21 June 2006

A World Team At The World Cup

I've been enjoying the world cup for the past couple of weeks now, and it's been one of the reasons that I haven't been posting as often as I've wanted to (its difficult to fit in 8 hours of work, a couple of games of football, some food, sleep and writing a blog into one day). I heard a novel idea the other day about a new possibility for the world cup, something to get more people interested.

The idea was that one place should be reserved at the world cup for a team made up of top players from around the world whose country hadn't qualified for the worlds largest sporting spectacle. If you look around at the players, past and present, who have very little chance of being involved in the world cup, gracing the biggest stage, due to the country they were born in (or have allegiance to), it's shocking. A quick list off the top of my head would be:

  • Gerorge Best
  • Alfredo Di Stefano
  • Ryan Giggs
  • Jim Baxter
  • George Weah
  • Johnny Giles
  • Liam Brady
  • Ian Rush
  • Mark Hughes
  • Eric Cantona

Obviously my list is a bit north-west Euro-centric, can anyone add more to my list (and also, who would be in the list if there was a team in the world cup this year; by the way, players who have played in previously world cup, in my opinion, should be allowed if their country is absent this time)?

It would also give fans of these 'lesser' countries a team to support at the world cup (if one of their players was included, that is). Certainly a place could be made for them at the World Cup, as having 3 teams from North America and 4 teams from Asian is clearly too many. I understand that FIFA wants to promote the game in those areas, but other good teams do miss out.

Who would be top of your list?

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hmmm, can't think of anyone of the top of my head but I thought Eric Cantona is French?

Anonymous said...

But I forgot to mention that I really like the idea...

Sokratees9 said...

Cantona is French, he just never got to play at the world cup, as they didn't qualify in 1990 and 1994, and retired before the 1998 world cup. Ginola also didn'T play in a world cup as he gave away the ball that allowed bugaria to score a goal that meant France didn't go to world cup 1994, and was never selected again for France

Anonymous said...

how can you forget Roy Kean, your contryman?

Anonymous said...

The late great Jimmy "Jinky" Johnstone, Arguably the greatest player to have ever graced a football pitch..

Being from Scotland, he never got to fully show off his skills in a good national team, but proved himself at club level (1967 Lisbon Lions)..

C'mon, sing along...

"Jimmy, Oh Jimmy Johnstone, Jimmy Johnstone on the wing..."

Sokratees9 said...

true, roy keane could have be available for the 1998 world cup 'select' team, but he did actually get to play in 1994 (and was voted our player of the tounrament). The less said about 2002 the better.

nice point about jinky, jim. never thought of him

Anonymous said...

What about your other countryman, Shane MaGowan?

Sokratees9 said...

he just looks like he's been whacked in the face loads by a ball (probably a medincine ball)

Anonymous said...

Righto
As requested a squad for the world cup. Using champy manager terms to describe positions (442, 2 for every position and an extra keeper)

GK: Given, Akinfeev and Kameni

DL: Riise, Kaladze
DR: Perea, Lauren
DC: Cordoba, Chivu, Yobo, Hyppia

ML: Giggs, Duff
MR: Olivera, Benayoun
MC: Papa Dioup, Recoba, Diarra, Petrov (Martin)

FW: Berbatov, Eto'o, Tomasson, McCarthy

Reserves: Hleb, Solano, Keane (Robbie), Kompany, Vanden Borre

Ok that makes it, for the 23 man squad, 3 from Cameroon, 2 each from ireland, colombia, uraguay and bulgaria with 1 each from from russia, norway, georgia, rumainia, nigeria, finland, wales, israel, senegal, denmark, south africa and mali.

Beat that!

Anonymous said...

sounds good, but many of them have played before, like Robbie Keane, Recoba, Duff etc.

btw. one of my countrymen is playing CM 0506 and has dicovered a super star names Zhang Sheng in his chinese national team 2016. "Zhang Sheng" has Speed 19 and Dribbling 20, scored 3 goals in a world cup match help China beat Brazil 5:2.

Anonymous said...

Gudjohnson, Iceland?
Litmannen, Finnland?
Hasan Salihamizigic, Bolivia?