Fantasy XI

Fantasy XI

In the 20 years I’ve been alive hundreds of footballers have drawn my attention to beautiful game. Some for dazzling the world on the biggest stage others for sheer eccentricity. There are a few unfortunates, Titus Bramble for example. Whether for good reasons, bad or for simply the sublime these eleven men have enlightened every 90 minutes of football I’ve ever seen. Except for most World Cup Finals.

Goalkeeper - Oliver Kahn, Germany 

Don't Mess.

What is there to say? The massive Aryan goalkeeper was unstoppable in his time. King Kahn wasn’t only a truly great player he was an exceptional leader who led his country in 50 games. He reached the World Cup final, won Euro 96, one Champions League. He holds the record for most Bundersliga clean sheets as well numerous individual awards.

Right –Back – Lilian Thuram, France

Incredible

Lilian Thuram, the most capped French international of all time. The defensive maestro was as equally comfortable at centre-back as he was at right-back. He was integral part of one of the greatest international sides of all time. The France team that won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 were the fist team I saw that truly dominated world football. Thuram was a true colossus at the back and an inspirational to all technically challenged footballers.

Centre - back – Jaap Stam, Netherlands

He Will Stunner You

For three years Stone Cold Steve Austin look-a-like Jaap Stam stomped all over the Premier League. At 6 ft 3 in Jaap stam was truly a giant who ruthless attitude entertained me week in and week out. Unfortunately for Stam most of his career may be remembered for the wrong reasons. That penalty miss at Euro 2000 still hasn’t landed and the fall out with Fergie at the end of his United may overshadow a career that any player would be proud of.

Centre-Back- Carles Puyol, Spain

Capatain Caveman

Captain caveman has been an icon of Catalonia for over a decade now. ‘The Wall’ as he is know by his fans, Puyols’s fantastic pace and unmatched reading of the game has seen him reach amazing heights as a player. As well as being the back bone of arguably the greatest team of all time, he’s won two Champions League’s as well and Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup. He’s an inspiration on and off the pitch and his Giggs like lifestyle could see him playing well into his late thirties. Also he owns a sheep.

Left-Back- Paolo Maldini, Italy

Il Capitano

Older than Methuselah when he finally hung up his boots Paolo Maldini is a true legend. He’s the most successful Champions League player in my team. He made his first team debut 6 years before I was born. He was a natural defender who could chip in with a goal or two. What impresses me most about Maldini is his loyalty to his club. Two and half decades his career spanned and in an era where players like Craig Bellamy can walk from club to club, and not think once about the fans who cheer for him Maldini spent every year with The Rossoneri.

Right- Midfield- Luis Figo, Portugal

'Ole'

Probably the second coolest player in my team Figo showed the same arrogance and self-belief as another Portuguese winger, but because he isn’t that certain other winger, we like him for it. He dared to break the Barca, Madrid divide when he joined the ‘Galticos’ in 2000. Figo will always be remembered for his skills on the pitch and for giving the world the most annoying football catchphrase ever. I bet that anyone reading this post who has been megged during a game and been ‘oled’. Thanks Luis.

Centre- Midfield- Zinedine Zidane, France

Genius

First there was Pele, then Maradona and then there was Zidane. Literally winning everything there is to win as a player, Zidane was a footballing genius. Everyone remembers ‘that’ volley for Madrid. But Zidane offered so much more to his team. He was a great provider of goals and many a goal scoring team was built around him. Unfortunately like others in the list Zidane’s career ended in controversy. The 2006 World Cup final was supposed the be Zidane’s last hoorah, but after scoring the opening goal and with the scores lever Zidane head butted Marco Materazzi in the 110 minute. Zidane’s career was over and his team lost on penalties.

Centre-Midfield-Ray Parlour, England

Not Me

‘The Romford Pele.’ He sure was. Heavily underrated compared to his fellow Arsenal players, Parlour was instrumental in the ‘successful’ Wenger years. I’ll never forget the opening goal Parlour Scored against Chelsea in 2002 F.A cup final. For months after that game I attempted to recreate the goal and the identical goal by teammate Freddie Ljungberg. His amazing engine and work ethic has seen Parlour voted the 19^th greatest ‘gooner’ of all time.

