The best team of past and present players in my opinion. Eleven players chosen in the starting line-up along with seven substitutes and a manager! My dream team will be in a 4-3-3 system with one attacking midfielder. With so many incredible players over the years, this one will be tricky but here goes:
Goalkeeper: Gianluigi Buffon
So many Goalkeepers to choose from but this guy gets my vote! He started his career in the mid 1990s for Parma before moving to Juventus in 2001 and is still playing for them to this day at the age of 42! He did move to PSG for the 2018/19 season but returned to Juventus at the end of that season. A very decorated player having won it all domestically in Italy multiple times and has won the World Cup! Unfortunately, he is one of the best players to never win the Champions League… Can he do it before he retires?
Right Back: Javier Zanetti
A tough choice between Zanetti and Cafu but Zanetti gets my vote! In 1992 he started his career in his homeland of Argentina and in 1995 he joined Inter Milan and played for them all the way up until 2014 when he retired. A decorated defender winning everything domestically in Italy multiple times and was part of Jose Mourinho’s Champions League winning team in 2010! He gets my vote above Cafu due to his adaptability and playing for the same club for many years. He was also able to play in Midfield.
Centre Back: Carles Puyol
Very hard to pick only two central defenders, but this guy has to be there for me!! Puyol is one of the few players who join the one club man category. He played for Barcelona and only them. He was part of the Spanish team that won Euro 2008, World Cup 2010 and Euro 2012! He was also Captain of Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona team from 2008-2012 which could be argued is one of the best teams in Football History!! His leadership, strength and versatility is why I would have him in this team!! Also a very decorated player domestically winning it all in Spain several times and the Champions League three times!
Centre Back: Paolo Maldini
Is there anyone who hasn’t got this man in their dream team? What a player he was!! Another one club man who joined AC Milan in 1984 and retired with them 25 years later. His shirt number has been retired by the club in honour of him! Another player who has won it all domestically in Italy and the Champions League five times!!! It could easily have been six… Maldini was part of the AC Milan back four that conceded only 14 goals in one season!! How about that?
Left Back: Roberto Carlos
The strongest left foot ever? I sure hoped I wasn’t in the wall defending a free kick taken by him! Carlos played for many clubs most notably Real Madrid where he won many trophies including the Champions League three times! He was also part of the Brazil team that won the World Cup in 2002! He scored so many incredible goals with that left foot with many of them free kicks and he has arguably scored the greatest free kick of all time against France in 1997.
Centre Midfield: Paul Scholes
Sir Alex Ferguson once said he coached only four World Class players in his time at Manchester United… Debatable? Perhaps, but nevertheless this man was one of them!! Another one club man who had it all… Except for tackling maybe… He scored so many incredible goals, who could forget that goal against Bradford straight from the corner or that goal against Barcelona in 2008? He played for Manchester United for 20 years and won it all including 11 Premier League titles!
Centre Midfield: Zinedine Zidane
The first player I would pick out of all these players I have picked! What a player he was!! One question I would ask him if I ever met him: “Why did you retire so early!!!?” In his final days as a player in the World Cup in 2006 he gave what could be argued as one of the best solo performances against a brilliant Brazil team in the Quarter Finals! A very decorated player winning the World Cup in 1998 and Euro 2000. He also won the Champions League in 2002 and scored what could be still argued as the best goal in a Champions League final ever, I still don’t know how he scored that!!
Centre Attacking Midfield: Steven Gerrard
Was I ever not going to pick him? My favourite Liverpool player ever!! I shed a tear when he retired… He’s given me some great memories watching Liverpool over the years especially in what could be argued as one of the best games in Football History in Istanbul!! 3-0 down at half time, back to 3-3 at 60 minutes to win on penalties!! A decorated player who could do it all and what a leader!! But without question the best player in Premier League history to never win it… But he was close… So very close…
Right Wing: Diego Maradona
Simply amazing!! He maybe regarded as a cheat by the English, but even we couldn’t argue about his ability! He played for many clubs scoring many goals and winning many trophies. He scored what could be argued as the greatest goal ever against England in 1986 and has also won the World Cup!
Left Wing: Ronaldinho
When I first got into football I hated him!! Only because that free kick against England in 2002 knocked us out… But I didn’t hate him for long, who could? The most skilful player ever? Quite possibly! He played for many clubs most notably Barcelona. He won La Liga twice along with the Champions League in 2006! He also won the World Cup in 2002! He had it all and is still to this day one of my favourite players ever!! I always signed him when I played FIFA Street…
Striker: Ronaldo
So many to choose from! But for me, it’s this guy!! The Brazilian number 9 scored goal after goal after goal for every team he played for! He played for both Milan teams and Real Madrid and Barcelona, but both sets of fans still hold him in high regard!! A decorated striker domestically in Spain and Italy but he falls into the category of one of the best players ever to never win the Champions League… But he did win the World Cup twice including scoring in the final twice in 2002! He was a goal machine!! And that is why he starts in my dream team!!
Manager: Brian Clough
Bill Shankly? Sir Alex Ferguson? Bob Paisley? They’re all fantastic but Cloughy is my choice! An outstanding manager who transformed Derby County and Nottingham Forest and winning what we call now the Champions League twice with Nottingham Forest in 1979 and 1980! It could so easily have been Derby County instead of Nottingham Forest… Sam Longson… He feared nobody and his leadership proved that! The stories about him from previous players show he had a funny side! He gets my vote… With Peter Taylor as his assistant!
Substitutes: 1 Goalkeeper, 2 Defenders, 2 Midfielders, 2 Strikers
Goalkeeper: Peter Schmeichel
What a keeper!! Played for many teams and even scored 11 career goals!! There is a few outfield players who haven’t scored that many! He made some incredible saves and won Euro 1992 with Denmark who hadn’t even qualified!! But were drafted in late on after a disqualification! He gets my vote above the likes of Casillas, Dida, Neuer and Kahn mainly because of his goal threat.
Defender: John Terry
Another complete defender! He was a boss at the back! Joining Chelsea in 1998 and playing for them for 19 years winning everything in England!! He spent 2000 on loan at Nottingham Forest before going back to Chelsea. After 2017, he spent a season at Aston Villa before retiring in 2018. He also was the captain of the England national team!
Defender: Nemanja Vidic
Solid! That’s the word I would use to describe him… Apart from when he was up against Fernando Torres for Liverpool!! He was a fantastic defender for Manchester United winning five Premier League titles and one Champions League! He also had a big goal threat scoring 21 times for Manchester United.
Midfielder: Xavi
What a player! Another all time great! He joined Barcelona in 1997 and played for them up until 2015. He won eight La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues!! The heart of Pep Guardiola’s midfield during his reign and we all know how good that team was!!
Midfielder: Cristiano Ronaldo
Sir Alex Ferguson certainly did have an eye for talent! Another one of the four World Class players he coached with his dedication and pace he still at 35 years old is one of the best in the world!! He has played for Manchester United, the all time leading goal scorer for Real Madrid and is currently at Juventus, he has done it all in three different countries and has also won Euro 2016 at International level!!
Striker: Lionel Messi
An obvious choice it has to be said! A one club man for the time being and he has done it all at Barcelona! Shirt sales through the roof, the all time leading scorer for the club and he has won it all with the club!!
Striker: Thierry Henry
One of my favourite players growing up!! He scored and scored and scored all the way until his retirement. The all time leading scorer for Arsenal and was one of Arsene Wenger’s invincibles!! The one player I feared when Liverpool had them next in the fixture list…
What is your Dream Team?