Belarus Greatest All-time 23 member 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.  I also updated mine periodically.  I made mistakes. He is from Russia.  He should know the topic much more than I do, but he still kept my mistakes. He will copy this Belarus All-Time Team.  Please look at my other teams from the former Soviet Union.  He copied all of them.

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Этот блогер Артур Янтурин из России скопировал многие из блог-команд. Этот блог был одним из них. Здесь была моя российская сборная всех времен. Его команда была написана в 2020 году, но моя была загружена в 2014 году. Я также периодически обновлял свою. Я сделал ошибки. Он из России. Он должен знать тему гораздо больше, чем я, но он все равно сохранил мои ошибки. Он будет копировать эту белорусскую сборную всех времен. Пожалуйста, посмотрите на другие мои команды из Советского Союза. Он скопировал их всех.

Гэты блогер Артур Янтурын з Расіі скапіяваў многія блог-каманды. Гэты блог быў адным з іх. Тут была мая зборная Расіі ўсіх часоў. Яго каманда была напісана ў 2020 годзе, але мая была загружана ў 2014 годзе. Я таксама перыядычна абнаўляў сваю. Я зрабіў памылкі. Ён з Расеі. Ён павінен ведаць гэтую тэму значна больш, чым я, але ён усё роўна захоўваў мае памылкі. Ён будзе капіяваць гэтую зборную Беларусі ўсіх часоў. Паглядзіце, калі ласка, на іншыя мае каманды з былога СССР. Ён скапіяваў іх усе.

Belarus Winner of 2002 LG Cup

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

Soviet Union, Russia, Georgia

Central Asia, Ukraine

Armenia/Armenian diaspora

Former Soviet Union except Russia, Ukraine, and Georgia

Dynamo Kyiv

I created the former Soviet Union without Ukraine, Russia, Georgia and Central Asia All-Time team in 2016.  The team was edited many times.  Players from Georgia were included on that team.  Later, when I created a Georgia All-Time Team, I decided to take away all of the players from there.  However, when I started this All-Time Team for Belarus, I decided to keep Belarusian players over there. Of course, Artur Yanturin of Russia copied both blog teams. Please see for yourself:  Georgia  and Soviet Union without Ukraine, Russia, Georgia and Central Asia All-Time.  

After the split of the Soviet Union, Belarus played their first match against Lithuania on 20 July 1992.[3] Before that, several Belarusian players played for the Soviet Union national team. The first FIFA-recognized international was a friendly against Ukraine on 28 October 1992, and their first win came in a match against Luxembourg on 12 October 1994.

Belarus have never qualified for either the FIFA World Cup, or the UEFA European Championship. Despite the lack of any significant success during the 1990s, some notable results were still achieved, like a home win against the Netherlands in the qualifiers for Euro 1996, and two draws against eventual runners-up Italy during Euro 2000 qualifiers.

Under coach Eduard Malofeyev, the team came very close to playing Germany in a play-off round to qualify for the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea, but were defeated by Wales in the last group stage match, missing the chance to overtake Ukraine, who drew their last game, finishing the group second behind Poland.

This is my all-time team for Belarus. If there were an All-Time World Cup, this would be the 23 players I would bring to the tournament. I am including players from the Soviet Union. 

Team

GK: Aleksandr Prokhorov (USSR)

Prokhorov played with Dinamo Minsk, Dynamo Kyiv, etc. In 1972, he moved to Spartak Moscow where he played until 1975. He was awarded the Ogonyok magazine prize as the best goalkeeper of the USSR in 1974 and 1975. He made his debut for USSR on March 20, 1976, in a friendly against Argentina. He played in the UEFA Euro 1976 quarterfinal (USSR did not qualify for the final tournament).  He had 6 Olympic caps and 3 senior caps.

GK: Gennady Tumilovich  (Belarus)

Tumilovich started his career at FC Dinamo Brest of Soviet Second League. He then moved to Dinamo Minsk. In 1996, he joined Metallurg Krasnoyarsk of Russian First Division. He then played for Zarya Leninsk-Kuznetsky. In 1998, he joined  Zhemchuzhina Sochi.  He also played in Israel and Belgium.  Between 1998 and 2004 he has been capped 32 times for Belarus. He was Belarus' Player of the Year in 2001.

GK: Mikhail Vergeyenko (USSR)

Mikhail Vergeenko began playing in FC Gomel. In 1968 he moved to the Dinamo Minsk.  He made his debut in the 1971 season . For 13 years. he played for the team, where he was their captain. Mikhail Vergeenko played for the youth team of the USSR, where they came second in the 1972 European Youth Championship. He played for the national team of the Byelorussian SSR at the 1979 Spartakiad.

RB: Sergei Borovsky (Belarus) 

During his entire club career,  Sergei Borovsky played for FC Dinamo Minsk.  He was the captain of Dynamo in 1978-1979 and 1984-1985.  He won the Soviet Union premier league in 1982, the club's only title.  He is the all-time appearance leader in the Soviet league.  That same year, he went to the World Cup Finals with the Soviet national team in Spain.  In total, he earned 21 caps between 1981 and 1985. He won Master of the Sport in 1979.

Sergei Borovsky 

CB: Sergey Shtanyuk  (Belarus)

Shtaniuk played with Dynamo-93 and Dynamo Minsk before he joined Dynamo Moscow in 1996 where he spent four years.  After a short spell with Royal Antwerp he joined Stoke City in 2001. He won the Stoke player of the year award. He later played for Shinnik, Metalurh Zaporizhya, Luch-Energia Vladivostok, Rostov and Alania Vladikavkaz.  He played 71 times for Belarus between 1995 and 2007.

DF: Viktor Yanushevsky (Belarus)

In 1977, Yanushevsky started with Dinomo Minsk.  He was named in the list of 33 best football players of the season in the USSR : 1980, 1982 (both times - No. 3).  He then played for CSKA Moscow, Aldershrt (England) and Tennis-Borussia.  He was a part of the 1979 World Youth Cup team.  He played twice for the Soviet national team.

