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| 2008 Champions' League |
The Team
GK: Peter Schmeichel (Denmark)
Peter Schmeichel was regarded as one of the greatest keeper of all-time. He was voted the "World's Best Goalkeeper" in 1992 and 1993. He had a successful career at Manchester United, whom he captained to the 1999 Champions League to complete the Treble. He is also the most capped player for the Denmark national team, with 129 games between 1987 and 2001. In addition to Euro 92, he played for his country at the 1998 World Cup and three European Championship tournaments.
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| Peter Schmeichel |
GK: Edwin Van Der Sar (Netherlands)
Van Der Sar is the most capped player in Dutch history with 130 caps. He went to 1994, 1998 and 2006 World Cup and Euro 1996, 2000 and 2004. He was best remembered for being the Ajax keeper in 1995 that won the Champions' League and then, later for Manchester United for 6 seasons. He won the Champions' League in 2007-2008. In between, he also played with Fulham and Juventus.
GK: Alex Stepney (England)
Alex Stepney played with Millwall before joining Chelsea. He only played one game and was sold to Manchester United in 1966 to replace Harry Greg who was injured during the Munich Disaster. Stepney helped the Red Devils to win the 1968 European Cup. He played with them until 1978 when he left for the NASL. His international career was limited to a single cap, but he traveled to the 1970 WC Finals as a backup.
RB/LB: John Carey (Ireland/N.Ireland)
He was also a dual internationalist, playing for and captaining both Ireland teams – the FAI XI and the IFA XI. In 1949, he was voted the FWA Footballer of the Year and in the same year captained the FAI XI that defeated England, becoming the first non-UK team to beat England at home. As a player Carey spent most of his career at Manchester United, where he was team captain from 1946 until he retired as a player in 1953.
RB: Gary Neville (England)
Along with his brother Philip, David Beckham, Paul Scoles, Ryan Giggs, and Nicky Butt, Gary Neville captained the Manchester United academy team that won the FA Youth Cup in 1991. They all became fixtures for the senior team throughout the 1990's. Gary Neville remained the team until 2011 and was the second, longest serving player. For England, he was the most capped rightback in history.
CB: Bill Foulkes (England)
Bill Foulkes was a one club man. played for Manchester United in the Busby Babes teams of the 1950s, and also in the 1960s. His favoured position was centre-half. For Manchester United, he played 688 games which places him at number 4 on the all-time list of appearances. He was a part of the 1968 European Cup winning team. Capped once for England.
CB: Rio Ferdinand (England)
Rio Ferdinand became the youngest defender to play for the Three Lions at the time in 1997. He played 81 times for England between 1997 and 2011, and was a member of three World Cup squads. At one point, he was the most expensive British footballer and also broke the world's record transfer fees for a defender twice. He won the Champions' League with Manchester United in 2008. He also played for Leeds United and West Ham.
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| Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic |
CB: Nemanja Vidic (Serbia)
Nemanja Vidic spent 9 seasons as the starting center-back at Manchester United from 2006 and 2014, where he won every major trophy and established himself as one of the best center-backs of his generation. He also played for Inter Milan, Red Star Belgrade and Spartak Moscow. He played 56 times for Serbia, He went to the World Cup Finals in 2006 and 2010.
CB: Martin Buchan (Scotland)
From 1965 to 1972, he played in Aberdeen, where he won the Scotish FA Cup. He joined Manchester United from Aberdeen in 1972. He became the captain of the team after Bobby Charlton retired. Buchan helped United win the 1977 FA Cup Final against Liverpool, which they won 2–1. This meant that Buchan became the only player to captain both Scottish and English FA Cup-winning sides. He represented Scotland at the 1974 and 1978 WC Finals.
LB: Roger Byrne (England)
Roger Byrne was the captain of the Busby Babes from the 1955–56 season onwards. With Manchester United, he won the league title in 1952, 1956 and 1957. He earned 33 caps with England while playing in every England's fixtures in that period, a record for England. This remains a record. Unfortunately, he died at the age of 28 in the Munich Air Disaster.
