EWB's Greatest XI of All Time

[Matt]

Since there's very little soccerball for a couple of months, I figured we could have a go at this. I'm not entirely sure how it'll work, probably similar to how the best wrestler in the past decade (or whatever it was) did, for now I think probably the best way to do it is to start drafting up a shortlist for goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders and forwards. Maybe try and list 5 or 6 for each (just a couple for goalies) and I'll come back and add the most frequent ones to this post and we can try and form an 11 from there.

Goalkeepers:

Defenders:

Midfielders:

Forwards:

[9 to 5]

If you give me a time frame, sure, last 10 years, 20, of all time?

[Matt]

All time, it's literally in the thread title

[9 to 5]

You confused me with the ten years thing. Now fuck off and let me think.

[Dang117]

Goalkeepers:

Gianluigi Buffon

Peter Schmeichel

Oliver Kahn

Iker Casillas

Defenders:

Roberto Carlos

Laurent Blanc

Javier Zanetti

Alessandro Nesta

Bobby Moore

Midfielders:

Johan Cruyff

Zinedine Zidane

Cristiano Ronaldo

Ronaldinho

Ryan Giggs

Forwards:

Lionel Messi

Ronaldo

Marco Van Basten

Raul

Eric Cantona

[9 to 5]

Not sure who counts as midfielders or forwards in some respects but here we go.

Goalkeepers:

Lev Yaskin

Peter Schmeichel

Peter Shilton

Dino Zoff

Defenders:

Cafu

Paulo Maldini

Franz Becknebauer

Phillip Lahm

Lother Matthaus

Rio Ferdinand

John Charles

Midfielders:

Diego Maradona

Lionel Messi

Johan Cruyff

Bobby Charlton

Gheorge Hagi

Xavi

Andres Iniesta

Forwards:

Ronaldo (Brazil)

Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)

George Best

Pele

Roberto Baggio

Kenny Dalgaish

[Plubby]

Matt Le Tissier x11

We're done here

[Rich]

Goalkeepers:

Peter Schmeichel

Oliver Kahn

Gigi Buffon

Defenders:

Paulo Maldini

Fabio Cannavaro

Lottar Mattheus

Cafu

Javier Zanetti

Lilian Thuram

Midfielders:

Andrea Prilo

Bastien Schweinsteiger (sp?)

Zinedine Zidane

Claude Makelele

Luis Figo

David Beckham

Ryan Giggs

Forwards:

Lionel Messi

Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo

Eric Cantona

Denis Bergkamp

Marco Van Basten

Thierry Henry

[brenchill]

I like this but wouldn't it be better to pick players for a specific formation instead of just "defenders", "midfielders", etc? Think it would be more fun finding out the best RB, CM, DC, etc.

[DavidMarrio]

Yeh I think it'd be better trying to work it into a formation. Could have votes for each position that way after people have nominated for so many RB's for example.

[Whisper]

Goalkeepers:

Peter Schmeichel

Gianluigi Buffon

Gordon Banks

Edwin van der Sar

Defenders:

Cafu

Franco Baresi

Franz Beckenbauer

Bobby Moore

Paolo Maldini

Lothar Matthaus

Jaap Stam

Midfielders:

Andrea Pirlo

Bryan Robson

Johan Cruyff

Gianfranco Zola

Paul Scholes

Zinedine Zidane

Ryan Giggs

Paul Gascoigne

Duncan Edwards

Forwards:

Lionel Messi

Cristiano Ronaldo

George Best

Pele

Eusebio

Eric Cantona

Marco van Basten

Diego Maradona

Gone for a mix of my own lifetime and the 'obvious' players from the past. Really found it tough to cut that down. United bias obviously - I'm sure an Arsenal fan would replace Bryan Robson with Vieira, for example, but there we are.

[DavidMarrio]

I'm going to stick to people I've seen during my life time or seen extensively.

Goalkeepers:
Peter Schmeichel
Gianluigi Buffon
Oliver Kahn

Jose Luis Chilavert (The guy was a freekick/pen machine!)

Defenders:
Cafu
Paulo Maldini

Roberto Carlos

Alessandro Nesta
Javier Zanetti

Lilian Thuram

Midfielders:
Andrea Pirlo
Steven Gerrard

Ronaldinho

Gheorge Hagi
Paul Scholes
Zinedine Zidane
Xavi

Claude Makelele
Luis Figo

Forwards:
Lionel Messi
Cristiano Ronaldo
Kenny Dalglish

Ronaldo
Raul
Thierry Henry

Dennis Bergkamp

Ian Rush

[Matt]

I like this but wouldn't it be better to pick players for a specific formation instead of just "defenders", "midfielders", etc? Think it would be more fun finding out the best RB, CM, DC, etc.