CB: Alyaksandr Martynovich (Belarus) 

Martynovichi s the most capped Belarusian defender.  From 2006 to 2010, he played for Dinamo Minsk.  He joined FC Krasnodar of Russia in 2010.  He has played over 10 seasons for them.  From 2009 to 2020, he earned 75 caps for Belarus.  He served as their captain.  He was part of the Belarus U-21 squad that participated in the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship.

Alyaksandr Martynovich 

SW: Viktor Shishkin (USSR)

As a player, Shishkin is best known for his performances for Lokomotiv Moscow and Dinamo Minsk.  Later, From 1974 to 1979, he played for Uralmash and Dinamo Minsk.  He spent four seasons at Dinamo Minsk, and in 1982 won the national title. From 1986 to 1988 he played for Locomotive Moscow.  In 1984, he played once for the Soviet Union.

CB/LB: Vasili Shvetsov (USSR)

Vasily Shvetsov made his debut for Dinamo Minsk in 1973 . The following season, Vasily became the main player of the team. From 1976 to 1983, he played for CSKA Moscow, where he immediately became one of the main defenders. Then, he spent some time as a soldier in East Germany.  In 1993 he played in the Kimry Sputnik. He was selected to the lists of the 33 best football players of the season of the USSR in 1976 and 1980.

LB: Sergei Gurenko (Belarus)

Sergei Gurenko began his career in Khimik Grodno in 1989.  

In 1995, he was transferred to Lokomotiv Moscow.  He played for AS Roma, Real Zaragoza, Parma, Piacenza before returning to Lokomotiv in 2003.  Between 1994 and 2006, he played 80 times for Belarus, where he served as their captain.  He is the second most capped Belarusian player.

DM: Andrei Zygmantovich (USSR/Belarus)

Zygmantovich started playing for FC Dinamo Minsk. In 1982, he appeared 30 times to help his hometown side win the only Soviet League in their history. He also had a spell with FC Groningen. From 1993 to 1996, he played for Racing de Santander in Spain.  From 1984 to 1990, he played 36 times for the USSR.  He went to the 1990 World Cup Finals, where he scored a goal.  He was also capped 9 times for Belarus.

Andrei Zygmantovich

DM: Alyaksandr Kulchy (Belarus)

With 102 caps, Kulchy is the most capped player for Belarus.  He played for the national team from 1994 to 2012.  He started his club career with FC Gomel in 1991.  He played for many clubs in Russia and Belarus, including Dinamo Moscow, Rostov, FC Slavia Mozyr, etc.  His longest stint was with FC Shinnik Yaroslavl in Russia.  He was the Belarusian Footballer of the Year in 2009.

DM: Alyaksandr Khatskevich (Belarus)

Khatskevich started with Dinamo Minsk, where he played from 1992 and 1996.  He made his name with Dynamo Kyiv from 1996 to 2004. His club reached the quarterfinals and semifinals of the Champions League in the 1997/1998 and 1998/1999 seasons , He later played in China and Latvia.  From 1993 to 2005, he earned 38 caps with Belarus.  He also represented the CIS in the youth level.  He was The best football player of Belarus in 1998 and 2000.

CB/DM: Sergei Aleinikov (USSR/Belarus) 

From 1981 to 1989, Aleinikov played for  Dinamo Minsk, winning the Tip Soviet League in 1982.  In 1989, he became one of the first Soviet players to play in the rest when he joined Juventus.  He later played for Lecce and Gamba Osaka.  He played in two World Cup Finals and an European Championship for the USSR.  He also played at Euro 1992 for CIS.  He was capped 4 times for Belarus.  He was Belarus's selection for UEFA Julibee Player.

Sergei Aleinikov 

CM: Aleksandr Prokopenko (Belarus) 

From July 1972 to 1983, Prokopenko  played for Dinamo Minsk,  becoming the champion of the USSR in 1982. In 1983, he was expelled from the team for a systematic violation of the regime. From 1983 to 1984, he played for Torpedo Minsk.  He also played for Neftçi PFK and FC Dnepr Mogilev.  He played once for the USSR in 1980.  He won a bornze medal at the 1980 Olympics.

LM: Maksim Romaschenko (Belarus)

Romaschenko is the all-time leading scorer for the national team of Belarus.  He earned over 60 caps. He is also the Footballer of the Year of Belarus in 2004.  he began his adult career in Ukraine, in the club "Polygraph" . Since 1993 he played in Belarus for Dnipro, Fandak and MPKC. He played for Dynamo Moscow from 1997 to 2006.  He also played  Gaziantepspor, Trabzonspor, Torpedo and Bursaspor.

LM/FW/CM: Sergey Gotsmanov (USSR/Belarus) 

From 1979 to 1990, Sergey Gotsmanov played for  FC Dinamo Minsk first team, winning the Soviet championship in 1982 under manager Eduard Malofeyev.  He later played in England for Brighton and Southampton, and in Germanty for Hallescher FC. For the USSR, he played 31 times and 3 times for Belarus.  He appeared in the Euro 1988.  He was Belarusian Footballer of the Year four times (in 1983, 1985, 1987 and 1989).

AM/RW/LW: Alexander Hleb (Belarus)

Alexander Hleb is best remembered for his stints with Stuttgart and Arsenal.  In the Bundesliga, he was among the top assisters, which led to a big transfer to Arsenal in 2005.  He became the first ever Belarusian footballer to play in the Champions League Final while playing for Arsenal. From 2008 to 2012, he was with Barcelona, but he mainly spent his time on loan. He also played in Turkey. He had 80 caps for Belarus.

Alexander Hleb

AM: Valyantsin Byalkevich  (Belarus)

From 1991 to 1994, Byalkevich played for Dinamo Minsk.   In 1996 , together with his teammate Alyaksandr Khatskevich, he moved to Dynamo Kyiv . He spent the majority of his career with Dynamo Kyiv, where he was part of the team that reached the semi-finals of 1998–99 UEFA Champions League.  He played over 220 matches scoring 50 goals.  He also played 56 times for Belarus between 1992 and 2005.

