Greatest All-Time Team for Uncapped Players

Bert Trautmann

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

Sweden World Cup1950
Argentina World Cup 1958
Scotland World Cup 1970
United Kingdom World Cup 1970
England World Cup 1974
United Kingdom World Cup1982
Yugoslavia World Cup 1994
France World Cup 1994
Germany World Cup 2002
Holland World Cup 2002
USA World Cup 2010

Only a small percentage of players have the opportunity to play international football. Throughout history, many great players did not have the chance to play international football.  Besides the glory of representing your own county, international football also brings personal pride to a player. After I finished researching for this team, I realised that international football is very important to the legacy of any given footballers.  Most of the players were largely forgotten.  A lot of the famous uncapped players play on legendary sides such as John McGoven of Nottingham Forrest's European Cup winning team, Horst Blankenburg (Ajax European Cup team early 1970's), etc.  Bert Trautmann has an interesting story that left a big historical legacy beyond football.  Alex Rowley holds the record for the most goals in the history of English league football.  He is the only player who did not play for a big club.  Without the record, he might be forgotten.  

I believed many players from the smaller clubs and/or not from great historical sides are forgotten.  They might be better than some of the players mentioned here.  Raul Amarilla (Paraguay) was an all-time great with Real Zaragoza, but he lacked the exposure of a bigger club. It is difficult to evaluate his status comparing to another uncapped player such as Gunnar Andersson of Marseille. I am sure that he is not the only player.

This is my all-time team for uncapped players around the world. If there were an All-Time World Cup, this would be the 23 players I would bring to the tournament. 

John McGovern

Team  
GK: Bert Trautmann (Germany)
Bert Trautmann was a former POW who decided to remain in England after the war.  He signed for Manchester City in 1949, where he replaced Frank Swift.  He turned from the most hated player in England to a fan favourite.  He was the hero of 1956 FA Cup winning team. In his prime, he was known as one of the best keeper in the world.  He was credited for healing the German-British relations after the War.  In 2004, he was awarded an honorary Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).

GK: Fabio Cudicini (Italy)
Fabio Cudicini  played Udinese, Roma, AC Milan and Brescia.  He was remembered for his two stints with AC Milan. Between 1967 and 1972, he played for AC Milan. He helped Milan to win the 1969 European Cup. Before Milan, he played for Roma and Udinese.  He won the Inter-Cities Fair Cup with Roma.  He was playing in the same generation as Dino Zoff, Lozenzo Buffon and Enrico Albertosi.  He was uncapped.

Fabio Cudicini 

GK: Sebastiano Rossi  (Italy)
During a 21-year professional career, Rossi appeared in 346 Serie A games, most notably representing A.C. Milan (12 seasons) with which he won 12 major titles, including the 1994 Champions League.   Rossi held the record for the longest streak without conceding a goal in Serie A history. In an 11-match span, he kept a clean sheet for 929 consecutive minutes.  He was never capped by Italy. 

RB: Giuseppe Bruscolotti (Italy)
Giuseppe Bruscolotti started with Sorrento playing between Serie B and C. He moved to Napoli in 1972.  He is the club's appearance record holder.  Throughout his career, he was referred to as "Pal e fierr" ("iron pole") by the fans, due to his physical strength.  He led the club to victory at the 1976 Anglo-Italian League Cup.  He was the captain of Napoli before Diego Maradona took over. He played with the club until 1988.  

RB: Julio Cesar Benitez (Spain)
Benítez started with Racing Club de Montevideo. In 1959 he played for Real Valladolid, and a year later he moved to Real Zaragoza. He moved to FC Barcelona in 1961. With Barcelona he won Copa del Generalísimo in 1963 and Inter Cities Fairs Cup in 1966, and was known for his rivalry with Real Madrid's Francisco Gento.  He died in 1968, three days before a critical game in the Camp Nou against Real Madrid. 

CB: Steve Bruce (England)
Steve Bruce played for Gillingham and Norwich before joining Manchester United in 1987, where he would play until 1996.  Under Sir Alex Ferguson, he won three Premier League titles, three FA Cups, one Football League Cup and the European Cup Winners' Cup.  He also became the first English player of the 20th century to captain a team to the Double. Despite his success with his club, he was never selected to play for England. 

Steve Bruce

CB: Ron Harris (England) 

Known by the nickname "Chopper", he played for Chelsea between 1961 and 1980. Harris is widely regarded as one of the toughest defenders of his era.   He captained Chelsea as it won the FA Cup in 1970.  Then, he helped Chelsea to win the European Cup Winners' Cup a year later in 1971, Chelsea's first ever trophy in Europe.  He finally left Chelsea in 1980 to become a player-coach at Brentford.

