Saturday, September 28, 2019

Udinese 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

Mitropa Cup winner 1980
Please also see my All-Time World Cup Team Index.

AC MilanJuventusInter Milan,
RomaLazioTorinoNapoliFiorentina,
SampdoriaGeonaBolognaParmaUdineseBrescia.


This is my selection of a 25 member all-time team for the club.  The number 25 was chosen because it is the official squad size for the Champions' League.

Udinese Calcio, commonly referred to as Udinese, is an Italian football club based in Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, that currently plays in Serie A. It was founded on 30 November 1896 as a sports club, and on 5 July 1911 as a football club.

The traditional team home kit is black and white striped shirt, black shorts, and white socks. They are sometimes called "The Little Zebras" based on their black and white striped shirts. The club broadcasts on channel 110 (Udinese Channel) on digital terrestrial television in north-east of Italy. It has many fans in Friuli and the surrounding areas.
2000 UEFA Intertoto Cup 
Team
GK: Morgan Da Sanctis (Italy)
Morgan Da Sanctis is brilliant keeper, but his international opportunities limited by playing at the same time as Gianluigi Buffon. He only had 6 caps.  He was, however, included in squads for Euro 2008, the 2010 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2012.  From 1999 to 2007, he played for Udinese.  Then, he had another long career with Napoli.  

GK: Samir Handanović (Slovenia)
From 2004, Samir Handanović  was capped over 70 times for Slovenia.  He went to the World Cup Finals in 2010.  For club football, he was best remembered as a top keeper in Serie A.  He was voted the best keeper for 2013 in Italy.   He is one of only three non-Italian keepers to be named Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year, winning the honor twice. He is nicknamed Batman due to his acrobatic saves.

GK: Luigi Turci (Italy)
Turci started his career at native club Cremonese, helping the team promoted to Serie A in 1993. After Cremonese were relegated to Serie B in 1996, he joined Udinese. He moved again in 2002, this time to U.C. Sampdoria. In 2005, he joined Cesena in Serie B for whom he played 62 league games before hanging up his boots in 2007.

RB: Thomas Helveg (Denmark)
The most prominent period of his career was his five years with  AC Milan, with whom he won the 1999 Serie A championship and 2003 UEFA Champions League tournament. He was named 1994 Danish Player of the Year.  He has participated in the 1996, 2000 and 2004 European Championship and the 1998 and 2002 FIFA World Cup tournaments. He also played for Udinese, Inter Milan, Norwich City and Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Thomas Helveg 
RB: Valerio Bertotto (Italy)
Bertotto started his professional career during the 1990–91 season with Alessandria. He joined Udinese in 1993, spending thirteen seasons there, also captaining his side to what is to date their only appearance in the UEFA Champions League, and also becoming the Udinese player with the highest number of matches ever played for the team. He later played for Siena and Venezia. He was capped 4 times.

CB: Edinho (Brazil)
Born in 1955, Edinho played 45 times for Brazil.  He went to three World Cup Finals: 1978, 1982 and 1986.  He was the captain of the 1986 team.  Edinho was also in the team which finished fourth at the 1976 Summer Olympics. He spent most of his career with Fluminense, but also played with Flamengo and Fluminense FC.  In  Europe, he played with Udinese in Italy and Gremio.

CB: Per Krøldrup (Denmark)
Krøldrup started his footballing career at Danish lower league club Aalborg Chang. He went on to play for B 93 Copenhagen before transferring to Udinese in 2001. He played an successful season with Everton before spending 6 seasons with Fiorentina.  Then, he played for Pescara and Olhanense. He was capped 33 times.  He went to the 2004 European Championship.

CB: Alessandro Calori  (Italy)
Calori was a product of Arezzo's youth system. He made his debut in 1985 with Serie C team Montevarchi. In 1991 Calori joined Udinese, where he spent eight seasons.  In 1999 Calori, then aged 33, signed for Perugia, and gained space in the headlines as he scored the winning goal in a 1–0 win to Juventus in the final league week, a goal that unexpectedly let Juventus lose the Serie A title to Lazio. 

CB: Roberto Sensini (Argentina)
Started in 1986 for Newell's Old Boys before moving to Udinese. Sensini moved to Parma in 1993, winning two UEFA Cups, two Italian Cups, and the UEFA Super Cup. He would then have a brief stint with S.S. Lazio, winning the scudetto, the Italian Cup, the UEFA Super Cup, and the Supercoppa Italiana.  He played in the World Cup 1990, 1994 and 1998. In the 1990 FIFA World Cup Final Sensini conceded the disputed penalty kick from which West Germany scored their winning goal.
Roberto Sensini

RB/LB: Luigi Zorzi (Italy)
Known as "Zorzi I", he made his debut in 1935 with Bellotto Sport. In 1936, he joined Udinese with whom he made his debut as an attacker.  He later converted into a fullback.  In 1945, he joined AC Milan.  He briefly served in the armed force during the War.  He also played for Sampdoria between 1946 and 1949. From 1949 to 1956, he again played for Udinese. 

LB:  Marek Jankulovski  (Czech Republic)
Marek Jankulovski's most notable achievements include winning the UEFA Champions League with A.C. Milan and being voted the 2007 Czech Footballer of the Year. He earned 77 caps for the Czech Republic, and represented them at three European Championships, the 2000 Olympics and the 2006 World Cup.

DM: Giuliano Giannichedda (Italy)
Giannichedda started his career with A.S. Sora Calcio 1907 in the fourth division. In 1995 summer, he moved straight to the Serie A with Udinese Calcio. In 2000, he won the UEFA Intertoto Cup. 
Giannichedda played with S.S. Lazio from 2001 until 2005. He also played for Juventus.  He stayed with them for the 2006–07 season. He earned 3 caps for Italy.

