http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1186892/index.htm
I think this is an excellent selection.
Obviously, Beckenbauer should be added to the team, so would take out bobby moore, and replace him with Beckenbauer.
The only players (in my opinion) that are missing from his list (although I don't know who to take out) are Zidane, Uzebio, and George Best.
WHO BETTER TO NAME AN ALLTIME World Best XI than Franz Beckenbauer? Der Kaiser, 65, is the only man to have won the World Cup as a player (1974) and a coach ('90). He revolutionized the sweeper position, roaming behind the defense like a free safety in American football and pushing forward to join the attack. He won three European Cups with Bayern Munich and three NASL titles with the Cosmos. Although he would make most observers' alltime World Best XI, he graciously left himself off his list for SI. Here it is.
GOALKEEPER LEV YASHIN, SOVIET UNION Known as the Black Spider for his black outfits and what seemed like eight arms, Yashin was a remarkable shot stopper and innovator, punching difficult balls instead of catching them, ranging far from his penalty box to stop attacks and making quick throws to start counterattacks. He helped the USSR win the '56 Olympics and the '60 European championship.
RIGHT BACK CARLOS ALBERTO, BRAZIL "The best defender ever," says Beckenbauer of the captain of Brazil's '70 World Cup champions, perhaps the finest team of all time. Alberto read the game well defensively, but he also possessed refined technical skills on the ball and could serve as an additional playmaker—rare abilities at the time for a defender.
CENTER BACK BOBBY MOORE, ENGLAND The captain of the '66 World Cup winners was known for his ability to always be in the right position to make defensive plays. "He was the best center back of all time," says Beckenbauer, whose West Germany team lost to England in the '66 final.
CENTER BACK PAOLO MALDINI, ITALY He spent his entire pro career, from 1985 to 2009, with AC Milan, winning five European Cups and seven Italian championships. Maldini played the game with class and consummate skill. "He won everything possible at the club level," says Beckenbauer.
LEFT BACK GIACINTO FACCHETTI, ITALY A pioneer at left back, primarily for Inter Milan (1960--78), Facchetti was one of the first players to venture forward from his defensive spot. "He gave me the impulse to play the sweeper position in the same way," Beckenbauer says of the Italian, who won the '68 European championship and four Serie A crowns.
MIDFIELDER SIR BOBBY CHARLTON, ENGLAND One of the most famous figures in the history of Manchester United and England, Sir Bobby won the '66 World Cup and the '68 European Cup. A gifted attacker, he was also one of the first players to develop a deadly shot from outside the box.
MIDFIELDER FERENC PUSKAS, HUNGARY "He was an absolute legend, the captain and playmaker of the Hungarian team that didn't lose a match for four years," says Beckenbauer. A prolific scorer, Puskás won Olympic gold in '52 with Hungary and three European Cups with Real Madrid.
MIDFIELDER JOHAN CRUYFF, THE NETHERLANDS The epitome of Total Football, Cruyff ranged all over the field, exerting an outsized influence on the game through his speed, dribbling and passing vision. "He belongs among the five best players ever," says Beckenbauer.
FORWARD DIEGO MARADONA, ARGENTINA "He was a genius with the ball," says Der Kaiser, "and in his decade the best player in the world." No one has ever dominated a World Cup the way Maradona did in '86. He also led Argentina to the '90 World Cup final and won two Italian titles with Napoli.
FORWARD ALFREDO DI STÉFANO, ARGENTINA He never played in a World Cup, but he changed the sport as a do-everything attacker for Real Madrid, for which he won five straight European Cups in the 1950s. "His radius was over the whole field," says Der Kaiser. "The most complete player in history."
FORWARD PELÉ, BRAZIL He was the main reason Beckenbauer wanted to join the Cosmos. "The best who ever existed," says Beckenbauer of O Rei, the magician who won three World Cups with Brazil and became the most famous man on the planet.
I think this is an excellent selection.
Obviously, Beckenbauer should be added to the team, so would take out bobby moore, and replace him with Beckenbauer.
The only players (in my opinion) that are missing from his list (although I don't know who to take out) are Zidane, Uzebio, and George Best.
WHO BETTER TO NAME AN ALLTIME World Best XI than Franz Beckenbauer? Der Kaiser, 65, is the only man to have won the World Cup as a player (1974) and a coach ('90). He revolutionized the sweeper position, roaming behind the defense like a free safety in American football and pushing forward to join the attack. He won three European Cups with Bayern Munich and three NASL titles with the Cosmos. Although he would make most observers' alltime World Best XI, he graciously left himself off his list for SI. Here it is.
GOALKEEPER LEV YASHIN, SOVIET UNION Known as the Black Spider for his black outfits and what seemed like eight arms, Yashin was a remarkable shot stopper and innovator, punching difficult balls instead of catching them, ranging far from his penalty box to stop attacks and making quick throws to start counterattacks. He helped the USSR win the '56 Olympics and the '60 European championship.
RIGHT BACK CARLOS ALBERTO, BRAZIL "The best defender ever," says Beckenbauer of the captain of Brazil's '70 World Cup champions, perhaps the finest team of all time. Alberto read the game well defensively, but he also possessed refined technical skills on the ball and could serve as an additional playmaker—rare abilities at the time for a defender.
CENTER BACK BOBBY MOORE, ENGLAND The captain of the '66 World Cup winners was known for his ability to always be in the right position to make defensive plays. "He was the best center back of all time," says Beckenbauer, whose West Germany team lost to England in the '66 final.
CENTER BACK PAOLO MALDINI, ITALY He spent his entire pro career, from 1985 to 2009, with AC Milan, winning five European Cups and seven Italian championships. Maldini played the game with class and consummate skill. "He won everything possible at the club level," says Beckenbauer.
LEFT BACK GIACINTO FACCHETTI, ITALY A pioneer at left back, primarily for Inter Milan (1960--78), Facchetti was one of the first players to venture forward from his defensive spot. "He gave me the impulse to play the sweeper position in the same way," Beckenbauer says of the Italian, who won the '68 European championship and four Serie A crowns.
MIDFIELDER SIR BOBBY CHARLTON, ENGLAND One of the most famous figures in the history of Manchester United and England, Sir Bobby won the '66 World Cup and the '68 European Cup. A gifted attacker, he was also one of the first players to develop a deadly shot from outside the box.
MIDFIELDER FERENC PUSKAS, HUNGARY "He was an absolute legend, the captain and playmaker of the Hungarian team that didn't lose a match for four years," says Beckenbauer. A prolific scorer, Puskás won Olympic gold in '52 with Hungary and three European Cups with Real Madrid.
MIDFIELDER JOHAN CRUYFF, THE NETHERLANDS The epitome of Total Football, Cruyff ranged all over the field, exerting an outsized influence on the game through his speed, dribbling and passing vision. "He belongs among the five best players ever," says Beckenbauer.
FORWARD DIEGO MARADONA, ARGENTINA "He was a genius with the ball," says Der Kaiser, "and in his decade the best player in the world." No one has ever dominated a World Cup the way Maradona did in '86. He also led Argentina to the '90 World Cup final and won two Italian titles with Napoli.
FORWARD ALFREDO DI STÉFANO, ARGENTINA He never played in a World Cup, but he changed the sport as a do-everything attacker for Real Madrid, for which he won five straight European Cups in the 1950s. "His radius was over the whole field," says Der Kaiser. "The most complete player in history."
FORWARD PELÉ, BRAZIL He was the main reason Beckenbauer wanted to join the Cosmos. "The best who ever existed," says Beckenbauer of O Rei, the magician who won three World Cups with Brazil and became the most famous man on the planet.
