Top 50 Greatest Footballers by Position

[ThomasGOAL]

few names, Baresi, Nesta, Blanc, Poyol, Stam...
Maldini, Thuram, Sammer and Beckenbauer can be put in central ?

 

[gerd]

CB, one name: Gaetano Scirea.

 

[Rentalkid]

CB, one name: Juergen Kohler.

 

[Glavisted]

Maldini, Thuram, Sammer and Beckenbauer can be put in central ?

German Sammer and Beckenbauer, yes, as sweepers, I'm considering them. Maldini and Thuram are going to be in the list of side backs.

By now: Darío Pereyra (50), Tony Adams (49), Alexandru Apolzan (48), Armando Picchi (47), Wladyslaw Zmuda (46)...

Do you think Carles Puyol is at the same level of some of them?

 

[Jumbo_]

Rio Ferdinand.

 

[The_Special_One]

Do you think Carles Puyol is at the same level of some of them?

Definitely not. Hierro is the only spanish I would take in consideration.

 

[Glavisted]

Definitely not. Hierro is the only spanish I would take in consideration.

What about Pirri and Quincoces?

 

[lo zio]

By now: Darío Pereyra (50), Tony Adams (49), Alexandru Apolzan (48), Armando Picchi (47), Wladyslaw Zmuda (46)...

Do you think Carles Puyol is at the same level of some of them?

the only one i could compare him with is adams, as he's the only one of those players i've actually seen playing (as for picchi, i just saw a few clips, sure not enough to tell how good he was... but obviously i know he's regarded as a legend)...... anyway yeah, i think puyol would be an appropriate pick... at least imo.

oh and btw, good call on maldini mate. he should be regarded as a leftback, not a cb

 

[The_Special_One]

What about Pirri and Quincoces?

I didn't watch any oh them playing but, according to some statistics I have seen, neither of them should be considerate legends. I mean, they were very very good but, in my opinion, they don't have the same status of the big ones. In my analysis, defense is where Spain hasn't a tradition of great players. When you think about Spanish players you immediately remember good keepers, midfielders and strikers, not properly defenders. Nowadays we have Piqué in a fantastic level, time will tell us if he will be a legend or not.
The art of defend is an Italian business.

 

[gigimarulla]

the only one i could compare him with is adams, as he's the only one of those players i've actually seen playing (as for picchi, i just saw a few clips, sure not enough to tell how good he was... but obviously i know he's regarded as a legend)...... anyway yeah, i think puyol would be an appropriate pick... at least imo.

oh and btw, good call on maldini mate. he should be regarded as a leftback, not a cb

completely agree with lo zio, if Tony Adams can be there also Puyol deserves a spot and Maldini is a LB even if he played well as CB during the last years of his career.
I suggest Krol for the CB list, and like gerd says Gaetano Scirea ....
it's so strange for me to "defend" always Juve's player because i hate that team but Scirea was even better than Franco Baresi, and everyone knows how good was Milan's libero...
Belodedici could be another pick for the CB list

 

[gerd]

Oh yeah, Belodedici and Ruud Krol...
One i also liked a lot is Austrian CB (he was a libero) Bruno Pezzey who was magnificnet for one of Austria's great teams (Krankl, Prhaschka, Jara, Schachner,...) and also for Werder Bremen.
There was a blach French central back who was also fantastic: Trésor. And his team mate with the national Max Bossis was also an alltime great to me.

 

[Glavisted]

Already done the next list:


Top 50 Greatest Central Defenders

This is the summary list, I posted the complete in my blog in Spanish with their respective descriptions (http://glavisted.blogspot.com/2010/11/top-50-de-defensas-centrales.html):

