All-Time Team Coming Soon

I guess in less than a month I'll reveal my all-time team once I can get some write-ups done. In the meantime, here are some alternative '80s, '90s, and '00s teams based entirely on Onze Mondial annual elevens. All are in 4-4-2 formation, not necessarily arranged from right to left here.

Eighties: Bats - Forster, Bossis, Cabrini, Gerets - Maradona, Platini, Rijkaard, Tigana - Rummenigge, van Basten
Nineties: Barthez - Maldini, Thuram, Blanc, Koeman - Deschamps, Matthaus, Desailly, R. Baggio - Ronaldo, Papin
Noughties: Casillas - Roberto Carlos, Nesta, Terry, Evra - Zidane, Vieira, Ronaldinho, Figo - Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo

Happy New Year.

All-'00s Soccer Team

And here we are. The decade all-star team of which I'm least sure. The one at which the soccer world would debate the most. But I'm just sticking with source material (or at least as much as I could find). After the '50s, the '60s, the '70s, the '80s, and the '90s, it's time for that decade whose name is also debatable. But I'm sure most fans would call it the...

NOUGHTIES

Formation: 4-4-2

GK #1 Buffon
Gianluigi Buffon was near-unstoppable at the 2006 World Cup, and that was a major factor in Italy's victory. Despite Juventus's scandal, he stayed faithful to his club and recently helped them win back-to-back titles.

DF #17 Cannavaro
Fabio Cannavaro was the foundation of the Italian defense and the national team's captain in the '00s. After being there for a great period with Parma, he led Juventus to a pair of titles, and he did the same for Real Madrid after Juve's were stripped.

DF #14 Nesta
Alessandro Nesta was one of the best defensive players in the world at the height of his powers. After elevating Lazio to new heights, he went to Milan and won the Champions League twice. A member of the '06 World Cup champs, he now plays in Montreal.

DF #6 Terry
John Terry has been captain for Chelsea in their recent run of league-and-cup-winning performances, including their 2012 Champions League title. A very accurate passer, he was England's only 2006 World Cup All-Star.

DF #5 Puyol
Born and raised in Catalonia, Carles Puyol has been the captain of Barcelona for nine years and led them to three titles at the Champions League. A strong, tenacious defender, he is one of the reasons Spain has been such a winner internationally.

MF #13 Ballack
Michael Ballack has had various degrees of success with his various clubs, including four Bundesliga titles and three times bringing always-losing Leverkusen within reach. For Germany, he led the 2002 World Cup field in assists.

MF #10 Totti
Francesco Totti can be an attacking midfielder or a second striker. His scoring and passing led Roma to a Serie A title in 2001, and he helped Italy win the 2006 World Cup with metal plates in his broken leg.

MF #8 Veron
Juan Sebastian Veron made creative contributions to Lazio as they pulled off a double in 2000, and if nothing else, he was there for titles won by Man United and by Inter. He helped Argentina go deep in the '98 World Cup.

MF #80 Ronaldinho
Ronaldinho was great at getting goals and assists at his peak. A 42-yard free kick that found the net is just one of many things he did for Brazil at the 2002 World Cup. He flourished at Barcelona, winning awards for himself and for his club.

FW #7 Shevchenko
Andriy Shevchenko first got noticed bringing Dynamo Kiev to the Champions League. His hot scoring continued with Milan as he brought them a league title and a Champions League crown. With 48 goals, he's set a standard for the young nation of Ukraine.

FW #9 Ronaldo
Ronaldo was considered the Pele of the late '90s and '00s when it came to Brazilian players. A high scorer whose health often failed him, he was a difference-maker in one way at the 2002 World Cup and in a more unfortunate way in '98.

Substitutes
FW #22 Ruud van Nistelrooy
FW #11 Raul
FW #12 Thierry Henry
MF #24 Patrick Vieira
MF #23 David Beckham

Note: All four defenders are center backs and all four midfielders are second strikers. I need to make different selections.

All-'90s Soccer Team

Four highly debatable squads relying on second-or-third-or-twelfth-hand information down, two even more uncertain ones to go. The "best of the century" and such lists thankfully offer few players from the '90s and even fewer who'd play in the '00s (which I'm typing as oh-oh's, though I could also call it "aughts"), but for these teams' purposes, this meant I had to derive a lot of them from other sources.

