Buffon (Milan/Italy)

Cafu (Roma/Brazil)
Maldini (Milan)
Hyypia (Liverpool/Finland)
McGrath (Ireland)

Alonso (Liverpool/Spain)
Keane (Ireland)
Garcia (Liverpool)
Zidane (France)

Drogba (Chelsea)
Fat Ronaldo (Brazil)



I'm almost serious about Garcia. Subs bench; Kahn, Costacurta, Ayala, Whelan, Duff, Fowler

Edit: Zizou beats Rivaldo. Idiot.

OTF All-stars tour of London W9, 2006/07

P Hobbes
D Wingco
C-T Tips
B Ooo-Aah
E Liquidatore
G Munchkin
B D Gussett
J Bignutz
H Zinser
T Genius
P Grundy
EI Monologue
D Diggedy
DGL Hand
JT Saint
S FritzinaFez


G Octopus- coach

Sorry if I forgot anyone

I'm applying standards here. I have to have seen them play in a competitive game, so Messi & both Ronaldos strolling around Lansdowne Road doesn't count.

R Dassayev (USSR)

L Thuram (France)
D Irwin (Man Utd & Ireland)
P McGrath (Aston Villa & Ireland)
P Maldini (Italy)

R Keane (Man Utd & Ireland)
Z Zidane (France)
G Hoddle (Tottenham & England)
R Gullit (Holland)

I Belanov (USSR)
M Van Basten (Holland)

Subs:
N Southall (Everton)
O Kuznetsov (USSR)
G Hagi (Romania)
O Ardiles (Tottenham)
G Lineker (Tottenham & England)

Lev Yashin
Carlos Alberto
Franz Beckenbauer
Oscar Ruggeri
Martin Peters
Alan Hudson
Johan Neeskens
Bobby Charlton
George Best
Dennis Law
Andreas Kavasniak
Peter Osgood
Giorgio Chinaglia

I once saw Puskas playing in a veterans' game when he was about 56, but I guess he didn't count as great by then. He stood around in the centre circle for most of the game, from where he eventually fired a shot over the bar. Also saw Romario three or four years ago, and he was worse than that....

I'm only putting down players I saw play well at the time I saw them, because both Maradona and Zidane were awful when I saw them play. I'm also considering consistency, a lot of these players I've seen play well on multiple occasions and I doubt anyone in the world was playing better at that time.

Neville Southall (Everton)

Fabio Coentrao (Benfica)
Alan Hansen (Liverpool)
Tony Afams (Arsenal & England)
Gary Neville (Man Utd & England)

Pedro Barbosa (Sporting)
Riquelme (Villareal)
Tim Cahill (Millwall)
Glen Hoddle (Tottenham, Swindon & England)

Teddy Sheringham (Millwall)
Ian Rush (Liverpool)

edit: crap, I've left out Dalglish and I'd love to have Steve Claridge in their too.

I'm applying standards here. I have to have seen them play in a competitive game

Yeah I'm avoiding the friendlies too. You can't really judge rivaldo on the basis of how well he avoided a lunge from Robbie Savage.

Van Der Saar (Holland)

G Neville (Man Utd)
R Ferdinand (Man Utd)
L Thuram (France)
R Carlos (R Madrid)

L Figo (R Madrid)
Z Zidane (France)
R Giggs (Man Utd)
R Keane (Man Utd)

V Nistelrooy (Man Utd)
F Ronaldo (R Madrid)

To be honest I've never seen Giggs play well live, and Keane was past his best by the time I saw him. But then if i was basing this purely on performance I'd include Ledley King

Which stadium?

(I love these threads... I hope you mean 'personally seen, playing brilliantly' and not just 'as seen on TV')

And glancing at ooh aah, above... still not sure, but I have seen all of the below, live, so:

GK Pat Jennings (Northern Ireland)

RB Danny McGrain (Celtic)

LB Andreas Brehme (Kaiserslautern)
(all of the shit about an 'engine' is out the window, when you see him RUN)

CB Tom Forsyth (Glasgow Rangers)
(yes, I know... but he didnt have to move, to stop others... he just out-thought them/us)

CB Billy (Budgie) McGhee (Clydebank)
(used to play for Clydebank, possibly others. He was languid, and ... couldnt be bothered. He was perfect. Always got the ball without fouling, and I still have never seen anyone better)

RM Jimmy Johnstone (Martini)

LM Laurie Cunningham (Real Madrid)
(I might have to come back to this, but in Madrid, v Celtic, he was majestic)

CM Bobby Murdoch (Celtic)
(its beginning to be a little biased, but this MAN stands up against all other hard bastards, and would eat Keane and Vieira for breakfast)