ST: Georgy Kondratiev (USSR)

In 1980, Kondratiev  was invited to Dinamo Minsk, where he played until 1988.  He won the 1982 Soviet league with them.  In 1989 he moved to Odessa , where he spent two seasons with Chernomorets. In 1991, he played for Lokomotiv Moscow.  He later played for Austria, Finland, Ukraine and Germany.   Kondratiev played 14 times for the Soviet Union between 1984 and 1986.

ST: Vitaliy Starukhin (USSR)

In 2011, Vitaly Starukhin, together with Oleg Blohin and Igor Belanov was named as "the legends of Ukrainian football" at the Victory of Football awards.  He was considered to be the greatest player for Shakhtar Donetsk. He played for them between 1973 and 1981.  He was the Soviet Player of the Year in 1979.  He was capped once by USSR in 1980.  He had played for Ukraine for Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR.

Vitaly Starukhin

ST: Ihar Hurynovich (USSR/Belarus)

Ihar Hurynovich played for Dynamo Minsk for 10 years - from 1977 to 1987, then returned to the team for another two years: from 1988 to 1990.  He was a part of their Soviet Top league winning year in 1982.  He made first team of 33 best football players of the season in the USSR : 1982, 1983.  He had stints in England with Brighton briefly as well as clubs in Poland and Spain.  He played once for the USSR in 1984 and 3 times in Belarus.

ST: Vitali Rodionov (Belarus)

Rodionov began his career in Lokomotiv-96 Vitebsk, before he played 57 games for Torpedo.  He transferred to BATE Borisov in 2005.  he played there until 2017.  The club won the league every year while he was there.  He was joint league top scorer three times in 2008, 2013 and 2016.  As of July 2016, he has netted 20 goals in European tournaments, the most of any Belarusian player. He played 46 times for Belarus between 2007 and 2017.

Vitali Rodionov 

Honorable Mention

Yury Kurbyko, Yuri Zhevnov, Alyaksandr Myatlitski, Erik Yakhimovich, Eduard Zarembo, Ivan Savostikov, Yegor Filipenko, Alyaksandr Myatlitski, Timofey Kalachyov, Andrei Lavrik, Ihar Hurynovich, Renan Bressan, Ihar Stasevich, Syarhey Kislyak, Vitali Kutuzov,  Syarhey Amelyanchuk. 

Squad Explanation

-- The Soviet-era players were based on ethnicity and birth place.  The post-Soviet Union players were based on the national team.  I do not consider playing for one of the republics at the Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR as "cap-tied".   Several Belarus-born players chose to play for other national teams after independence.  They are ineligible for this team.  

-- A number of players who were mentioned as Belarus' greatest ever were ineligible due various reasons.   Sergey Gorlukovich (capped by Russia), Artem Milevskiy (capped by Ukraine), Yuri Pudyshev (Russian), Eduard Zarembo (born in Azerbaijan), Yuri Kurnenin (Russian), Vladimir Sakharov (Russian), Mikhail Mustygin (Russian), Nikolai Barmashev (Russian), Anatoly Baidachny (Russian) and Eduard Malofeev (Russian) were all big names in the area (see below for further explanation for some of the players).  I do find myself being too strict for this blog.  Without them, the team became very thin, but I decide to keep this team for now.

-- I began the selection process by adding Aleksandr Prokhorov, Vitaliy Starukhin, Sergei Aleinikov, Sergei Borovsky, Sergei Gurenko, Alexander Hleb and Sergey Gotsmanov to the team.  They were members of my Soviet Union Without Russia, Ukraine, Georgia and Central Asia All-Time Team.  Sergei Aleinikov was probably Belarus' greatest ever player, but Alexander Hleb was probably the best known player because of his club career in the West.  He was also an automatic selection.

-- Sergey Borovsky became the first Belarusian player to represent the USSR in the World Cup Finals when he was selected onto the 1982 team.  In 1990, we saw three Belarusian on the World Cup team.  They were Sergei Aleinikov, Andrei Zygmantovich and Sergei Gorlukovich. Gorlukovich, however, was ineligible because he chose to play for Russia after the end of the Soviet Union.  

-- Sergey Gotsmanov and Sergei Aleinikov were on the Soviet national team that finished second at Euro 1988.  Both started in the Final against the Netherlands.

-- In March 28, 1984, the Soviet Union played against West Germany 

in a friendly match.  Eduard Malofeyev was their manager. The Soviet team used 5 players from Belarus.  Viktor Shishkin,  Andrei Zygmantovich, Ihar Hurynovich, and Sergei Aleinikov were starters. Viktor Yanushevsky came on from the bench. Yuri Pudyshev who played for Dinamo Minsk also started, but he was Russian.  The match ended in a 2-1 loss for the CCCP. 

-- Both Viktor Yanushevsky and Ihar Hurynovich played in the Final of the 1979 World Youth Cup where Diego Maradona first made a name.  

Goalkeeper

-- A Russian website ranked Aleksandr Prokhorov as the 8th greatest Soviet goalkeeper of all-time.  He was Soviet Goalkeeper of the Year in  1974 and 1975.  Most lists suggested that he and Mikhail Vergeyenko were the top two greatest ever from Belarus.

-- Alexei Khomich played for Dinamo Minsk and was perhaps their greatest ever goalkeeper, but he was Russian who was playing with Dinamo Moscow before heading to Minsk in 1953.  

-- Belarus nearly qualified for the 2002 World Cup's UEFA playoff round.  They lost to Wales on the last match. It was Belarus' greatest campaign since its independence. Gennady Tumilovich was the hero of the campaign. According to a Russian website, he was the greatest Belarusian goalkeeper of all-time.  Another Belarusian source listed him as Belarus' 10th greatest player, the first among goalkeepers. I took him as the third goalkeeper.

