Friday, September 28, 2018

Liverpool All-Time Greatest English Team

This blogger Artur Yanturin of Russia copied many of my blog teams.  This blog was one of them.  It was my Russia All-Time Team here.  His team was written in 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2014.   His Spartak Moscow All-Time team entry of was published in October 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2017.  His entry of the Dutch-German rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona was written in 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2014.  He also copied many many of my blog entries.

His Facebook and Instagram


Michael Owens, Robbie Fowler and Steve McManaman 
Please also see my All-Time World Cup Team Index
Liverpool Greatest All-Time Team
Liverpool Greatest All-Time Team for Foreigners
Liverpool Greatest All-Time Team for British Isles players without English players

At the time of writing, Liverpool FC won 5 European Cup/Champions' League trophies, a record for British clubs.  In the 1970's, they won three European Cups, making them one of the greatest ever club sides in history.   The top players for them in the era were three Scottish players: Alan Hansen, Graeme Souness and Kenny Dalglish.  The team also consisted of great English players.  Nevertheless, Liverpool FC is still an English players fielded with great English players throughout the ages. Kevin KeeganSteve Gerrard, John Barnes, Ray Clemence, etc were some of the former players who were considered among the greatest ever footballers from England.

This is my selection of a 25 member all-time team for English players who had played for Liverpool FC.  The number 25 was chosen because it is the official squad size for the Champions' League.  I created all time teams for Liverpool foreign players and players from British Isles without English players.
John Barnes and Peter Beardsley
Team
GK: Ray Clemence 
Ray Clemence was considered one of England's greatest keepers. He won 3 European Cups and 2 UEFA Cups in the 1970's with Liverpool and the 1984 UEFA Cup with Tottenham Hotspurs.  He was voted as Liverpool's greatest keeper.  For the national team, he was locked in a battle of number 1 with Peter Shilton.  He was Shilton's backup at the World Cup Finals in 1982. He made 61 appearances for England between 1972 and 1983.
Ray Clemence 
GK: David James (England)
At the time of writing, David James is the third all-time Premier league appearance record holder. He starred for Liverpool as one of the "Spice Boys".  However, his reputation suffered after a series of blunders, earning the nickname of "Calamity James".  He picked up 53 caps for England.  He was the starting keeper at the European Champions in 2004 and the World Cup Finals in 2010.

GK: Sam Hardy (England)
Discovered by Liverpool FC after playing against them with Chesterfield, Sam Hardy joined Liverpool in 1905.  Later, he played for Aston Villa. He was capped 21 times, which was then an astonishing number and was widely considered to be England's first ever star keeper. 

RB: Phil Neal 
Phil Neal was the great right back from Liverpool between 1974 and 1985. He was one of England's most decorated player, winning 4 First Divisions, 4 League Cups, 5 FA Charity Shields, 4 European Cups, 1 UEFA Cup and 1 UEFA Super Cups. He also played for Northampton Town and Bolton Wanderers as a full back. Neal also had a long career with England winning 50 caps and playing in the 1982 World Cup and the 1980 European Championship.
Phil Neal
RB: Tommy Smith (England)
Smith was a key figure for Liverpool during the 1960's when Liverpool became the most successful club in England.  He spent 16 years with the club. Smith's most memorable moment for the club probably came when he scored the winning goal in the 1977 European Cup final against Borussia Mönchengladbach.  He later played in the NASL.

CB/LB: Emlyn Hughes (England) 
Emlyn Hughes was at one point thcaptain of England and Liverpool.  He was considered to be one of Liverpool's most important defenders.  He joined the club from Blackpool in 1967. He played under Bill Shankly in the 1970's where he won two European Cups, four League titles and a single FA Cup. He was FWA Football of the Year in 1977.  He earned 62 English caps.  He went to the 1970 World Cup Finals in Mexico.

CBJamie Carragher
Jamie Carragher spent his entire career with Liverpool.  He is their second longest serving player in their history.  He won the UEFA Champions' League in 2005 and two FA Cups with them.  Internationally, he had 38 caps for England. He was a part of England's team at the Euro 2004 and the World Cup Finals in 2006 and 2010.  His international career was limited by playing at the same time as John Terry, Sol Campbell, Rio Ferdinard, etc.
Jamie Carragher
CB: Phil Thompson
Phil Thompson made his professional debut in 1971 for Liverpool and never looked back.  He was a part of the decorated team that won 3 European Cups and 7 league titles.  He formed a partnership with Alan Hansen that was considered among the best ever in Europe.  He was briefly the captain for Liverpool.  He also earned 42 caps for England and went to the 1982 World Cup Finals in Spain.

CB: Mark Wright
As a player, Mark Wright had spells with Liverpool, Derby County, Southampton and Oxford United during the 1980s and 1990s. He captained Liverpool when they won the 1992 FA Cup. He made 45 appearances for the English national football team, and was a member of the team which reached the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup in 1990.

LB: Alan Kennedy
Kennedy started his career with Newcastle United, but his best years were spent at Liverpool.  He won two European Cup with Liverpool, scoring a goal at each of the Final.  His international career, however, was limited to 2 caps. He later played for  Sunderland, Wigan Athletic, Hartlepool United, B 1903, Beerschot, Northwich Victoria, Wrexham, Colne Dynamoes, Morecambe, Netherfield, Radcliffe Borough and Barrow.

LB: Gerry Byrne
Gerry Byrne was a graduate of Liverpool FC academy, where he spent his entire career.  From 1957 to 1969, Gerry Byrne played for Liverpool FC's senior team.  He was a part of the team that moved up from the Second Division in 1962.  He was a part of the club's early successes in the 1960's, including finishing as the Cup Winners' Cup runners-up in 1966.  For England, he only played twice.  He was a member of the 1966 World Cup winning team.

