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| European Cup winner with Inter Milan |
Please also see my All-Time World Cup Team Index.
Inter Milan
Inter Milan All-Time Greatest Players for Italian players
Inter Milan All-Time Team for Foreign Players
Italy
This is my selection of a 25 member all-time team for Helenio Herrera. The number 25 was chosen because it is the official squad size for the Champions' League.
During his managerial career, Helenio Herrera won four La Liga titles in Spain (with Atlético Madrid and Barcelona) and three Serie A titles in Italy with Inter. He also guided Inter to European glory, winning two consecutive European Cups, among several other honours. He is regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time. In January 2017, Herrera was named among the 10 greatest coaches since the foundation of UEFA in 1954. With Inter Milan, he modified a 5–3–2 tactic known as the Verrou (door bolt) to include larger flexibility for counter-attacks – and the Catenaccio was born. The side was later nicknamed "La Grande Inter", due to the club's successes under him.
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| With Barcelona FC |
GK: Giuliano Sarti (Italy/Inter Milan)
Giuliano Sarti had done well in European football. In 1960-61, he helped Fiorentina to win the Cup Winners' Cup. In 1963, he joined Inter Milan and became the starting keeper of La Grande Inter under Helenio Herrera. He won back-to-back European Cup with them in 1964 and 1965. He only had 8 caps with the Italian national team.
GK: Antoni Ramallets (Spain/Barcelona)
Antoni Ramallets was the starting keepers of Barcelona in the 1950's. He played alongside with Laszio Kubalal and Luis Suarez. He won 6 La liga titles in an era that was known to be dominated by Alfred Di Stefano's Real Madrid. Ramallets played 35 games for Spain during 11 years, making his debut against Chile on 29 June 1950, during the 1950 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
GK: Marcel Domingo (France/Atletico Madrid)
Marcel Domingo was a French goalkeeper with Spanish origin. He started with AC Arles, OGC Nice and Stade Français in France. In 1948, he joined Atletico Madrid. He won two league champion League ( 1949/50 and 1950/51 ). He also played for RCD Espanyol in Barcelona and Olympique de Marseille. He was capped once for France in 1948.
RB: Tarcisio Burgnich (Italy/Inter Milan)
Throughout his career, Tarcisio Burgnich played for Udinese, Juventus, Palermo, Internazionale, and Napoli; although he won titles with both Juventus and Napoli, he is best known for his time with Inter Milan, where he was a member of manager Helenio Herrera's Grande Inter side. At the international level, he also participated and won the European Championship 1968 with Italy.
CB: Enric Gensana (Spain/Barcelona)
Born in Lleida, Catalonia, Gensana made his debut with UE Lleida, in the Second Division. He signed for Barça in 1956 and he made his debut with the national team the following year. He starred for Barcelona in 8 years and moved to Osasuna in 1964 and one year later to Condal. He was capped 10 times for Spain between 1957 and 1961.
SW: Armando Picchi (Italy/Inter Milan)
Armando Picchi was the captain of La Garnde Inter. The team was transformed when Helenio Herrera moved him to the libero position during the 1961-1962 season and a legendary team was born. He was often credited of changing how the position was played. He was capped 12 times by the Azzurri, but he was left out of the 1966 World Cup team and an injury prevented him from playing at the European Championship of 1968, in which Italy won.
Armando Picchi was the captain of La Garnde Inter. The team was transformed when Helenio Herrera moved him to the libero position during the 1961-1962 season and a legendary team was born. He was often credited of changing how the position was played. He was capped 12 times by the Azzurri, but he was left out of the 1966 World Cup team and an injury prevented him from playing at the European Championship of 1968, in which Italy won.
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| Armando Picchi |
Joan Segarra played for Barcelona from1949 to 1964. He was a part of the great Barcelona team of the 1950's. He was the captain of the "Barça of the Five Trophies". They finally reached the 1961 European Cup Final, but losing to Benfica. It would take Barcelona 31 more years before finally winning the Cup. For the national team, he had 25 caps.