Gennady Tumilovich

-- Yury Kurbyko played over 10 years with Dinamo Minsk.  He led them to become the Soviet Top Champions in 1982.  Some lists pointed him to be the third goalkeeper.  Yuri Zhevnov was also widely mentioned.  In fact, both of them were probably on par with Tumilovich.

Defenders

-- I started by selecting two fullbacks Sergei Borovsky and Sergei Gurenko. Borovsky had over 20 caps for USSR in the 1980's while Gurenko was among the greatest player from Belarus after the Fall of the USSR. Gurenko helped Lokomotiv Moscow to reached the playoff of the Champions League.

-- Sergey Shtanyuk was listed as Belarus' greatest central defender by a Russian website.  He also played at a time when Belarus enjoyed its greatest results. 

-- Viktor Yanushevsky's death remained a mystery. I could not find much information about his actual playing position. He was probably a centerback.  He played in the famous World Youth Cup in 1979 against Diego Maradona. He was also mentioned frequently.  

-- Both Alyaksandr Martynovich and Syarhey Amelyanchuk have over 70 caps for Belarus.  I took Martynovich over Amelyanchuk.  Syarhey Amelyanchuk was the last defender cut.

-- Juan Usatorre was a Spanish central defender of Basque origin born in Moscow.  His family was political exiles.  In his career, he played with Torpedo Moscow, Spartak Moscow, Lokomotiv Moscow and Dinamo Minsk.  From1962 to 1965, he starred for Minsk.  He was capped by the USSR 10 times.  The fact that he was born in Moscow changed his status and spent time playing for Moscow clubs before coming to Belarus.  He was ineligible. 

-- I also came up with Ivan Savostikov numerous times in my research.  In an interview, Juan Usetorre described him as a leftback.  I did not know much about him.  I put him on honourable mention.

-- LW/MF/LB: Yuri Kurnenin was born in Russia.  He was a Dinamo Minsk legend, but he played for Dynamo Moscow before joining the club in 1976. CB Sergei Gorlukovich was born in Belarus, but he was capped by Russia between 1991 and 1996.  So I ruled both of them out. 

-- Eduard Zarembo (Эдуард Зарэмба) was born in Azerbaijan.  Many times, he was listed as one of Belarus' greatest defenders.  He was a rightback, I presumed.  Although he was born in Azerbaijan. he started and played his entire career in Minsk.  He played for the Soviet Union, but I could not find his completed record on line.  He did represent the national team against a French club team Stade Français in October, 1965.  The game also featured Lev Yashin, Valentine Ivanov, Mikheil Meskhi, Valery Voronin, Anatoliy Banishevskiy and Albert Shesternyov. So the Soviet team was almost a full team.  Unlike the other players, he seemed to have grow up in Belarus.  So I had no idea how to rule his eligibility.  Furthermore, I need to drop someone else. So I put him on honourable mention.

-- CB Yegor Filipenko's career in La Liga was horrible.  So I left him off. 

Midfielders

-- In the 1980's, Sergei Aleinikov was a key player with the Soviet Union.  He is probably Belarus' greatest ever player.  He joined Juventus in 1989 as one of the first Soviet players playing in the West. He was one of the more obvious players selected. Then, I took Andrei Zygmantovich who had 35 caps for USSR and Sergey Gotsmanov 31 caps.  Gotsmanov played most of the matches for the USSR at Euro 1988.

-- Alyaksandr Kulchy is the most capped player from Belarus with 102 caps.

-- Valyantsin Byalkevich and Alyaksandr Khatskevich played with Andriy Shevchenko and Serhiy Rebrov in Dynamo Kyiv. Byalkevich was ranked third greatest ever from Belarus by a list I found on the net. Notably, Dynamo Kyiv reached the semi-final of the 1999 Champions' League with both players featured regularly.

-- I preferred Alexander Hleb, Aleksandr Prokopenko and Valyantsin Byalkevich over Brazil-born Renan Bressan. I also left off Ihar Stasevich who won the Belarusian Premier League Player of the year 5 times. Aleksandr Prokopenko  was a key player as Dinamo Minsk won the Soviet Top League in 1982.  He was named first team of the best 33 Soviet Players of the Year that year.  He was a fan favourite in Belarus.

-- I did not have spaces for Andrei Lavrik and Yuri Pudyshev.  Which midfielders can I drop for them?

-- Right winger Ivan Moser of Dinamo Minsk was born in the former Czechoslovakia.  He was listed as an Ukrainian by wikipedia.  He played club football there before going to Minsk.

- Alexander Hleb could play on the right, but I might need Timofey Kalachyov who was a true right winger.  I do believe that the team had too many defensive midfielders.  In the end, I kept the midfielders.

-- I had two great left-side players.  Sergey Gotsmanov is one of Belarus' greatest players. Maksim Romaschenko is the all-time leading scorer for Belarus.  He also did well with Dynamo Moscow.  He was mainly a left midfielder.  

Sergey Gotsmanov 

Forward

-- Eduard Malofeyev was born in Russia.  He played for Russian clubs before coming to Minsk in 1963.  He was Dinomo Minsk's greatest player. As a coach, Malofeyev led Dinamo Minsk to the championship in the Soviet Top League in 1982.   He was a hero of Belarus, but I ruled him ineligible.

-- Nikolai Barmashev (Бармашёв Николай Михайлович) was a star player for Dinamo Minsk in the 1950's.  He was awarded the Great Patriotic War degree for his services in the War.  He was listed as being born in Rostov.  

-- Vladimir Sakharov, Mikhail Mustygin and Anatoly Baidachny were also born in Russia.  They were all-timer for Dinamo Minsk.  Artem Milevskyi chose to play for Ukraine, despite representing Belarus at the youth level.