DM: Cirano Snidero (Italy)
Cirano Snidero was the son of Udinese team bus driver.e  He made his debut with Udinese in the 1947-1948 season in the Serie B. He helped the club to reach Serie A for the first time in 1950.  He was known for his partnership with Augusto Magli.  He was voted in 2012 by the fans of the club as its greatest midfielders. He later played with Alessandria and Pordenone.
Cirano Snidero 

CM: Gökhan Inler (Switzerland)
İnler began his career with FC Basel and later joined FC Aarau and FC Zürich, winning the Swiss Super League in both of his seasons with the latter. After four seasons with Udinese in the Italian Serie A, he joined Napoli in 2011, where he twice won the Coppa Italia. From 2006 to 2016, he was capped 89 times. He served as the Swiss captain.

AM/CM: Giampiero Pinzi (Italy) 
Pinzi began his career with Lazio in 1999. From 2000 to 2015, he played with Udinese.  He spent a plan spells Chievo during those years.  At the end of his career, he played again with them, and then  with Padova and Brescia.  With Italy, he won a bronze medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics.  He also earned a single senior cap in 2005.

RW: Franco Causio (Italy)
Franco Causio capped 63 times.  He was a part of the Azzurri at Euro 1980 and then, the World Cup in 1982.  He played 11 years for Juventus between 1970 and 1981.   During a highly successful period with the club, he won the scudetto six times, as well as winning a Coppa Italia, and an UEFA Cup. He also reached the European Cup final with Juventus during the 1972–73 season.

RM/RB: Martin Jørgensen (Denmark)
For Denmark, Jørgensen earned 102 caps.  He is the only player that has represented Denmark at three World Cups. He has also played at two European Championship tournaments. He began his career at the local club IF Midtdjurs in 1994.  From 1997 to 2004, he played for Udinese.  From 2004 to 2010, he played with Fiorentina.

LW/AM: Zico  (Brazil)
Zico was the best player in the world during the early 1980's.  He came eighth in the FIFA Player of the Century grand jury vote.  He went to three World Cup Finals, but probably best remembered for the 1982 tournament, where the team was known as the best ever tram that never won the World Cup.  He won the Intercontinental Cup in 1981 with Flamengo, a team that was considered among the greatest ever.  He later played with Udinese for 2 seasons.
Zico
LW/AM: Stefano Fiore (Italy) 
Fiore started out with Cosenza in 1992, but known for his career with Parma, where he won two the UEFA Cups.   He later played with Lazio, Udinese, Padova, Chievo, Valencia, Fiorentina, Torino, Livorno, etc. He was capped 38 times for Italy between 2000 and 2004 in period when Italy had many great attacker midfielders.  He played at Euro 2000 and 2004.

FW/RWF: Enzo Menegotti (Italy)
Enzo Menegotti started with Modena, where he played 153 times. He spent a season at Milan, before moving to Udinese in 1952. He was the captain of the team that came second in Serie A behind Milan. He spent two seasons with AS Roma before returning to Udinese in 1959. For Italy, he made his national debut against West Germany in 1955.  He played one more time that year. He was the first player to represent Udinese on the national team. 

FW: Antonio Di Natale (Italy)
Antonio Di Natale is considered to be Udinese greatest player.  He played 5 seasons with Empoli before siging with Udinese in 2004, where his career took off.  He was the Seria A top scorer for two seasons: 2010 and 2011. At the international level, he only played 42 times for Italy.  He was a key player at the World Cup Finals in 2010. He also went to the European Championship in both 2008 and 2012.
Antonio Di Natale 
ST: Oliver Bierhoff (Germany)
Biefhoff scored the first golden goal in the history of major international football, for Germany in the Euro 96 final. The goal defined his career. He played 70 times for Germany between 1996 and 2002.  He also played in Euro 2000, and both the 1998 and 2002 World Cups. He was a later bloomer.  He was playing in Austria and Italy's Serie B until at the age 27 when he joined Udinese.  He would later star for AC Milan.

ST: Lorenzo Bettini (Italy)
Bettini began his career with Brescia, debuting in Serie B in 1950.  He played with AS Roma, Palermo and Lazio before making a name with Udinese where he had two stints. In 1954-1955 season, he finished as the second top scorer behind the Milan player Gunnar Nordahl.  In 1961 he joined Helenio Herrera's Inter Milan, where he played a single season.  He later played for Modena and Alessandria.  He was capped 5 times for Italy B team.
Lorenzo Bettini
ST: Abel Balbo (Argentina)
At club level, Balbo played for Newell's Old Boys and River Plate before moving to Italy in 1989.  In Italy, he played for Udinese, Roma (two stints), Parma and Fiorentina. He played four games for Boca Juniors before finally retiring. He scored a total of 138 goals in Serie A.  For Argentina, Balbo earned 37 caps, and played at the 1990, the 1994, the 1998 World Cups, and the 1989 and 1995 Copas América. 

ST: Vincenzo Iaquinta (Italy) 
At the club lebel, Vincenzo Iaquinta made a name as the offensive partner of Antonio Di Natale while they played for Udinese.  He also played for Juventus between 2007 and 2013.  He played 40 matches for the Italy national football team between 2005 and 2010, scoring 6 goals. He was a part of Italy's World Cup winning team in 2006. He played in 5 out of 7 of Italy's matches in Germany.
Vincenzo Iaquinta 
Honorable Mention
Alexis Sánchez (Chile), Giampiero Pinzi (Italy), Danilo (Brazil), Paolo Poggi (Italy), Sulley Muntari (Ghana), Márcio Amoroso (Brazil), Roberto Muzzi (Italy), Dino Zoff (Italy), Arne Selmosson (Sweden), Bengt Lindskog (Sweden), David Pizarro (Chile), Simone Pepe (Italy) Armando Segato (Italy), Kurt Andersson (Sweden), Luigi De Agostini (Italy), Dino Galparoli (Italy), Mauricio Isla (Chile), Fabio Quagliarella (Italy).