50 Darío Pereyra (Uruguay)

49 Tony Adams (England)

48 Alexandru Apolzan (Romania)

47 Armando Picchi (Italy)

46 Wladyslaw Zmuda (Poland)

45 Murtaz Khurtsilava (Soviet Union)

44 Carles Puyol (Spain)

43 Ján Popluhár (Czechoslovakia)

42 John Terry (England)

41 Willi Schulz (Germany)

40 Jacinto Quincoces (Spain)

39 Gheorghe Popescu (Romania)

38 Hilderaldo Bellini (Brazil)

37 Rio Ferdinand (England)

36 Marius Trésor (France)

35 Virginio Rosetta (Italy)

34 Jaap Stam (Netherlands)

33 Robert Jonquet (France)

32 Neil Franklin (England)

31 Lúcio (Brazil)

30 Ciro Ferrara (Italy)

29 Morten Olsen (Denmark)

28 Alessandro Costacurta (Italy)

27 Luís Pereira (Brazil)

26 Roberto Perfumo (Argentina)

25 Ronald Koeman (Netherlands)

24 Laurent Blanc (France)

23 Fernando Hierro (Spain)

22 Albert Shesternyov (Soviet Union)

21 Karlheinz Förster (Germany)

20 Velibor Vasovic (Yugoslavia)

19 Billy Wright (England)

18 Domingos da Guia (Brazil)

17 Héctor Chumpitaz (Peru)

16 Marcel Desailly (France)

15 Jürgen Kohler (Germany)

14 Matthias Sammer (Germany)

13 Fabio Cannavaro (Italy)

12 Alan Hansen (Scotland)

11 José Nasazzi (Uruguay)

10 Alessandro Nesta (Italy)

9 José Emilio Santamaría (Uruguay)

8 Elías Figueroa (Chile)

7 Giuseppe Bergomi (Italy)

6 Ruud Krol (Netherlands)

5 Gaetano Scirea (Italy)

4 Daniel Passarella (Argentina)

3 Bobby Moore (England)

2 Franco Baresi (Italy)

1 Franz Beckenbauer (Germany)

 

[gigimarulla]

i'd consider bergomi a defensive sideback more than a centerback, that was the position where he played for the biggest part of his career with both Italy and Inter. Like Paolo Maldini, he started to play as central defender when he was older.
A player i would insert according to my tastes is Lilian Thuram,and the reason is exactly the opposite of Maldini and Bergomi's one: many people knows him because he was the right sideback of the France that won everything, but in Serie A he played 90% of his matches as a central defender and he was simply amazing....during his Parma years he was like a black taller and faster Baresi, believe me

 

[ThomasGOAL]

Blanc are better than Desailly IMO
and if you put Lucio in this top 50, the place will be 50th, this guy are really good only under Mourinho.

 

[ALBICELESTE2010]

Sergio Goycochea wasn't probably the best goalkeepers in the world... his full career was nothing spectacular, and he was probably "limited" in some ways... but who else has almost single-handedly taken his country to the World Cup final, like Goyco did in 1990? He would probably be a world champion too (without FIFA and Havelange fixing the outcome).

For his legendary performance in that tournament alone (and being among the first PK specialists) he should have been on this list. At least in the spots between 50 and 45.

Other than that, it was a good list.

Indeed and Codesal. If I was Troglio I would have decked him.

But not for me .Carrizo and Fillol are in their right positions.Gattiwould be ahead of him.

Carrizo was the first keeper to sweep behind his backline and initiate play for River Plate's maquina. Total football long before the Dutch claimed to have invented it.

If only we could have a keeper like him now.

 

[Glavisted]

Blanc are better than Desailly IMO

Do you think?, I believe Desailly was more consistent than Blanc during his career.

and if you put Lucio in this top 50, the place will be 50th, this guy are really good only under Mourinho.

Actually, I think Lúcio reached his highest peak playing for Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Münich. Sometimes, I think he's one of the most underrated contemporary defenders in Europe.

 

[Rentalkid]

Do you think?, I believe Desailly was more consistent than Blanc during his career.


Actually, I think Lúcio reached his highest peak playing for Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Münich. Sometimes, I think he's one of the most underrated contemporary defenders in Europe.

I fully agree. Saying he was only good under Mourinho is completely ignoring his amazing performances for both Leverkusen and Bayern--where only his last two years were somewhat disappointing. As someone who has watched almost all of his games during his Bundesliga days I can claim that Lucio would actually make my top ten. He is often criticized for mindless attacks, but the truth is: A huge amount of these "outbreaks" lead to great chances and even goals, only very, very few backfired.
Dude is amazing. Fifteen years of watching football and I can't say I "fell in love" with any other player like that.

 

[ALBICELESTE2010]

Oscar Ruggieri should be in that list for centrebacks.

 

[gerd]

Good list Glavisted.
I'm not sure i would include Blanc, to me Tresor and Dessailly are both much better.
I also would include Walter Meeuws (although around the 50 the place) and also Ruud Krol or Arrie Haan (both did play CB in big tournaments, although they are maybe better known as LB and midfielder). Oops, Krol is included (very good). There is another Dutch player from the great Ajax team who isn't there: Barry Hulshoff. He should have been in the WC 1974, but he was injured.

 

[Glavisted]

Oscar Ruggieri should be in that list for centrebacks.

There is another Dutch player from the great Ajax team who isn't there: Barry Hulshoff. He should have been in the WC 1974, but he was injured.

Both of them (Ruggeri and Hulshoff) were very close in the final preselection, before the 60th position (as Frank de Boer, Cor van der Hart and Roberto Ayala).

I also would include Walter Meeuws (although around the 50 the place)

I'd put him around 70th place, the best Belgian in the final selection.

Do you know something about Laurent Verbiest?

I've already started the selection of fullbacks or side backs. Any suggestions would be welcome.

 

[gerd]

Jesus Glavisted, do you know Laurent Verbiest.
I'm too young to have actually seen him. He was Anderlecht's young central defender who died in a car crash in 1966. He was compared to Beckenbauer at the time of his death. The first match he played for Anderlecht was against Pele' s Santos. And he was magnificent. All in all we will never know how good he actually could have become...It's possible that he would never have fullfilled his enormous potential if hadn't died...we will never know.
This was at the time that out national team was not very good and our clubs neither (in short, like now)...so it is possible that you would never have heard of him...his dead made him something of a myth, which might be an overstimation.