-- In 2011, Vitaly Starukhin, Oleg Blohin and Igor Belanov were named as "the legends of Ukrainian football" at the Victory of Football awards, but Vitaly Starukhin is from Belarus. He is an all-time great with FC Shakhtar Donetsk. He was named the Best 33 of the Soviet Union 3 times (once on the first team).   The award was independent from the Soviet Player of the Year in which he won in 1979. 

-- Georgy Kondratiev were the starting striker for Belarus All-time Best XI for two of my two Russian sources.  And in the eighties he was called the most inconspicuous attacker of the USSR.

-- The last two spots were between Vitali Kutuzov, Ihar Hurynovich, Vitali Rodionov and Sergei Kornilenko.  In the end, I took Rodionov and Hurynovich.

-- Radionov was ranked one of top 5 greatest in this country from a poll I discovered.  He was a hero of FC BATE Borisov, a club team that dominated Belarusian domestic league in his era. Sergei  Kornilenko is the 4th most capped player and the 2nd highest goal scorer for Belarus.  His name also came up in many sites and information.  However, his club career was limited.  Ihar Hurynovich on the other hand was on the Dinamo Minsk team that won the Soviet League in 1982.  He was on the first team  of 33 Best football players of the season in the USSR that year (also 1983). He joined Brighton after Sergey Gotsmanov left for Southampton. His work permit issue cut his career short. 

 -- Vitali Kutuzov did so and so in Italy in 2000's, but he had one of the better careers for Belarusian attackers playing in the West.  However, who do I drop for him?  I rewarded Radionov for his performance with BATE Borisov.

 

Formation

 

https://footbolno.ru/izvestnie-belorusskie-futbolisty-luchshie-igroki-belarusi.html

Aragon 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

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

Spain All-Time Team 

Spain All-Time Team without Real Madrid and Barcelona

Basque, Catalonia, Castile without Madrid players, Madrid Community, Andalusia, Valencian Community, Galicia,

Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla, Extremadura, Murcia.

Real Zaragoza

Spain without Catalan players World Cup 2010

Basque National Team in Euro 2024

 

Aragon is an autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces (from north to south): Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Zaragoza. The current Statute of Autonomy declares Aragon a historic nationality of Spain.

People might assocate the region with Ferdinand II of Aragon.  The Crown of Aragon that Ferdinand inherited in 1479 included the kingdoms of Aragon, Valencia, Majorca, Sardinia, and Sicily, as well as the principality of Catalonia. His marriage to Queen Isabella I of Castile is regarded as the "cornerstone in the foundation of the Spanish monarchy".  They sponsored  Christopher Columbus' first voyage in 1492. That same year, the couple defeated Granada, the last Muslim state in Western Europe, thus completing the centuries-long Reconquista.

Historically, Aragon's most successful football club is Real Zaragoza.  They have won six Copa del Rey titles from 1964 to 2004, and the 1995 European Cup Winners' Cup.A government survey in 2007 found that 2.7% of the Spanish population support the club, making them the seventh-most supported in the country.  SD Huesca is the second best club in the region.

Team

GK: Juan José Nogués

Nogués  played keeper from Zaragoza C.D. (later became Real Zaragoza in 1932).  He made his La Liga debut for FC Barcelona in 12 1930. During his playing career with the club he helped them win the Campionat de Catalunya five times. Between 1932 and 1941 he also played 10 games for the Catalan XI.   He also played once in a quarter-final replay against Italy at the 1934 World Cup Finals, replacing Ricardo Zamora who had been injured in the first game

Juan José Nogués

GK: Jesús Angoy 

Angoy was a product of FC Barcelona's youth ranks. He made his professional debut with CD Logroñés.  He spent several seasons with the Catalans' B-team, playing three years in the second division.  He appeared 9 times for Barcelona first team in the mid-1990's.  He spent some time with at Córdoba CF before retiring.  He married the daughter of Johan Cruyff who was managing Barcelona at the time.

GK: César Láinez

Láinez started with Real Zaragoza B.  He made his La Liga debut during a six-month loan stint at Villarreal CF.  He had to wait until the 2001–02 campaign to become first-choice with Zaragoza, but his team would again be relegated. He played in the famous victory in 2003 where they won the Copa del Rey after an extra time win against Real Madrid.  He represented Spain at youth level.

RB: Manuel Torres

Manuel Torres joined Real Zaragoza in 1953 and became their starting right defender for them in the Second Division. After the starting right-back Ángel Atienza was injured in Madrid, Torres came to Real Madrid on loan from Real Zaragoza for 6 months, where he started in the 1957 European Cup Final playing alongside Francisco Gento, Alfredo Di Stefano, Raymond Kopa, etc.  He returned to Zaragoza after the loan deal. He was known as "El expresso de la banda" for his speed.

RB: Alberto Belsué  

After playing with lowly Endesa de Andorra between 1986 and 1988, Alberto Belsué joined La Liga club Real Zaragoza, where he helped to win the 1994 Copa del Rey and the following year's UEFA Cup Winners' Cup.  He also played for  Alavés and Numancia at the end of his career.  He was capped 14 times for Spain between 1994 and 1996.  He played at the European Championship in 1996, converting one of the penalties against England in the quarterfinal.

Alberto Belsué  

CB: Pablo Alfaro

Alfaro started his career with his hometown's Real Zaragoza. In the summer of 1992, Alfaro signed with FC Barcelona, being rarely used in his only season.  He went on to represent Racing de Santander and Atlético Madrid, being an undisputed starter in Cantabria.  With Sevilla, he formed a fearsome partnership as stopper with Javi Navarro, but following the emergence of club youth graduate Sergio Ramos, he lost his place.

CB: Luis Cuartero

Cuartero was born in Zaragoza, Aragon. He made his senior debut with hometown's Real Zaragoza in1993. He went on to appear in 178 La Liga games, plus the 2002–03 season in the second division. From 2006 to 2009, however, Cuartero would only play three league matches combined, severely hindered by knee injuries.  He represented Spain at the youth level.

