World Team of the 20th Century
The World Team of the 20th Century was chosen in 1998 to comprise the best association football players of the 20th century
forwards (4–3–3 formation
).
History
The team was announced on 10 June 1998, in conjunction with the opening ceremonies of the
confederations
.
Similarly constituted teams for players from the nations of CONCACAF, the Confederation of African Football, and collectively the Asian and Oceania Football Confederations were chosen by separate, smaller juries of journalists situated respectively in North and Central America, Africa, and Asia and Oceania, and announced alongside the European and South American teams, but players selected to the former sides were not considered for selection to the world team.
Players
Position
|
Player | National side(s)
represented by year |
Professional club(s)
represented by year |
Rank on the World Soccer magazine enumeration of the top players of the 20th century |
Continental, FIFA World Cup, World Soccer, and FIFA awards |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Goalkeeper
|
Lev Yashin | Soviet Union (1954–1970) |
FC Dynamo Moscow (1949–1971) | 11 | European Footballer of the Year (1963), UEFA Jubilee Award (Russia) (1988)
World Cup All-Star Team[1] (1958) FIFA World Cup All-Time Team ,[2] FIFA Order of Merit |
fullback )
|
Carlos Alberto Torres | Brazil (1964–1977) |
New York Cosmos (1977–1980, 1982) (1981)
California Surf |
Unranked | FIFA 100 World Cup All-Star Team[1] (1970) |
Defender ( centre-back )
|
Franz Beckenbauer | West Germany (1965–1977) |
New York Cosmos (1977–1980, 1983) (1980–1982)
Hamburger SV |
4 | European Footballer of the Year (1972, 1976) (1984, 2004)
FIFA World Cup Best Young Player Award (1966), FIFA World Cup Bronze Boot (1966), FIFA World Cup Silver Ball (1974) FIFA World Cup All-Star Team[1] (1966, 1970, 1974) FIFA World Cup All-Time Team, FIFA World Cup Dream Team IFFHS Best European Player 1956–1990 FIFA 100, FIFA Order of Merit |
Defender (centre-back) | Bobby Moore | England (1962–1973) |
Seattle Sounders (1978)
|
14 | UEFA Jubilee Award (England) World Cup All-Star Team[1] (1966), FIFA World Cup All-Time Team ,[2] FIFA Order of Merit (1996) |
Defender (fullback) | Nílton Santos | Brazil (1949–1963) |
Botafogo (1949–1965) | Unranked | World Cup All-Star Team[1] (1958) FIFA 100 |
Midfielder | Johan Cruyff | Netherlands (1966–1978) |
Ajax Amsterdam (1964–1973, 1981–1983) (1983–1984)
FC Barcelona (1973–1978) Los Angeles Aztecs (1979) Washington Diplomats (1980–1981) Levante UD (1981) Feyenoord |
3 | European Footballer of the Year (1971, 1973, 1974), UEFA Jubilee Award (Netherlands) (2010)
World Cup All-Star Team[1] (1974) FIFA 100, FIFA Order of Merit |
Midfielder | Alfredo Di Stéfano | Argentina (1947) Colombia (1949) Spain (1957–1962) |
Real Madrid (1953–1964) (1964–1966)
RCD Espanyol |
6 | European Footballer of the Year (1957, 1959), UEFA Jubilee Award (Spain) (1994)
FIFA 100, FIFA Order of Merit |
Midfielder | Michel Platini | France (1976–1987) |
Juventus (1982–1987)
|
5 | World Soccer Player of the Year (1984, 1985)
FIFA 100 |
Forward
|
Garrincha | Brazil (1955–1966) |
Flamengo (1968–1969) (1972)
Olaria |
20 | World Cup Golden Shoe Award (1962), World Cup All-Star Team[1] (1958, 1962) [2] |
Forward | Diego Maradona | Argentina (1977–1994) |
(1993) | 2 | World Soccer Player of the Year (1986) (1995)Honorary Ballon d'Or |
Forward | Pelé | Brazil (1956–1971) |
New York Cosmos (1975–1977)
|
1 | IFFHS Player of the Century, Player of the Century by France Football's Ballon d'Or Winners, FIFA Ballon d'Or Prix d'Honneur (2013), FIFA 100, FIFA Order of Merit (1984, 2004)
Athlete of the Century by International Olympic Committee |
Notes
- ^ journalists concomitant to the selection of the all-star team for the latter year's World Cup; all-star teams were selected contemporaneously only in 1998 and thereafter.
- ^ a b c To be considered for selection to the FIFA 100, a player must have been living upon the team's selection in February 2004 and announcement on 4 March 2004; Lev Yashin, Bobby Moore, and Garrincha, consequently, were ineligible for selection.
See also
- FIFA World Cup All-Time Team
- FIFA World Cup Dream Team
- FIFA 100
- FIFA World Cup awards
- FIFA Player of the Century
- World Soccer's Greatest Players of the 20th Century
References
- Brown, Gerry, and Morrison, Michael (eds.; 2003). ESPN ISBN 0-7868-8715-X.