Had a wee think about this and I'd say the world's ultimate team right now is:

The Brazil defence:

Cesar, Marcelo, Maicon, Lucio and Thiago Silva.

The Barca midfield:

Busquets, Xavi and Iniesta.

A mixed forward line:

C Ron, Messi, and Ibra.

Agree? Disagree?

I'm gonna have to go with the Drog over Ibra.

*gasp*

Drogba's form is debatable right now. In theory yes, on form he's a terrific forward. But this season he's found himself benched more than once.

What about the GK? I really don't know, I'd probably say Reina.

The second half malaria hit him. But he's getting back. And in the beginning of the season he was immense.

Not Cesar?



The whole team was then they fired Wilkins.

God no, not anymore. The amount of mistakes this guy has made of late.

I would have picked Cech, but since the knee to the head incident he hasn't been the same, Gigi is too old, though he was easily my pick for best goalkeeper for the past decade & some. Casillas & Valdes, do they even need to make saves anymore?!

Reina doesn't have much infront of him in terms of defence and whilst he does make the odd mistake he's making a number of quality interventions in most games.

I'd practically take Manuel Neuer (the German NT and Schalke 04 guy) than Reina 99 times out of 100. For now though Cesar does the job, he has the right mix of skills and experience. If we ever went with three keepers in this team, than the other GK would have to be Casillas.

Other than that, can't really argue with the squad Danny put up! Maybe take Busquets out and put some like Xabi Alonso in, but then again these are just trivial changes. This is quite a strong team, one that can take on anybody!

Casillas
Dani Alves, Silva, Vidic, Evra
Essien, Xavi, Iniesta
Messi, CR
Drogba

I've heard a lot about Neuer, and seen some decent performances though I don't follow the Bundesliga close enough to really be able to say. Same with Stekelenburg really.


Yeah, obviously except Barca

"The Brazil defense" in World's best team... it's almost surreal how the only department they weren't great at once upon a time has now become arguably their strongest. who would've thought?

Anyway, agree with most of it. maybe I'd put Eto'o in there instead of Ibra who is amazing but not one of the world's top 3 forwards amazing.

The guy's good. Better than two Reina's any given Sunday. Ask Fillipo, and he'll say the same I reckon! Maybe you can see a bit of him when Schalke play Manchester United in a few week's time. He is their captain at the age of 25, and was the only German keeper included in the five nominated for UEFA Team of the Year.

Point being, he is good. Neuer just has that special something about him that even Julio Cesar lacks, that confident aura, the one guys like Buffon and Oliver Khan had, though obviously he is quite young!


No comment.

I still think Buffon is the best keeper. Marcelo isn't a good enough defender to be in the World Team of the Year or anything. But then a Scot isn't going to pick Ashley Cole is he?

Most over rated player in England.

+1. The guy is good, but his hype-to-performance ratio is beyond imagination.

He's the best left back I've ever seen and, easily, the best England player I've ever seen.

Each to their own.

ashley cole overated define bale then..... cole for me is best LB atleast in England and then the way he handles of field events is amazing

So, let's try this one:

Casillas
Lahm - Silva - Nesta - Cole
Xavi-Schweinsteiger-Iniesta
Messi-CR
Drogba

You think he's better than Maldini?

I think you mean Gareth Bale. Unless you mean English player.

Yeah, that's what I thought about too when I first read Kurt's post. For me I think the 1st spot goes to Paolo, and a distant second is Roberto Carlo. Anyway, the best English players (of recent times, of course) that I would rate would be Beckham, Lampard and Ferdinand in that order.

Terry is a better defender than Ferdinand in my view.

Roberto Carlos was great too, I don't think Cole is at that level.

Probably. But he's a sick basturd. And wears slippery boots. But really both are on the same plane, I think that's round about what players can aim to be whose names aren't Maldini and Nesta. I like sliding tackles in my defenders, clean, accurate, sliding tackles that aren't coated in malice.

And this is something most defenders of today lack - they are just plain scared of going on the attack when defending.

Well, it's not easy to pick the right players since I watch some leagues (quite) often but some (quite) rarely, but here it goes:

This season Eto'o really impressed me a lot, I mean, he is one of the best strikers nowadays, carrying a poor Inter this season. Of course, Messi is an easy pick also. David Villa also is one forward that has been impressing me a lot. Xavi and Iniesta are obvious picks. I figure I now need a more defensive midfielder to complete the midfield+attack part. Essien looks like a save choice.