CM: Terry McDermott 
Terry McDermott was a member of the Liverpool team of the 1970s and early 1980s, in which he won three European Cups and six Division 1 titles. Before Liverpool, he played for Bury and Newcastle United. In 1974, Newcastle United lost the FA Cup Final to Liverpool, where he joined the following season.  He was also capped 25 times for the English national team.  He went to the European Championship in 1980 as well as the 1982 World Cup Finals.
Terry McDermott 
DM: Paul Ince
From 1992 to 2000, Paul Ince was capped 53 times between 1992 and 2000.  He was a key player for England at Euro 1996, World Cup 1998 and Euro 2000.  For his club career, he started with West Ham in 1986, but his best known stints were with Liverpool, Inter Milan and Manchester United.  He also played for Middlesbrough and Wolverhampton Wanderers. He is one of the few players who played and starred for both Liverpool and Manchester United.

CM: Jimmy Case
Known for having one of the hardest shots in the British game, he shot to fame with the powerful Liverpool side of the 1970s and early 1980s. He was a part of the team that won the European Cup winner in 1977, 1978 and 1981.  He was voted in at No. 45 in the 2006 poll "100 Players Who Shook The Kop". He also played for Brighton, Southampton, Bournemouth, Halifax Town and Wrexham.  He appeared once for England in 1976.

CM: Steve Gerrard 
Steve Gerrard represented his country at the 2000, 2004 and 2012 UEFA European Football Championships, as well as the 2006, 2010 and 2014 World Cups – captaining the team at the latter two tournaments.  He led Liverpool in winning the Champions' League in 2005. He is the third highest cap holder for the Three Lions.  He won the PFA Players' Player of the Year in 2006 and the FWA Footballer of the Year in 2009.  He later played in the USA for LA Galaxy.
Steve Gerrard
RW: Ian Callaghan
Callaghan held the all-time appearance record for Liverpool.  He was a part of the team that made its historical promotion in 1962 and remained on the team as Liverpool won the European Cup twice in 1977 and 1978. Callaghan also played four times at senior level for England.  Although he was in the squad for the 1966 FIFA World Cup, he did not play in the final and so did not receive a medal until 2010.

RW/LW: Steve McManaman 
From 1990 to 1999, Steve McManaman played for Liverpool as a member of the "Spice Boys".  In 1999, he made a big move to Real Madrid, where he won the Champions' League in 2000, scoring one of the goals in the Final against Valencia.  He also played in the Final in 2002, winning his second Champions' League medal. He also won two La Liga titles.  He was considered of the best football export from England in recent years. He later played for Manchester City.
Steve McManaman
LW: Ray Kennedy 
Ray Kennedy started his career with Arsenal, but better known for his career with Liverpool.  Liverpool broke their transfer record when they signed him in 1974. With Liverpool, he won three European Cup titles in 1977, 1978 and 1981.  He was a part of England's squad at the 1980 European Championship held in Italy. He had 17 caps between 1976 and 1980.

LW: John Barnes 
John Barnes was widely considered to be one of the greatest Liverpool players, where he formed one of their greatest team playing alongside Ian Rush, Peter Beardsley, John Aldridge and Ray Houghton.  before joining Liverpool, he played for Watford.  At Watford, he also helped them to the Final of the FA Cup in 1984.  He was voted PFA Player of the Year in 1988 and FWA Player of the Year in both 1988 and 1990. He had 79 caps, and played in two World Cup Finals.
John Barnes
FW: Roger Hunt 
Roger Hunt was a member of England's 1966 World Cup winning team.  He joined Liverpool in 1958 under Phil Taylor and he was one of the few players who was retained by Bill Shankly when he became the manager.  He helped Liverpool to gain their historical promotion in 1962 and was a key figure during their successes in the 1960's.  He was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2006.

FW/SS: Peter Beardsley 
Peter Beardsley was one of the few players i history to have played for Liverpool, Everton, Manchester United and Manchester City. His first successes came in the early 1980's while playing for Newcastle United.  In 1987, he joined Liverpool as the most expensive player in England's history.  Together with John Barnes, they formed one of the best English sides of the later 1980's.

ST: Michael Owen 
Michael Owen began his senior career at Liverpool in 1996 as a teenager. In his first full season in the Premier League, he finished as joint top scorer with 18 goals. He repeated this the following year and was Liverpool's top goal-scorer from 1997–2004.  He helped Liverpool to win the UEFA Cup in 2001.  He also played for Real Madrid, Newcastle United, Manchester United and Stoke City.  For England, he earned 89 caps.  He was the youngest player to play for England in the 20th century as well as the youngest goal scorers.
Michael Owen
CF: Albert Stubbins
Stubbins began his career with Newcastle United before the War.  However, he was better known for playing for Liverpool FC between 1946 and 1956 where he won the League Championship in 1947. It was Liverpool's first league title in 24 years. His later claim to fame was an appearance on the front cover of The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album. He was the only footballer on the cover.

ST: Robbie Fowler
Fowler is best remembered for his time at Liverpool and is the sixth-highest goalscorer in the history of the Premier League. He scored 183 goals in total for Liverpool, where he played between 1993 and 2001.  He was known as a member of the "Spice Boys".   He also played for Leeds United, Manchester City, Cardiff City FC, and Blackburn Rovers as well as clubs in Australia and Thailand. For England, he earned 26 caps.  He was a member of the 2002 World Cup team.

