The beauty of football and what makes the sport so appealing to millions around the world is that on any given day, any team can win. You could take a team packed with the most talented players in the world, but there’s still the chance they could lose to an underdog side.

Making the right team selections and tactical choices can be eternally difficult for even the greatest managerial minds, regardless of the talent at their disposal, because there can often be a fine line between winning and losing games. That's also why betting on football requires some careful thought too, such as looking at form and statistics, or reading through injury reports and team news, which are all good tips.

Nevertheless, we’ve tried to come up with a starting eleven that it’s difficult to imagine ever being beaten, if each of the players were together in the same side, all at their respective footballing peaks. The biggest dilemma in choosing such an eleven is not just who you pick, but who you leave out, because even iconic legends such as Johan Cruyff and Pele didn’t make our team.

When choosing this ‘Best Ever Starting Eleven’ we’ve opted to use a 4-2- 3-1 formation and for that reason, we’ve also tried to choose legendary players we think are best suited to each and every position and role on the pitch.

Goalkeeper – Peter Schmeichel

The ‘Great Dane’ was almost unbeatable during his peak with Manchester United, boasting an imposing frame that intimidated rival forwards, plus remarkable agility and acrobatics for such a big man between the posts; even his own defenders feared his menacing glances if rivals dared get a shot on goal. Was Schmeichel the best goalkeeper of all time? That’s always open to debate, but he was undoubtedly the very best of his era.

Right Back - Cafu

The Brazilian is arguably a player who matured like a fine wine, getting better with age and experience. However, that didn’t diminish his superb defensive capability, or his marauding runs down the right flank - not to mention his often-understated leadership skills, both with clubs and country.

Central Defender – Franz Beckenbauer

Not only was ‘Der Kaiser’ defensively resolute in his tackling and marking, but he was also an accomplished and cultured ball-playing defender, capable of picking out an exquisite pass and initiating attacking moves, thanks to his exceptional vision of play.


Image Source: @photosofootball via Twitter

Central Defender – Bobby Moore

Pele once referred to Moore as the fairest defender he’d ever played against, which is glowing praise indeed. In truth, the World Cup winning England captain wasn’t the strongest, fastest, or most physical defender during his era. However, great leadership and tactical awareness, plus intelligent reading of the game and rival moves, allowed for impeccable timing when he made his challenges, meaning he didn’t need to rely on brute force alone to win the ball.

Left Back – Paolo Maldini

There have been numerous legendary left-backs over the years, but few ever reached the same heights as Maldini during his illustrious career, or for as long. A genuine ‘one-club- man’ with AC Milan, he was a complete player who according to Zlatan Ibrahimovic, “was the best and toughest defender I ever faced.”

Central Midfielder - Lothar Matthaus

If ever there was a definition for box-to- box midfielder, then Matthaus fits the bill to perfection. He remains the only German player to have ever won the FIFA World Player of the Year award and appeared in five World Cups, showcasing his impressive array of talents in practically every area of the pitch.


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Central Midfielder – Frank Rijkaard

Fast and powerful, whilst also boasting a phenomenal work rate and positional awareness, Rijkaard defined the role of defensive midfielder. However, it wasn’t all tough tackling and breaking down the play of opponents, because his technical ability and vision also made him a superb creative outlet too, from deeper positions.

Right Winger – Lionel Messi

Undoubtedly the most naturally gifted footballer in the modern game, and although supremely talented with both feet, Messi has often preferred cutting inside from the right flank and using his favored left foot. Integral to the success of Barcelona throughout his time with the club, even upon reaching the age of 30, the Argentine phenomenon continues to smash records every season; many of which he set himself.

Attacking Midfielder – Diego Maradona

Pele had a strong claim to be chosen here, just behind the forward line, but whilst the Brazilian pearl achieved great things in great teams, Maradona single handedly drove somewhat average teams to unprecedented success. Certainly, fans of Napoli or the 1986 World Cup-winning Argentina side, won’t dispute that. Despite his fiery nature and off the pitch antics, for many, he is still regarded as the most gifted and naturally talented player ever to grace a football pitch.


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Left Winger – Cristiano Ronaldo

So why here and not on the right, or in the middle? Well, it’s the position where Cristiano started his career with Sporting CP and Manchester United, and during some of the very best of his years at Real Madrid, it’s cutting inside from the left where the Portuguese star has proven most lethal. However, both technically gifted and physically powerful, he can just as easily play as a left or right winger, inside forward, or striker; even heading into the twilight of his career.

Centre Forward – Marco van Basten

With so many styles of striker, from ‘target man’ to ‘goal poacher’, choosing just one player from so many great strikers is remarkably difficult. However, combining the best of all attacking attributes, we’ve gone for the ‘complete striker’ variant, which narrows the options considerably. During the peak of his career, van Basten was the most lethal and feared striker in Europe during the 1980s and 1990s. Were it not for unfortunate injury problems that cut his career short at the age of 28, the Dutchman could arguably have been considered the best center forward ever.


Those are our choices, and as we mentioned right at the start, choosing who to leave out was probably more difficult than choosing those we finally opted for in our team. So many great players have graced the game over the years, at the very least, it makes exploring their histories and achievements all the more interesting.