Uruguay 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.   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.

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World Cup 1930

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

South America without Brazil and Argentina.
Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Peru, Colombia,
Chile, Paraguay, Ecuador, Bolivia, Venezuela.

Penarol 

Club Nacional

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

Uruguay is a tiny country with a population of 3 million, but they are one of the best football nations in the world.  They dominated international football in the 1930's, winning the 1924 and 1928 Olympic Gold medals.  Because of their successes, FIFA decided to award Uruguay as the first ever World Cup host in which they went on to win it.  In 1950, Uruguay inspired by Obdulio Varela pulled a big upset in Brazil, a game that broke the hearts of the Brazilians.  La Celeste also produced great team in 1970 and 2010.  Uruguay also have won the Copa América 15 times, alongside Argentina the most titles in the history of that tournament. Uruguay's most recent title being the 2011 edition.

This is my Uruguay All-Time team.  If there were an All-Time World Cup, this would be the 23 players I would bring to the tournament.  

World Cup 1950

Team
GK: Ladislao Mazurkiewicz
Ladislao Mazurkiewicz is considered one of the greatest keepers from South America.  He had 37 caps for the national team. He led Uruguay to the semifinal of the World Cup in 1970.  He was also a participant at the World Cup Finals of 1966 and 1974. He was voted the best keeper at the tournament. He played with Peñarol at home between 1964 and 1970 before moving to play in Brazil, Spain, Chile and Colombia.

GK Roque Maspoli
Maspoli began playing in the youth ranks of Club Nacional de Football. He would make his Uruguayan Primera División debut with Liverpool de Montevideo in 1939. After one season with Liverpool, he joined C.A. Peñarol. He would spend the rest of his playing career with Peñarol, winning six Primera titles with the club.  He was Uruguay's keeper at the World Cup in 1950, where they won it by breaking the hearts of the Brazilians.

GK: Andrés Mazali 
Andrés Mazali won two Olympic Gold Medals in 1924 and 1928. He won three South American Championship, prior to the 1930 World Cup Finals, but he was banned playing in the 1930 World Cup Finals after breaking the team's curfew in the days leading up to the start of the first FIFA World Cup in Uruguay. Mazali was a member of the Nacional side that won three consecutive domestic titles between 1922 and 1924.

RB/DM:  Jose Leandro Andrade
His nickname was "the Black Marvel' (maravilla negra).  He was regarded as the best player at that World Cup and perhaps, in the world at the time. Andrade played for Montevideo club Misiones before signed by Bella Vista. It was at Bella Vista that he was first selected for the national team. Andrade later moved to Nacional where he won four Uruguayan Championships and three national cups. Andrade transferred to Peñarol in 1930 where he played 88 matches over the next few years.

Jose Leandro Andrade

RB/CB: Jose Nasazzi
Jose Nasazzi was the captain of Uruguay's legendary team that won the World Cup in 1930.   He is regarded by many as Uruguay's greatest ever football player. He was known as "El Gran Mariscal" (The Great Marshal) and had already won the gold medal at the 1924 and 1928 Olympic Games, as well as the South American Championship in 1923, 1924 and 1926, by the time of the first World Cup.

CB: Jose Santamaria
Jose Santamaria was a member of Real Madrid's all-conquering team of the late 1950's.  He spent his 18-year career with Nacional and Real Madrid, winning 17 major titles the two teams combined, Between 1957 and 1966, Santamaria won four European Cups with Real Madrid playing alongside Alfredo Di Stefano.  He was considered one of the best ever center-backs. He played for Uruguay at the 1954 World Cup Finals, but played for Spain 4 years later in Sweden.

Jose Santamaria

CB:  Darío Pereyra
Darío Pereyra was one of the best center-backs ever to play in the Brazilian league.  He was best remembered for his career with Sao Paulo between 1977 and 1988.  He was also at one point the second most expensive player in the league. Darío Pereyra started his career at the Nacional de Montevideo and debuted at the Uruguay national squad when he was only 18, becoming the captain of the national team at 19. 

CB: Paolo Montero
Paolo Montero began his career in Uruguay with Peñarol in 1990, before moving to Italian side Atalanta in 1992. He joined Juventus in 1996, spending 9 seasons there.  He won 4 scudetti titles, but failed to win a Champions League despite playing in 3 Finals.  He also played for San Lorenzo. With La Celeste, he was capped 61 times.  He went to 2002 World Cup Finals in Korea/Japan. His father is former Uruguay international Julio Montero Castillo. 

CB: Diego Godin 
With Uruguay, he reached the World Cup semifinal in 2010 and won a Copa America in  2011.  Godín started his professional career with C.A. Cerro at the age of 17. After his good performances, he was transferred to top division powerhouse Club Nacional de Football. In 2007, Godín signed a five-year deal with La Liga side Villarreal CF. He joined Atletico Madrid in 2010. He was a key player for Atletico Madrid when they upset Real Madrid and Barcelona for the La Liga title in 2013-2014. 

