Define World Class

[Kenneth]

Must say that this is the best attempt I've come accross at categorising the world's best, and it's been attempted dozens of times before.

[JRC]

Shanks would never forgive you for not including Tom Finney as at least World Class, if not a Legend.

Asked to choose between Keegn and his Preston team mate, Shanks famously said Keegan would get the decision, but only just - mainly because Finney was 55 at the time.

[Reds08]

Carragher is not close to being a World Class defender. He is a very good premiership defender. World Class players are at least certain starters in their international sides, Carragher is not. Presume the people who think Carragher is world class also think we will sign Eto'o and Tevez?:whatever:

[Reds08]

How did it take so lng for Best to get in the legendary list? Did anyone see him play?

Incredible at his peak.

I'd like to throw these players in and see where we'd have them?


Roberto Carlos
Eric Cantona
Gianfranco Zola

[El Jefecito]

World Class = someone who can consistently win a game on his own. For example, the crow.

[Alex]

A world calss player is someone that could walk into any team in the world and perform.

Gerrard is the only one out of our current crop that can.

Carra is very very good, just not world class.

[Morph]

Carragher is not close to being a World Class defender. He is a very good premiership defender. World Class players are at least certain starters in their international sides, Carragher is not. Presume the people who think Carragher is world class also think we will sign Eto'o and Tevez?:whatever:

[Assassin]

Okay, we need to start being careful here.

Kempes, although he didn't actually win that many medals, did win a world cup for his country, scored a shedload of goals and he doesn't look out of place in that list. Fair enough.

But Ayala? Is he really a legend? He was way before my time so I'm not qualified to judge so what did he do to warrant a place alongside the greats?

Alpha

Ayala was the perfect strike partner for Kempes, during the World cup you mentioned, the pairing was virtually unplayable, hence the shed load of goals for Kempes

[Alpha]

Alpha

Ayala was the perfect strike partner for Kempes, during the World cup you mentioned, the pairing was virtually unplayable, hence the shead load of goals for Kempes

I've just done a bit of research and found that the only World Cup Ayala played for Argentina was '74 in which Kempes didn't score.

The Kempes World Cup was '78.

Maybe you are confusing him with somebody else?

[Shaggy]

Okay so let's make a definitive list of all legendary class, world class and international class footballers:

Legendary

Yashin
Carlos Alberto
Baresi
Scirea
Moore
Beckenbauer
Maldini
Breitner
De Stefano
Maradona
Platini
Cruyff
Garrincha
Zidane
Pele
Van Basten
Puskas
Muller
Romario

World class

Schmeichel
Cafu
Ayala
Desailly
Brehme
Stoichkov
Gullit
Matthaus
Hagi
Batistuta
Van Basten

International class

Zubizaretta
Nilsson
Couto
Berg
Petrescu
Kanchelskis
Almeyda
Prosinicki
Finidi George
Bierhoff
Pauleta



Anybody like to make a suggestion?

No Ronaldo? The Ronaldo of PSV and Barca should at the very least be in the 'world class' team ahead of Batistuta or even in the 'legendary' side ahead of Romario.

He was a fearsome, fearsome striker and he rivalled van Basten, IMO.

[Assassin]

I've just done a bit of research and found that the only World Cup Ayala played for Argentina was '74 in which Kempes didn't score.

The Kempes World Cup was '78.

Maybe you are confusing him with somebody else?

Maybe I am time for another drink me thinks

[Assassin]

Here is Pele's list, cheeky fecker named himself

Argentina

Gabriel Batistuta
Hernán Crespo
Alfredo Di Stéfano
Mario Kempes
Diego Maradona
Daniel Passarella
Javier Saviola
Omar Sivori
Juan Sebastián Verón
Javier Zanetti

Belgium

Jan Ceulemans
Jean-Marie Pfaff
Franky Van Der Elst

Brazil

Carlos Alberto
Cafu
Roberto Carlos
Falcão
Júnior
Nílton Santos
Pelé
Rivaldo
Rivelino
Romário
Ronaldinho
Ronaldo
Djalma Santos
Sócrates
Zico

Bulgaria

Hristo Stoichkov

Cameroon

Roger Milla

Chile

Elías Figueroa
Iván Zamorano

Colombia

Carlos Valderrama

Croatia

Davor Šuker

Czech Republic

Josef Masopust
Pavel Nedvěd

Denmark

Brian Laudrup
Torbjorn Picknik
Michael Laudrup
Peter Schmeichel

England

Gordon Banks
Gary Neville
David Beckham
Bobby Charlton
Gary Lineker
Kevin Keegan
Steve Gerrard
Alan Shearer

France

Eric Cantona
Marcel Desailly
Didier Deschamps
Just Fontaine
Thierry Henry
Raymond Kopa
Jean-Pierre Papin
Robert Pirès
Michel Platini
Lilian Thuram
Marius Trésor
David Trézéguet
Patrick Vieira
Zinedine Zidane

Germany

Franz Beckenbauer
Paul Breitner
Oliver Kahn
Jürgen Klinsmann
Sepp Maier GK
Lothar Matthäus
Gerd Müller
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge
Uwe Seeler

Ghana

Abédi Pelé

Hungary

Ferenc Puskás

Republic of Ireland

Roy Keane

Italy

Roberto Baggio
Franco Baresi
Giuseppe Bergomi
Giampiero Boniperti
Gianluigi Buffon
Alessandro Del Piero
Giacinto Facchetti
Paolo Maldini
Alessandro Nesta
Gianni Rivera
Paolo Rossi
Francesco Totti
Christian Vieri
Dino Zoff

Japan

Hidetoshi Nakata

South Korea

Hong Myung-Bo

Liberia

George Weah

Mexico

Hugo Sánchez

Netherlands

Dennis Bergkamp
Johan Cruijff
Edgar Davids
Ruud Gullit
Patrick Kluivert
Johan Neeskens
Rob Rensenbrink
Frank Rijkaard
Clarence Seedorf
Marco van Basten
René van de Kerkhof
Willy van de Kerkhof
Ruud van Nistelrooy

Nigeria

Jay-Jay Okocha

Northern Ireland

George Best

Paraguay

Romerito

Peru

Teófilo Cubillas

Poland

Zbigniew Boniek

Portugal

Rui Costa
Eusébio
Luís Figo

Romania

Gheorghe Hagi

Russia

Rinat Dasaev

Scotland

Kenny Dalglish

Senegal

El Hadji Diouf
Salif Diao

Spain

Emilio Butragueño
Luis Enrique
Raúl

Turkey

Emre Belözoğlu
Rüştü Reçber

Ukraine

Andriy Shevchenko

Uruguay

Enzo Francescoli

USA

Michelle Akers
Mia Hamm

Wales

John Hartson

[Alpha]

How did it take so lng for Best to get in the legendary list? Did anyone see him play?

Incredible at his peak.

I'd like to throw these players in and see where we'd have them?


Roberto Carlos
Eric Cantona
Gianfranco Zola

All world class, I reckon.

[Shaggy]

Wales

John Hartson

[Assassin]

Couldnt resist a wee edit