Left-midfield- Rivaldo, Brazil

Great Actor

Legend. The bicycle kick against Valencia is enough to qualify him for the title, add the other 350, give or take a few and you have a seriously good player on your hands. His cultured left foot and skill made him an instant hit with Deportivo and Barcelona. Unfortunately in 2002 Rivaldo was shot when Hakan Unsal hit Rivaldo with the ball in the thigh. This prompted a sniper to shoot Rivaldo grazing his cheek and led to him writhing in agony on the floor. Miraculously Rivaldo recovered to finish the game. 

Striker-Gabriel Batistuta, Argentina

Batigol

‘Three Lions’ 1998, I’m playing as Argentina on the official England team game and ‘Batigol’ flashes across the screen. This was my first encounter with Gabriel Batistuta. I was hooked, the Argentine ace had a scoring record of almost a goal a game and will be remembered for one of the greatest Champions League goals of all time. A thirty-yard rocket against Manchester United in 2000 had me mesmerised. A truly great player and professional Batistuta was one of the greatest players of the nineties and an inspiration to me growing up.

Striker-Eric Cantona, France

Insane Excellence

Cool, charismatic, genius, brilliant ... insane. All of these could be used to describe Eric Cantona. Best described as a bi-polar footballer at his incredible best he could produce madness. At his insane worst he caused incredible controversy, you know what I’m talking about. Eric was my first favourite footballer and still is my favourite. Even at 44 Eric is still all over football despite never moving into coaching. He tried acting and is now Director of Soccer and the reformed New York Cosmos.

There’s my starting eleven. It took me a week to write, changed 7 or 8 times and still would change again tomorrow if I didn’t publish it now. Hope you enjoy reading what eleven players inspired me the most though my youth and feel free to leave yours in our comment or e-mail us and we’ll post it.

-Paul

My Favourite XI Since 1990 (When I Was Born) In a 4-4-2 Formation

I had a good root round my memories and compiled a list of my favourite players since I was born (1990). Remember they might not be the best, but they are the players I have always had a massive affection for so there can be few arguments.

James

Goalkeeper – Jose Luis Chilavert, Paraguay

A goalkeeper who scores goals is possibly one of the greatest things in football, especially when you’re a young boy, and that is one of the reasons why Paraguayan ‘keeper Chilavert is my all time favourite. His free-kicks, his penalties, his temper and his all round mental behaviour made him a huge cult hero with me and my friends. Scored 62 professional goals, won the IFFHS award for the world’s best goalkeeper 3 times, was voted South American Footballer of the year in 1996 and has a better international scoring record than Emile Heskey, who can argue with that?

Defender Right – Javier Zanetti, Argentina

I think my first memory of Zanetti was the goal he scored against England in the 1998 World Cup after a clever free-kick which blew my mind. Known for his reliability, versatility and his tough tackling, also his surging runs forward were a sight to behold. He is the most capped Argentine of all time (139) and has amassed over 700 appearances for Inter; he’s become an absolute legend for club and country. The fact that he’s still playing at the top level at the age of 37 shows how important to Inter he still is.

Defender Centre – Alessandro Nesta, Italy

Alessandro Nesta is my favourite ever defender, a magnificent centre-back. He is one of the coolest defenders I have ever seen, the way he reads the game is second to none, extremely intelligent, outstanding agility and very efficient with the ball at his feet. I can not speak highly enough of this player. He has won everything there is to win at club level and he also has a world cup winner’s medal to add to that, although he unfortunately got injured during that tournament in 2006. He has been named in the UEFA team of the year four times; a tally only bettered by Thierry Henry, he has won Serie ‘A’ defender of the year five times between 2000 and 2005 whilst playing for Lazio and Milan and on top of all that, he is a very handsome man. It’s great to see him still playing well for Milan at the age of 35 particularly when you consider all the problems he’s had with injuries.

Defender Centre – Tony Adams, England

14 years as Arsenal captain since the age of 21, an absolute inspiration. Adams was a hero because of his gutsy, determined performances for Arsenal and England. He was the sort of player you could just trust on the pitch, you knew he wouldn’t let anyone down. He was fantastic in the air, loved a tackle and was one of the greatest leaders I have ever seen. I will always remember him for the scoring the final goal in Arsenal’s 4-0 win against Everton to clinch the title in 97/98 and Martin Tyler going mental in his commentary (‘‘That just sums it all up!’’).