Also, by the time I stopped typing about these squads, I hadn't assigned numbers to all of the '90s players or to any of the '00s (again, I type it as oh-oh's) players. I prepare these offline and don't always have the resources to determine what numbers they'll have. So I did some quick image searching while online, made some decisions, and boom. Here we go.

NINETIES

Formation: 4-4-2

GK #1 Schmeichel
Peter Schmeichel was the best of at least the early '90s. He could quite often pull off magnificent-saves, and he kept his defenders alert. After inspiring Denmark to an unlikely title at Euro 92, he helped usher in a new age for Manchester United.

DF #2 Cafu
Cafu made his mark playing Brazil's right wing, and he played in three consecutive World Cup championship matches, two of which his team won. Along with those high accolades, he's won the Copa Libertadores twice and the Champions League once.

DF #6 Desailly
Marcel Desailly had a robust defensive game that made a big difference for France as they won the '98 World Cup and Euro 2000. Twice in a row he won the European Cup, once with Marseille and once with Milan.

DF #20 Hong
Hong Myung-Bo was the premier sweeper in Asia during his time. Eight years after some key scores for the Republic of Korea in the '94 World Cup, he captained his team to greater heights. He was also one of the stars of the K-League.

SW #8 Maldini
Paolo Maldini had the skills at defense and in aiding the attack that were useful whether he played sweeper or halfback. He played a quarter-century with Milan as they won trophies of all kinds, and was captain of Italy for nine years.

MF #7 Hagi
Gheorghe Hagi was "the Maradona of the Carpathians." In his club career, he scored big for Steaua Bucharest in the late '80s and for Galatasaray in the late '90s. With the Romanian national team, he shone particularly bright at the World Cup.

MF #12 Laudrup
Michael Laudrup had great technique, and his passing was like magic. A key player on Barcelona's "Dream Team," he was also a favorite with Real Madrid. The Dane brought his skill to the World Cup twice, but unwisely decided to skip Euro 92.

MF #19 Gascoigne
Paul Gascoigne was greatly talented with the ball and able to handle it well. He was a superstar in his native England, and he had a rocky career, to say the least. The well-travelled "Gazza" won an FA Cup with Tottenham and a treble with Rangers.

MF #10 Zidane
Zinedine Zidane is probably the most celebrated player of his time. With vision, pace, and goal-scoring ability, he led France to titles at the '98 World Cup and Euro 2000, and helped bring trophies to Juventus and Real Madrid.

FW #18 Baggio
Roberto Baggio has scored plenty of goals, some of them quite amazing. A playmaker and second striker, "the Divine Ponytail" scored in every World Cup of the '90s (the last without said ponytail). He's one of Italy's all-time favorites.

FW #9 Weah
George Weah, the African Player of the Century, starred for Monaco and PSG, winning a French league title with the latter and leading the '94-95 Champions League in scoring. The Liberian then joined Milan and helped them win Serie A twice.

Substitutes
FW #11 Romario
FW #16 Hristo Stoichkov
FW #17 Gabriel Batistuta
DF #5 Laurent Blanc
DF #15 Lilian Thuram

Note: I'm pleased with the variety of nations represented in this team, but that variety wouldn't work for all the teams. Contrary to that, I could take Didier Deschamps over Thuram if I want a midfielder on the sidelines. And don't worry, Ronaldo fans, you'll see him on the Noughties team.

[EDIT 2-12-24: Removed "gonna," as was part of my job for over six years at the newspaper]

All-'80s Soccer Team

I've started posting, and I'm going to continue posting. But I wrote these about a month ago just to be sure. As for the previous teams, here's one for the '50s, one for the '60s, and one for the '70s.

EIGHTIES

Formation: 5-3-2

GK #1 Ravelli
Thomas Ravelli played keeper for Sweden 143 times in an international career that included clutch penalty saves at the '94 World Cup. Reportedly, he's an odd fellow, but his skill got him on the IFFHS's 20th-century top 20 keepers.

RB #17 Rijkaard
Frank Rijkaard played defender and midfielder at Ajax before moving to full-time midfielder at Milan. He played a key role in Milan's late '80s run and was essential in the Netherlands' Euro 88 victory, but got nasty at a nasty 1990 World Cup.