ST/SS: Kevin Keegan
Kevin Keegan was two-time European Footballer of the Year in 1978 and 1979. He won the European Cup in 1977 with Liverpool. He also found successes in the Bundesliga with Hamburger SV, where he played between 1977 and 1980.  He later played for Southampton and Newcastle United after returning from Germany. He had 63 caps for England. However, his World Cup appearance was limited to 20 minutes against Spain at the World Cup Finals in 1982. 
Kevin Keegan
Honorable Mention
Gordon Hodgson, Steve McMahon, Gordon Milne, Jamie Redknapp, Sammy Lee, Chris Lawler, Daniel Sturridge, Jordan Henderson, Neil Ruddock, Larry Lloyd, Alec Lindsey, Harry Chambers, Phil Taylor, Ephraim Longworth.

Squad Explanation
-- I based some of my research on the polls "100 Players Who Shook The Kop" voted by Liverpool fans in 2006 and again in 2013.  Most players were on the poll.
-- Ray Clemence, Kevin Keegan, John Barnes, Roger Hunt, Michael Owen, Steve Gerrard, Phil Neal, Phil Thompson, Emlyn Hughes, Jamie Carragher, Alan Kennedy, Terry McDermott, Ray Kennedy, Ian Callaghan and Peter Beardsley are members of my Liverpool All-Time Team.  I built this blog based upon that team. So I only have 10 spaces to work with.
-- Kenny Dalglish, Graeme Souness and Alan Hansen were the key players for Liverpool in the 1970's, but the core of that team was still English.  Many of them were selected into this team. 
-- The Spice Boys of the 1990's was better known for their fashion sense than trophy winning.  However, some of them were very good players.  Robbie Fowler, David James and Steve McManaman are on this all-time team.  Paul Ince is sometimes considered a member of the Spice Boys according to wikipedia.
-- Jordan Henderson helped Liverpool to win the 2019 Champions' League and the 2019-2020 Preimership. He made honourable mention for that achievement.  However, it would be hard for him to break into the team because I  I have this four midfielders as of now: Steve Gerrard, Paul Ince, Jimmy Case and Terry McDermott. 
--  Robbie Fowler is the sixth-highest goalscorer in the history of the Premier League. 
-- Steve McManaman was brilliant while at Liverpool, which led to a move to Real Madrid.  He was one of the greatest English wingers in recent years. 
-- Ray Clemence is an easy choice.  Sam Hardy was considered a star goalkeeper at his time.  David James was well-known at his time.
-- Jamie Carragher did not get the same recognition as the defenders from the old generations. Perhaps, he was not playing in a generation, where Liverpool dominated English football. Internationally, his career was limited because he was playing at the same time with John Terry, Rio Ferdinard, Sol Campbell, etc.  However, he is the second longest serving player in Liverpool FC's history.  He also won the Champions' League in 2005.  
-- Mark Wright edged out Larry Lloyd as the fourth centerbacks.  Neil Ruddock was also considered.
-- Paul Ince was a powerful defensive midfielder. He was one of the few footballers to have ever appeared for both Manchester United and Liverpool during their careers.  Paul Ince's career here was much better than his spells with Inter Milan or even Manchester United. 
-- Peter Beardsley was on the books of Liverpool's rivals.  He was  a member of Manchester United, but he never played a single game for them.  He also transferred directly from Liverpool to Everton.  On top of that, he spent some time with Manchester City.  
-- Ian Callaghan is considered among Liverpool's greatest wingers.
-- Peter Thompson was a left winger, but I already have John Barnes and Ray Kennedy.  So I only put him on honourable mention.
-- Harry Chambers, Phil Taylor and Ephraim Longworth went back too fat in hstory.  I preferred more modern players.
-- The last position was a midfielder.  I was choosing between Jimmy Case and Sammy Lee.  Steve McMahan was also seriously considered. I took Case because his name has often been mentioned on various lists as one of Liverpool's all-time greats.
-- Kevin Keegan's career was overshadowed by Kenny Dalglish, who was his replacement when he moved to play in Germany. However, he still ranked among the greatest ever for Liverpool.
--Michael Owen's career after Liverpool was limited by his injuries. He was not the same player after he left Liverpool.  He left the club before they won the 2005 Champions' League, but he brought the 2001 UEFA Cup to Liverpool.  He won the Ballon d'or as a result.

Formation

Tuesday, September 18, 2018

It's Muller/Miller time

This blogger Artur Yanturin of Russia copied many of my blog teams.  This blog was one of them.  It was my Russia All-Time Team here.  His team was written in 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2014.   His Spartak Moscow All-Time team entry of was published in October 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2017.  His entry of the Dutch-German rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona was written in 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2014.  He also copied many many of my blog entries.

His Facebook and Instagram

Gerd and Thomas Muller
Please also see my All-Time World Cup Team Index.

Germany
All-Time Team for Uncapped Players
Italian Players' surnames ending with an "i"
Dutch Players' surnames starting with "Van"
All-Diego's Team
Ronaldo, Ronald, Ron, etc All-Time Team
Brazilian Footballers who shared names with historical figures

This is my selection of a 25 member all-time team for the surname Muller/Miller.  Since this is not a national team.  I have 25 players on this team.

It's Miller time!

The surname Muller/Miller can also be the result of anglicization of: surnames of German origin as Müller, "Mueller", "Moeller", "Muller" and "Mahler", all of which are cognates of Miller surnames from other European languages, for example: French - Meunier, Dumoulin, Demoulins and Moulin, Dutch - Molenaar, Mulder and Smulders, Danish - Møller, Italian - Molinaro, Spanish - Molinero, Romanian - Morariu, Hungarian - Molnár, Slavic - Mlinar, etc.