Defender Left – Roberto Carlos, Brazil

This was basically a toss-up between Roberto Carlos and Paolo Maldini, but Carlos edged it simply because he was so exciting. He had explosive pace and will always be remembered for his trademark free-kicks and distinctive run up, but he was very under-rated defensively as well. He had the biggest thighs I had ever seen! Anyone who can last 11 years at Real Madrid have got to be special and he scored 67 goals for them which is astonishing for a defender. I can’t mention Roberto Carlos without talking about his free-kick he scored against France in La Tournoi in 1997 which was just about the most phenomenal thing I had ever seen at the time. Just a great character, always playing with a smile on his face.

Midfielder Right – Steve McManaman, England

Steve McManaman is one of the main reasons I support Liverpool. When I was a very young boy and I was just getting into football, McManaman immediately became my favourite player. He is the very definition of a ‘wing wizard’, because of his trickery, pace and all round ability to embarrass defenders. He is often criticized for not performing at a high enough standard for England but he needed more of a free role and didn’t get that for England. Also I have just found out that it’s very enjoyable to type ‘McManaman’ on my keyboard, try it now you’ll find it very rewarding.

Midfielder Centre – Carlos Valderrama, Colombia

Now, Carlos Valderrama is probably most remembered for his hairstyle and that’s the thing which first drew my attention to him but he was also a magnificent player. He was the best player in what was probably Colombia’s most talented side ever. In my head, he never broke into a jog; he played every game at walking pace. One of the best passers of the ball I’ve ever seen as well. More than just a hairstyle, Valderrama is an all time South American great.

Midfielder Centre – Danny Murphy, England

Being a Liverpool fan and also going to watch Crewe Alex play every other week I have seen a lot of Danny Murphy’s career over the years and he has always been an absolute pleasure to watch. In my opinion, he is one of the most under-rated players ever to grace The Premier League. It’s an absolute disgrace that he only has 9 England caps to his name, especially when you think that England have lacked a player of Murphy’s creative qualities in recent times. His advanced footballing brain leaves his opponents one step behind him, he rarely gives the ball away and if spectacular goals are what you are after, Murphy will have never disappointed you. He also had an incredible knack of scoring against United for Liverpool, particularly at Old Trafford which is one of the reasons why he will always remain firmly in the hearts of Liverpool fans.

Midfielder Left – Ronaldinho, Brazil

Ronaldinho was just breathtaking to watch for a while when he was at Barcelona, he always reminded me of a kid playing in the park, just playing for fun, doing what he wants, with no pressure and enjoying every second of it with a great big toothy grin on his face. He was head and shoulders above any other player in the world for a couple of years because of his unbelievable skills, his amazing goals and his ability to play a killer pass. I can’t think of many better individual players than Ronaldinho when he was at the top of his game.

Forward Centre – Thierry Henry, France

Probably the best player ever to play in The Premier League. He was absolutely unstoppable in his pomp; you would just expect him to score every single week. Henry had a bit of everything as a forward; pace, skills, ball control, finishing abilities and everything was done with such grace. As well as being Arsenal’s all time top goal scorer he would also provide a lot of assists for his team-mates. I have always loved watching him play and by the look of it, he would love playing.

Forward Centre – Ronaldo, Brazil

The easiest decision I have ever made is putting Ronaldo in my favourite XI. He’s quite simply the best player I have ever seen. O Fenomeno’s career has been nothing short of astounding with the goals he has scored and the phenomena he created around the world. My overriding memory of him was defenders trying to tackle him but getting nowhere near the ball. He had awesome skills and a blistering turn of pace. His season at Barcelona was outstanding, and his individual performance at the 2002 World Cup will live long in the memory for many football fans.

That was my favourite XI but because there were far too many players to choose from, here’s a list of honorable mentions:

Rene Higuita, Jorge Campos, Alessandro Del Piero, Rivaldo, Cafu, Pavel Nedved, Gaizka Mendieta, Xavi, Patrick Kluivert, Denis Bergkamp, Marc Overmars, Roberto Ayala, Edgar Davids, Ally McCoist, Henrik Larsson, Gabriel Batistuta, Juninho Pernambucano, Roberto Baggio, Angelo Di Livio, Marcelo Salas, Christian Vieri, Jay Jay Okocha, Samuel Eto’o, Steven Gerrard, Sami Hyypia, Michael Ballack, Paolo Maldini, Hristo Stoichkov, Paul McGrath, Georgi Kinkladze, Zinedine Zidane.