CB: Ferran Olivella (Spain/Barcelona)
Ferran Olivella was capped 18 times for Spain, but better remembered for being the captain of the Spanish national that won the European Championship in 1964. He was also an unused sub at the World Cup Finals in 1966. For club football, he played his entire career with Barcelona, winning the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup three times in the 1960's.
CB: Marcelo Campanal (Spain/Sevilla)
Marcelo Campanal was known as "Campanal II" because his uncle Guillermo Campanal was better known as "Campanal I", who was the manager of Sevilla. He played for sixteen seasons at Sevilla FC between 1950 and 1966. He later played two seasons with Deportivo La Coruna , CD Iliturgi and his final season as a professional in the Real Aviles CF. He earned 11 caps with the national team between 1952 and 1957.
CB: Sergio Santarini (Italy/Roma)
Sergio Santarini played for Rimini, Internazionale, Roma, and Catanzaro. He spent 13 seasons with AS Roma, where he made his name. He won three Italian Cups in 1969, 1980 and 1981. At the international level, he had two caps for Italy in 1971 and 1974. He was elected into Roma's Hall of Flame in 2015.
LB: Giacinto Facchetti (Italy/Inter Milan)
Until the emerge of Paolo Maldini, Giacinto Facchetti was considered to be Italy's greatest left back. He spent his entire career with Inter Milan from 1960 to 1978. He was the star wingback of La Grande Inter where they won back-to-back European Cups in the 1960's. He was capped 94 times for Italy. He was the captain of the nation team that won the European Championship in 1968 with Italy. He also played in 1966, 1970 and 1974 World Cup Finals.
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| Giacinto Facchetti with Helenio Herrera |
Gianfranco Bedin began his career with Internazionale, playing for the team for a decade, and was part of their European Cup victory in 1965. He later also played for Sampdoria,Varese, Livorno and Rondinella at the domestic club level. At international level, he also earned 6 caps for the Italy national football team between 1966 and 1972.
CM: Luis Suarez Miramontes (Spain/Barcelona/Inter Milan)
Luis Suarez Miramontes was considered to be Spain's greatest player until 1970's. He won Ballon d'Or in 1960. In 1964, he led La Roja in winning the European Championship. For club football, he was a member of "Grande Inter" and won two consecutive European Cups with Inter Milan. He is also considered an all-time great with Barcelona, where he played with Ladislao Kubala, Zoltán Czibor, Sándor Kocsis, Ramallets and Evaristo.
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| Luis Suarez |
Sandro Mazzola was a part of Inter Milan's "La Grande Inter". He won four Serie A titles (1963, 1965, 1966 and 1971), two European Cups (1964 and 1965) and two Intercontinental Cups (1964 and 1965). He won the Euro 1968 with the Azzurri and led them to the WC Finals in 1970. During his career, he was known for sharing the starting position with AC Milan's Gianni Rivera on the national team. His father was Valentino Mazzola who died when Sandro was 7 years old.
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| Sandro Mazzola |
Jair da Costa played with Portuguese before heading to Europe after the World Cup in 1962. In Europe, he was a part of La Grande Inter. He won 4 Serie A titles and 2 European Cup with Inter Milan. He had one spell at Roma between two spells with Inter Milan. He returned to Brazil and played for Santos in 1972.
LW: Zoltan Czibor (Hungary/Barcelona)
Zoltan Czibor was widely considered to be one of the greatest left winger in history. He was also a member of the Mighty Magyars. After 1956. he fled to the West. He joined Ladislao Kubala and Sándor Kocsis to play for FC Barcelona. Together with Ramallets, Evaristo and Luis Suárez, they formed the great Barcelona team of the 1950's.
LW: Mario Corso (Italy/Inter Milan)
Mario Corso was one of the greatest Italian wingers. Nicknamed "God's Left Foot", he was a part of La Grande Inter of the 1960's. Except for two seasons with Genoa at the end of his career, he played his entire career with Inter Milan. He earned 23 caps for Italy, but was never selected for any major tournament.