Thiago Silva is really amazing, but Nesta is nowadays not the best central defender anymore like he used to be for many, many, many, many, many, many years. Lúcio also has been a central defender that has impressed me for many years, and I guess nowadays he would be the better pick. Neuer has become a great goalkeeper and has impressed me a lot, while Julio César has made some failures lately. Full-backs are tough to choose. I will go for Maicon, should be the best right-back even though he might not have his best season. Lahm usually is great also.

Et voilà:

I started watching Milan from about 1999 and towards the end he played at CB anyways, not LB. When he did play LB towards the end of his career, it tarnished his reputation in that position a little because he was beyond awful. Cole is the best left back I've ever seen. Maybe he'll get worse, but he rarely ever puts a foot wrong positionall and when he does his pace makes up for it. Going forward he's something else. Lahm is the overrated big name LB, in my opinion. Whenever he plays there he just seems to make mistakes, he's a far better RB.

I have mostly watched Lahm play for his country and for them he always looked good. Not so whenever I watched him play club football.

Cole has never really impressed me personally. I've seen some very good games from him and some average ones but I can't recall a game in which he wowed me. Can't recall a bad game either.

Maldini never was beyond awful, your head is!

Also, Roberto Carlos >>>> A.Cole

reading the bold part, makes me not taking you one bit serious when it comes to left-backs... in those ''beyond awful'' days of Maldini as left-back he was better than Cole ever has been

Yeah I just came back for this... so Kurt you have not seen Maldini at left back in his prime years but what about RC, don't you think he's better than Cole?

In his final years, when asked to play at left back, he was a complete liability. God forbid I have a different opinion, people can't take me seriously because I'm not a sheep and can think for myself.


No, I never saw Maldini in his prime years. But I did state "Ashley Cole is the best left back I have ever seen". I never thought much of Carlos defensively.

Lahm was awful in the KO stages of Euro 2008. Yes, he got MotM against Turkey because he scored the winner, but look at both Turkey goals (admittedly Lehmann was part to blame for one) and tell me which defender got completely schooled for both. He was als at fault for the goal in the Final. He's a much, much, better right back.

I think Luca Antonini is way better then any of the mentioned players. He'd kick Coles @ss

Carlos was just a flashy name, who could score these mad free-kicks, defensively he was not great. Maldini better than A.Cole? Definitely.

You would be better off as a sheep.

Nah.

RC was solid defensively and great attacking. Not just a flashy name at all. You don't have a glorious career like he had just because of free kicks. He and Cafu on flanks for Brazil was a great thing to watch.

Cafu was good, but R.Carlos was like Dani Alves, good in attack, not that great defensively, had a wicked shot and that's why he got the hype, oh and he was Brazilian, it helps imo.

Of course he was much better attacking but not weak in defense at all. Many players are hyped, so what? hype alone won't make you be a Brazil starter for 15 years and over 10 years at Real Madrid. I can argue that because some parts of his game were flashy (like free kicks), some people couldn't see beyond that.

Poor old Kurt taking a beating for criticising Paolo at LB. Guess what, he's right!

Paolo was a God for years for us, but towards the end of his time, his timing went, his positioning was screwy, and he gave away a lot of cheap fouls, mostly in the LB position.

I love Paolo - possibly the greatest defender of all time, but I do suspect some remember him from his glory days and erase the slightly negative end to his career at Milan.

It's rare I back up the Cole lovin' Walker, but there ye go!

Oddly enough I agree with this. But I can't stand Cole on any level so maybe I'm biased.

No, he is not right. There is a huge difference between not being at your best and being awful. If anything, the words Kurt used to describe Maldini are not ones I will agree with.

It seemed to me he was getting pelters for criticising Maldini on any level. It didn't appear to be make a difference if he was saying he was beyond awful or just not great.

If you're all upset over 'beyond awful' then it's subjective. I remember screaming at the screen at times when he gave away silly fouls and got his timing badly wrong. Things which can only be described in negative terms.

I won't get into whether 'beyond awful' is fair, but will still say Maldini was anything but imperious by the end. Bit of a shame how it finished for him really.

It would have to me.

That's as well as maybe, but I still say the team from my OP is the best

I might add Gattuso into mine, just to annoy Kurt.

You could, and it would be your opinion as mine was mine, I didn't mean to come across as if I were stating it as a fact. Just what I feel personally.

Naah, Maldini and awful in one sentence is wrong per se. Chu is right.

About Carlos, he was good, but I always prefered Cafu. We mention their defensive and offensive skill, but one has to mention their great spirit, that always normal and warm smile both carried around, and the things they've done for Brazil. Maicon, Dani Alves...sure, they're great, but in those terms, not even near to them.

More or less. Cafu and Carlos could be considered ambassadors for the Selecao. The other two? Nah!

So whoever thinks Maldini was better than awful is a sheep?


Nah, he's too close to Wales.