CB: Sergio Brio (Italy)
Brio began his career with U.S. Lecce, during the 1973–74 season. He moved to Juventus in 1974. He captained the club from 1989 to 1990, when he retired from professional football. He is one of only six players in European history to have won all international club competitions.  He was a part of the team that won the 1985 European Cup. He was never selected for the national senior team, but played for the Olympic team.

SW: Horst Blankenburg (Germany)
Blankenburg played with Nürnberg, Wiener Sportclub and TSV 1860 München before he joined Ajax Amsterdam in 1970.  In 5 seasons at Ajax he won the European Cup 3 years in a row, and was known for his partnership with Velibor Vasović. For international football, he was never capped by West Germany largely because playing in the same time as Franz Beckenbauer.  Johan Cruijff asked him to play for Holland in the 1974 World Cup but he refused.

LB: Bernd Wehmeyer (Germany)
From 1971 to 1978, Wehmeyer played for Arminia Bielefeld and Hannover 96, playing two stints each.  From 1978 to 1985, he played for Hamburger SV. He captained the great side that won the 1983 European Cup, beating Juventus in the Final. He also won three Bundesliga (1979, 1982 and 1983).   For national team, he never received a call up, but he represented West Germany at the 1984 Olympics.  

Bernd Wehmeyer 

DM: Jimmy Case (England)
From 1973 to 1981, Case played with Liverpool FC that dominated Europe.  He was a part of the team that won the European Cup (1977, 1978, 1981).  He was voted in at No. 45 in the 2006 poll 100 Players Who Shook The Kop by Liverpool's fans.  With Brighton, Case reached the FA Cup final in 1983 and again faced Manchester United. He also played for Southampton, Bournemouth, Halifax Town and Wrexham.

CM: John McGovern (Scotland)
John McGovern played under manager Brian Clough for Derby, Leeds United and finally, Nottingham Forrest. He is most famous for captaining the Nottingham Forest side that won the European Cup twice.  At the age of 19 he became the youngest player to play in all four divisions of the Football League. During his playing career he won promotion with Hartlepools United, Derby County and Nottingham Forest.  At the end of his career, he also played for Bolton Wanderers F.C.

AM/CM: Agostino Di Bartolomei (Italy)
With Roma, Di Bartlomei formed a midfield partnership with Falcao in the mid-1980's.  He was a part of the great team that won the Serie A title in 1982-83 and 3 Italian Cups.  He is considered to be one of the greatest footballers in Roma's history.  However, he was uncapped.  In 1984, he moved A.C. Milan. After three seasons he left Milan and his career fizzled out after playing for Cesena and Salernitana.  He is a member of the AS. Roma Hall of Fame.

CM: Gabi (Spain)
At the time of writing, Gabi is the captain of Atletico Madrid.  He played for Atletico Madrid between 2004 and 2007 before moving to Zaragoza.  In 2011, he returned to Atletico Madrid, coinciding with the rise of manager Diego Simeone's team.  He first took the Copa del Rey in 2013 and then, the league title in 2013-2014.  He captained the side that reached the Champions' league Final twice before losing to Real Madrid on both occasions.

Gabi

RW: Craig Johnston (South Africa/Australia)
Born in South Africa of Australian background, Johnston joined Middlesbrough FC from Australia.  He was better known for his career with Liverpool FC between 1981 and 1988. He was a key member of the 1986 "double" winning team.  He also won the European Cup in 1984.  He was eligible for Australia, Scotland and South Africa, but he never had a senior international career. He had described playing football for Australia as "like surfing for England."

RW: Naim Kryeziu (Albania)
Born in Gjakova, at the time Kingdom of Serbia, current day Republic of Kosovo, Kryeziu left his town in Kosovo as a youngster to join KF Tirana. Following the 1939 Italian invasion of Albania, he joined AS Roma, where he played until 1947.  He won the 1940-1941 scudetto. From 1947 to 1952, he played for Napoli.  He never played for either Albania or Italy.

LW: Vassilis Hatzipanagis(Greece)
Born in the USSR of Greek refugees, Vassilis Hatzipanagis played for the Soviet Olympic team.  He was highly rated in the Soviet Union. He returned to Greece in 1976, where he played for Greece in one single friendly march.  He was ineligible to play for Greece due to his selection to the Soviet youth team.  However, he was considered to be Greece's greatest player and was elected as Greece's UEFA Jubilee Player. In his club career, he played for Pakhtakor(USSR) and Iraklis.