AM: Larbi Benbarek (France/Morocco/Atletico Madrid)
Larbi Benbarek was born and raised in Morocco in the period when the country was under the French rule. He was the first Black player to reach stardom in Europe, earning the nick name "Black Pearl". He made his name with Stade Francasis Paris. In 1948, he moved to Atletico Madrid, where he reached the height of his career and won two La Liga title. He is considered one of the greatest ever French player. He was capped 19 times between 1938 and 1954.
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| Larbi Benbarek |
FW: Eulogio Martínez (Paraguay/Spain/Barcelona)
He started his career with Club Libertad before moving to Barcelona FC in 1956. He led the team in scoring in three seasons (1956–57, 1957–58, 1959–60), obtaining two Spanish League titles, two Copas del Rey and two Inter-Cities Fairs Cups. Martínez also became a part of FC Barcelona's history by scoring the first goal ever at their current stadium, Camp Nou, in 24 September 1957. He was reputed to be the creator of the "Martinez Turn", which later received worldwide acclaim as the "Cruyff Turn".
FW: Laszlo Kubala (Slovakia/Hungary)
Laszlo Kubala was born in Hungary of a multi-cultural background. He was known as one of the greatest Barcelona players ever. He still managed to win 4 Li Liga titles in the 1950's in an era dominated by Real Madrid. In 1961, Barcelona eliminated Real Madrid from the European Cup, the first ever loss by Real Madrid at the tournament. He was capped by Hungry, Spain and Czechoslovakia, but never had a long international due being an exile living in the West.
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| Laszlo Kubala |
Juan Arza Started with Alvas and Malaga before joining Sevilla in 1943. He spent 16 seasons with Sevilla and became their all-time leading scoring with 207 goals. He won the league in 1946, and a cup in 1948. He was also the league's top scorer in the 1954-53 season with 29 goals. He ended his career with Almeria. He earned 2 caps for Spain.
RW/SS/ST: Allan Simonsen (Denmark/Barcelona)
He most prominently played for Borussia Mönchengladbach, winning the 1975 and 1979 UEFA Cups, as well as for Barcelona, winning the 1982 Cup Winners' Cup. He is the only footballer to have scored in the European Cup, UEFA Cup, and Cup Winners' Cup finals. Simonsen was named 1977 European Footballer of the Year. he was a part of Denmark's Euro 1984 team, but was injured after the first game. By 1986, he was an aging player and played in one match at the WC Finals.
FW: Evaristo de Macedo (Brazil/Barcelona)
Evaristo played for Madureira and Flamengo before moving to Barcelona in 1957, where he stayed until 1962. He joined Real Madrid in 1962 after a disagreement. He was one of tee first Brazilian to star in La Liga. Evaristo was capped by Brazil 14 times, scoring 8 goals. He also holds the record of most goals for the Brazilian national team in one single game, as he netted five times for the Seleção in a 9–0 win against Colombia in 1957.
ST: Adrián Escudero (Spain/Atletico Madrid)
Escudero arrived at Atlético Madrid in late 1945, from local amateurs Club Deportivo Mediodía. He was the all-time leading goalscorer for Atlético Madrid with 170 goals, having appeared for the club in 13 La Liga seasons and played in more than 350 official games. At the international level, he was capped 3 times between 1952 and 1956.
ST: Sandor Kocsis (Hungary/Barcelona)
Sandor Kocsis was a prolific goalscorer for the Mighty Magyars in the 1950's. He scored 75 goals in 68 appearances for Hungary. He scored 11 goals at the WC in 1954, the second highest for a single tournament. He played for Honved at home before he went to play for Barcelona after the Soviet invasion in 1956. With fellow Hungarian exiles Ladislao Kubala and Zoltan Czibor, Barcelona became a force in Europe.
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| Sandor Kocsis, Luis Suarez and Laszlo Kubala |
Honorable Mention
Henry Carlsson (Atletico Madrid), Alfonso Silva (Atletico Madrid), José María Busto (Sevilla), Pedro Alconero (Sevilla), Sergio Santarini (Roma), Horst Szymaniak (Inter Milan), Aristide Guarneri (Inter Milan), Joaquín Peiró (Inter Milan), Saul Malatrasi (Inter Milan), Aurelio Millani (Inter Milan), Martí Vergés (Barcelona), Justo Tejada (Barcelona).