 

[ALBICELESTE2010]

Fair enough Glavisted. I really rate Ruggieri well ahead of Ayala. I'd put Sensini ahead of Ayala for instance. Indeed the recent crop of Argentine centrebacks has been poor but there is hope in the younger generation ie Munoz and Musacchio.

For sidebacks for Argentina I'd put forward just two names Silvio Marzolini . Classy attacking fullback who also knew how to defend and Javier Zanetti.

 

[ThomasGOAL]

Good list Glavisted.
I'm not sure i would include Blanc, to me Tresor and Dessailly are both much better.

Strange (for me) too again Desailly in front of Blanc, Blanc play alot in Ligue 1 with Montpellier, Auxerre, Mînes and Marseille with strange destination like Napoli, maybe that why, Desailly do almost all the career outside France in big clubs (Nantes and OM in France and 5 years in Milan and 6 at Chelsea) but with Les Bleus, Laurent Blanc are the real big boss in central defense.

 

[tuta]

I'm with Glavisted. Blanc may be the leader but Desailly was the most skilled of the two, starting as a midfielder and quickly becoming a powerful defender. And I would have also included Thuram as a CB.

Great list Glavisted.

 

[ThomasGOAL]

3 vs 1 ok you beat me

 

[pk9]

This is great education mate...great stuff!!!

 

[Glavisted]

Jesus Glavisted, do you know Laurent Verbiest.
I'm too young to have actually seen him. He was Anderlecht's young central defender who died in a car crash in 1966. He was compared to Beckenbauer at the time of his death. The first match he played for Anderlecht was against Pele' s Santos. And he was magnificent. All in all we will never know how good he actually could have become...It's possible that he would never have fullfilled his enormous potential if hadn't died...we will never know.
This was at the time that out national team was not very good and our clubs neither (in short, like now)...so it is possible that you would never have heard of him...his dead made him something of a myth, which might be an overstimation.

Thanks for your comment mate. Was difficult to me rate him because his early death. Probably will be similar the situation of English Duncan Edwards in the ranking of defensive midfielders.

 

[Glavisted]

For sidebacks for Argentina I'd put forward just two names Silvio Marzolini . Classy attacking fullback who also knew how to defend and Javier Zanetti.

Actually, Argentine Carlos Sosa will be the 50th position in the next minutes.

 

[ALBICELESTE2010]

Not a bad choice Glavisted. One of Boca's best players in the time of River's dominance along with Corcuera who is still alive.

This is a great thread. Should be a must for younger members of the board to learn some footballing history.

 

[Glavisted]

Already done the next list:


Top 50 Greatest Side Defenders

This is the summary list, I posted the complete in my blog in Spanish with their respective descriptions (http://glavisted.blogspot.com/2010/11/top-50-de-defensas-laterales.html):

50 Carlos Sosa (Argentina)

49 Mauro Tassotti (Italy)

48 Wim Suurbier (Netherlands)

47 Ashley Cole (England)

46 Marinho Chagas (Brazil)

45 Anatoliy Demyanenko (Soviet Union)

44 Artur (Portugal)

43 Rafael Gordillo (Spain)

42 Karl Sesta (Austria)

41 John Greig (Scotland)

40 Joan Segarra (Spain)

39 Reinhold Münzenberg (Germany)

38 Luis Eyzaguirre (Chile)

37 Pietro Rava (Italy)

36 Eric Gerets (Belgium)

35 Ray Wilson (England)

34 Tarcisio Burgnich (Italy)

33 Júnior (Brazil)

32 Manuel Amoros (France)

31 Hans-Peter Briegel (Germany)

30 Phil Neal (England)

29 Jorginho (Brazil)

28 Víctor Rodríguez Andrade (Uruguay)

27 Bob Crompton (England)

26 Manfred Kaltz (Germany)

25 Jimmy Armfield (England)

24 Bixente Lizarazu (France)

23 Paul Janes (Germany)

22 Nelinho (Brazil)

21 Claudio Gentile (Italy)

20 Renzo De Vecchi (Italy)

19 Eddie Hapgood (England)

18 José Antonio Camacho (Spain)

17 Danny McGrain (Scotland)

16 Leandro (Brazil)

15 Branko Zebec (Yugoslavia)

14 Antonio Cabrini (Italy)

13 Andreas Brehme (Germany)

12 Javier Zanetti (Argentina)

11 Silvio Marzolini (Argentina)

10 Berti Vogts (Germany)

9 Cafú (Brazil)

8 Lilian Thuram (France)

7 Karl-Heinz Schnellinger (Germany)

6 Roberto Carlos (Brazil)

5 Djalma Santos (Brazil)

4 Carlos Alberto (Brazil)

3 Giacinto Facchetti (Italy)

2 Nílton Santos (Brazil)

1 Paolo Maldini (Italy)