Diego Godin

LB/LM: Victor Rodriguez Andrade
Jose Leandro Andrade's nephew.  He won the 1950 WC in Brazil . He was Uruguay's greatest left midfielder(or leftback). He played mainly with Peñarol at home. Rodríguez Andrade also played at the 1954 World Cup and won the 1956 South American Championship with Uruguay, and at the club level, he won two Uruguayan First Division titles with C.A. Peñarol.

LB:  Ricardo Pavoni
In Uruguay, Ricardo Pavoni played for Defensor. Affectionately known as "El Chivo",  he was considered one of Uruguay's top left backs.  In 1965, he joined Independiente in Argentina. He was a part of the great Independiente of the 1970's that won 5 Copa Libertadores.  He was an idol at the club. He was capped 13 times. He was a member of the 1974 World Cup team in West Germany.

DM: Obdulio Varela
Known as the "Black Chief", Obdulio Varela was the captain of the 1950 World Cup team.  His leadership was credited with helping Uruguay to come from behind to beat Brazil. He is considered one of the best players ever from Uruguay.  He debuted in first division with Montevideo Wanderers in 1938. In 1943, he joined C.A. Peñarol, club for which he would play until his professional retirement in 1955. He is considered one of the earliest Black star players in the football.

Obdulio Varela

RM:  Luis Cubilla

Luis Cubilla was a part of Penarol that won two Copa Libertadores in the 1960 and 1961, and he won one more with Nacional in 1971.  He also played for Barcelona, River Plate of Argentiona, Santiago Morning of Chile and Defensor Sporting of Uruguay where he helped the club to win their first league championship and break the complete dominance of the league by Peñarol and Nacional.  For Uruguay, he played in three WC Finals: 1966, 1970 and 1974.

RW: Alcides Ghiggia
Alcides Ghiggia scored the winning goal against Brazil in the 1950 World Cup Finals that sealed the World Cup for Uruguay.  The match was known as the "Maracanazo".   He played for the national sides of both Uruguay and Italy during his career. He had 12 caps with Uruguay and another 5 for Italy between 1957 and 1959.  At the club lebel, he played for the club sides of the Peñarol and Danubio in Uruguay and A.S. Roma and A.C. Milan in Italy.

Alcides Ghiggia

LW/SS:  Pedro Rocha
Pedro Rocha won 8 Uruguayan league titles and 3 Copa Libertadores with Penarol from 1959 to 1970.  He moved to São Paulo in 1970.  He spent 7 successful seasons with the club.  He was the league's top scorer in 1972.  For the national team, he is the only player to appear in four consecutive World Cups for the Uruguay national football team: 1962, 1966, 1970 and 1974. He also played in the Copa América in 1967.

SS/LW/FW: Ángel Romano

Ángel Romano played 70 games for Uruguay between 1911 and 1927, scoring 28 goals. He won the Copa América 6 times. He won the football Gold medal in the 1924 Olympics. Romano played club football for Nacional between 1910 and 1930, scoring 164 goals in 388 games. The club won 22 titles during his time as a player. He won a total of 32 official titles in his career, 46 including the friendly tournaments. He retired at the age of 37.

AM:  Enzo Francescoli
Enzo Francescoli is Known as "the Prince".  He was Uruguay's most capped outfield player.  He was a big fan favorite in River Plate where he won Copa Libertadores in 1996.  He also played in France and Italy. With Uruguay, he won three Copa America's in 1983, 1987 and 1995, where he was voted the best player in two of the tournaments.  He played in two World Cup Finals.  He was also South America Player of the Year in 1984 and 1995. 

Enzo Francescoli

SS:  Juan Schiaffino
At international level, Juan Schiaffino on the 1950 FIFA World Cup with the Uruguayan national team, and also took part at the 1954 FIFA World Cup; he later also represented the Italy national football team. He was considered one of the greatest Uruguayan players in history.  For club level, he played in Uruguay for Penarol and in Italy with Milan and Roma.  

FW:  Hector Scarone
Scarone was known to be Uruguay's greatest players during the 1930's. He was a Double Olympic Gold medalist and won the 1930 World Cup Finals.  He scored 31 goals for Uruguay.  He was Uruguay's all-time leading scorer until 2011. At club level, Scarone spent most of his career with Nacional, with whom he won the Uruguayan championship eight times. He scored a total of 301 goals for the club in 369 appearances. He also played for Spanish side FC Barcelona, and Inter Milan and Palermo in Italy.

ST:  Pedro Petrone
Throughout his career, Petrone played for Nacional, where he won two National Tournaments (1924, 1934), and in Italy with Fiorentina, where he was the top goalscorer in Serie A during the 1931–32 season). Whilst in Italy, Petrone was said to be the fastest player in the League. He was a double Olympic Gold medalist in 1924 and 1928, where he was the top scorer in 1924.  He also won the World Cup in 1930.