LM/SW/LB: José Luis Violeta  
José Luis Violeta made his debut with Club Deportivo Puertollano in 1962.  He played for 14 seasons with Real Zaragoza (1963-1977) as a part of the glorious era for the club.  He became a symbol of the club. He won two Copa del Generalísimo(now Copa del Rey) in 1964 and 1966.  From 1966 to 1974, he was capped for Spain 14 times, scoring a single goal.  He made his international debut in June, 1966 against Uruguay.

LM/LB: Francisco Villarroya

Francisco Villarroya made his professional debut with hometown's Real Zaragoza in 1984.  In 1990, he signed with Real Madrid, where he played until 1994.  He spent two seasons with Deportivo de La Coruña, being relatively used and adding another Copa del Rey to his trophy cabinet. He also played for Sporting de Gijón.  Between 1989 and 1992, he played 14 times for Spain, including all games in the 1990 World Cup Finals.

Francisco Villarroya

CM: Javier Planas

Born in 1949, Javier Planas started with Deportivo Aragon.  he later played with Lagreo before joining Real Zaragoza in 1968.  He stayed there until 1977. He played once for the Spanish national team in Glasgow on November 20 , 1974 against Scotland.  His brother Miguel Planas was also a professional footballer who also played for Real Zaragoza. 

HM: Ramón Torralba 

Ramón Torralba was popularly known as the old man for his long career in the Barça first team, where he was the team's starter for more than 15 years.  He played as a midfielder, where he formed a great core line with Sancho and Josep Samitier. For many years he held the record for games played at the club until it was surpassed by Joan Segarra in the 1960s. He played a total of 475 games and scored 16 goals between 1914 and 1928. 

DM: Ignacio Camacho

An academy graduate at Atlético Madrid, Camacho made his senior debut at the age of 17. He spent the next three years at the club, making 50 appearances and winning Europa League and UEFA Super Cup titles. In 2011 he signed for Málaga, where he spent six and a half years and played competitive 199 matches before joining Wolfsburg. He captained the Spain under-17 team to the title at the 2007 UEFA European Championship.  In 2014, he received his only senior cap.

Ignacio Camacho

MF: Francisco Güerri 

Francisco Güerri started with Deportivo Avagon.  He then spent 10 years with Real Zaragoza between 1978 and 1988.  From 1988 to 1991, he played for Las Palmes.  He competed in the men's tournament at the 1980 Summer Olympics.  He had four senior caps between 1983 and 1984.  Three of his caps came during the qualification for Euro 1984.  He did not make the team for the Finals in France.

CM: Luis Milla 

Milla made his debut with Barcelona in 1984.  He was a regular for the first team from 1988 to 1990.  Then, he joined rival Real Madrid in 1990 on a free transfer.  He was an important first-team element in the conquest of two leagues and one Copa del Rey.  Milla finished his career in 2001 after four years at Valencia CF.   Over a three-month period beginning in late 1989, he earned himself three caps for the Spain national team.  His first match was against Hungary.

RM/CM: Cani  

Cani started with his hometown team Real Zaragoza in 2002.  He won the 2004 Copa Del Rey and Supercopa de España with them and. From 2006 to 2015, he played for Villarreal.  He appeared in 32 games for the 2007–08 runners-up. In 2015, he moved to Deportivo La Coruna.  After a season, he returned to Real Zaragoza.  He also played on loan with Atletico Madrid.  He was called up by Spain manager Luis Aragonés in 2006, but never earned a cap.

LM/CM: Jesús García Sanjuán

A youth product of Real Zaragoza, Sanjuán was born in Zaragoza, and made his debut in 1991.  Almost never an undisputed starter for the Aragonese, he featured heavily during his seven-and-a-half professional seasons with the club, most notably amassing totals of 93 games and four goals in La Liga from 1991 to 1994, winning  the 1995 Cup Winners' Cup. He also played in Spain with Villarreal CF and Córdoba CF, and Wolves in England.

CM: Víctor Muñoz

Victor started with Real Zaragoza in 1976. He joined Barcelona in 1981. He spent most of his professional career with them, winning a total of eight major titles and amassing La Liga totals of 332 games and 25 goals.  He also played for Sampdoria and St Mirren. Víctor played 60 times for Spain between 1981 and 1988. He represented the country in the 1986 World Cup Finals and the European Championships of 1984 and 1988.

Víctor Muñoz

FW/CM: Nacho Conte 

Nacho Conte moved to Sevilla from the youth team of Real Betis in 1989.  He had a relatively successful career with Sevilla. He signed for CD Tenerife in 1993 and stayed there until 1997.  Then, he played for Racing de Santander and Hercules CF.  In 1991, he played once for Spain in a Euro 1992 qualifying match against Czechoslovakia. He appeared as a sub.  He had represented Spain at the youth level.

FW: Miguel Ángel Bustillo 

Bustillo started his career with the reserve side of Real Zaragoza, Deportivo Aragón. He spent time on loan at UD Mahón, before joining Barcelona in 1969.  He received a serious injury on his debut with Barcelona.  He only played a few games for them. From 1972 to 1977, he played for Malaga.  He was capped five times by the Spain national football team between 1968 and 1969, scoring twice.

LW/FW: Carlos Lapetra 
Carlos Lapetra began his career with CD Guadalajara in 1958.  He spent ten of his 11 years as a professional with Real Zaragoza, appearing in 279 official games (62 goals) and winning three major titles with the club during the Golden period of the club. Lapetra played in the Final of the 1964 European Nations' Cup against the Soviet Union, where Spain won its first ever major tournament.  He also went to the 1966 World Cup Finals in England. He had 13 caps    in total.

Carlos Lapetra

ST: Enrique Porta

Porta began his career in his native region of Aragon, spending the 1967–68 season with SD Huesca in the Tercera División and scoring 34 goals. Subsequently, he signed for Granada CF in La Liga.   In the 1971–72 campaign, however, his 20 goals in 31 matches – no penalties – earned him the Pichichi Trophy for the league's top scorer to help the Andalusians to a best ever sixth position. In1 975, Porta moved to fellow league side Real Zaragoza.

