h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

What's everyone's all time football XI?

Here's mine:

Neville Southall

Franz Beckenbauer Franco Baresi
Paolo Maldini Roberto Carlos

Johan Cruyff Diego Marradonna
Stanley Matthews George Best

Pele Dixie Dean

That was supposed to come out in a fancy formation but didn't. I should point out that it would be a 4-4-2 with wingers.

Goalkeeper: Neville Southall
Right Back: Paolo Maldini
Left Back: Roberto Carlos
Centre Back: Franz Beckenbauer
Centre Back: Franco Baresi
Right Wing: Stanley Matthews
Left Wing: George Best
Midfielder: Johan Cruyff
Midfielder: Diego Maradonna
Centre Fwd: Pele
Centre Fwd: William Ralph "Dixie" Dean

Substitutes:

GK: Zenga
Def: Bobby Moore
Mid: Jarzinho
Fwd: Eusebio

What's so good about Neville Southall? He is far from the best goalie I've ever seen. I reckon Barthez is better, although he is a little inconsistent. The fact is, I'm a little young to remember any stunning keepers from yonder days. Gordon Banks is generally acknowledged to be pretty high on the list.

Throughout the 1980s neville southall's heroics helped everton to a number of cups, and along with Ian Rush, he was the only player who helped wales avoid being as bad as they are now. You say that Barthez is very good, but erratic- well it's that suicidal tendency that leads me to disregard him. People have a tendancy to only look to flamboyant players, but a reliable goalkeeper like southall could pull of sensational saves when needed and would avoid the silly cock-ups barthez is prone to. neville southall ended up as a portly figure of fun, but for about 6 years in the 1980s he was probably the best goalkeeper in the world.

jpoB, Egon is an Everton fan, which explains his madness

I don't think Paulo Maldini would appreciate you switching him from left to right .

An XI composed only of players I've seen play (I'm told Sir Stan was a fairly good player but I've never seen him do his thing) might be:

Schmeichel

Maldini
Matteus
De Boer (either)
A N Other

Baggio
Maradona
Zidane
Hagi

Van Basten
Ronaldo

I've switched Maldini to the right because I really couldn't think of any good right backs, and Maldini is more versatile than Roberto Carlos. And I think it's less of a liberty than not caring which DeBoer is in defence, considering Ronnie's a forward!!

I couldn't remember which was which, but I meant whichever one was the defender. Frank it is then.

Maybe I could take both and put one at right back!

Here's my real all time team

Formation 2-3-5

1. Jan Thomaschewski (Clown)
2. Franco Baresi
3. Paulo Maldini
4. Wolfgang Overath
5. Socrates
6. Diego Maradona
7. Johan Croyff
8. Gerd Muller
9. Marco Van Basten
10. Fenerc Puskas
11. Pele

Bench

12. Neville Southall
13. Emil Butragueno
14. Kenny Dalglish
15. Sandor Kocsis
16. Leto
17. Franz Beckanbaur

Puskas is there because -


83 goals in 84 caps

Did you know that the most capped player in the world is Claudio Suarez of Mexico who now has 165 caps, and is still only 33 !!!

Puskas is there because -


83 goals in 84 caps

Did you know that the most capped player in the world is Claudio Suarez of Mexico who now has 165 caps, and is still only 33 !!!

Yay! Someone else picking Big Nev (even if it is only as sub).

I have to agree that during the mid 80's Neville Southall was one of the best keepers in the world

tHANK YOU. nOW CAN YOU TRY TO PERSUADE THOSE TWO FROM EARLIER. fUTURE WORLD DICTATOR AND THE OTHER ONE.

I was only joking . Southall was a *very* good keeper, but not as good as Schmeichel.

B*****ks!

What about Andoni Zubizaretta. He was a class goalkeeper for Spain !!

Damn fine point. And don't forget Zenga and Zoff for Italy. I just think that Southall's performances in the 80s earn him a place in my all time XI. And, FWD, I'm not exactly going to agree that Schmeichel's a God when the b****rd scored against us the other week am I?

Ahh Walter Zenga !!!

He went too play in the MLS a couple of years ago.

That reminds me Hristo Stoitchkov - what a striker !!

Egon you had already won. And I think it should have been fairly obvious to your defence where the cross was going.

We have strikers aplenty but we're a little short on right backs - an essential part of any team as demonstated by England's lack of one.

Actually, Schmeichel went up again a minute further into stoppage time, but didn't connect.

Has there ever been a truly world-class right-back?