LB/RB: Denis Irwin (Ireland)
Alex Ferguson considered him his greatest ever signing. He played over 200 games for Manchester United, winning the Champions' League in 1999 and 7 Premiership titles. Irwin was capped by the Republic of Ireland national side 56 times, scoring four goals and featuring in the side that reached the second round (last 16) at the 1994 FIFA World Cup. He is the joint most successful Irish footballer in history, having won 19 major trophies in his career.
CM: Duncan Edwards (England)
Duncan Edwards was one of the Busby Babes of Manchester United. He made his professional debut at the age of 16 in 1953. He was the youngest player to play in the Football League First Division. Tragically, he died in 1958 during the Munich Air Disaster at the age of 21. Many people considered him to be England's greatest ever player. He was capped 18 times between 1955 and 1957, scoring 5 goals.
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| Duncan Edwards |
CM/DM: Roy Keane (Ireland)
Roy Keane was the captain of Manchester United from 1997 to 2005, where he won one Champions' League, 7 Preimer League titles and 4 FA Cups. He was the PWA Player of the Year in 2000. He had 67 caps. He played for Ireland at the 1994 World Cup Finals in the USA, but was sent home 4 years later before the start of the World Cup Finals in 2002. He later played for Celtic in Scotland after leaving Manchester United.
CM: Bryan Robson (England)
Bryan Robson was at one point the most expensive British player when he joined Manchester United from West Bromwich Albion in 1981. He is considered to be one of England's best ever box-to-box midfielders. He earned 90 caps for England. He went to three World Cup Finals, but he only played a major role in 1982. He was injured in both World Cup Finals in 1986 and 1990. He spent 13 years with Manchester United, winning theCup Winners' Cup for the season 1990–91.
Beckham is the greatest ever icon to play the game. He started his career with Manchester United where he was a part of the famous team that won the 1992 FA Youth Cup. For the senior side, he won 6 Premiership titles and the 1999 Champions' League. In 2003, he joined Real Madrid for the well-publicized "Galacticos" signing. In 2007, he moved to LA Galaxy, where he kickstarted a soccer fever in the United States. For England, he earned 115 caps and was a key part of the national team throughout his career.
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| David Beckham |
RW: Billy Meredith (Wales)
Billy Meredith was a legendary player for both Manchester City and Manchester United. He was probably the greatest right winger in Manchester United's history, where he played between 1906 and 1921. He was the oldest ever Manchester United player ever played. He gained 48 caps for Wales, for whom he scored 11 goals and won two British Home Championship titles.
Giggs was Sir Alex's longest serving player at Manchester United, where he played from 1990 to 2014. He also holds the club record for competitive appearances. During his time at United, he won 13 Premier League winner's medals, four FA Cup winner's medals, three League Cup winner's medals and two Champions League winner's medals. He is widely considered one of the greatest British wingers in modern history. He played 64 times for Wales. He led Great Britain at the London Olypmpics in 2012. George Best was considered to be one of the greatest players ever played the game. He was voted #19 as the greatest European player by the UEFA Jublilee Poll. He was known for his "pop star" lifestyle. He was one of the "United's Trinity" that helped Manchester United to their first (and also first ever for an English club) European Cup in 1968. He won the PWA PLayer of the Year award and the Ballon d'Or that year.
AM: Sir Bobby Charlton (England)
Sir Bobby was considered one of the greatest midfielders of all-time. He was capped 106 times by England and led England to World Cup victory in 1966. He is also England's all-time leading scorer and all-time cap leader at the time of his retirement. He was selected for four World Cups (1958, 1962, 1966 and 1970). For club career, he almost played his entire career with Manchester United. He was the hero of Manchester United's the first ever European Cup trophy in 1968. He won the Ballon D'Or in 1966.