Vassilis Hatzipanagis (R)

FW/LW/AM: Ramon Villaverde (Uruguay)
Ramon Villaverde began with Liverpool(Uruguay). In the 1949, he moved to Colombia. He played with Cúcuta Deportivo(1950-51) and Millonarios Bogotá (1952-54) ), where he played with Alfredo Di Stéfano. Between 1954 to 1963, he played for Barcelona, winning two Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.  He was a part of Helenio Herrera's team.  He later played for Zaragoza.

FW/AM: Paulo Di Canio (Italy)
Di Canio began his career playing for Lazio, Juventus, Napoli and AC Milan, before a brief spell with the Scottish club Celtic. He was named SPFA Players' Player of the Year in 1997.  In England, he played for Sheffield Wednesday, West Ham and Charlton Athletic. The peak of his career was with West Ham where he played from 1999 to 2003.  In 2001, he was awarded the FIFA Fair Play Award, but he was also known for controversial political views.

Paulo Di Canio 

FW: Arthur Rowley (England)
Rowley holds the record for the most goals in the history of English league football, scoring 434 from 619 league games. He was the younger brother of Manchester United footballer Jack Rowley.  He is also Shrewsbury's record league goalscorer with 152 league goals. He is Leicester's second all-time top goalscorer, netting 265 times for the Foxes, 8 goals short of Arthur Chandler's record.

ST: Delio Onnis (Argentina)
Born in Italy, Delio Onnis was an Argentine.  He earned the nicknamed "El Tano" (the Italian) in Argentina.  He began his career as the star striker with Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata.  He was widely known as the greatest player ever to have played for AS Monaco,  He is still today the French championship highest scorer, scoring 299 goals from 1972 to 1986 for Stade de Reims, AS Monaco FC, Tours FC and Sporting Toulon Var.  He was the Top goalscorers in Ligue 1: 1975, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1984.

Delio Onnis 

ST: Mário de Castro (Brazil)
Mário de Castro spent his entire career at Atlético Mineiro, with whom he won three Campeonato Mineiro titles. He helped Atlético Mineiro break América's decade-long dominance in Campeonato Mineiro, the state league of Minas Gerais. He was the competition's top scorer twice in that period. Mário was part of offensive line called the "Trio Maldito" with Said and Jairo. Mário was the first Atlético Mineiro player and first outside of Rio de Janeiro or São Paulo to be called up for the Brazilian national football team.

ST: Arsenio Erico (Paraguay)
Arsenio Erico is considered the best Paraguayan footballer of all time and one of the greatest ever to play in the Argentinian league..  He started his club career with Club Nacional of Paraguay in 1930, but better known for his career in Argentina. He is the all-time highest goalscorer in the Argentine first division, with 295 goals, all of them scored with Independiente between 1933 and 1946. He also played for Huracán. He was Alfredo Di Stefano's idol.

Arsenio Erico

Honorable Mention(there should be much more

Stefan Klos (Germany), Bernd Durnberger (Germany), Heinz Stuy (Germany), Andreas Palop (Spain), Ruud Hesp (Netherlands), Carlo Cudicini (Italy), Claudio Garella (Italy), Luciano Favero (Italy), Valerien Ismael (France), Jose Erique (Spain), Oleguer (Spain), Billy Bonds (England), Andriey Starostin (USSR), Roberto Filippi (Italy), Evaristo Beccalossi (Italy), Hans-Jürgen Wittkamp (Germany),  Marcel Witeczek (Germany), Norbert Nachtweih (Germany), Ian Bowyer (England), MF Thomas von Hessen (Germany), Horst Buhtz (Germany), Dennis Mortimer (England), Lincoln (Brazil), Jarbas Faustinho "Cane" (Brazil), Vincenzo D'Amico (Italy),  Angelo Colombo (Italy), Naim Kryeziu (Albania), Domenico Morfeo (Italy), Francico Yeste (Spain), Lindy Delapenha (Jamaica).

Dževad Prekazi (Yugoslavia), Dario Conca (Argentina), Mikel Arteta(Spain), Roque Olsen (Argentina), Pietro Paolo Virdis (Italy)

Raul Amarilla (Paraguay), Kevin Champbell (England), Luis Vinicio (Brazil), Dario Hubner (Italy), Aliton (Brazil), Igor Protti (Italy), Erwin Helmchen (Germany).

Squad Explaination

-- After completing my research on this team, I came to realize the significant importance of international football in shaping the legacy of footballers. The majority of players have unfortunately been largely forgotten, and I may have overlooked many names in the process.