DF #2 Baresi
Franco Baresi is a favorite among Milan fans, having played all 20 seasons of his career in red and black. Great on defense and giving attack support as well, this Italian was the best sweeper in his prime and captain of two European Cup winners.

CB #6 Passarella
Daniel Passarella was a natural leader, and at 25, he was the captain of Argentina's first World Cup-winning team in '78. He did much more than a typical defender's share of attacking and scoring.

DF #5 Scirea
Before Baresi, Gaetano Scirea was Italy's sweeper. He collected all kinds of hardware with Juventus, and he helped his country win the World Cup in '82. And he left this world too soon.

LB #3 Brehme
Andreas Brehme had roles for each of his feet: penalties for the right, set pieces for the left. He was really good at both. The West German helped his club teams to win titles and cups, and he scored the winning goal in a World Cup with no winners.

MF #10 Maradona
The man, the myth, Diego Maradona. In the same match of the '86 World Cup came his most notorious goal ever and his most spectacular goal ever. His career's also a dichotomy, one of glory and controversy. Though 5'5", he was larger than life.

MF #8 Zico
Zico has a reputation as a playmaker and free-kicker. Whether scoring or making an assist, he played a big part on the Brazilian team and on his clubs. In '81, he brought Flamengo to victory in the Copa Libertadores and the Toyota Cup.

MF #9 Platini
Michel Platini lifted the French team to where they needed to be to win Euro 84. His free-kicking and passing were terrific, and he could score, all right. He was great for both France and Juventus, and he retired near the top of his game.

FW #11 Rummenigge
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge was West Germany's best striker of the late '70s and '80s. In his first two years with Bayern Munich, the club maintained its hold on the European Cup, and he served up the corner for Horst Hrubesch to win Euro 80.

FW #12 Van Basten
Marco van Basten had a goal-filled, albeit abbreviated, career for Ajax, for Milan, and for the Netherlands. His goals in the '88 European Championship exemplify his brilliance, including the volley that won it for his country.

Substitutes
FW #14 Paolo Rossi
FW #16 Roger Milla
FW #19 Hugo Sanchez
MF #18 Lothar Matthaus
MF #4 Ruud Gullit

Note: Matthaus nearly got a starting spot instead of Scirea, but I can't do 4-4-2; that formation didn't become the standard until the '90s! Also, are Baresi and Scirea both going to be sweepers? There can't be two sweepers, so what do these two do?

And what do I post here once I've gotten all of these teams up?

All-'70s Soccer Team

Here are links to my '50s team and my '60s team if they're not right below this entry.

SEVENTIES

Formation: 3-4-3

GK #1 Zoff
For three-quarters of a year, Dino Zoff kept the back of Italy's net untouched. Before that, the steady keeper backstopped the '68 European champions, and after that, he was the captain of the '82 World Cup winners.

RB #4 Carlos Alberto
Carlos Alberto had the skills of a traditional defender, but also those usually associated with players further up the field. Want proof? Look at his mad dash at the 1970 World Cup, where he helped bring Brazil the title as captain.

SW #5 Beckenbauer
Franz Beckenbauer was not only a genius at soccer, but a wizard with the ball. The sweeper position as we know it is closely tied to "der Kaiser," as are Bayern Munich's success in the '70s and West Germany's two World Cup titles (one as coach).

LB #2 Breitner
Paul Breitner of West Germany and Bayern Munich exemplified the '70s in two ways: first, his attacking play in the backfield and midfield; second, his afro and facial hair. There may be a third in his controversial nature he now embraces in punditry.

RW #7 Jairzinho
Jairzinho was one of several impact players for Brazil in 1970. A fast player with a mighty shot, he scored at least once in every match they played, a rare feat. His '76 Copa Libertadores winning goal is less famous than his winner against England.

CM #6 Neeskens
Johan Neeskens is noted in his Complete Book of Soccer bio twice for "terrific pace." His part in both '70s World Cup campaigns for the Netherlands was vital, and the same goes for his time on the great Ajax team earlier in the decade.

CM #12 Cubillas
Teofilo Cubillas has a special place in the hearts of his fellow Peruvians. In 1970 and '78, he led his team to the World Cup quarterfinals and scored five goals each time.

LW #11 Rivelino
Rivelino was a seminal figure in the aspect of ball control. A free kicker, he was one of many Brazilians to make the highlight of his career in the '70 World Cup, in his case with a long goal against Czechoslovakia.

