Batman
Head of the Wayne foundation for benching Nketiah
Country: USA
Player:Saliba
I thought it might make for a fun discussion if we made an XI comprised of our favorite players of all time. Instead of focusing on the best players or a team that would get the best results, just the players we've most enjoyed in our time watching football. So basically we would select a formation and then plug in our favorite players in each position. The only "rule" I think we should adhere to is not playing anyone grossly out of position so you for example if Lahm is one of your favorites you could put him at LB or CDM instead of RB but not ST or GK. The goal here is to have some tough decisions to make at some of the positions and have some fun reminiscing about some of the fantastic players we've been fortunate enough to watch over the years. I would also encourage you to maybe write a line or 2 about each player you've chosen below your XI if you would like to share why they are one of your favorites. So I'll start with mine below:
Formation: 4-4-2
Henry: No Gooner should need this explained to them. The class, the elegance, the pace, the attitude, the routine destruction of Tottenham. He should have won at least one Ballon D'Or with us. Absolute genius.
Ronaldinho: The manifestation of joy and happiness on a football pitch. His smile was as infectious as his skills were breathtaking. There are very few who have entertained to level this man did. His sheer talent level must be amongst the very highest ever.
Vieira: What can you say about Paddy? In many ways he personified what our Invincibles were about. Silk on top of steel. That you can look around football and not see a single player like him today is a testament to just what a tremendous generational talent he was.
Zidane: Zizou did not start as a favorite of mine. He was the villain in what should have been R9's moment in the WC Final in 98. Once they became teammates at Madrid and I watched him regularly I gained a real appreciation for his genius. Much like Vieira there is nobody like him in football today.
Beckham: People focus so much on the commercial side of Beckham and there are more talented players I could have put here but he is one of my very favorites. One of the best set piece takers in history, a wonderful crosser of the ball and a guy who worked his socks off to be the player he was. He also always showed up for his country which is a rarity amongst Englishman of recent vintage.
Carlos: He was no slouch defensively but that man was an absolute weapon going forward and from set pieces. Fabian Barthez still can't believe what Roberto Carlos did to him in 1997. The power that came from that stocky little frame was unreal.
Campbell: I think that playing for those serial losers in Tottenham for so many years causes people to underrate just what a marvelous defender Sol was. He had everything, pace, power, composure and decent technique for such a unit. For me he's one of the best of his generation and was an absolute joy to watch.
Maldini: Quite simply the perfect defender. 2 decades of brilliance even as he lost pace and had to rely solely on his brain. Rightly considered the best central defender ever IMO.
Cafu: It seems fitting that he and Maldini were teammates because Cafu is the probably the best fullback of all time. You just don't see players as adept at defending and attacking as Cafu was.
Seaman: You don't tend to earn a name like "Safe Hands" unless you've got the ability to warrant it. He was an absolute rock for club and country and as wonderful as Jens was here neither have managed to truly replace him. Not only was he an absolute giant in the box but his reflexes were amongst the very best we've ever seen. His save against Sheffield United is one of football's very best ever.
Honorable mention: It was very tough for me to leave out the likes of Pires, Bergkamp and Neymar in choosing my favorites but it was necessary to keep within the parameters I set.
Formation: 4-4-2
Henry R9
Ronaldinho Vieira Zidane Beckham
R. Carlos Campbell Maldini Cafu
Seaman
R9: I love Arsenal because of my Mom and my Granddad. I love football because of R9. When he was fit and in his prime he was the most unstoppable force that football has ever seen IMO. He is my favorite player of all time. I had all of his boots, the stupid haircut, the whole deal. He was my hero.Ronaldinho Vieira Zidane Beckham
R. Carlos Campbell Maldini Cafu
Seaman
Henry: No Gooner should need this explained to them. The class, the elegance, the pace, the attitude, the routine destruction of Tottenham. He should have won at least one Ballon D'Or with us. Absolute genius.
Ronaldinho: The manifestation of joy and happiness on a football pitch. His smile was as infectious as his skills were breathtaking. There are very few who have entertained to level this man did. His sheer talent level must be amongst the very highest ever.
Vieira: What can you say about Paddy? In many ways he personified what our Invincibles were about. Silk on top of steel. That you can look around football and not see a single player like him today is a testament to just what a tremendous generational talent he was.
Zidane: Zizou did not start as a favorite of mine. He was the villain in what should have been R9's moment in the WC Final in 98. Once they became teammates at Madrid and I watched him regularly I gained a real appreciation for his genius. Much like Vieira there is nobody like him in football today.
Beckham: People focus so much on the commercial side of Beckham and there are more talented players I could have put here but he is one of my very favorites. One of the best set piece takers in history, a wonderful crosser of the ball and a guy who worked his socks off to be the player he was. He also always showed up for his country which is a rarity amongst Englishman of recent vintage.
Carlos: He was no slouch defensively but that man was an absolute weapon going forward and from set pieces. Fabian Barthez still can't believe what Roberto Carlos did to him in 1997. The power that came from that stocky little frame was unreal.
Campbell: I think that playing for those serial losers in Tottenham for so many years causes people to underrate just what a marvelous defender Sol was. He had everything, pace, power, composure and decent technique for such a unit. For me he's one of the best of his generation and was an absolute joy to watch.
Maldini: Quite simply the perfect defender. 2 decades of brilliance even as he lost pace and had to rely solely on his brain. Rightly considered the best central defender ever IMO.
Cafu: It seems fitting that he and Maldini were teammates because Cafu is the probably the best fullback of all time. You just don't see players as adept at defending and attacking as Cafu was.
Seaman: You don't tend to earn a name like "Safe Hands" unless you've got the ability to warrant it. He was an absolute rock for club and country and as wonderful as Jens was here neither have managed to truly replace him. Not only was he an absolute giant in the box but his reflexes were amongst the very best we've ever seen. His save against Sheffield United is one of football's very best ever.
Honorable mention: It was very tough for me to leave out the likes of Pires, Bergkamp and Neymar in choosing my favorites but it was necessary to keep within the parameters I set.