Team
GK: Jan Moller (Sweden)
Jan Möller had a successful 16-year career for Malmö FF during the 1970s and 1980s (two different spells), appearing in the 1978-79 European Cup final against Nottingham Forest, He also played for Helsingborgs IF, Bristol City of England, Toronto Blizzard of Canada and Trelleborgs FF. In 1979, he was awarded the Guldbollen. Capped 17 times, and was on squad for the 1978 FIFA World Cup, as a backup to Ronnie Hellström.
Jan Möller 
GK: Manfred Muller (Germany)
Müller began his career with Schwarz-Weiß Essen, before moving to Wuppertaler SV in 1971. Wuppertal immediately earned promotion to the Bundesliga, and finished a surprising third in their first season. He late played for 1. FC Nürnberg and ESV In 1979, he moved on to Bayern Munich, but worked as backup to Walter Junghans. He played in the 1982 European Cup Final. 

GK: Markus Miller  (Germany)
Markus Miller played with Stuttgart and Augsburg.  In 2003, Miller he joined Second Bundesliga side Karlsruher SC.  he fans nicknamed him Killer Miller after a sensational DFB-Pokal performance against 1. FSV Mainz 05 on 21 September 2004, when he saved all three penalty attempts from the Mainz side during the penalty shootout. 

RB: Keje Molenaar (Netherlands)
At the club level, Keje Molenaar played for FC Volendam, Ajax, Feyenoord and SVV. With Ajax, he won the national championship twice and the cup once between 1980 and 1984. Between 1985 and 1988, he played for Feyenoord. For Netherlands, he was capped twice, playing against West Germany in 1980 and Switzerland in 1981.

RB: Danny Mills (England)
Danny Mills was known for his career with Leeds United between 1999 and 2004. He played a part in helping Leeds reach the 2000/01 Champions League Semi-final. He also played Norwich, Charlton Athletic, Hulls City, Derby County and Manchester City. Between 2001 and 2004, he was capped 19 times.  He was the starting rightback at the 2002 World Cup Finals.

CB: Patrick Müller (Switzerland)
Müller began his career at FC Meyrin before moving on to Servette. He also played in Switzerland for Grasshoppers in Zürich. His talent was noted by the French club Olympique Lyonnais, who signed him. He played for them between 2000 and 2004, and 2006 and 2008. He has also played for Real Mallorca, FC Basel and AS Monaco. For Switzerland, he played 89 times.  He went to the 2006 World Cup Finals.

CB: Willie Miller (Scotland)
Except for a loan spell at the beginning of his career, Willie Miller played his entire career with Aberdeen.  His central defensive partnership with Alex McLeish was integral to Aberdeen's success in the 1980s.  They won all the major domestic honours and the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1983. For Scotland, he was capped 65 times.  He played in both 1982 and 1986 World Cup Finals.  He was an inaugural inductee to the Scottish Football Hall of Fame in 2004.
Willie Miller 
CB: Alex Miller (Scotland)
Alex Miller played for Rangers from 1967 until 1982 before finishing his playing career in Hong Kong with South China as a player-coach. He made 306 appearances during his spell at Rangers and scored 30 goals. He was something of a legend at Ibrox having played in the 1971 Scottish Cup Final against Celtic despite having a broken jaw.  Despite being a successful player with Rangers, he was uncapped.

CB/LB: Roy Miller (Costa Rica)
Miller started with Cartaginés before moving to Norway.  He played with Bodø/Glimt, Rosenborg and Örgryte(Sweden). In 2010, Miller joined New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer. He left for Saprissa in 2015.  He also played for Portland Timbers. He earned 59 caps for Costa Rica starting in 2005. He went to the 2014 World Cup Finals in Brazil.

LB: Mick Mills (England)
Mick Mills holds the record for appearance with Ipswich Town.  He became the captain of Ipswich in 1971, where he formed a close relationship with manager Bobby Robson.  He also played with Southampton and Stoke City.  Mills was capped 42 times for England.  He captained England at the 1982 World Cup Finals in Spain.    

CM: Lucien Muller (France)
Lucien Muller started with RC Strasbourg and Toulouse. Between 1959 and 1962, he played for Stade de Reims with he was twice crowned champion of France. He then played for Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. He was viewed as the successor of Raymond Kopa, but his performances was not the same of his club performances. He was a part of the French team that participated in the 1966 World Cup. He returned to Reims at the end of his career.

CM/LM/RM: James Milner (England)
James Milner played over 60 times for England. He was selected for the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cup squads, as well as the 2012 and 2016 UEFA Euro Championships.  At the club level, he played for Leeds United, Aston Villa and Newcastle United.  He was PFA Young Player of the Year: 2009–10.  From 2011 to 2015, he played for Manchester City, helping them to win two Preimership. At the time of writing, he plays for Liverpool. 
James Milner 
CM: Hansi Müller (Germany)
Playing for his hometown side VfB Stuttgart, he took part in UEFA Euro 1980 with West Germany, aged 22, after a brief taste of action at the 1978 FIFA World Cup, where he started all four games. The tournament would prove to be Müller's international peak as they emerged victorious. He had a disappointing 1982 World Cup, and despite returning to Italy to play for F.C. Internazionale Milano, he made his 42nd and last appearance for West Germany the following year.

AM: Andreas Moeller (Germany)
Moeller played for Eintracht Frankfurt, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus, and Schalke 04. He won the UEFA Cup with Juventus in 1993, beating Borussia Dortmund 6–1 on aggregate. He then won the Champions League with Dortmund in 1997, beating his former team, Juventus, 3–1.  With the Germany, Möller won the 1990 World Cup and the Euro 96.  He was capped 85 times, scoring 29 goals. He also played for his country at the 1994 and 1998 World Cups, as well as Euro 92. 