FW #8 Best
George Best was, among other things, a quick player with good balance. In Britain, the Northern Irish heartthrob had a rock star reputation as he shone for Manchester United, and he lived the kind of rock star life that involved a lot of drinking.

FW #13 G. Muller
Gerd Muller was a major threat in the goal box. Some say he didn't look like much, but the West German built excellent skills through loads of practice and on-field effort. In two World Cup tournaments, he scored 14 goals, a record for years.

FW #9 Cruyff
Johan Cruyff led the charge in the "Total Football" the Dutch team played in the '70s, occasionally playing deeper than most center forwards. His dribbling, soccer IQ, and leadership have won him heaps of honors as both player and coach.

Alternates
FW Luigi Riva
FW Kevin Keegan
FW Mario Kempes
DF Hector Chumpitaz
SW Pirri
GK Sepp Maier

Zoff was originally my '60s goalkeeper, but upon looking at his career, I placed him here.

Again, note that the wingers are placed with the midfielders to correspond with the formation of the decade.

Better get these teams posted by the end of the year and have some more detailed write-ups for the All-Time Team.

All-'60s Soccer Team

A continuation of the decade series. The same intro as the one that started the All-'50s Team entry kind of applies.

SIXTIES

Formation: 4-2-4

GK #1 Banks
Gordon Banks had a complete set of skills in goal. He was responsible for England getting through the group stage of the '66 World Cup with only clean sheets.

OB #3 Facchetti
One of Italy's earliest two-way players, Giacinto Facchetti was a great left back (playing right back here) who also scored a noticeable amount with Internazionale, including the winner at the '65 European Cup.

CB #6 Moore
Bobby Moore was noted for his ability to "read the game." He made his name as a hero among heroes as captain of the '66 England squad, and he cemented his status as a good sportsman four years later.

CB #5 Schnellinger
Karl-Heinz Schnellinger played for West Germany in the World Cup finals four times in a row. He was among the stars of the late '60s Milan team that won the European cup in '68 and '69.

OB #4 Marzolini
Silvio Marzolini was the heart and soul of Boca Juniors for 13 years. A left back well suited for his role in a '60s backfield, the Buenos Aires native made it to the Argentine national team for the World Cup twice.

MF #18 Rivera
In his twenty years with Milan, Gianni Rivera could make the passes that made a difference for the club, which earned three league titles and two European Cup wins. He also played for Italy at four World Cup tournaments.

MF #7 Masopust
Josef Masopust was the first Czech to earn the Ballon d'Or, his team having finished in second at the '62 World Cup. Teams from western Europe wanted his ball control and stamina, but only Dukla Prague could have him for 16 years.

Wi #9 Charlton
Bobby Charlton was a master of crossing and long shots, and he could see opportunities to use those skills. Two years after he did his part for England's World Cup triumph and ten years after escaping fate, he led Man United to European Cup victory.

CF #8 Eusebio
Eusebio had such soccer talent that Benfica got him when he was supposed to go to Sporting. They got what they expected and dominated the league. "The Black Panther" also led Portugal to a big comeback over North Korea at the '66 World Cup.

CF #10 Pele
Pele could always find a way to score, and his first tallies for Santos and Brazil came when he was 15 and 16 respectively. Twenty years, three World Cup titles, and over a thousand goals later, he'd made it clear that he was the best of all time.

Wi #11 Garrincha
Garrincha dribbled, crossed, and scored his way to the top despite his legs not being ideal for soccer at first. He was a wild man and not all that easy to get along with, but this legend led Brazil to repeat World Cup titles.

Alternates
FW Omar Sivori
FW Denis Law
FW Uwe Seeler
Wi Francisco Gento
HB Mario Coluna
GK Gilmar

The wingers on this team are playing up front to match the prevalent formation of the decade. But the wingers on the '70s team will be marked as midfielders for formation purposes.

All-'50s Soccer Team

 

The Clueless About Soccer All-Time XVI (XVI because I don't really know how to best arrange them into an XI) is coming soon, but right now, here's something I haven't seen anywhere: all-decade teams for soccer. And even though I'm not as familiar with any soccer players as I let on, not having really seen them or read copious amounts about them, I'll try my hand anyway.