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| Sir Bobby Charlton |
AM/CM: Paul Scholas (England)
Scholas was a member of Manchester United's Class of 1992. He spent 20 years with Manchester United's first team. He won 11 Premier League, three FA Cup and two UEFA Champions League winners medals. He earned 66 caps for England before he retired from the Three Lions in 2004. His cap total was limited because of playing the same generation with Frank Lampard and Steve Gerrard.
Cristano Ronaldo is one of the greatest forward of his generation. He is the most expensive players in history from 2009-2013 when he moved from Manchester United to Real Madrid. At the time of writing, he won the Ballon d'Or winner five times and won Champions' League titles with both Manchester United and Real Madrid. In 2016, he helped Portugal to win the European Championship, a month after winning the Champions' League with Real Madrid. At the time of writing, he joined Juventus.
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| Ronaldo's goal at the European Cup Final |
Law spent 11 years at Manchester United, where he scored 237 goals in 404 appearances. His goals tally places him third in the club's history, behind Bobby Charlton and Wayne Rooney. He partnered George Best and Bobby Charlton at Manchester United, which was considered to be most popular forward line in British history. He was capped 55 times. He managed to play in the 1974 World Cup Finals.FW: Eric Cantona (France)
Before joining Leeds United in 1992, Eric Cantona was known as the bad boy of French football. He moved to England to restart his career. In England, he became a huge star. He won the league title with Leeds United and moved to Manchester United in 1992. At Manchester United, he became one of their best ever players. For the national team, he had 45 caps. He was a part of the ill-fated national team that failed to qualify for the World Cup Finals in 1994.
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| Eric the Red |
ST: Mark Hughes (Wales)
Mark Hughes was best remembered for his spells with Manchester United. He won two Premier League title medals, four FA Cups, three League Cups and two European Cup Winners' Cups. He was the first player to win the PFA Players' Player of the Year award twice, in 1989 and 1991. Hughes also played for Barcelona, Chelsea, Southampton, Everton and Blackburn Rovers. He had 72 caps for Wales.
FW: Wayne Rooney(England)
In 2002, Rooney made his professional debut as a 16 years old with Everton. Less than a year later, he became England's youngest international when he played against Australia. He made his big tournament debut at Euro 2004. he scored 4 goals and named as a member of the tournament's best XI. At the time of writing, he is England's key player for every major tournament since Euro 2004. As for Manchester United, he has won 5 Preimer League titles. In 2008, he formed a partnership with Cristano Ronaldo and won the Champions' League.
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| Wayne Rooney with Ronaldo |
Honorable Mention
Jack Rimmer (England) Gary Bailey (England), Harry Gregg (N.Ireland), Tony Dunne (Ireland), Shay Brennan (Ireland), Steve Bruce (England), Jaap Stam (Netherlands), Steve Bruce (England), Charlie Roberts (England), Allenby Chilton (England), Paul McGrath (Ireland), Gary Pallister (England), Antonio Valencia (Ecuador), Arthur Albiston (Scotland), Patrice Evra (France), Nobby Stiles (England), Paddy Crerand (Scotland), Michael Carrick (England), Paul Ince (England), Norman Whiteside (N.Ireland), Luigi Lou Macari (Scotland), Sammy Mcllroy (N.Ireland), Brian Kidd (England), Joe Spence (England), Steve Coppell (England), George Wall (England), Pat Crerand (Scotland), Jack Rowley (England), David Herd (Scotland), Stan Pearson (England), Brian McClair (Scotland), Brian Kidd (England), Teddy Sheringham (England), Tommy Taylor (England), Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (Norway), Dwight Yorke (T&T), Andy Cole (England), Ruud Van Nistelrooy (Netherlands), Dennis Viollet (England).
Squad Explanation
-- I redid this team in May, 2024. No chance was actually made.
-- Manchester United has too many all-time greats because of its storied history. Peter Schmiechel, Bobby Charlton, George Best, Denis Law, Roy Keane, Eric Cantona and Ryan Giggs are automatic selections. Billy Meredith, Bryan Robson and Duncan Edwards are probably close to that status. I do not need to explain myself for their inclusion.