RW: Nicolai Muller (Germany)
Nicolai Muller played youth football with Eintracht Frankfurt. He started with Greuther Fürth. From 2011 to 2014, he played for Mainz 05.  He then moved to SV Hamburger in 2014.  In 2018, he returned to Eintracht Frankfurt. For the national team, he played twice for Germany.  He made his international debut against Ecuador in 2013.

FW: Thomas Muller (Germany)
Thomas Muller made his professional debut the season before ]the 2010 World Cup Finals in South Africa with Bayern Munich.   In South Africa, he won the Golden Boot as the top scorer with 5 goals.  Between the two World Cup Finals, Bayern Munich won one Champions' league in 2013 and went to the Final two other times.  At 2014 World Cup Finals in Brazil, he won Silver Boot by scoring 5 goals after helping Germany to win their first World Cup since 1990.
Thomas Muller
ST: Youri Mulder (Netherlands)
Youri Mulder is the son of Jan Mulder. Je made his professional debuts with FC Twente. In 1993, he moved to Schalke 04, where he remained until his retirement in 2002.  With them, he won the UEFA Cup in 1997.  For national team, he played 9 times.  He went to the European Championship in 1996, where he played against France.

ST: Jan Mulder (Netherlands)
Mulder started his career with Winschoten VV.  Between 1965 to 1977, he played for Anderlecht. He was topscorer of the 1966–67 season in the Belgian Eerste Klasse. In 1972, he joined Ajax, playing with Jan Cruyff and Jan Neesken.  He won the European Cup in 1972, but seldom played.that season  From 1967 and 1970, he played  5 times for the Dutch National Team. He is Youri's father.

ST: Frank Mill (Germany)
Frank Mill plated 17 times for West Germany.  He was part of the 1990 FIFA World Cup winning squad of West Germany. Further, he participated at the 1984 and at the 1988 Summer Olympics, where he won the bronze medal with the German team. At the club level, he played for Rot-Weiss Essen, but better known for his career with Borussia Mönchengladbach and Borussia Dortmund. He also played for Fortuna Düsseldorf.

ST: Muller (Brazil)
Müller is one of São Paulo's all-time leading scorers with 158 goals. With the club he won two Copa Libertadores and the Intercontinental Cup in 1993, scoring the third goal against AC Milan in Tokyo. He later had spells in Italy with Torino and Perugia, and played for several other Brazilian clubs, such Cruzeiro, Santos, etc.  He also played in Japan.   For the national team, he went to the World Cup Finals in 1986, 1990 and 1994.  He was a backup to Bebeto and Romario in 1994.
Muller
ST: Peter Moller (Denmark)
Peter Moller won four Danish Superliga championships for the rival clubs Brøndby IF and F.C. Copenhagen, and became the most scoring Superliga player ever in 2005.  He also played for AaB.  for his foreign adventure, He played in Holland, Spain and England. From 1991 to 2005, he played 20 times for Denmark.  He participated at the 1998 World Cup Finals in France.

ST: Roger Milla (Cameroon)
Roger Milla became an international star after he scored 4 goals at the World Cup Finals in 1990 as Cameroon reached the quarterfinal.  He was already 38 years old. Many people credited Cameroon for putting African football on the map. Then, in 1994, he became the oldest goal-scorer in World Cup history when he scored against Russia.  He was voted the African Player of the Century.  He was the African Footballer of the Year in 1976 and 1990. He played professionally in France during his prime.

Roger Milla

ST: Dieter Muller (Germany)
Muller played for Koln, Stuttgart, Bordeaux, Grasshopper Club Zurich,  FC Saarbrucken and Kickers Offenbach.  In 1977, he scored six goals against Werder Bremen, a record for the most goals scored by a player in a game. He was the Bundesliga topscorer twice. He was capped 12 times, scoring 9 times for West Germany.  He was best remembered for his heroic performance at Euro 1976, where he scored a hat trick against Yugoslavia and a goal against Czechoslovakia. 

ST: Klaus Toppmöller (Germany)
Toppmöller started with V Rivenich and Eintracht Trier before joining FC Kaiserslautern in 1972.  He scored 108 Bundesliga goals for 1. FC Kaiserslautern in 204 matches in the West German top flight.  He is the all-time leading scorer for them.  He also played briefly in the NASL in the 1980's and FSV Salmrohr in the Bundesliga 2.  He earned 3 caps and scored 1 goal during his international career for West Germany.

ST: Gerd Muller (Germany)
Gerd Muller was known as "Der Bomber".  He was widely considered to be the best striker in history. He scored 68 goals in 62 matches for Germany.  He scored 365 goals in 427 Bundesliga appearance, mostly with Bayern Muinch.  He won the World Cuo in 1974 and the European Championship in 1972.  He won three straight European Cup with Bayern Munich in 1974, 1975 and 1976. He was the European Player of the Year in 1970.
Gerd Muller

Honorable Mention
Dwayne Miller, Alan Miller, Bennie Muller, Karl Miller, Luis Milla.

