrates/Hristo Stoichkov
ST: Pelé
ST: Eusébio da Silva Ferreira

of individual talent this is probably the greatest team/squad ever assembled. going forward they would literally destroy any other team named here

32_4_1 (Meath) - Posts: 4122 - 19/10/2009 16:57:03    459129

Good team all right 32_4_1 but no way would i have had Hagi in for Zico . But i would drop Maradona , from my team , for Ferenc Puskás . Savage player . Scored sumthing like 86 goals in 90 matches or sumthing like that .

RenardRedHand (Tyrone) - Posts: 547 - 19/10/2009 19:05:09    459314

when people talk about the greats of the game hagi is often forgotten. under-rated genius. could do anything with the ball. and as for the king of long shots. look no further than this guy

32_4_1 (Meath) - Posts: 4122 - 19/10/2009 23:05:27    459661

i forgot about Mario Kempes, Alfredo di Stefano

32_4_1 (Meath) - Posts: 4122 - 20/10/2009 00:02:10    459735

Loyal2TheRoyal County: Meath Posts: 2928 457330 patrique County: Antrim Posts: 4853 457179 As usual the wind up merchants are ruining this. David Beckham and Roy keane and the like, we will have a nomination for Sammy McIlroy next. I agree about Roy, Patrique. Not even the most patriotic Irish soccer fan could seriously include him in their greatest XI of all time! But Becks is a worthy inclusion in my opinion, what right wingers were better than him? The word genius is thrown abut lightly these days but thats what Becks was - a genius! I'll name one : George Best was a right winger, he also played on the left as he taught himself to use his left. But John Aston played on the left in the 68 final.

JFK (Wexford) - Posts: 590 - 20/10/2009 08:29:35    459804

1) Lev Yashin - Credited with over 200 penalty saves in his career. 2) Cafu - could dominate games from right back 3) Maldini - best left back ever 4) Moore - classy defender who rarely went to ground 5) Beckinbauer - the Kaiser 6) Lothar Mathaus - won everything in the game, apart from champions league, was keane with skill 7) Best - nuff said 8) Cryuff - one of the greatest minds in football 9) Van Basten - brilliant finisher, he had it all 10) Maradona - Was unstoppable on his off day. 11) Garrincha - Won 2 world cups for Brazil, 58, 62, recieved player of tournament in both. Subs : 12) Ronaldo (brazil) - best finisher ever, makes keepers look foolish 13) Charlton - long range passer and finisher 14) Pele - most over-rated player ever, won 3 world cups, didn't play in 62, don't believe the hype, great team player 15) Schmiceal - class keeper 16) Edwards - Supposed to be an all-rounder, died in munich crash 17) Baresi - loved watching him defend 18) Jose Brown - Held the Argentina defence together in 86 19) Gerd muller - more goals than international starts, 20) Alfredo Di stefano - gets here on name 21) Platini - wonderful player in his day 22) Puskas - The player that shocked england thats the squad i'll be taking with me, and my assisstant coach would be Valeriy Vasylyovych Lobanovskyi, spelling not the greatest there on a number of players.

JFK (Wexford) - Posts: 590 - 20/10/2009 09:01:30    459812

Renard,

you would drop Maradona? the greatest player ever, there are 3 players on a par in world football, Pele, maradona and Zidane, everyone can argue which was best but noone else came near, simply because the played the best football and have the titles to boot.

There are loads who just could not match these players, revelino, Ronaldo, platini, Van basten, Best, etc.
I'd go with:

Zoff
Cafu Beckenbuer, Baresi, Maldini

Sammer
Cyruff, Neeskens
Zidane

maradona Pele

Tried to go for a bit of balance here for a real team.


There are so many others, Paul Brietner, Gullit, van Basten, Rossi, Rumminegge, matthaus, Papin, Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Dalglish, Baggio, Figo, Moore.
I honestly believe that titles back up credentials, Cyruff only played in one world cup and got to the final but he changed the game in many ways.

interesting to see many Irish/ united fans looking thru rose tinted glasses by suggesting Keane, McGrath, Beckham, giggs or Cantona. none of which are near the greatest ever.

And I just noticed I left out Socrates, who was also in that second tier of players.

After the top three above, it is totally objective, and then you always forget someone and change it round again, you could pick 100 deadly teams.

gottabetrue (Tyrone) - Posts: 300 - 20/10/2009 09:52:57    459858

allSOran thinks the game was played before 1970. Technically it was but, the game changed significantly in the way it was played around this time, the main ways of seeing it was the techniques btween the world cups, and the european cup performances. the 70s saw a revolution in the formations played with almost all teams reverting to more modern formations such as 442 or 433 and away from the likes of outside halves, inside forwards and centre halves that were phased out during the 60s. Before this teams were playing with up to 6 attackers in games, therefore the modern game became a different animal. More physical and athletic also. Would the likes of Stanley matthews been as good with defenders who are lightning quick and can cover marathon distances compared to guys who probably boozed the night before a match? Brazil 1970 team ran an average of 6km per match, players now run up to 12 km per match. It shows the progression of the modern game and the levels that some of these players could maybe never reach if they were about today. This isnt saying there were not great footballers, there were, but in a different style. Add to that most of us never seen these players apart from world cup show reels, you can only go on reputation and to be honest that isnt enough. We see so much football now, anyone who ignores the media frenzy can form a correct oopinion on almost every player now as we see every match and every stat.

gottabetrue (Tyrone) - Posts: 300 - 20/10/2009 10:03:59    459879

Beckham wasn't very quick, still isnt. He couldn't head the ball, still cant. He wasn't the bravest, still isn't. Couldn't go past people, still cant. By the way I am a United fan. One player I havn't seen mentioned much is Roberto Ayala, he was fantastic. Still playing I think, maybe Zaragoza in La Liga. Also nice to see Ronaldo getting mentioned - the brazilian one, He was a brilliant player.

Adler (Monaghan) - Posts: 754 - 20/10/2009 10:11:24    459893

allSOran
County: Sligo
Posts: 108

457551 All time..... I thought the game was played before 1970?

Pick a team so, and show us young bucks the error of our ways.

Breffni40 (Cavan) - Posts: 12291 - 20/10/2009 10:37:51    459930