Squad Explanation
-- Antonio Di Natale is probably Udinese's greatest ever player.  He is their all-time leading scorer as well all-time appearance record holder.
-- Morgan De Sanctis' international career was limited by playing during Gianluigi Buffon's peak. Samir Handanović was Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year for 2010-2011 season.
-- Dino Zoff began his career here, but only spent a short time here. He helped to gain promotion to Serie A. I put him on honorable mention.  Instead, I took Luigo Turci who had a longer career with Udinese. He also won the Intertoto Cup.
-- Rightback Valerio Bertotto captained Udinese to what is to date their only appearance in the UEFA Champions League.  He was also the all-time appearance record holder for the club before Antonio Di Natale broke his record.
-- I first took Luigi Zorzi (Italy) who had a long career with Udinese for the leftback position.  Then, I was choosing between Marek Jankulovski and Luigi De Agostini for the second leftback position.  I took Jankulovski because he had a better international career.  Dino Galparoli was also considered for the leftback position.  He had a long career with the club.
-- Zico is probably the most well-known footballer ever played for the club. He was named Serie A Player of the Year in 1984.  He finished second top-scorer for the same season with a single goal behind Michel Platini who played in more games.  Unfortunately, his second season was marked by injuries.  He left after two seasons.  His performance in his first season put him as one of Udinese's greatest players.
-- Zico and Franco Causio were teammates with Udinese while Vincenzo Iaquinta and Antonio Di Natale formed a famous partnership up front.
-- Stefano Fiore earned his first Italian cap while playing for Udinese.  David Pizarro, Roberto Sensini and Thomas Helveg also earned their first with their respective countries while playing for them.
-- With Zico and Stefano Fiore on the team, I do not need David Pizarro, Bengt Lindskog and Arne Selmosson. Instead, I selected four central/defensive midfielders Giampiero Pinzi, Gökhan Inler, Cirano Snidero and Giuliano Giannichedda.   Cirano Snidero was voted as Udinese's greatest midfielder. Gökhan Inler (Switzerland) had a stronger international reputation than the other candidates.
-- Giampiero Pinzi is the third all-time appearance record leader. Besides playing the centre midfielder, he also could play in an advanced position.  He was paired with Antonio Di Natale.
-- Enzo Menegotti was the first player from the club to play for Italy.  I gave him credit for the milestone by selecting him.
-- Oliver Bierhoff was Serie A top scorer in 1996-1997 season for Udinese.
-- Alexis Sanchez was a star player here, but I have Antonio Di Natale, Lorenzo Bettini, Vincenzo Iaquinta and Abel Balbo ahead of him.  Antonio Di Natale and Vincenzo Iaquinta are icons of the club while Balbo was Serie B top scorer while playing here.  Alexis only scored 20 goals for the club.  So he only made honorable mention.
-- Udinese came second in the 1955-1956 Serie A season.  It was their highest ever finish.  Lorenzo Bettini was a hero of that season.
-- Fabio Quagliarella also only made honorable mention because I have the other players ahead of him in his position.

Formation





  

Monday, September 23, 2019

Lille OSC All-Team 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

Winning the Double in the 2010-2011 season

Please also see my All-Time World Cup Team Index.

Olympique de MarseilleParis Saint-Germain
Olympique LyonnaisAS MonacoNantes
Saint-ÉtienneGirondins de Bordeaux.
South France
Players born in the Overeseas Department and former French Colonies
French Black Players 
French Algerian
French Players Capped by Other National Teams
France at USA 1994

This is my selection of a 25 member all-time team for the club. The number 25 was chosen because it is the official squad size for the Champions' League.

Lille OSC was founded as a result of a merger between Olympique Lillois and SC Fives during the War. Both clubs were founding members of the French Division 1 and Lillois was the league's inaugural champions. Under the Lille emblem, the club has won three league titles in 1946, 1954, and 2011 and six Coupe de France titles, which is tied for fourth-best among clubs. Lille and Red Star F.C. are the only French clubs in the competition's history to win the Coupe de France in three consecutive seasons. Lille's most successful period was the decade from 1946 to 1956 when the team was led by managers George Berry and André Cheuva.
1946 League Champion

Team
GK: Philippe Bergeroo (France) 
Bergeroo started his career with Bordeaux in 1971.  Between 1978 and 1983, he played with Lille.  He then played for Toulouse FC from 1983 to 1988.  He played 3 times for France. He was a member of the French squad in the 1986 World Cup and the team that won the European Championship in 1984.

GK: Bernard Lama (France)
Lama left Guiana in 1981 to come to France to become a professional footballer.  He started with Lille, but also played in Brest and Metz.  In 1992, he joined PSG, where he found stardom.  He won the Cup Winners' Cup in 1996.  After a brief career with West Ham and Rennes, he retired.  Capped 44 times.  He was mainly a backup throughout his NT career.  He was on the team that won the WC in 1998.

GK: César Ruminski (France)
Ruminski joined Le Havre in 1947 from SC Douai. He helped to gain promotion in  1950. They finished third in the Division 1 championship, the following year, one point behind the winner, the OGC Nice. In 1952, he played for Lille, which was the peak of his career. In 1953, he won the Coupe de France, and in 1954, the Championship.  He played for France 7 times. He was selected for the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland.

RB: Jules Vandooren (France)
Vandooren played with Olympique Lillois between 1927 and 1939.  He won the league title in 1932-1933 season, the first ever professional title in France. Later, he played with Red Star FC and Stade de Reims as a player-coach. Then, he played with Arago Orléans (1943-1948) and finally at SM Caen (1949-1952) at the age of 43 years.  He was a part of France in the 1934 and 1938 World Cup Finals. 
Jules Vandooren 
RB: Mathieu Debuchy (France) 
Debuchy started his senior career at Lille, where he won a Ligue 1 and Coupe de France double in 2010–11. He played in Ligue 1 for 10 seasons for Lille. He joined Newcastle United in January 2013 and stayed there for 18 months. He played for Arsenal from July 2014 until January 2018.  He earned 27 caps, playing in the Euro 2012 and the 2014 World Cup Finals.