FW: Tomas Moreno 

Moreno spent four years of his career with  FC Barcelona, after signing from  UD Huesca in 1952. In the 1952–53 league conquest, he scored 22 goals in just 30 matches, only trailing Telmo Zarra in the Pichichi Trophy race. He was part of the Blaugrana's attacking line which also featured César, László Kubala, Eduardo Manchón and Mariano Martín.  He also played with UD Las Palmas and Real Zaragoza, Moreno earned two caps with Spain, both in July 1953. 

ST: Salva Ballesta 

A goalscorer noted for his flair and workrate, he played for seven top-division clubs, most notably Atlético Madrid, Valencia – with whom he won his sole team trophy – and Málaga. He amassed totals of 235 games and 86 goals over 11 La Liga seasons, adding 126 matches and 52 goals in Segunda División. He won the Pichichi Trophy in the 1999–2000 season, scoring 27 goals to lead La Liga's scoring charts for Racing de Santander.  Salva played four matches with Spain.

Salva Ballesta

Honorable Mention

José Luis García Traid, Juli Gozalvo, Jesús Vallejo, Moises, Raul Guti, Agustín Abadía, Alberto Zapater, José María Encontra,  Josete, Manuel Cros, Francisco León Fandós, Gerardo, Ismael Comas, Luis Cuartero, Víctor Laguardia, Jesús Vallejo. 

Players who grew up in Aragon but not born here

Álvaro Arbeloa, Anders Herrera.

Squad Explanation

-- Only 14 players from here ever played for Spain.  The player pool is very limited.  At the time of writing (2021-2022 season), only a handful of Aragonese footballers are playing in La Liga.  Víctor Laguardia, Jesús Vallejo, Alberto Soro, Jorge Pompo, Jorge Miramón, Raul Guti, Dani Calvo and Roberto López are the only players I found playing in La Liga.  Both Real Zaragoza and SD Huesca are now playing in the lower division.

-- I do not know much about women football.  But during my research, I discovered a number of Aragon-born female players to have played for Spain. Silvia Meseguer, Adriana Martín, Cristina Estévez, Mapi León, Patricia Larqué, Marta Cardona and Bárbara Latorre all played for Spain.  I do not know enough about the topic to comment.  I am just using this as a miscellaneous information.

-- Juan José Nogués was the first ever player here to represent Spain.  The occasion was the quarterfinal of the 1934 World Cup Finals against host and eventual winner Italy.  The game was a remplay after the first game ended in a draw.  He replaced Ricardo Zamora who had been injured in the first game.  With 60 caps, Víctor Muñoz is the all-time leading cap holder for the region.

-- There were four Aragonese players who had represented Spain in World Cup Finals. As mentioned above, Nogués played in the 1934 World Cup Finals. Víctor Muñoz played 5 games in  the 1986 World Cup Finals in Mexico.  Francisco Villarroya played 4 games in the 1990 World Cup Finals while Carlos Lapetra appeared once in the 1966 edition. 

-- Marca created an all-time Best XI for Aragon.  Their team was different from mine.  It consisted of Juan José Nogués, Alberto Belsué, Francisco Villarroya, Pablo Alfaro, José Luis Violeta, Ander Herrera, Carlos Lapetra, Cani, Victor Munoz, Luis Milla and Salva.  They featured Francisco Villarroya as their central defender.  I did not select Anders Herrera who was born in Basque.

-- Víctor Muñoz, Carlos Lapetra, Alberto Belsué, Cani, José Luis Violeta, Pablo Alfaro, Francisco Villarroya, Jesús García Sanjuán, Luis Cuartero and Miguel Ángel Bustillo all played for local club Real Zaragoza.  Tomas Moreno and Enrique Porta were the only players chosen who had played for Sociedad Deportiva Huesca.

-- I also noticed many players had played for Barcelona. Víctor Muñoz, Juan José Nogués, Ramón Torralba, Moreno, Jesús Angoy, Pablo Alfaro and Miguel Ángel Bustillo were on the book of Barcelona FC at one point.

Goalkeeper

-- Juan José Nogués was the obvious choice for the starting goalkeeper. I found many goalkeepers from this area. Jesús Angoy might not be better than some of the other goalkeepers from here, but he got name recognition for being a former Barcelona's goalkeeper. He was also Johan Cruyff's son-in-law, which some fans might also know that information.  The football fans might also remember him for being the kicker for NFL Europe side Barcelona Dragons. Some people should know who he was. Then, I took César Láinez who played over 100 games for Real Zaragoza.  He was the starting keeper for them as they upset Real Madrid in the Final of the 2004 Copa Del Rey.  The match marked the beginning of the end for Galactico One.  Ismail Comas spent 8 seasons with Barcelona FC, but never figured much on the first team.

-- Goalkeeper Enrique Yarza played his entire career with different clubs in the city of Zaragoza, but he was born in Basque Country.  He was probably Real Zaragoza's greatest goalkeeper. He was ineligible.

Defenders

-- Álvaro Arbeloa's family moved to Zaragoza when he was four years old. He started playing football at Real Zaragoza, joining Real Madrid's youth system at the age of 18.  He was often listed as a player from here, but I stayed with birth place as a criteria.  Sometimes, I bended the eligible rule to select a great player.  I did not do it for Arbeloa because that would have kept Alberto Belsué off the starting lineup.  Alberto Belsué is the second most capped player from Aragon.  He also played for a local club Real Zaragoza.  

-- The backup rightback position was between Gerardo and Manuel Torres.  Gerardo played over 240 matches in La Liga.  He appeared scarcely for Valencia, but started in the 2000 Champions League final loss to Real Madrid. He had his most successfully period at Málaga CF, playing five seasons for a side that had four consecutive mid-table positions and also helping them win the 2002 UEFA Intertoto Cup. Meanwhile, Manuel Torres played a season on loan with Real Madrid in 1957.  That season, he started in the European Cup Final against Fiorentina.  Both players also played in the lower division.  In the end, I took Torres because he remained the only player to have played and won the European Cup.  I considered a big milestone for Aragon in football. Jesús Vallejo won the Champions' League with Real Madrid, but he only used once in the entire campaign.

