Dream Team Football Formation

Lineup (4-3-3)

Ray Clemence · Elias Figueroa · Marcel Desailly · Franz Beckenbauer · Cafu · Paolo Maldini · Johann Cruyff · Alfredo di Stefano · Lionel Messi · Diego Maradona · Marco Van Basten

I've picked players to fit a criteria and a system rather than building this around the players. Therefore this team has no weakness and is of the iconic, legendary and all time great status in every department. That is why this is my greatest ever xi because they would be literally unbeatable

Clemence:
When it comes to the greatest of all time we need not talk aboy reflexes agility and shot stopping ability. They all have this. What makes the greatest the greatest is the extra 10% which is so vital. Mentality, concentration,consistency and above all handling. There are lots of goalkeeping greats poor under the cross like Shilton, more who were inconsistent and eccentric like Schmhiceal. Clemence ticks all the boxes. 6'2, superb concentration, terrifc presence and organiser, great handling, great under the cross, played the sweeper role, supremely confident yet often overlooked. He had the lot

Cafu:
Ive seen footage of Carlos Alberto and was not impressed. He wasn't a good footballer. Cafu is perhaps the most naturally gifted rb ever to play the game. So same he's defending wasn't up to much. I disagree i remember being in awe of his defending many times watching him, always timed his tackles well, had good positioning and his pace made up for any errors. He gets in this team moreover for his forwrd play. I like the wingers to tuck in and play through the middle a bit so overlapping wing backs are needed and he is the best right sided one there has ever been.

Maldini
Best defensive lb ever and in his heyday was the best attcking one. Height strength, stamina, intelligence, great footballing ability. No contest

Franz Beckenbauer
Im not putting him at centre half because he was no good in the air and i belive cbs must have that asset. He plays holding midfielder which really was the role he played as the sweeper/liberio. In 1966 and 1970 WC's he was germanys powerhouse in CM. Thats what he'll do in this team. Use his intelligence and terrific defensive attributes to protect and help the back four, and then get it of them and start the team playing from deep when the team has it.

Elias Figueroa
In terms of ball playing CB's this guy fails to get the attention he deserves and is often overshadowed by Moore and Beckenbauer. Probably wasn't as good a footballer as team (but who was?) but nevertheless he was top class in his day. Very comfortable on the ball, brought it out from the back superbly and was a very intelligent defender and wonderful reader of the game. He gets in ahead of the two lads because he had more natural defensive attributes. Moore and Beckenbauer weren't the best in the air. This guy was tremendous. Moore was slow, Figueroa was an athelete.Beck nd Moore were not aggresive, Figueroa usually calm nd composed could be very brave and aggresive when needed. A better all round centre half

Marcel Desailly
At the back you need one who is calm composed, reads the game well and can bring it out from the back and the other one to be a stopper. Like Moore nd Charlton or Vidic and Ferdinand. Desaiily is this teams stopper. If you look back on the history of football from Nazzasi to Cannavaro most stoppers have not been the biggest. Thats because tall stoppers could get the run around from nippy attackers thereofre stoppers need to be a bit lower to the ground. I however dont like having short cb's. I belive a great team should have no weakness and a lack of height at the back is one which could easily be exploited. Deasilly gets in because he was a stopper who was also a great athelete and well balanced. At his peak in the great French team he was virtually impassable. A real tower of strength in the air and he is the perfect player to aggresively and physically dominate the center of defence while Figeroa can tidy up around him, but the great thing is if they need to interchange there roles they can because DESAILLY WAS A VERY GOOD AND INTELLIGENT READER OF THE GAME ALSO, and Figueroa was tough and aggresive when he needed to be

Messi and Maradona
I like my wide men to come inside and take on responsibilty to effect the game but also to have the ability to go on the outside and with dribbling ability and pace go by people and get crosses in. On top of this they must put in a shift without the ball because it cant be a great team if your carrying anyone. Can anyone rally match Messi when it comes to this criteria. Maradona was not lazy and he always stood up and took on responsibity. He vever baulked at it. He made mistakes off the field but on it he was both a gebius and a leader

Di stefano and Cruyff
You first and foremost need workrate and bite in the middle becaues you cant play if you dont have it. Di stefano's workrate desire and tackling were legendary. He had a bit of a mean streak because his desire would spill over from time to time. Thats why he's my captain. Cruyff may not give you a lot of bite but he was a tireless runner and worker and always did his tracking back. Obviously its an area of the pitch were a lot of creativity and power to get forward and score is needed and these lads supply it in abundance. Cruyff was of course the total footballer and Di Stefno rmembered as perhaps the greatest all rounder of all time. In the middle they would provide everything

Van Basten
With a quartet of superbly talented attacking midfielders things could get a little bunched and could lack a ocal point like we have seen recently with Barcelona. This is why I choose Van Basten. I belive your CF should be big strong and agressive fro the simple reason that if the game isn't going your way, and your locked in your own half forced to punt it up field, having a plyer up there who can battle, win balls that he has no right to win, hold it up and recycle it for his team at get them playing high up the field it is the greatest rliver of presuure and out ball that you can have. Van Basten as a 6ft 2 powerful and atheltic cf privedes exactly this plus everything else you could wish for in a cf. Pace, skill, individual ability, dribbling, trickery, two footed, vision, creativity. He had the absolute lot. He was just a big lump of a target man, he truly was one of the most gifted strickers ever to play the game and practical physicality added that offers so much in structure to the team, he fits the criteria perfectly and is the last piece of the jigsaw.