I started with top-100 lists from various sources compiled on RSSSF (here, here, and here), with players not appearing in The Complete Book of Soccer filtered out. To pick a few players for the '90s and '00s teams, I had to refer to the FIFA 100 as well as ESM XI and Onze Mondial listings from RSSSF. I have no file for exactly how I used ESM teams to fill in gaps in the '90s and '00s teams.

If any of the substitute listings look off or the teams look biased toward any nations in particular, I'd consider suggestions if I had readers.

It wouldn't be typical of me to emphasize the things these players did off the field or the things they had to overcome, but here I am doing that. My sources for player bios are The Complete Book of Soccer, World Soccer Yearbook 2002-3, and Wikipedia.

FIFTIES

Formation: 2-3-5

GK #1 Yashin
Lev Yashin is no doubt the best Soviet footballer of the Soviet era, and he monopolizes discussions of the best goalkeepers ever. An agile player with big hands, what he said about "the joy of a good penalty save" rang true when watching him.

RB #2 D. Santos
Djalma Santos is one of two players to make three All-World Cup Teams. He had the defensive skills expected of a fullback and then some, and on the Brazilian team, he could support the attack for Garrincha or, as seen in one '62 final, for Vava.

LB #3 N. Santos
Nilton Santos (no relation to Brazil teammate Djalma) was an early example of a two-way defender. He reportedly went so far forward against Austria at the '58 World Cup that it didn't make sense - until he scored, that is.

HB #4 Charles
John Charles was great at center-half and center forward. He shone with Leeds United and Juventus, and he led Wales to the World Cup quarterfinals in 1958.

HB #5 Didi
Didi, the Brazilian center-half and midfielder, could score from free kicks like nobody's business. His technical skill made him well-suited for his important position on a team that won back-to-back World Cup titles.

HB #6 Liedholm
Nils Liedholm was excluded from the Swedish team when he went pro. Their loss; he brought his creativity to Milan and contributed to their four Serie A titles in the '50s.

OF #7 Matthews
One of English soccer's luminaries, Stanley Matthews played at the club level until he was fifty! He earned every bit of his nickname, "The Wizard of the Dribble," by outmaneuvering defenders.

IF #8 Puskas
Ferenc Puskas was amazing at finding the net. This Hungarian hero had goal numbers in the hundreds for his two clubs and almost one goal per game for the Magical Magyars, a national side that dominated Europe in the early '50s.

CF #9 Di Stefano
Alfredo di Stefano used the many skills he had to produce big numbers and championships at the club level. One of the true greats of the game, he rivals Diego Maradona among all-time Argentine-born legends.

IF #10 Schiaffino
Juan Schiaffino scored the equalizer for Uruguay in their 1950 match against Brazil, and he was a sensation from the time he arrived in Milan for an unprecedented transfer fee.

OF #11 Hidegkuti
Nandor Hidegkuti played deep, and his role was key for the Hungarian powerhouse. That 6-3 win against England in '53? He scored half of Hungary's goals.

Alternates
IF Ladislav Kubala
IF Sandor Kocsis
CF Just Fontaine
CF Raymond Kopa
HB Obdulio Varela
GK Antonio Carbajal

Coming hopefully before the end of this year are the rest of the decades' teams (still have a lot to figure out regarding the '00s) and my consensus all-time team. Who do I think I am?

What's Ahead

Hopefully, I'll be preparing some things for this blog and for my other one(s), including Squirrels and Whatever Else. The hard part is getting around to that when all I do on the Internet is click and save, watch videos, play games, and the like. It's when I'm at home and off the Internet that I actually prepare things.

Anyway, I've already thrown together an all-time team and several all-decade teams, and the name of this blog came up during the assembly of the latter because I don't really know how to choose. As an American, part of me says I have no business with soccer. But my interest in this sport is derived from things I won't try to explain on the spot (like that it's a big, less-explored world for me, and all the kinds of matches that can be played), and although it's usually fleeting, I've been on a major kick lately (no pun intended). 

These teams have been based on other all-time teams, lists of great players, and other stuff I found at the rec.sport.soccer pages. Of course there's going to be national bias in any such list, and the all-time teams you'll see above sometime will reflect the degree the original sources had. A fan in the US who knows what he's talking about might have a little less.

I should definitely work on ending every line with something snappy. And actually reading what I write before I send it.