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| With Inter Milan |
Squad Explanation
-- I do not know much about Herrera's career outside Barcelona and Inter Milan. I selected a few famous players from some of the clubs he had coached onto my honourable mention.
-- Herrera won two league titles between 1949 and 1951 while at Atletico Madrid The team was considered the very first great team from the club. Unfortunately, I am not familiar with the team. Nevertheless, I selected 3 players. They are Adrián Escudero, Larbi Benbarek and Marc Dmingo.
-- I do know about Larbi Benbarek's career with Atletico Madrid. He was considered the first Black star player in Europe while he played over there. He was normally considered to be one of the greatest attack midfielders ever from France. Because of the emerge Raymond Kopa, Michel Platini and Zindine Zidane, his name is often overlooked by modern fans.
-- Helenio Herrera's best spell was obviously with Inter Milan. I selected the following 9 players for this all-time team. His team was known as "la Grande Inter". Giuliano Sarti, Tarcisio Burgnich, Armando Picchi, Giacinto Facchetti, Gianfranco Bedin, Luis Suarez Miramontes, Sandra Mazzola, Jair de Costa and Mario Corso.
-- While defensive in nature, his understanding of the Catenaccio was slightly different from that practised by other Italian teams and the original Verrou, as he often used the full backs (particularly Giacinto Facchetti) as half backs (defensively supported by the libero) to launch faster counter-attacks, a staple of Italian tactics – yet, he never denied the heart of his team relied on defence.
-- Giacinto Facchetti (Italy/Inter Milan) was considered the greatest Italian leftback before the emerge of Paolo Maldini. Armando Picchi also often credited for redefining the lilbero position.
-- Helenio Herrera's coaching style was different with Barelona. He was more focused on the offence. From Barcelona, I took Sandor Kocsis, Luis Suarez, Laszlo Kubala, Antoni Ramallets, Joan Segarra, Enric Gensana, Ferran Olivella, Zoltan Czibor, Eulogio Martínez and Evaristo de Macedo. Allan Simonsen was not from the Barcelona team between 1958 and 1960. Allan Simonsen played under him during his later years at Barcelona. I picked him more of a symbolic gesture. I want a modern player on the team.
-- Helenio Herrera managed Sevilla from 1953 to 1957. It was one his longer coaching spell. I do not know much about that era. I selected Marcelo Campanal and Juan Arza who played for him at Sevilla. José María Busto was the other goalkeeper considered. He played for him at Sevilla. Their selection came from my research of Sevilla's all-time team.
-- I also took Sergio Santarini from AS Roma. Again, I did not know much about his career there.
-- Herrera had disagreements with his star player Ladislao Kubala while at Barcelona, but I still selected him to my all-star team.
-- When Helenio Herrera joined Inter from Barcelona in 1960, he brought with him Luis Suárez, who won the European Footballer of the Year. This is Luis Suarez Miramontes. The younger fans might associate the name with Luis Suarez Diaz of Uruguay.
-- Helenio Herrera is unrelated with Heriberto Herrera who also coached in the 1950's and 1960's. Heriberto Herrera was managing Juventus when Helenio Herrera was with "la Grande Inter". Helenio Herrera also managed a season with Inter Milan between the two spells of Helenio Herrera there.
-- Herrea was the first person to coach three different national teams. He coached France, Spain (1959-1962) and Italy (1966–67), but his career with them was basically forgotten. He took Spain to the World Cup Finals in 1962, but I am only considering players who played for him at the club level. Paco Gento, Ferenc Puskas and Alfredo Di Stefano were on his World Cup team. He
Formation
The formation is based upon La Grande Inter. I brought over Kubala, Czibor and Segarra from Barcelona.
hi old friend, from interesting best xi.
ReplyDeletei suppose that Suarez, Ben Barek and Domingos were Herrera's favorites.