CB: Adil Rami (France) 
Adil Rami began his career playing for amateur club ES Fréjus in France. In 2006, Rami ascended three divisions after signing with Ligue 1 club Lille OSC. He was a part of the team which won the league and cup double in the 2010-2011 season. He also played for Valencia, AC Milan, Seville, etc. Rami was capped over 30 times for France.  He was a member of the France squad that won the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Adil Rami 
CB/DM: Jakob Friis-Hansen (Denmark) 
Jakob Friis-Hansen began his B1903 in 1983.   He moved to Lille OSC in France in 1989, in which he stayed for six seasons.  In 1995,  Friis-Hansen joined French club FC Girondins de Bordeaux.  He also played for Hamburger SV. He played 19 times for Denmark.  He went to the Confederation Cup in 1995.

CB: Cor Van der Hart (Netherlands)
Cor Van der Hart became the third Dutch player in history to play board and one of the first professional player in Netherlands when he joined Lille in 1950.  Before that, he played for Ajax.  Widely considered one of the best Dutch defender in history.  He had 44 caps, but the cap total largely was limited because the KNVB suspended all players that left the country to play professional football. 

CB/RB: Guillaume Bieganski (France)
Guillaume Bieganski was a French player of Polish descent.  He joined Lille OSC in 1951, where he played until 1959.  He was a part of their league champion team in 1954. He played for RC Lens from 1959 and 1963.  He then played for US Forbach from 1963 and 1965, and US Marignane between 1965 and 1968.  For France, he played 9 times between 1953 and 1961. He went to the 1954 World Cup Finals in Switzerland.
Guillaume Bieganski 
LB: Marceau Somerlinck (France)
Marceau Somerlinck's career is inseparable from the history of Lille. In 1935 , he  joined Sporting Club fivois.  In the 1943-1944 season, he was forced to join Lille-Flanders created by the Vichy government.  Instead, he joined the Lille OSC, a club formed by the merger of SC Fivois and Olympique Lille.  From 1945 to 1957 , Somerlinck won the French Championship twice.  He also won 5 Coupe de France, a record that still stands.

DM: Roger Carre (France)
In his career, Roger Carre played with Roubaix (1943-44), Lille OSC (1944-50)and Racing Club de Lens (1950-54).   With Lille, He won the French Ligue One in 1946, and three straight Coupe de France in the 1940's.  It was Lille's greatest period in history.  He was capped twice for France between 1947 and 1949.

DM: Albert Dubreucq (France)
Born in Lille, Albert Dubreucq  played for his hometown team, Lille OSC, winning the Ligue One in 1946 and two Cups of France.   He was transferred to Racing Club in 1953.   In 1957, he  became a player-coach at CA Paris.  In 1952, he was capped twice.  His debut was against Sweden on March 26, 1952 for a friendly match.  He also played for RC Strasbourg, Red Stars and Stade français.

DM: Gérard Bourbotte (France)
Gérard Bourbotte played mainly at Lille OSC.  He had two stints with the club.  In his first stint (1952 to 1957), he was champion of France in 1954 and won the Coupe de France in 1955 (where he scored two goals in the final).  In his second stint (1963 to 1968), he helped the club to win the Ligue Two in 1964.  

CM: Rio Mavuba (France)
Rio Mavuba's father was Mafuila Mavuba, a footballer who played for Zaire at the 1974 World Cup.  He was born in a refugee boat without any nationality.  He became a French citizen in 2004. He spent most of his professional career with Bordeaux and Lille, winning the 2011 national championship with the latter.  With France, he was capped 13 times between 2004 and 2014.  He went to the 2014 World Cup Finals in Brazil.
Rio Mavuba
RW: Yvon Douis (France)
During his career he played for Lille OSC (1953–59), Le Havre AC (1959–61), AS Monaco (1961–67) and AS Cannes (1967–69). He earned 20 caps and scored 4 goals for the France national football team between 1957 and 1965, and played in the 1958 FIFA World Cup, in which France finished third. Douis scored in the third place play off against West Germany at Sweden 1958.

RM/CM: André Strappe (France)
During his career, Andre Strappe played for Lille OSC (1948–58), Le Havre AC (1958–61), FC Nantes (1961–63), and SC Bastia (1963). He scored 116 goals in Ligue 1 and won the league tournament in 1954 with Lille. He is Lille's second all-time leading scorer and also the second all-time leading appearance leader. He also won the Coupe de France in 1953 and 1955 with Lille, and again with Le Havre in 1959. He was 23 times for France. He went to World Cup in 1954.
André Strappe 
AM/CM: Yohan Cabaye (France)
From 2004 to 2011, Yohan Cabaye played for Lille OSC.  He was a key player as they won the Double in 2011. He later played for Newcastle United, PSG, Crystal Palace, Al-Nasr Dubai SC and Saint-Étienne. At under-19 level, he won the 2005 UEFA European Under-19. From 2010 onward, he played 48 times for France.  He started in four of France's five matches at the 2014 World Cup Finals. He also went to Euro 2012 and then, Euro 2016 hosted by France.
Yohan Cabaye 
LW: Jean Vincent (France)
With Lille OSC (1950–1956), Vincnet won Ligue 1 champion in 1954 and the Coupe de France in 1953 and 1955.  From 1956 to 1964, he played for Stade Reims, winning Ligue 1 champion in 1958, 1960 and 1962, and Coupe de France in 1958. He earned 46 caps and scored 22 goals for the France national football team, and played and scored in the 1954 World Cup, the 1958 World Cup, and the 1960 European Football Championship.

FW/LW/RW: Gervinho (Ivory Coast)
Gervinho began his career at ASEC Abidjan and Toumodi F.C., before moving to Belgium in 2004 to play for the now-defunct Beveren. Between 2007 and 2011, he played in the French Ligue 1, initially at Le Mans and then at Lille. He was sold to Arsenal in 2011, and moved to Roma in 2013. In January 2016, Gervinho moved to Hebei China Fortune F.C. He has made 80 appearances for the Ivorian national team, scoring 22 goals. He played in 2010 and 2014 World Cup Finals.

FW: Jean Lechantre (France)
Lechantre was born in Belium.  His nicknamed  was "the little Belgian".  He started with at the Lille Olympique, and then, he played for the Lille OSC, in which he won the French championship in 1946 and the Coupe de France three times. He finished his career at the CO Roubaix-Tourcoing which he coached during the 1959-1960 season. He was capped 3 times for France.

