The Definitive TWF World XI thread (1986-present) - CENTRE FORWARD VOTING OPEN

[AndyWolves]

Maradona
Zidane
Ronaldinho
Pirlo
Gerrard
Scholes

 

[AndyWolves]

Scholes is a bona fide legend. Slightly tainted by his final three years at international level being $#@!e and no, it wasn't because Sven put him on the left wing. Then he was done with England before he was 30.

Look who's winning these, they've all been unbelievable at club and national level. Couldn't say that about Scholesy bar maybe a brief purple patch between 1999 and 2001 (when England were $#@!).

Scholes isn't the only player to be amazing at club level but not international. For the purposes of this I'm only thinking about when these players were at their absolute best. I wonder if scholes, who was notoriously shy, didn't like the change from club to country

 

[Boozad]

Zidane
Maradona (I was 9 in '86 and he blew me away, unreal)
Modric
Scholes
Ronaldinho
Lampard

 

[Tyrannosaurus Dan]

Zidane
Gascoigne
Gullit
Xavi
Iniesta
Scholes

 

[Jack Regan]

Zidane
Iniesta
Rivaldo
Ronaldinho
Xavi
Roberto Baggio

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Surely Maradona is the archetypal 10? If you cant have Messi here then surely Maradona shouldn't be

 

[Jack Regan]

Surely Maradona is the archetypal 10? If you cant have Messi here then surely Maradona shouldn't be

Messi has played either wide right or these days as a false 9 never really played off of a forward from my recollection. Not successfully anyway, has played in that position for Argentina though. I think Maradona is probably the best player ever but I was 5 in 1986 so couldn't really put him in.

 

[AndyWolves]

I was too young to see maradona play but from what I've seen he's amazing so he goes in. Rolling Stones released most of their stuff before I was born but I still listen to them occasionally

 

[b3h]

Zidane could have easily been my #1 instead of #5, hard category, they're all hard ha!! Had to give Laudrup some love. Possibly my fav ever.

 

[Templeton Peck]

Surely Maradona is the archetypal 10? If you cant have Messi here then surely Maradona shouldn't be

I was thinking that. He played mainly 10, sometimes left wing and striker.

 

[MARKakaJIM]

We said having a number 10 in this position was alright because the formation doesn't really allow one anywhere else.

I'd have more issue with Ronaldinho or Rivaldo being included here, I only ever remember either playing wide.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Messi isn't a number 10, Barca never play him there.

 

[Nando]

We said having a number 10 in this position was alright because the formation doesn't really allow one anywhere else.

I'd have more issue with Ronaldinho or Rivaldo being included here, I only ever remember either playing wide.

Indeed. Ronny always played from the left.

 

[MARKakaJIM]

Indeed. Ronny always played from the left.

Indeed, if Messi is a wide forward then Ronaldinho has to be too, he just played the opposite side in the same team.

 

[slink]

Zidane
Xavi
Iniesta
Gerrard
Seedorf
Totti

 

[Jack Regan]

We said having a number 10 in this position was alright because the formation doesn't really allow one anywhere else.

I'd have more issue with Ronaldinho or Rivaldo being included here, I only ever remember either playing wide.

I don't think Rivaldo ever particularly played wide for Barcelona or Brasil. However having picked Ronaldinho myself although he certainly could of played as a 10 he didn't really (Rivaldo played there for Brasil at the time) although he certainly wasn't stuck in a wide position for Barcelona but did tend to operate from an inside left position.

However I suspect with this formation you're always going to struggle to incorporate that type of player. Zidane himself wouldn't necessarily be suited to a 3 man midfield.

 

[MARKakaJIM]

I don't think Rivaldo ever particularly played wide for Barcelona or Brasil. However having picked Ronaldinho myself although he certainly could of played as a 10 he didn't really (Rivaldo played there for Brasil at the time) although he certainly wasn't stuck in a wide position for Barcelona but did tend to operate from an inside left position.

However I suspect with this formation you're always going to struggle to incorporate that type of player. Zidane himself wouldn't necessarily be suited to a 3 man midfield.

I'll bow to your knowledge with Rivaldo, he's one of those players I can certainly remember being around but can't really remember ever watching him play to any great extent.

There's always going to be a bit of fudging with these sorts of things though, you've got to go with a formation to begin with but then you get to individuals that you really want to include and they don't really fit the shape so you're stuck in some early 00s England manager mode of just bodging things as best you can to fit the names in. As you say you wouldn't really have Zidane in this shape at all, unless you maybe when for two more defensive midfielders in there with him but then you're pretty much playing 4231 anyway. I think his case is a bit different to Ronaldinho though, if you're picking Zizou this is the only position you could feasibly make it work, whereas Ronaldinho would be a much better fit as a wide forward in a 433 than as one of the deeper players in my opinion, so it just seems illogical to include him here rather than later on. Also, for me personally, at first thought there a lot more top options for this position than the wide forwards anyway so it'd be a lot easier to pick someone else in his place than it would later on.

 

[YoungWolf]

Zidane
Iniesta
Scholes
Modric
Seedorf
Ballack

 

[BillyDee]

Firstly, thanks to Deutch for doing this, it's been fun.

There is always an argument for picking an XI that could actually play together rather than player by player.
However Zidane is God and could play 1-11.

Yes I have been drinking.

 

[Alan]

Zinedine Zidane
Gheorghe Hagi
Ruud Gullit
Jay-Jay Okocha
Clarence Seedorf
Jari Litmanen