-- I have highlighted players from renowned club sides like Horst Blankenburg (Ajax in the early 1970s), Sergio Brio (Juventus in the 1980s), and Sebastiano Rossi (AC Milan in the 1980s) to illustrate my point. These individuals benefit from greater recognition as a result of their time in top teams, simplifying the process of evaluating their skills. Nonetheless, it is evident that numerous players from smaller or historically less significant clubs have been overlooked, despite potentially possessing superior abilities to those aforementioned. Take, for example, Raul Amarilla (Paraguay), a legendary figure at Real Zaragoza. Due to his limited exposure at a larger club, assessing his standing in comparison to uncapped players like Gunnar Andersson of Marseille proves to be a challenge. It is highly likely that many other players find themselves in similar circumstances.

-- Several players were selected based on their records or memorable stories. For instance, Ominis and Giuseppe Bruscolotti had notable records, while Mário de Castro and Julio Ceasar Benitez left behind compelling stories for people to remember.

-- I must admit to a slight bias towards English-based players, as I am more familiar with them through English language sources.

Prior to the 1960s and 1970s, many national teams were reluctant to include players based overseas, limiting the international careers of numerous players. For instance, Arsenio Erico never had the opportunity to play for Paraguay at the international level.
-- The Soviet Union did not participate in an official match until 1952, though they engaged in some friendly matches before then. Due to the unclear nature of their international record before 1952, I chose to overlook a few Soviet greats and merely listed them as honorable mentions.

Goalkeepers

-- The goalkeeper position is truly unique in football, as only one player can start in this crucial role on the team. This exclusivity adds to the intensity of competition among goalkeepers vying for that solitary spot, making it one of the most challenging positions to secure in a starting lineup. This fierce competition often means that numerous talented goalkeepers are unable to secure a chance to earn a cap for their national team. Coaches also play a significant role, often favoring and consistently choosing one single goalkeeper for an extended period. This trust and preference for certain keepers can lead to other capable goalkeepers being left out, even when they are performing exceptionally well at the club level. So, there were plenty of uncapped goalkeepers.

-- Bert Trautmann stands out as an obvious choice due to his remarkable career.  Many pundits believed that he might have been one of the greatest goalkeepers of all-time only historical situation prevented him from playing for West Germany in the 1950's.

-- Both Sebestian Rossi and and Fabio Cudicini won European Cups for AC Milan.  AC Milan with Rossi in goal was regarded as one of the greatest defensive units of all time.  He held the record for the longest streak without conceding a goal in Serie A history.  Cudicini was considered one of Italy's greatest goalkeepers, but he never recieved a cap.

Sebestian Rossi

-- Stefan Klos, Bernd Durnberger, Claudio Garella, Heinz Stuy, Andreas Palop and Ruud Hesp are among the many great uncapped goalkeepers.

-- Andrés Palop sat on the bench for Spain on many occasions, but he never took the field. In fact, he was the backup keeper for Spain as they won the Euro 2008. So, he earned an international gold medal without ever playing in an international match.

Defenders

-- Steve Bruce was a key figure in Manchester United's defense, partnering with Gary Pallister  winning in three Premier League titles. Additionally, he captained the team to two of those championship victories, including United's first league title in 26 years.

-- Chelsea had plenty of great central defenders such as John Terry, Ricardo Carvalho, Marcel Desailly, Gary Cahill,  Luiz, Frank Leboeuf, Antonio Rüdiger,William Gallas, etc.   Among them, Ron Harris stood out as one of Chelsea's finest central defenders, underscoring his enduring legacy and high standards in the game. He captained their Cup Winners' Cup winning side. 

--  Horst Blankenburg clinched three European Cup titles with Ajax in 1970–71, 1971–72, and 1972–73, establishing himself as one of the best and most decorated European players of his time. Nevertheless, he never received a call-up for the West Germany national team, partly due to playing during the same era as Franz Beckenbauer.  Outside of his career in Ajax, he actually did not distinguish himself especially with German clubs. 

Horst Blankenburg 

-- Sergio Brio stands among just six players in European history who have secured victories in all international club competitions. During the 1980s, he contributed to a star-studded Juventus squad that included some of Italy's finest defenders of all time. Notably, his teammate Luciano Favero also remained uncapped.  

-- At AC Milan, Filippo Galli played alongside Franco Baresi, Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Costacurta, and Mauro Tassotti, forming a strong defensive line-up under managers Arrigo Sacchi and Fabio Capello. However, I took Brio over him.

-- Giuseppe Bruscolotti is Napoli's appearance record holder.  He captained the side for many years.  Julio Cesar Benitez edged out Oleguer (Spain) for the back rightback.  He suddenly died at the age of 27 years old.  His death probably helped the younger fans to remember him.  