AM/FW: Eden Hazard (Belgium)
At the time of writing, Eden Hazard has already earned 100 caps and led Belgium to the semi-final of the World Cup in 2018.  At the club level, He played for Lille in France for 8 years. He signed with Chelsea in June 2012, where he won two Europa League in 2012 and 2019. He won both FWA and PFA Player of the Year for the 2014-2015 season in England.  In 2019, he joined Real Madrid.
Eden Hazard 

FW: Bolek Tempowski (France)
Born in Poland, Bolek Tempowski began his carweer with Valenciennes in 1938. With Lille, he was the Champion of France in 1946, wining Coupe de France three times.  He also played for Strasbourg, Montpellier  and Stade Guyotville in Algeria.  he was capped once for France in 1947.

ST: Moussa Sow (Senegal)
Sow played for Stade Rennais between 2004 and 2010.  In 2011, he joined Lille, where he won the Double in 2011. He was the league's top scorer with 25 goals and made the Team of the Year. He joined Fenerbahçe in 2012. Born in France, he chose to play for Senegal. From 2009 to 2018, he had 50 caps.  He played in the 2018 World Cup Finals.

ST: Jules Bigot (France)
Jules Bigot joined Olympique Lillois at the age of 18 in 1933.  He made his first team debut first as a winger and then as a center forward. He holds the record for most goals (10) on a match, during his game against AS Saint-Etienne.  He also played Olympique de Marseille and AS Saint-Étienne. From 1936 to 1945, he played 6 times for France.

ST: Jean Baratte (France)
Jean Baratte started his career at the Olympique Iris Club Lille. He spent most of his career at Lille OSC with which he was French Champion in 1946 and 1954 , and winner of the Coupe de France in 1946, 1947, 1948 and 1953.  He was their all-time leading scorer. He also played for AS Aix-en-Provence and CO Roubaix-Tourcoing.  From 1944 to 1952, he played 32 times for France, scoring 19 goals.
Jean Baratte

Honorable Mention 
Mickaël Landreau (France), Noureddine Kourichi (Algeria), Ignacio Prieto (Chile), Pascal Cygan (France), Marcel Adamczyk (France), Jocelyn Angloma (France), Franck Béria (France), Bernard Gardon (France), Joseph Jadrejak (France), Dimitri Payet (France), Nicolas Pépé (Ivory Coast), Dagui Bakari (Ivory Coast), Kader Keita (Ivory Coast), Michel Bastos (Brazil), Christophe Landrin (France), René Bihel (France), Jean-Marie Prévost (France), Per Frandsen (Denmark), Jean Makoun (Cameroon), Marko Baša (Montenegro), Djézon Boutoille (France), Erwin Vandenbergh (Belgium), Florent Balmont (France), Jean Lechantre (France), Mike Maignan (France), Zeki Çelik (Turkey), Jose Fonte (Portugal), Jonathan Bamba (France), Benjamin André (France), Reinildo (Mozambique) and Burak Yılmaz (Turkey).

Squad Explanation
-- During the 1940's, Lille OSC won the league title in 1946 and winning 3 Coupe de France.  From the 1940's, I have the following players selected: Jean Baratte, Jules Bigot, Bolek Tempowski, Jean Lechantre, Albert Dubreucq, Marceau Somerlinck and Roger Carre. 
-- Lille OSC continued its successes.  They won the league again in 1954.  I selected the following players from that team: César Ruminski, Gérard Bourbotte, Albert Dubreucq, Jean Vincent and Yvon Doris.  Jean Baratte left the season before. He is their all-time leading scorer as well as a member of their 1946 league champion team.
-- Lille OSC won the Double in the 2010-2011 season. I selected the following players: Rio Mavuba, Yahan Cabaye, Adil Rami, Gervinho, Ed Hazard, Mathieu Debuchy and Moussa Sow. Mickaël Landreau also made honourable mention.  Sow was the league's top scorer with 25 goals that season.
-- Most players on this team came from the two Golden periods of the team.  Philippe Bergeroo, Bernard Lama, Jakob Friis-Hansen and Jules Vandooren are the exceptions.  Vandooren actually played with Olympique Lillois before it merged with SC Fives to become Lille OSC.
-- Philippe Bergeroo and Bernard Lama are the two obviously choices for goalkeepers. I toyed with the idea of rewarding Mickaël Landreau for winning La Ligue title, but César Ruminski also won the 1954 version. Julien Darui who was considered to be one of France's greatest keeper only spent a season here. Mike Maignan is also an interesting prospect at this moment, but he is too young now.  He helped the club to win Ligue 1 in the 2020-2021 season.
-- The rightback position has two good candidates Jules Vandooren and Mathieu Debuchy.  Joseph Jadrejak, Jocelyn Angloma and Franck Béria also made honourable mention.  Jocelyn Angloma is the biggest name on the list, but he only played 3 seasons here.
-- Jules Vandooren played for Olympique Lillois before it merged with Sporting Club Fivois to form Lille OSC.  With him, Olympique Lillois won the first ever French professional league title in 1933.  Jean Baratte also started his career at the Olympique Iris Club Lille.
-- Cor Van der Hart became the third Dutch player to move abroad to become a professional football player when he joined Lille OSC.  Denmark's Jakob Friis-Hansen spent 6 seasons with the club.
-- Marceau Somerlinck played for Sporting Club Fivois when it merged with Olympique Lillois to form Lille OSC.  He won 5 French Cups with them.  He is also their all-time appearance leader for Lille OSC.
-- Eden Hazard won two straight Player of the Year for "Trophées UNFP du football".  No other Lillie player could match that.
-- Lille has a number of good footballers from Ivory Coast: Gervinho, Nicolas Pépé, Dagui Bakari and Kader Keita.  Gervinho made the squad because he was one of their star players at the 2011 title.
-- Kennet Andersson (Sweden) only spent half a season on loan here, but he made a name at the 1994 World Cup Finals while registered as a player with Lille. However, he did not make my honourable mention, but he is worth a mention here. Joe Cole also spent a short time here on loan. 
-- Dimitri Payet (France) was seriously considered. He was named in the UNFP's Ligue 1 team of the season in 2013 while playing for them.
-- After Lille clinching the 2020-2021 La Ligue title, I edited the team.  I added Mike Maignan (France), Zeki Çelik (Turkey), Jose Fonte (Portugal), Jonathan Bamba (France), Benjamin André (France), Reinildo (Mozambique) and Burak Yılmaz (Turkey) to honorable mentions.  Except Maignan, none of whom has played long enough for the club.  I do not follow Ligue 1.  So the task of editing this team will be tough.