Squad Explanation
-- This is one of my more crazier all-time teams.  The title "Miller's Time" is based upon the slogan used by Miller Brewing Company from the United States. For more information, please take a look here.  
-- I have too many strikers and forwards, but I cannot trim it down. The team is unrealistic.
-- There are 10 Germans on this team.
-- The surname Muller is the most common surnames in Germany. I have 6 Mullers from Germany: Manfred Muller, Gerd Muller, Thomas Muller, Dieter Muller, Hansi Muller and Nicokai Muller.  None of them are closely related. But if they digged deep into their ancestry, they are all probably related somewhere.  Then, I have another German Swiss, Patrick Muller, a Brazilian Muller and a Frenchman Lucien Muller 
-- I have four players with surname Miller.  They are Alex Miller (Scotland), Willie Miller (Scotland), Roy Miller (Costa Rica) and Markus Miller (Germany).  And they are all defensive players.
-- Of course, most fans know Roger Milla from the World Cup Finals in 1990.  His original name was original name Albert Roger Miller.  He changed it to a more African spelling Milla.  He is the fifth Miller on the team.
-- Willie Miller's central defensive partnership with Alex McLeish had kept Alan Hansen from playing for Scotland.  Hansen only earned 26 caps.  Alex Miller was a club legend with Glasgow Rangers playing around the same time as Willie Miller.
-- I have two other alternative goalkeepers, Dwayne Miller and Alan Miller. Dwayne Miller is a Jamaican goalkeeper with 34 caps.
-- Hansi Müller was a star at Euro 1980, but injuries kept him from fulfilling his promises.
-- Lucien Muller was a forgotten player with Real Madrid.
-- Dieter Muller was the hero at the 1976  European Championship, which was the first major tournament where West Germany played since the retirement of Gerd Muller. West Germany was trailing 2-1 against Yugoslavia in the semifinal when Dieter Muller came on as a sub.  Then, he scored a hat trick, helping West Germany to a comeback win. Two of his goals were scored in the extra time.  He also scored another goal in the Final. He was the top scorer of the tournament with 4 goals. His namesake and his performance were newsworthy back then. He really lived up to his namesake.
-- Dieter Muller's birth name was Dieter Kaster.  Muller was the name of his stepfather.
-- West Germany had a player named "Muller" or Moeller from the World Cup Finals of 1970, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1990, 1994, 2010, 2014 and 2018.  Besides Gerd, Thomas and Dieter Muller, there was Andy Moeller.
-- Klaus Toppmöller's name is close enough.  Roger Milla, Danny Mills, Mick Mills and Frank Mill are also close enough.
-- Youri Mulder is the son of Jan Mulder.  
-- Klaus Toppmöller was a top striker in the Bundesliga, but he only played a handful of games for West Germany.
-- The real name of Brazil's Muller is Luís Antônio Corrêa da Costa.  I do not know how he gets the name "Muller". He is somewhat a forgotten player even through he was on the 1994 World Cup winning team.  I remembered him for the 1990 World Cup Finals.
-- At one point, Thomas Muller wore Gerd's number 13 for both club and country.  Both of them won the World Cup wearing that number.

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Thursday, September 13, 2018

Chinese diaspora All-Time Greatest Team

This blogger Artur Yanturin of Russia copied many of my blog teams.  This blog was one of them.  It was my Russia All-Time Team here.  His team was written in 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2014.   His Spartak Moscow All-Time team entry of was published in October 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2017.  His entry of the Dutch-German rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona was written in 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2014.  He also copied many many of my blog entries.

His Facebook and Instagram

Chinese coolies in the United States

Please also see my All-Time World Cup Team Index

Cheung Chi Doy
ChinaJapanSouth Korea.
Hong Kong
Non-resident Indian and person of Indian origin PIO (Player of Indian Origin)
East Asia.

The mass emigration known as the Chinese diaspora, which occurred from the 19th century to 1949, was mainly caused by wars and starvation in mainland China, invasion from various foreign countries, as well as problems resulting from political corruption. Most immigrants were illiterate peasants and manual labourers, called "coolies" (Chinese: 苦力; pinyin: kǔ lì; literally: "hard labour"), who emigrated to work in places such as the Americas, Australia, South Africa, Southeast Asia, and Zealandia.

Team
GK:  Chow Chee Keong 仇志強 (Malaysia)
Chow Chee Keong was a Malaysian Chinese.  He earned his first senior cap as a 15 years old.  He played for Aveley F.C. in England when he was a student studying in the UK.  He also trained with West Ham. From 1966 to 1970, he was voted the best keeper in Asia for 5 straight seasons.  In 1970, he went to play in the Hong Kong league, which was the only professional league in East Asia. In Hong Kong, he played for Jardines, South China, Rangers and Tung Sing. He was voted as the AFC Goalkeeper of the Century.  
Chow Chee Keong against Pele
GK: Lam Fung Kei 林芳基 (Malaysia)
Lim played for Selangor FA in Malaysia Cup tournament in the late 60s and early 70s. He also played for the Malaysia national football team, and was in the team that qualified to the 1972 Munich Olympics football competition. In the finals, Lim played one group games against Morocco. Lim also played in Hong Kong for professional club Seiko SA, later residing there after retiring.

GK: Chanin Sae-ear (Thailand)
Chanin Sae-ear represented Thailand U23 in the 2014 Asian Games. Chanin is part of Thailand's squad in the 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup. In May 2015, he was called up by Thailand to play in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC) against Vietnam. Chanin is the starting keeper for Thailand U23's victorious team in the 2015 Southeast Asian Games, he also conceded one goal during the whole tournament.

RB: Carlos Alberto Gomes Kao Yien "China" (Brazil)
Born in 1964, China started his career in 1983 with Rio Branco.  He was a journeyman playing in Brazil.  He played 23 Série A games and scored two goals for Grêmio between 1990 and 1991. With Botafogo, China played five Série A games in 1993, and was part of the squad that won that edition of the Copa CONMEBOL. He also played for  Linhares and Avaí.

RB: Leonardo Bruno dos Santos Silva "China"(Brazil)
Born in 1980, Dos Santos Silva is a strong right-back who began his football career with Bangor and had spells with Palmeiras, América-RJ and Volta Redonda before he joined Flamengo in 2004. In 2005, he moved to VfL Bochum.  He retuned to Brazil after one season, where he played for many clubs.  He also played in Portugal.  His nickname is China because of his Chinese background.