-- The central defender position was difficult to select.  José Luis Violeta was listed as a left midfielder as well as sweeper and leftback.  He was on my Real Zaragoza All-Time team.  Luis Cuartero made honourable mention for them.  Pablo Alfaro amassed many La Liga games.  Moreover, he was selected by Marca on their Aragon All-Time Best XI.  

-- Th fourth central defender was difficult to choose.  It was between Víctor Laguardia and Jesús Vallejo.  I put both of them into the pool for the last player considered(see below).  The old-fashion fullback was usually central defender, but RB Manuel Torres was winger/rightback. He was known as "El Expresso de la banda" for his speed.  

-- Both José Luis Violeta and Francisco Villarroya could be used as a leftback.  Villarroya whom I considered to be a winger was battling for starting leftback position with Mikel Lasa in Madrid before the emerge of Roberto Carlos. I also discovered Josete who played for Real Betis, Rayo Vallecano, etc. 

Midfielders/Wingers

-- For midfielders, I began by taking all of the capped players, namely Ignacio Camacho, Luis Miller, Francisco Güerri, Javier Planas and Víctor Muñoz.

-- Víctor Muñoz was the "lung" of the Spanish national team in the 1980's.  He also represented Spain at the 1980 Olympics with Francisco Güerri.   Luis Miller played many games with both Barcelona and Real Madrid.  He was relatively successful for both giants.

Luis Milla 

-- Then, I took Ramón Torralba who was a club legend with Barcelona FC.  He was at one point their  appearance leader. Their official website described him as a "holding midfield player who stood out for his strength and limitless capacity for sacrifice."  He moved to Catalonia at a young age, but his birth place gave him the right to be on this team.

-- Juli Gozalvo was born in Aragon, but his two brothers José Gonzalvo and Mariano Gonzalvo were born in Mollet del Vallès, Catalonia.  Both brothers were capped by Spain and starred for Barcelona FC.  Juli, however, was lesser known.  He never played for Barcelona first team.  He only made honourable mention.

-- Ander Herrera was born in Bilbao, although he spent the first four years of his life in Vigo.  He moved to Aragon in 1993 when his father took a job with Real Zaragoza.  I ruled him ineligible because of his birth place.

-- AM Santiago Aragón was an all-timer for Real Zaragoza, but he was born in Andalusia.  Luis Aragonés was born in Madrid.  But according to a website, "Aragonés" meant "Aragonese, from Aragón" in the Spanish and Aragonese languages.   But I would not consider that as a factor for their inclusion.

-- I watched plenty of Cani in his prime.  He was awesome with Villarreal. He was called up by Spain, but he never received a cap. 

Forwards

-- Miguel Angel Bustillo made his debut with Barcelona against against Real Madrid in 1969.  He scored two goals in the second and fifth minute before he was seriously injured by a tackle from Pedro de Felipe.  He never played for Barcelona again.  He later played for  CD Málaga.

-- Tomas Moreno was known as "Moreno" because of his dark skin.  In the 1952–53 season, he scored 22 goals in just 30 matches, only trailing Telmo Zarra in the Pichichi Trophy race.

-- Salva won the Pichichi Trophy for the 1999–2000 season.  He was less effective while with Valencia, but he won a La Liga title with them.  Enrique Porta also won the title in the 1970-1971 season.  He also played for Sociedad Deportiva Huesca and Real Zaragoza.  In May 2015, the main entrance to Granada's Estadio Nuevo Los Cármenes was named after Porta. The stadium of Villanueva CF, from his hometown, is also named after him.  

-- Manuel Cros played in the 1920's at the same time as Ricardo Zamora and Josep Samitier in Catalonia .  He was born in Avagon, but considered himself a Catalan.  He was probably a big star at his time, but I was not sure if he deserved a spot.  The forward position was well-stocked.  I put him on honorable mention only.

-- Moises' career was between the top and second level.  The other attackers all had represented Spain or won the Pichichi Trophy.  His brother Gerardo also made honorable mention.

-- The last player was a decision between Alberto Zapater, Agustín Abadía, Jesús García Sanjuán, Víctor Laguardia and Jesús Vallejo.  My team had only 6 defenders.  Laguardia and Vallejo should be the priority. However, Laguardia spent parts of his career in the Segunda División.  But since 2016, he played mainly in La Liga.  Jesús Vallejo had some experience playing in the English Premier League and Bundesliga.  However, his career had been stalled since his return to Real Madrid in 2021. His loan spell with Granada was only fair.  

-- Midfielder Alberto Zapater appeared over 300 matches for Real Zaragoza, a local team, but parts of his career was spent in the Segunda División. He also played with Genoa in Italy, Sporting SP in Portugal and FC Lokomotiv Moscow in Russia before returning to Real Zaragova in 2016.  I also looked into Agustín Abadía who played many seasons with CD Logroñés in the top divisison.  Jesús García Sanjuán helped Real Zaragoza win the 1995 Cup Winners' Cup.  I considered that as a contribution to local football.  He also had a long career playing La Liga, but not always as a starter. He seemed to be the best choice among the midfielders.
-- In the end, the decision was between Jesús García Sanjuán or a central defender.  In the end, I took Jesús García Sanjuán.  Althrough he was never a starter with Zaragoza, he was playing most of his career in the top division.  I just had to leave the team short with a defender. I would reexamine Jesús Vallejo later in his career.

Formation

Francisco Villarroya had played the leftback position for both Spain and Real Madrid.  Both of my midfielders were known for their grit.  This team might need some creativity.  The team was more of an English team than a Spanish team. Cani was a very good passer.