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George Best
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-- The "Busby Babes" refers to the young and talented group of players who were part of the Manchester United football team in the 1950s, managed by Sir Matt Busby. Tragically, on February 6, 1958, the team's plane, known as the Munich Air Disaster, crashed during takeoff in Munich, Germany, while returning from a European Cup match. The crash resulted in the deaths of 23 people, including eight Manchester United players and several club staff members. Bobby Charlton, Ducan Edwards, Roger Byrne and Bill Foulkes are selected into this team.
-- Manchester United won their first European Cup in 1968. Of course, I took all three members of the "United Trinity", namely George Best, Bobby Charlton and Denis Law. I am included goalkeeper Alex Stepney.
-- From their 1999 Champions' League winning team, I have Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Peter Schmeichel, Roy Keane, Gary Neville and David Beckham. Most of the players defined Manchester United's successes in the Preimership's era.
-- I selected the following players from the 2008 Champions' League winning team: Ryan Giggs, Edwin Van der Sar, Cristiano Ronaldo, Roy Keane, Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand and Paul Scholas.
Goalkeepers
-- For goalkeeper, Peter Schmeichel is the obvious choice here. He is considered among the greatest goalkeeper in history. Peter Schmeichel served as the linchpin that propelled Manchester United to dominate the league throughout the 1990s. He led the team as captain to a momentous victory in the 1999 Champions League final against Bayern Munich, thus achieving a remarkable treble.
-- Both Edwin Van De Var and Alex Stepney won an European Cup with Manchester United.
-- Edwin Van De Var was chosen as the second best because he established a new record by keeping a clean sheet in 11 consecutive games, surpassing the previous mark. Moreover, he shattered the record for the longest duration without conceding a goal, reaching an impressive 1,311 minutes.
-- Alex Stepney established himself as the most prolific goalkeeper in Manchester United's history, amassing an impressive 539 appearances between the goalposts. In the European Cup Final, he saved a last momeenyt shot from Eusebio. uch was the brilliance of the save that Eusebio himself stood and applauded the Englishman's heroics.
-- Jimmy Rimmer, Harry Gregg and Gary Bailey were all considered for the third spot. Fabien Barthez also played here, but I do not think he is a suitable candidate for this team.
Defenders
-- Rio Ferdinand was at one point the most expensive defender when he joined Manchester United. He had lived up to his price tag. Nemanja Vidic played 9 seasons with Manchester United. I took him and Rio Ferdinand over Jaap Stam. The Rio-Nemanja partnership was the greatest ever for this club. Then, I selected two older centerbacks from the pre-Premiership era, Martin Buchan and Billy Foulkes. Martin Buchan is often listed as Manchester United's greatest centerback by the older fans. Bill Foulkes survived the devastating Munich air disaster and went on to play a vital role in the club's rich history. He is inseparable from Manchester United's tale of both triumph and tragedy.
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| Martin Buchan |
-- Opinions differ when ranking the greatest central defender in Manchester United's history. While many consider Jaap Stam as the club's greatest ever, my personal desire was to witness the reunion of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, both of whom are also frequently regarded as the greatest by different sources. Stam also only spent 3 seasons here as compared to the long careers of both Rio and Vidic.
-- Paul McGrath's time at Manchester United was a blend of highs and lows. Despite possessing immense potential to become the greatest center-back at the club, certain issues, particularly during Sir Alex Ferguson's tenure, hindered his progress and limited his impact.o he only made my honourable mention here. Steve Bruce and Gary Pallister formed a famous partnership that were critical for Sir Alex's dynasty in Old Trafford. Charlie Roberts and Allenby Chilton also made honorable mention.
-- John Carey won the FWA Footballer of the Year as a fullback. He captained the Red Devils to win the 1948 FA Cup, their first trophy in 39 years. He also spent his entire career over here. Gary Neville made the team because of the number of appearance with the club. He was underrated during his time. He was a symbol of the club being from the academy. As comparison, Shay Brennan was behind the pair. Brennan started as an outside left, but he was a rightback. I also looked into Antonio Valencia.