CB: Roberto Wong (Costa Rica)
Wong started his career at Herediano and played for Santos de Guápiles before starting a lengthy stint at hometown club Puntarenas. He also played for Liberia Mía, Barrio Méxicoand Saprissa from them on loan.  He made his senior debut for Costa Rica in a February 2007 UNCAF Nations Cup match against Panama and earned his second and final cap in an October 2007 friently against Haiti.

DF: Denis Chen (Guatamela)
Denis Chen played for Cobán Imperial and CSD Municipal before joining Petapa in 2007. In 2009, he joined Deportivo Jalapa and then Cobán Imperial. He made his debut for Guatemala in1999 friendly match against Canada. He earned a total of 33 caps, scoring 1 goal. He has represented his country in 6 FIFA World Cup qualification matches, as well as at the 2001 and 2003 UNCAF Cups and the 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

DF: Ivan Leon (Guatamela)
Ivan Leon made his debut for Guatemala in a 1989 friendly match against Poland. He has earned a total of 34 caps. He has represented his country in 4 World Cup qualification matches and played at several UNCAF Cups as well as at the 1998, 2000 and 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cups.  At the club level,  León has played the majority of his career for CSD Comunicaciones.

CB: Roberto Chen (Panama)
Chen graduated from San Francisco's youth setup, and made his senior debuts in the 2010–11 campaign, aged only 17.  In 2013, he moved to join Malaga in Spain, but spent most of his time on loans.  Art the time of writing, he plays in Colombia.  In 2011, he earned his first senior cap for Panama.   He was include in the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup team, appearing in all matches as Panama finished second.

SW: Soh Chin Aun 蘇進安 (Malaysia)
Soh Chin Aun is Malaysian Chinese.  He was affectionately known as Tauke or Towkay (English: Boss) by his teammates and fans. He played for Selangor FA  between 1970 and 1980 and  Malacca FA between 1981 and 1983. He represented Malaysia at the 1972 Olympics and the AFC Asian Cup in 1980.  Malaysia also qualified for the 1980 Olympics, but did not attend due to the boycott. He claimed to have played for Malaysia 324 times, a record not recognised by FIFA.
Soh Chin Aun 
CB/LB: Calvin Jong-a-Pin (Holland)
Calvin Jong-a-Pin started his career with Volendam in Holland.  He made his name with Heerenveen, where he played between 2006 and 2011. In 2011, he moved to play in Japan, where he played for  Shimizu S-Pulse, FC Machida Zelvia.  At the time of writing, he plays for Yokohama FC. He represented Holland for the 2008 Summer Olympics.  He is of Surinamese Chinese background.

DM: Cornel Chin-Sue (Jamaica)
From 1999 to 2004, Cornel Chin-Sue played 23 times for Jamaica.  He made his debut for the Reggae Boyz in 1999 against Bolivia and played his last in 2004 against Guatemala, collecting a total of 13 caps, scoring one goal. He was part of Jamaica's 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup squad but did not play in any of their games.  At the club level, he played for Arnett Gardens F.C.


CM: Shéu Han 邵汉 (Portugal)
Born in Portuguese Mozambique, Shéu played his entire career for Benfica between 1972 to 1989. He was an important member in the conquest of nine Primeira Liga championships and six domestic cups, captaining the team from 1987 to 1988.  In 1983, he scored a goal in the Final of the 1983 UEFA Cup.  He also played in the 1987-1988 European Cup Final.  He was capped 24 times for Portugal between 1976 and 1986.  
Shéu 
CM: Jaime Carreño (Chile)
His full name is Jaime Matías Carreño Lee Chong.  Jaime made his debut at Universidad Católica in 2015.  He was sent on loan to Everton de Viña del Mar in 2017. At the international level, he had represented Chile in the youth level. He got his first call up to the senior Chile squad for a friendly against Paraguay in 2015.  His uncle is Oscar Lee Chong who also represented Chile.

DM: Aron Winter (Netherlands)
Born in Suriname of an unique ethnic background, Aron Winter was both an Indian and Chinese descendent.  He started his career with Ajax, where he played from 1986 to 1992. He oined Lazio at the height of Serie A during the early 1990's.  He later played for Inter Milan between 1996 and 1999.  For the national team, he was a regular member of the team.  He was capped 84 times and a part of the Euro 1988 winning team.  His last major tournament was the Euro 2000.
Aron Winter
RW: Tschen La Ling 林球立 (Holland)
With Chinese ancestry, Tschen La Ling was known for his career with Ajax in the late 1970's and his partnership with Simon Tahamata, another player with Asian background.  He also played for Den Haag, Panthinaikos, Marseilles and Feyenoord.  He was capped 12 times for Oranje between 1977 and 1982. He played for both Ajax and Holland during the post-Cruyff era.

LW: Oscar Lee Chong (Chile)
Born in 1965, Oscar Lee Chong played once for Chile in 1997 in a match against Bolivia. At the club level, he played for Club de Deportes Los Náuticos, Palestino, Coquimbo Unido, Deportes Concepción, Temuco, and Rangers Talca throughout the 1990's .  His nephew is Jaime Carreño Lee Chong, who is also a professional footballer.  His grandfather was a Chinese immigrant who moved to Chile from Peru.
Oscar Lee Cheong
LM/CM: Frank Soo 蘇衛清 (England)
Frank Soo was the first non-white player to represent England (in unofficial wartime matches).  He played 9 times for the war time England team between 1942 and 1945.  At the club level, he was first player of Chinese origin to play in the English Football League. He played for Stoke City between 1933 and 1945.  At one point, he captained the side. In the war years, he also played for Leicester Town.  After the war, he played for Luton Town and Chelmsford City.
Frank Soo (first right)
AM: Mark Chung (USA)
Mark Chung was born in Toronto to Hakka Chinese Jamaican parents. He was drafted sixth overall by the Kansas City Wizards in the 1996 MLS Inaugural Draft.  He was named MLS Best XI in the first season.  He later played for Metrostars, Colorado Rapids and San Jose Earthquake.  At the international level, he was eligible to play for Canada and Jamaica, but he chose the United States. He was capped only 24 times, despite being one of the top players in the MLS.