I was going to work that in after the nominations period. Firstly it would be a bit painstaking to get nominations for each position and then vote on it, secondly it'll be easier to judge whether a 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1, 4-4-2 or 3-5-2 will be the most appropriate formation when we've got a bit of a better idea of our team

[Matt]

Goalies:

Schmeichel

Buffon

Kahn

Defenders:

Maldini

Cafu

Nesta

Cole

Thuram

Stam

Baresi

Midfielder:

Zidane

Makelele

Platini

Pirlo

Brenner

Xavi

Forwards:

Messi

Maradonna

C. Ronaldo

Charles

Henry

[MDK]

GK

Peter Schmeichel

David Seaman

Peter Shilton

Lev Yashin

Gianluigi Buffon

DF

Paolo Maldini

Franco Baresi

Stuart Pearce

Gary Neville

Cafu

Ruud Gullit (as a sweeper)

Lothar Matthaus

Matthias Sammer

Franz Beckenbauer

Phillip Lahm

John Terry

MF

Paul Scholes

Andreas Iniesta

Xavi

Rivellino

John Barnes

Claude Makelele

Frank Lampard

Zinedine Zindane

Bobby Charlton

Zico

Johan Cruyff

Andrea Pirlo

FW

Diego Maradona

Pele

Gheorge Hagi

Hristo Stoichkov

Marco van Basten

Leo Messi

C. Ronaldo

Ferenc Puskas

Eusebio

Gerd Muller

This is really difficult to pick. But for real, I could name a hundred players. I had to stop and I know there are loads more players I could add.

[Rafael]

I'm going for the players I watched, so....

Goalkeepers:

Gianluigi Buffon
Oliver Kahn

Edwin Van Der Sar

Iker Casillas

Petr Cech

Manuel Neuer

Defenders:

Paolo Maldini

Roberto Carlos

Alessandro Nesta

Phillip Lahm

John Terry

Fabio Cannavaro

Javier Zanetti

Cafu

Thiago Silva

Midfielders:

Paul Scholes

Andrea Pirlo

Zinedine Zidane

Steven Gerrard

Frank Lampard

Pavel Nedved

Patrick Vieira

Ronaldinho

Francesco Totti

Alex

Xavi

Andrés Iniesta

Claude Makelelé

Luis Figo

Forwards:

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Lionel Messi

Cristiano Ronaldo

Thierry Henry

Alan Shearer

Ronaldo

Rivaldo

Ruud Van Nistelrooy

Alessandro Del Piero

[MJB]

Peter Schmeichel
Gianluigi Buffon
Oliver Kahn
Edwin Van Der Sar
Rogerio Ceni (127 goals)

Alessandro Nesta
Jaap Stam
Roberto Carlos
Cafu
Paulo Maldini
Franco Baresi
Mattias Sammer
Lothar Matthaus
Lillian Thuram
Javier Zanetti
Philip Lahm

Claude Makelele
Andrea Pirlo
Paul Scholes
David Beckham
Ryan Giggs
Zinedine Zidane
Ronaldinho
Xavi
Andres Iniesta
Luis Figo
Paul Gascoigne

Cristiano Ronaldo
Ronaldo
Lionel Messi
Thierry Henry
Eric Cantona
Ruud Van Nistelrooy
Rivaldo

[mikevandam]

GOAL:
Schmeichel
Kahn (KAHN!)
Van Der Sar
Neuer
Buffon

DEFENCE
Maldini
Stam
Cafu

Mattheus
Bixtente Lizarazu
Thuram
G.Neville

MIDFIELD:
The Laudrup Brothers (Brian and Michael)
Zidane
Figo
Nedved
Iniesta
Xavi

Hagi

Giggsy

FORWARDS:
Bergkamp (Biggest football idol)

Henry
Del Piero
Ravanelli (dont ask why)
Raul
Klinsmann
Giovanne Elber

[Matt]

Yeah I totally didn't forget about this I'll create a shortlist later tonight

[DavidMarrio]

I've just realised because mainly of your name being as it is.

Gary Mc should be an automatic inclusion.