Formation





Saturday, September 7, 2019

All "Diego's" All-Time 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


Diego Maradona made the name very popular
Please also see my All-Time World Cup Team Index.

It's Muller/Miller time
Italian Players' surnames ending with  an "I"
Dutch Players' surnames starting with "Van" 
Ronaldo, Ronald, Ronnie, Ron, etc All-Time Team
Brazilian Footballers who shared names with historical figures
Dutch footballers whose surnames started with "Van"

Diego is a Spanish given name. Oddly enough, the name Diego is a Spanish form of the name James which is ultimately a derivative of Jacob.  It derives from a re-analysis of Sant Yago (Saint James the Greater) as San Diego.  The forms Tiago, Thiago, Diago and Diogo are seen mostly in Portuguese-speaking countries. 

When I looked at several lists of famous people named "Diego",   they are mainly footballers. Diego Velazquez, Diego Rivera, Diego de Almagro, etc are some of the famous non-football playing "Diego's".   I actually never heard most of the non-footballing "Diego's".  In the modern football world, the name was made famous by Diego Maradona. Perhaps, many footballers were named after him. According to data from Facebook, only 1 to 1.5% of Argentine babies were named "Diego" born before the 1986 World Cup Finals.  The names jumped to 5% during the Finals.  Roughly one in 25 baby boys were named after him at that period.

This is my selection of a 25 member all-time team for players whose names are Diego.  Since this is not a national team, the team consists of 25 players.
Diego Godin and Diego Lugano 
Team
GK: Diego Alves  (Brazil)
At the time of writing, Diego Alves earned 10 caps for Brazil.  He was a backup keeper at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.  He started his career with Clube Atlético Mineiro. He moved to UD Almería in Spain on 24 July 2007, as the Andalusians had just achieved a first ever promotion to La Liga. From 2011 to 2017, he played for Valencia.

GK: Diego Lopez (Spain)
Lopez started from Real Madrid, but made his name first with Villareal and Sevilla.  In January, 2013, he rejoined Real Madrid after Iker Casillas suffered a serious injury.  He quickly established as the starter.  He maintained his starting status the following year, despite the return of Casillas.  He won Copa Del Rey that season as the starter while backing up Casillas in the Champions' League as Real Madrid won it.  Capped once in 2009.

GK: Diego Benaglio (Switzerland)
Diego Benaglio spent most of his professional career with Stuttgart and Wolfsburg in Germany's top flight, the Bundesliga, winning the 2009 league championship and appearing in almost 300 competitive matches with the latter club. He also played three years in Portugal earlier in his career, with Nacional. Benaglio earned 61 caps for Switzerland, representing the nation in three World Cups and Euro 2008.

RB: Diego Martinez (Mexico)
Martínez made his debut in the Invierno 2001 season with Necaxa.  He signed with Chivas in 2006, where he immediately became an important part of the team, but later was sent out on loan with various teams such as Morelia, Tigres, C.F. Monterrey, etc.  Between 2003 and 2009, he was capped 12 times for Mexico.

RB: Diego Johannesson (Iceland)
Diego Johannesson is the son of an Icelandic father and a Spanish mother.  He was born in Spain. Since 2014, he has played for Real Oviedo in Spain.  He now plays for FC Cartagena.  In 2016, he committed internationally to Iceland.  He made his international debut in 2016 against the United States.  At the time of writing, he has 3 caps.

CB: Diego Godin  (Uruguay)
With Uruguay, he reached the World Cup semifinal in 2010 and won a Copa America in  2011.  Godín started his professional career with C.A. Cerro at the age of 17. After his good performances, he was transferred to Club Nacional de Football. In 2007, Godín signed a five-year deal with La Liga side Villarreal CF. He joined Atletico Madrid in 2010. He was a key player for Atletico Madrid when they upset Real Madrid and Barcelona for the La Liga title in 2013-2014. 
Diego Godin 
CB: Diego Lugano (Uruguay)
Diego Lugano started with Libertad, Club Nacional de Football and Plaza Colonia at home before making a name with Sao Paulo in Brazil, where he won Copa Libertadores and Intercontinental Cup in 2005. He later played for Fenerbahçe, PSG, Malaga, West Bromwich Albion and BK Häcken.  For Uruguay, he earned nearly a 100 caps.  He captained the team for eight years, beginning in May 2006.  He captained Uruguay to Copa America's victory in 2011 and went to two World Cup Finals: 2010 and 2014.

CB: Diego Llorente (Spain)
Llorente joined Real Madrid's youth system in July 2002. In 2012, he made his senior debut with the team, but later sent to g Rayo Vallecano for the 2015-2016 season and then, Malaga for the 2017-2018 season.  In 2017, he was sold to Real Sociedad. In 2016, he received his first international callup by manager Vicente del Bosque.  He made his debut against Switzerland.  At the time of writing, he has 4 caps for Spain..
Diego Llorente 
CB: Thiago Silva (Brazil)
Thiago Silva became the most expensive defender in history when he moved from Milan to Paris St. Germain.  In Brazil, he played for Juventude and Fluminense, helping Fluminense to the Final of Copa Libertadores in 2008.  For the national team, he was the captain of Brazil ill-fated team in World Cup 2014, but did not play against Germany in the semifinal. He was an unused sub at the WC Finals in 2010.