--Patrice Evra undoubtedly left a lasting impact at Manchester United, but it is worth noting that Sir Alex Ferguson held Denis Irwin in particularly high regard, considering him as his favorite player. Additionally, Roger Byrne, the captain of the legendary Busby Babes team, has been recognized by some sources as Manchester United's greatest defender. So, Evra only made honorable mention. Arthur Albiston was also a leftback of note here. He made 485 appearances over 14 seasons for Manchester United. Tony Dunne
Midfielders/Wingers
-- Roy Keane and Bryan Robson were undisputed for the central midfielder position. During his remarkable 13-year tenure at the club, Roy Keane exemplified true leadership and garnered an impressive collection of seven Premier League medals. His determination and poise solidified his status as one of the most revered legends in the history of Manchester United. Bryan Robson did not have a decorated career over here, but he was voted into the PFA Team of the Century (1977-1996) in 2007.
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| Bryan Robson |
-- Duncan Edwards has been overlooked in several lists of the greatest Manchester United players as his career was tragically cut short, denying him the opportunity to fulfill his tremendous promise on the football field. However, the opinion of Sir Bobby Charlton holds significant weight, as he considers Edwards to be the greatest English player ever. In a blog dedicated to Manchester United, it is important to respect Sir Bobby's perspective, especially considering the emotional aspect involved in selecting Edwards.
-- Paul Pogba might have won a World Cup, but his career here has not been very successful. Michael Carrick, on the other hand, was an unsung hero at the club. He played over 300 times for the Red Devils. They won't make this all-time team because I had Bryan Robson, Roy Keane and Duncan Edwards ahead of him. The other good midfielders considered included Paul Ince, Nobby Stiles and Pat Crerand.
-- Bobby Charlton was an automatic choice for the team, requiring no further explanation for his inclusion. Paul Scholes, in my opinion, was frequently underrated by many. During his tenure, he often lived in the shadows of Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, Wayne Rooney, and Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United. Similarly, with the England national team, he faced the overshadowing presence of Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard. However, the truth remains that Scholes was undeniably one of England's finest playmakers. Norman Whiteside, Lou Macari and Sammy Mcllroy were other players who played as attack midfielders.
-- George Best made his debut at 17. He won the Ballon D'or at the age of 22. However, his peak faded quickly in the early 1970's. He left Manchester United in 1974 at the age of 27. Nevertheless, he is still one of Manchester United's greatest ever. He could play on both sides of the wings.
-- David Beckham received many unfair criticism of him for being an pop icon rather than a footballer. Yes, he was probably overrated by the mainstream media. In truth, he was very underrated by football fans. He was by far a better footballer than most football fans considered him to be. He deserved a place in this team. The other choice would be Steve Coppell whose injuries kept him from greatness. Joe Spence (England) was a forgotten player. Instead, I took Billy Meredith as the other right winger. He was one of the first star players of the club.
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| Billy Meredith |
-- Ryan Giggs was an undeniable choice for the left-side wide position. He is Sir Alex's longest serving player. Of course, Cristano Ronaldo was another left wing-forward on the team. He spent a significant 7 seasons with Manchester United, establishing himself as the best player in the world during his time there. In 2008, he achieved the remarkable feat of winning the Champions' League. I had no room for George Wall.
Forwards
-- For forwards, Eric Cantona, Cristano Ronaldo and Denis Law were obvious choices. Eric Cantona was widely regarded as one of the greatest player in Premier League history. After Eric Cantona joined Manchester United in 1992, the club entered a period of remarkable dominance in English football. They won their first league title in 26 years on his first season. Denis Law formed a formidable attacking partnership with Bobby Charlton and George Best, collectively known as the "Holy Trinity." He was voted European Footballer of the Year in 1964.
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| Denis Law and George Best |
-- Wayne Rooney is the most underrated striker in England's history. His hype as a youngster while playing for Everton might create a false expectation. At times, he carried both Manchester United and the national team, but the media has not always been kind to him. They did not appreciate his contribution. At the same time, he made some critical mistakes while playing for England. I am referring to the red card vs Portugal in 2006 and his reaction to the fans in 2010. That led to a lot of unfair criticisms. He is still the all-time leading scorer for England and Manchester United.