FW: Augusto Rocha (Portugal)
Born in Macau, Augusto Rocha was a son of a Portuguese father and a Chinese mother. He started his career with Sporting Clube de Macau.  He moved to Portugal to play for Sporting CP in 1955.  After two seasons, he joined Académica, where he played almost 400 games between 1956 and 1971. Between 1958 and 1963, he played 7 times for Portugal, making his debut against Spain.

FW: William Sunsing (Costa Rica)
At the club level, William Sunsing played for many clubs around the world. He made his debut with Herediano in 1995.  He played New England Revolution in the United States, FK Teplice in the Czech Republic and Akratitos in Greece.  He also played for Deportivo Saprissa, Santa Bárbara and Pérez Zeledón in Costa Rica.  He earned 35 caps for Costa Rica.  He was a non-playing squad member at the 2002 FIFA World Cup and the 2001 Copa América.

FW: Jorge Sarmiento Koochoi (Peru)
Jorge Sarmiento Koochoi started  with Sport José Gálvez in 1916 . In 1918, he joined Guillermo Rivero to Sport Alianza (Alianza Lima), where he played until 1934.  He was known to be the club's first great goal scorer. For the national team, he represented Peru at the 1927 South American Championship.  He also went to the first ever World Cup Finals, held in Uruguay.  His father was a wealthy baker living in Peru.
Jorge Sarmiento Koochoi 
ST: Bryan Ching (USA)
At the club level, Bryan Ching played for LA Galaxy, Seattle Sounders, San Jose Earthquakes and Houston Dynamos in the United States. He was best remembered for winning two MLS Cup with Houston. He was the MLS Cup MVP  in 2006.  With San Josem he also won a MLS Cup in 2003, but his season was plagued by injuries. He was the MLS Golden Booth in 2004.  Between 2003 and 2010, he earned 45 caps for the United States.  He was a non playing member at the 2006 World Cup Finals.
Bryan Ching 

Honorable Mention
Maikel Chang (Cuba), Boris Alfaro (Panama), Adam Chicksen (Zimbabwe),  Pierre Min Zhen Wang (Austria), Lim Teong Kim (Malaysia), James Wong (Malaysia), Wong Choon Wah (Malaysia),  Alexander N'Doumbou (Gabon), Richard Chin A Poo (T&T), Etienne Shew-Atjon (Holland), Cerezo Fung A Wing (Holland), Jonathan Klinsmann (USA), Tahiti Chong (Holland), Vincent Simon (Tahiti), Nova Arianto (Indonesia), Cipriano Yu Lee (Ecuador).

Squad Explanation
-- I only selected players who did not represent any national team from the Greater China region. Singapore is sometimes considered to be a part of Greater China.  At this moment, I have not considered any Singaporean players.  Singapore is country with ethnic Chinese as majority.
 -- Most players are of mixed races. 
-- Many of the surnames were not registered properly in the old days.  For example, "Sunsing" was probably the given name of William's ancestor, not the surname. 
-- Jorge Sarmiento Koochoi of Peru went to the first ever World Cup Finals in 1930.  He was probably the first ever ethnic Chinese to attend a World Cup Finals.
-- A large number of Malaysian Chinese represented Malaysia in the 1970's.
-- Chow Chee Keong appeared numerous times in my blogs.  He was relatively forgotten.  In his prime, he was considered to be the greatest goalkeeper in Asia.  He was voted as the AFC Goalkeeper of the Century.
-- Both Brazilian Chinese players were nicknamed "China" and played as a rightback.
-- Jurgen Klinsmann is married to Chinese American.  Their son Jonathan, at the time of writing, has played in a single Europa Cup match, which is actually higher level than any keeper with Chinese heritage ever played.  But he needed more time to develop in order to be seriously considered.
-- Xavier Chen was born in Spain,  He is a part of Chinese diaspora, but he had played for Taiwan. 
-- Mark Chung was born in Toronto to Hakka Chinese Jamaican parents. His family moved from Toronto to the United States, when Chung was twelve.  He was eligible to play for both Canada and Jamaica.
-- Aron Winter came from multi-ethnic background.  He said publicly that he is part-Chinese.  His grandfather is Surinamese Hakka. The Hakka people are Han Chinese. The Chinese characters for Hakka (客家) literally mean "guest families".  Their ancestors moved around and settled down mainly in Southern China.  GThey are not tied to a specific region.  There is a Hakka saying: "Wherever there is sunshine, there are Chinese; wherever there are Chinese, there are Hakka."[
-- Tahiti Chong who now plays for Manchester United is also of Surinamese Chinese background.  In fact, there must be other Surinamese Dutch footballers who are of Chinese descent.
-- Frank Soo was the first non-white player to represent England in football, but only in the wartime international matches.
-- There are a huge Chinese diaspora in Jamaica.  They intermarried with the Black population. Patrick Chung who played for New England Patriots in American Football is a Jamaican Chinese. I am surprised to find so few soccer players of Chinese background from Jamaica.  Mark Chung and  Cornel Chin-Sue are the only two from there.
-- Adam Chicksen is of English, Zimbabwean and Chinese descent. Chicksen's mother is English and his father is from African Zimbabwe and Chinese heritage.
-- Álvaro Recoba is nicknamed "El Chino"(The Chinese), but he is not Chinese.  People thought that he looked "Asian" or "Chinese".

Formation