You missed out the real Ronaldo (Il Fenomeno…R9). I’d comfortably put him as better than CR7
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Ohh I love these.
Mine would be this, and playing a 433 (without too much thinking)
Neuer
RB - Cafu
CB - Sammer
CB - Thuram
LB - Maldini
CM - Keane
CM - Souness
CM - Alonso
FW - Ronaldo (Brazilian)
FW - Maradona
FW - Messi
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cant see this team working…
As Souness would probably wipe Keane out in the 1st minute,
just to show him who’s boss of the midfield
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Some of those wouldnt even make my 7th all time XI.
Also any team that doesnt have Zizou in it is factually incorrect.
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Much like your Casillas pick then!
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Undoubtedly he does. He is up there with Messi but apart from World Cups I really didn’t see him play. Were his club games even televised? I just have no memory of seeing him play in european cup etc. Same with Pele. Only saw him play a few games every 4 years and in 1966 he was kicked to pieces.
Probably why I rate Messi as the best. I have seen so much of him.
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Now that is a leader I would follow without hesitation 
I see your Beckham and raise by a Pogba
Yep that’s a good quinella.
Rounding off the Trifecta without too much thought one of these? Andy Carroll, Lakaku
The Messi thread goes in all directions.
I mean is that really a surprise? 
It’s winning and kicking goals……
Ok that’s enough - time for me to fuck off to bed. See you in the match thread
Saw Maradona a fair bit, and am unsure how Messi is rated near him.
But thats the nature of things, its all about choice.
I’m thinking about the great central defenders we have seen over the years. Ramos would not get in my team. Nowhere near. As for goalkeepers, Casillas wouldn’t either.
Without even looking farther afield than this generation’s L4, both positions can be significantly improved as Alisson is better than Casillas, and Van Dijk better than Ramos.
Even limiting it to the same post code, but thinking of greats over the years, goalkeepers I would have ahead of Casillas include: Alisson, Reina, Grobbelar, Clemence, and how good Elisha Scott was, who knows, but if it is all time he has to be in the conversation.
Liverpool central defenders better than Ramos?
Van Dijk already mentioned. No contest there. Also, how about Hansen, Lawrenson, Thompson, Hyypia, Smith, Hughes, Yeats?
I would have all of them as better than Ramos.
We have had some incredible players, and in just those two positions, lots better than Casillas and Ramos, and that’s before casting the net globally.
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Maradona was that good. If you see what he did at unfancied Napoli against seriously good Juve and Milan teams pretty amazing taking them to the title.
Some of those WC 86 performances were next level ridiculous. We all know what he did to England in the quarters. What he did to Belgium in the Semis was unbelievable.
Consider he was the most fouled player ever at WCs in 86, 90 and 82.
All that said would say Messi is up there with him and surpasses him if only on longevity. Messi has been at the top for like 15 years which is incredible.
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Beckham today would be not much more than Ward-Prowse imho. And to address an all time XI posted above, Manuel Neuer has to rank high in the overrated stakes. A good keeper, no doubt, but gee he gets a proper arse licking.
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No, that would be Pele. England only won in 66 because he was kicked and fouled out of the tournament.
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The tackles he delt with were minor in comparison to what Pele delt with, and the '66 world cup was so bad he walked away from international football and only returned after a military coupe in Brazil pressured him into coming back in '69.
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Flying the '66 flag is an irony lost only to the English and their gossamer-thin devotion to “fair-play” and “class”.
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What are you talking about. I don’t any English who fly the 66 flag. In fact, most English are embarrassed the only time the world cuo was won, was so long ago it’s irrelevant.