-- Bernd Wehmeyer captained Hamburger SV to win the European Cup in 1983 while beating Juventus in the Final.  Jose Erique had a great year with Newcastle United, but it was in the lower divsion,  So I left him off the team.

Midfielders/Wingers

-- Jimmy Case was voted in at No. 45 in the 2006 poll 100 Players Who Shook The Kop by Liverpool's fans.  He was a key player in the 1970's for them.  John McGovern captained Nottingham Forest in winning two European Cups.  He was a 2017 inductee to the Scottish Football Hall of Fame.  Agostino Di Bartolomei was considered one of AS Roma's greatest footballers.  He was a deep playing playmaker, but could also play in an advanced role.

-- Norbert Nachtweih defected from East Germany to the West before earning his first senior cap. Despite becoming one of the top German midfielders in the Bundesliga, his prior representation of the DDR at the youth level barred him from playing for West Germany. In his place, I selected Gabi of Atletico Madrid, a contemporary player who is still dearly remembered by fans. Over time, he may fade from memory outside of Spain, much like some other players. He was honored with several accolades, including being named in the La Liga Squad of the Season for 2013–14, the UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season for 2013–14 and 2015–16, and the UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season for 2017–18.

-- Andrey Starostin is sometimes listed among one of the greatest Soviet/Russian footballers, but he played in a time before the first ever Soviet national team.  I did not select him because I felt that the standard of football in his era was subpar.  

-- On the right side, I took Craig Johnstone who starred for Liverpool in the 1980's. He turned down Australia and remained an uncapped player.  Naim Kryeziu was considered one of Albania's greatest footballers.  In his prime, the country of Albania did not exist after it was annexed by Italy.  For club football, he was a legend with AS Roma.  He was born in Kosova.  

Craig Johnstone

-- Vassilis Hatzipanagis played twice for Greece in unofficial games, but he was ineligible to play for them in official games as ruled by FIFA at the time.  Thus, his two caps should not be counted, making him an "uncapped" player.  He was named by Greece FA as their greatest ever player.  Ramon Villaverde (Uruguay) could play on both sides of the wings.

-- I did not have space for Lindy Delapenha (Jamaica), Patrick Ntsoelengoe (South Africa), Jomo Somo (South Africa) and Albert Johanneson (South Africa).  They did not play in a bigger stage.  Craig Johnston, on the other hand, was an important player during Liverpool's glorious era in the 1970's and 1980's.   I would like to select Paul Bonga Bonga (Congo) for his historical role for being the first African star player in Europe. 

Forwards

-- Mário de Castro was the first player outside of Rio de Janeiro or São Paulo to be called up for the Brazil national football team, but never played. He is often listed as one of the greatest uncapped players.

-- Arsenio Erico (Paraguay) never played for Paraguay in an official game.  Paraguay did not select foreign-based players during his prime.  His caps came from matches played under a Red Cross touring team. He needs no introduction.   

-- Paulo Di Canio (Italy)is often listed as one of the greatest uncapped Italian players   He definitely had the best name recognition. He is also a relatively contemporary player so it is easier for the fans to remember him.

-- Albert Stubbins of Liverpool was probably as good as Delio Ominis and Arthur Rowley, but both Ominis and Rowley had records that spoke loud.  Ominis is still today the French championship highest scorer.  Rowley holds the record for the most goals in the history of English league football.  He is the only player who did not play for a big club.  Without the record, he might be forgotten.They should have gotten serious considerations for the national team. 

Arthur Rowley

-- Horst Buhtz was the second German to play in Italian Serie A. He was the last player dropped. I admitted not knowing much about Buhtz. I did not have him on my all-time team for Torino.   

-- There are too may forwards and strikers. I have no space for the following players: Luis Vinicio (Brazil), Pietro Paolo Virdis (Italy), Angelo Colombo (Italy), Roque Olsen (Argentina), Aliton (Brazil) and Teleco (Brazil).

-- Pietro Paolo Virdis was Serie A top scorer in the 1986-1987 season while playing for AC Milan.  But his role was limited after the arrival of Ruud Gullit and Marco Van Basten.  He is also a member of AC Milan Hall of Flame.  Igor Protti and Dario Hubner also won the top scorer award in Serie A.

-- Roque Olsen (Argentina) played with Alfredo Di Stefano and Hector Rial in Real Madrid, but he was largely a forgotten player.

-- Teleco (Brazil) was the top scorer of the Brazilian 5 times.

-- Gunnar Andersson is the all-time leading scorer with Marseille. Sweden did not select professional players at his time.  He did represent France B team, but his performance was not goo.  He never recieved a senior cap. e remains a legend in France.  

Formation