-- Mark Hughes was less obvious choice than the rest of the forwards, but he was named the PFA Players' Player of the Year in the 1988–89 and 1990–91 season while playing for Manchester United.
-- Tommy Taylor, Jack Rowley, Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Dennis Viollet could not get in because of Denis Law, Wayne Rooney, Eric Cantona, Mark Hughes and Cristiano Ronaldo.
-- In 191 games for Manchester United, Tommy Taylor scored an impressive 131 goals. He averaged a remarkable 0.686 goals per match. Among the 22 Manchester United players who have scored 100 goals or more in all competitions, his ratio ranked number one. He was only the 15th Manchester United's all-time leading scorer because he died at the age of 26 in the Munich Disaster. His strike partner Dennis Viollet was also a must-in player. In the 1959/60 season, Dennis Viollet set an unbeaten record for Manchester United by scoring 32 goals in 36 games. This remarkable achievement is even more impressive considering it came after the tragic Munich Air Disaster of 1958, when Sir Matt Busby was rebuilding the team. Jack Rowley is one of only four players in the history of Manchester United to score over 200 goals for the club. .
-- The arrival of Dwight Yorke in 1998 brought about an instant and intuitive partnership with Andy Cole, leaving Terry Sheringham sidelined. However, that season, he attained legendary status at the club when he scored a dramatic equalizer in stoppage time during the Champions League final against Bayern Munich. Meanwhile, during Cole's eight seasons at Manchester United, Andy Cole managed to surpass the 20-goal mark in just three of those seasons. Surprisingly, he scored fewer than 15 goals in five seasons, with two of those seasons yielding single-digit goal tallies. However, both Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole are on my honourable mention. The pair was among the greatest striking partnership in football. I selected the two of them in pairs.
-- Jack Rowley scored 211 goals in 424 games for Manchester United while Ruud Van Nistelrooy scored 150 goals in about 200 games over five years at the club. But I did not have enough space for them. |
Busby Babes 1957
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Formation
Sir Alex played a lot of 4-4-2 formations(except 2008). The Busby Babes also played with this formation. Edwards or Robson could replace Keane on the lineup. I only put Edwards on the bench because mush of his reputation were unfortunately based upon projection of what it might have been. Robson deserved to be a starter as much as anyone here. Irwin could also start on the left. I could not decide between Foulkes, Buchan, Rio and Vidic. So I put the two, youngest players as the starters. This Manchester United has the depth to replace different players.
The vital problem here is to pick 4 legends from charlton, cantona, ronaldo, best, giggs and roooey. Personally I would omit rooney and giggs despite it's a too hard decision.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteComing from a United’s fan point of view this is my XI
Gk - Peter Schmeichel
Rb - Johnny Carey
Cb - Rio
Cb - Vidic
Lb - Irwin
Cm - Keane
Cm - Scholes
Cm - Duncan Edwards
Cam - Bobby Charlton
St - Tommy Taylor
RF/St - George Best
It may have been premature to put Duncan and Taylor in but there is too of our best ever players here. Duncan is easily the most talented player to ever play for us (bar Ronaldo of course) And could have been one of the best ever. Taylor for me, is our best ever striker. He only played 191 games but he scored 131 and has the best goal ratio in the club (marginally ahead of RVN
Schmeichel,neville,ferdinand,vidic,byrne,edwards,keane,charlton,best,cristiano Ronaldo,van nistelrooij. I am portuguese,sorry for my english...the fan up...how can you leave the united best player in history out...cr7 is united best player and you will never see another like him.
ReplyDelete4-4-2:
ReplyDeleteSCHMEICHEL;
CAREY,MCGRATH,EDWARDS,DUNNE;
RONALDO,ROBSON,CHARLTON,BEST;
CANTONA,LAW;