CM Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
(Admittedly, I was under the affluence of incohol, but what he did to Atletico Madrid, without trying, was ... well, just )

CF Derek Johnstone (Glasgow Rangers)
(bustling, fat bastard, scored the best goal I have ever seen (Scotland v Northern Ireland, (Thierry v Atletico, on my birthday, notwithstanding)). A fucking nightmare to play against, on his day)

CF Kenny Dalglish (Liverpool)
(although, I saw Jimmy Greaves play, once, and fucking hell, pissed or not, he could shit goals... Dalglish always looked knackered, and no-one, NO-ONE, has ever looked happier when he scored)

Sub: Tommy Gemmill* (Celtic)
(see Brehme. Could play anywhere, anytime. More likely to score, but different age.

My team above, is personally watched, performances, unbettered by my own eyes. (Facking poetic for 7:29 on a Sunday morning)

I have watched better players, over a longer period, but, apart from Laurie Cunningham*, I am almost certain, that I have never seen anyone play better, on that day with my own eyes.

(Yes, its a bugger!)

* I just looked for the date of Celtic v Real Madrid on Google (1980? we lost 3-2 on aggregate, mullered 3-0 in Madrid... hence the Cunningham thing, he was brilliant... now... I was in Madrid, and I cant find a mention of him even playing. I am getting old, but not this fucking old)

Live in the stadium Ger, the clue's in the thread title

WHICH stadium? (Pedantic)

* I read the title and went for it, then read the thread... my bad.

Leao (Br)

Tresor (Fr, OM)
Thuram (Fr, ASM)
Maldini (It)
Blanc (fr, MHSC)

Platini (fr, St etienne)
Zidane (fr)
Zico (Br)
Neeskens (NL)
Ronaldinho (PSG)

Weah (PSG)

I guess with this kind of attacking midfield you only need one forward...

linus, in that line up, the defensive midfielder would be Weah! (and wow, you (and everyone else) saw all of the above? I was never that 'lucky')

*Incidentally, that isnt a dig at anyone... just that even though I saw some of the above, they weren't 'special' on that occasion. Sorry.

When Michael Laudrup came to Ajax he was 33 years old and had spent the previous season lining his pockets in Japan. He wasn't the fastest anymore, but was a model professional and kept himself fit. He was brilliant, he could think about 10 yards ahead of everyone else on the pitch and see impossible passes. And his control was incredible. When he and Litmanen were both fit and on the pitch at the same time it was a joy to behold.

He went on to represent Denmark at the World Cup in 1998 and was absolutely brilliant there too. He retired at 34, when he was still fairly fit and playing fantastic. He could have gone on for years.

Messi my arse.

May I tap this in?

I had left it for you...

WHICH stadium? (Pedantic)


Ah right I get you now.

Actually I've seen 9 of my 11 at the same stadium (I don't think VD Saar had arrived by the time I stopped going*)


* That sounds like I was a regular, but I should probably stress I certainly wasn't anything of the sort

My starting XI is spread across Old Trafford, Camp Nou, the Santiago Bernabéu, Monumental and the Azteca.

The first time I read Geronto's 'WHICH stadium?' I thought he was asking which ground, of the ones you've watched players in, this hypothetical team would play in. For me it'd have to be either the Azteca or the Centenario...

All of mine were at the Parc des Princes, with a few extras at Louis II in Monaco.

Squeezed into a 3-4-3 formation that obviously wouldn't actually work, and almost certainly missing some obvious ones I've forgotten.

Neville Southall
Rio Ferdinand, Paul McGrath, Alex McLeish
Steven Gerrard, Lothar Mattheus, Graeme Souness, John Barnes
Jurgen Klinsmann, Kenny Dalgkish, Alan Shearer

subs: Oliver Kahn, Brian Laudrup, Henrik Larsson, Wayne Rooney

If it was based on performances in the games in which I actually saw them then a few of those would be out on their ear, but Tony Daley, Colin Cameron and Michael Hughes would all be in the team.

Gordon Banks (Leicester/Stoke)

Dave Clement (QPR)
Ruud Krol (Vancouver Whitecaps)
Frank McClintock (QPR)
Ray Wilson (Everton)

Stanley Matthews (Blackpool)
John White (Spurs)
Danny Blanchflower (Spurs)
Gerry Francis (QPR)

Jimmy Greaves (Spurs)
Stan Bowles (QPR)

Very tough, Beardsley and Marsh should be in there somewhere, and, as a team, it's a bit weak wide left. I'd put George Best out there if only I could be absolutely sure I'd seen him play but I really can't remember.