LB: Diego Placente (Argentina)
Placente started playing professionally in 1996 with Argentinos Juniors, before moving to River Plate in 1997. He transferred to Bayer 04 Leverkusen in 2001, where he played until 2005. While at Leverkusen he played in the 2002 UEFA Champions League Final. He also played for Celta Rigo, San Lorenzo de Almagro and Bordeaux.  He was capped 22 times.  He was a member of the 2002 World Cup team.
Diego Placente 
LB: Diego Osorio (Colombia)
Osorio began his professional career in Independiente Medellín in 1989, before moving to Atlético Nacional in 1991 where he would spend most of his playing career.  He also played for Santa Fe. Osorio made 17 appearances for the senior Colombia national football team from 1991 to 1995.  He played at the 1992 Summer Olympics as well as Copa America in 1991 and 1993.

DM: Diego Perez (Uruguay)
From 1999 to 2003, Diego Perez played for Defensor Sporting.  he played a season with Penarol before moving to play for AS Monaco in France, where he played from 2004 to 2010.  From 2010 to 2015, he played for Bologna in Italy.  For the national team, he was capped 89 times.  He went to the 2010 World Cup Finals in South Africa. He also played in 4 Copa Americas, winning the 2011 edition.


RM/CM: Diego Cagna (Argentina)
Cagna started with Argentinos Juniors in 1988. He spent 4 years with Independiente.  He played for  Boca Juniors from 1996 to 1999.  He played two seaosn with Villarreal CF.  He also played for Mexican Atlético Celaya.  He was team captain with Independiente, Boca Juniors and Villarreal.  From 1992 to 1999, he had 19 caps. He won the Confederations Cup 1992, and participated in the Copa América 1999. 


DM: Diego Simeone (Argentina)
Simeone started his career with Velez Sarsfield before moving to Europe. He first joined Pisa and Sevilla before going to Atletico Madrid.  He won the Double with them in 1995-1996.  He then moved to Inter Milan, where he won the UEFA Cup in 1998.  In 1999, he moved to Lazio.  Again, he won the Double. For Argentina, he was capped 106 times. He won Copa America in 1991 and 1993.  He went to play in three WC Finals; 1994, 1998 and 2002. 

Diego Simeone
DM/CM: Thiago Motta (Italy)
Thiago Motta obtained Italian citizenship because of his Italian grandfather.  He had previously represented Brazil twice but for the U-23 team at the 2003 Gold Cup. He cleared to play for Italy in 2010.  He represented Italy at Euro 2012 and Brazil 2014.  For his club career, he played for Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Genoa, Inter Milan and Paris St. Germain.

CM: Thiago Alcantara (Spain)
Thiago Alcantara is the son of the 1994 World Cup winner Mazinho.  He was born in Italy when his father was playing in Italy. He joined Barcelona in 2005.  He was a star with the Spanish Under-21 team as they won the European Under-21 Championship in 2013.  In 2013, he shocked the Barcelona fans by joining Bayern Munich. 

LW: Diego Perotti (Argentina)
Perotti joined Spain's Sevilla FC in the summer of 2007, from Club Deportivo Morón.  He was a part of the team that won the Europa League in 2014.  Then, he played for Genoa between 2014 and 2016.  Since 2016, he plays with AS Roma.  For Argentina, he earned 5 times in 2009.  He was named in a preliminary 35-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, but he did not make the final cut.

LW: Diego Capel (Spain)
From 2004 to 2011, Diego Capel played for Sevilla.  He was a part of their back-to-back UEFA Cup winning team in 2006 and 2007.  He played for Sporting CP between 2011 and 2015.  He also played for Genoa, Anderlecht and Extremadura.  For Spain, he earned 2 caps in 2008.  He made his debut in 2008 against Denmark.

AM: Diego Latorre (Argentina)  
Latorre was the first Argentine player to be labelled as the "New Maradona". He made his professional debut for Boca Juniors in 1987.  In 1992, he joined Fiorentina with Gabriel Batistuta after the pair helped Argentina to win the Copa America in 1991. He left for CD Tenerife in La Liga soon after. He also played for UD Salamanca, Racing Club de Avellaneda, Rosario Central, and clubs in Mexico and Guatemala before retiring in 2005. He had 6 caps.

AM: Diego (Brazil)
Diego started his career with Santos and moved to Porto in 2004.  In 2006, he moved to Werder Bremen where he was one of the best players in the Bundesliga.  In 2009, he moved to Juventus, but could not find his form.  He went on to play for various clubs.  In 2012, he was a part of Atletico Madrid that won the 2012 Europa League. At the international level, he earned 33 caps between 2004 and 2011.
Diego
AM: Diego Maradona (Argentina)
Diego Maradona was considered the second best player in history after Pele.  He won the World Cup in 1986, scoring the best goal in the history of the World Cup when he scored against England.  He also played in the WC Finals in 1982, 1990 and 1994.  For club football, he was best remembered for leading Napoli to break the dominance of the Northern Italian clubs in the Serie A.  Napoli won two league titles and a UEFA Cup.  He was also considered to be Boca Juniors' greatest player.

ST: Diego Tardelli (Brazil)
Diego Tardelli played for Sao Paulo from 2004 to 2007.  He then played for Flamengo.  From 2009 to 2011,  he played with Atlético Mineiro where he made his name.  He was the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A top goalscorer in 2009 as well as winning the Arthur Friedenreich Award.  He later played overseas to play for Anzhi Makhachkala, Al-Gharafa, Shandong Luneng, etc.  From 2009 and 2017, Diego Tardelli earned 14 caps for Brazil.

ST: Diego Tristan (Spain)
Diego Tristan made his name with Mallorca.  He would have joined Real Madrid in 2000, but his deal fell. He is best known for his Deportivo de La Coruña spell, where he spent six years, but an injury in 2002 gradually affected his career.  He played for many clubs at the end of his career. He was capped 15 times for Spain between 2001 and 2003. He was a member of the 2002 World Cup team.
Diego Tristan 
ST: Diego Milito (Argentina) 
Diego Milito began his club career with Racing Club in 1999.  He starred at both Genoa and Real Zaragoza. He is best remembered for playing with Inter Milan. He scored 32 goals in all competitions including two goals in the 2010 Champions League Final against Bayern Munich.  It was the club's 2009–10 treble-winning season. Milito earned 25 caps for Argentina. He represented his country in two Copa América, and at the 2010 World Cup Finals.

ST: Diego Costa (Spain)
Until the age of 16, he was not playing for club football.  He joined Atletico Madrid in 2006, but did not become a star until the 2013-2014 season.  In March, 2013, he made his national debut for Brazil.  However, by summer of 2013, he decided to switch his commitment to Spain after becoming Spanish citizens, which caused a controversy in Brazil. He is believed to be the first Brazilian to turn his back against his country and play for a different national team.  In February, 2014, he made his Spanish debut and went to Brazil 2014 for Spain.

ST:  Diego Forlan (Uruguay)
Diego Forlan's career in Europe started slowly, but his career finally took off after heading to Spain in 2004.  He was two-time European Golden Shoe winner in 2004-2005 and then, 2008-2009.  His best years were with Villarreal and Atletico Madrid, winning the UEFA Europa League with the latter. At the international level, he had 112 caps, leading Uruguay to the 2011 Copa America title as well the semi-final of the 2010 World Cup Finals.  He won the Golden Ball at South Africa 2010.
Diego Forlan

Honorable Mention
Diego Herrera (Ecuador), Diego Klimowicz (Argentina),  Diego Calderon (Ecuador), Diego Laxalt (Uruguay), Carlos Diogo (Uruguay), Thiago Cionek (Brazil/Poland), Víctor Diogo (Uruguay), Diego de Souza (Uruguay), Diego Souza  (Brazil)Diego de Souza (Uruguay), Diego Pozo (Argentina), Diego Costa Silva (Brazil),  Diego Cavalieri (Brazil), Diego Biseswar (Suriname).

Squad Explanation
-- Creating this blog is harder than I anticipated.  Originally, I thought it would be easier since I knew of so many footballers named "Diego".  I easily came up with Diego Forlan, Diego Godin, Diego (Brazil), Diego Simeone, Diego Costa, etc.  Then, I went blank. In have to draft in younger players such as Diego Llorente, who has done little at the time of writing.
-- Because of the lack of footballers named "Diego", I edited the team in March, 2020.  I now included the Portuguese version of the name (Thiago, Tiago, Diago and Diogo), but not James or Santiago.  The preference is still "Diego" over other names.
-- I took Diego Perez and Diego Cagna over Tiago Mendes (Portugal) who was a more famous player.  I prefered selecting players named Diego.
-- I did not have enough centerbacks and central midfielders. The addition of those players solved these problems.  The original team had three leftbacks and three centerbacks.
-- Diego Laxalt is too young to be considered. He was born in 1993.  Anyway, the team has too many leftbacks. Diego Placente was very well-known in his time.  Then, I took Diego Osorio (Columbia) who had better international experience over Diego Calderon (Ecuador).
-- I found many Brazilian footballers named Diego Souza. The two players on honorable mention are Diego Souza   and Diego de Souza (Uruguay). De Souza is considered to be one of the greatest players in the history of Defensor Sporting. I admitted not knowing either player. In March, 2020, I took Diego de Souza out of the team and replaced him with Thiago Motta (Italy).
-- The title "New Maradona" has been given players with promise by the press and the public in Argentina.  Lionel Messi, Ariel Ortega, Carlos Tevez, Pablo Aimar and Juan Roman Riquelme were all called the "New Maradona" at one point in their career.  Diego Latorre was supposed to be the first player given that title. He was also the only one with the same first name. He was not named after Maradona as he was born in 1969.  He made his professional debut in 1987.
-- I have goalkeeper  Diego Cavalieri (Brazil) over Diego Pozo (Argentina) who was the third goalkeeper at the 2010 World Cup Finals.  Diego Costa Silva won a Bola de Ouro in 2002.
-- Diego Latorre made a name at the 1991 Copa America, but his career went south afterward.   He went to Europe with his national team teammate Gabriel Batistuta, who made it big in Europe.
-- I did not check if any of the players were named after Maradona.  However, all of the Argentine selected were born before Maradona played in a WC Finals.
-- Diego Maradona has a son by his lover named Diego Maradona Jr.  He played briefly with the youth team of Napoli.  He earned a single cap with Italy's U17 team.  Diego Sr has another son in 2013.  His name is Diego Fernando Maradona Ojeda.  I am sure that there will be hype about him.
-- Diego Tardelli was named after Marco Tardelli of Italy. 
-- Diego Costa was named after Maradona.  He had a brother named Jair who was named after Jairzinho of the 1970 World Cup Finals. 
-- Diego Calderon (Ecuador) was born in 1986 after the World Cup Finals. So he might be named after Diego Maradona.
-- Diego (Diego Ribas) of Brazil was not named after Diego Maradona.  His father wanted to call him Diogo, but changed it to Diego.  However, upon further research, Diego's family has Italian roots originated from Napoli, where Maradona was a star player. Was it a coincidence? Probably.
-- Diego Forlan's father Pablo is a friend of Maradona.  Maradona helped him to rise funds to pay for Pablo's daughter medical bills.  Diego Forlan decided to focus on football after Maradona's help. He was born in 1979 so he was probably not named after Diego Maradona.
-- Diego Johannesson has a Spanish mother.  His first name came from her, but I do not know of his connection to Maradona's namesake.
-- In the 2009–10 season, Diego Capel lost his starting position to Argentine Diego Perotti with Sevilla. 
-- I have 3 Brazilian players who played for other national teams.  They are Diego Costa, Thiago Motta and Thiago Alcantara.
Diego Costa and Diego Simeone
Formation
Diego Lopez got the start after proving himself with Real Madrid, where he briefly sent Iker Casillas to the bench.  I have no preference of starting either Diego Costa and Diego Milito.


Formation II
This is an All-Diego formation.  This is not a good line-up. I dropped Diego Ribas deeper than he usually played.   Again, I have no preference of starting either Diego Costa and Diego Milito.