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

Diego Forlan

ST: Edinson Cavani 
With Napoli, Cavani was the Serie A top scorer in the 2012-2013 season.  He moved to Paris St Germain in 2013, where the club dominated French football.  At the time of writing, he is the club's all-time leading scorer. For Uruguay, he earned over 100 caps starting in 2008. He helped Uruguay to reach the semifinal in the 2010 World Cup Finals and won the Copa America in 2011.He also played in 2014 and 2018 World Cup Finals.

ST:  Luis Suarez
Luis Suarez both the 2013-2014 FWA and the PFA Player of the Year while playing for Liverpool in England.  He was also the European Golden Shoe winner that year. Unfortunately, he was known for biting an opponent at a few occasions.  With Barcelona, he was a part of the MSN line. For Uruguay, he helped them to win the Copa America in 2011 and controversially a 4th place finish at 2010 WC Finals.

Honorable Mention
Rodolfo Rodríguez, Cayetano Saporiti, Diego Lugano,  Juan Mujica, Luis Ubiña, Roberto Matosas, Ruben Sosa, Fernando Morena, Edinson Cavani, Oscar Miguez, William Martínez, Fernando Muslera, Atilio Ancheta, Hugo de León, Ruben Paz, Gus Poyet, Isabelino Gradín, Schubert Gambetta, Federico Valverde, Julio César Abbadie, Antonio Alzamendi, José Piendibene, Michele Andreolo, Nestor Gonçalves, Álvaro Gestido, Egidio Ríos, Atilio Ancheta, Pedro Cea, Héctor Castro,  Isabelino Gradin, Severino Varela, Néstor Gonçalves, Pablo Bengoechea, Arévalo Ríos, Diego Pérez, Alvaro Recoba, Jose Piendibene, Gus Poyet, Walter Gomez, Óscar Míguez, Isabelino Gradín, Fernando Morena, Antonio Alzamendi, Rubén Sosa.

Copa America 2010

Squad Explanation
-- I created this team in November, 2014.  I decided to do a completed review of the team in May, 2022.  I expanded this section.

-- Enzo Francescoli, Jose Nasazzi, Hector Scarone, Jose Leandro Andrade, Juan Schiaffino and Obdulio Varela were automatic selection. Luis Suarez, Jose Santamaria and Diego Forlan were very close.  They were the greatest ever players from Uruguay.
-- I carried most of the bigger names from the old days, but I also included three modern players, Diego Forlan, Diego Godin and Luis Suarez.  All three of them have successful careers playing in Europe. Uruguay also reached the semifinal of the 2010 World Cup Finals. Edinson Cavani, Maxi Pereira and Fernando Muslera also made my honorable mentions.  Edinson Cavani was added to this team during the review in May, 2022.
-- Uruguay won the 1930 World Cup.  Andrés Mazali, Hector Scarone, Pedro Petrone and Jose Nasazzi were on the team.  Jose Leandro Andrade was the first ever World Cup hero while Jose Nasazzi was their team captain.

-- Obdulio Varela led Uruguay to victory in the 1950 World Cup Finals.   The "Black Chef"'s leadership was decisive in the match later know as "Maracanazo" against Brazil. Uruguay defeated host Brazil 2-1, in which the entire nation of Brazil was devastated by the result. Alcides Ghiggia scored the winning goal.  Victor Rodriguez Andrade , Roque Maspoli, Juan Schiaffino and were on that team.

-- Club Atlético River Plate played in Montevideo.  It won a few Uruguayan Segunda División titles.  However, most of the players on this list was associated with Club Atlético River Plate in Argentina.

Goalkeepers

-- Ladislao Mazurkiewicz was considered one of the greatest keepers from South America.  The IFFHS ranked him as the 12th greatest  goalkeepers of the Century in 1999. Roque Máspoli was twenty-ninth. He was another obvious choices.  He played in two World Cup Finals, winning the one in 1950 while reaching the semi-final in 1954.  Of course, the "Maracanazo" was a big factor why he was selected.

-- In 1966, Ladislao Mazurkiewicz told Queen Elizabeth "You are on the show" before the kickoff in the first match of England's quest for the World Cup.  The game ended in a draw between England and Uruguay.  His teammates later credited that his comment kept them relaxed for the match.

-- For the third goalkeeper, I narrowed it down to Andrés Mazali and Rodolfo Rodríguez.  Andrés Mazali supposed to be the greatest, but his dismissal from the World Cup Finals hurt his reputation.  History had forgotten about him, but I have not.  On July, 1984, Rodolfo Rodríguez made 5 saves in row for Santos against América SP in a Paulistão match.  His saves became legendary in Santos' history.  He also won the 1980 Mundialito and the 1983 Copa América for Uruguay.  In the end, I took Mazali, simply because of the World Cups.

-- Fernando Álvez saved a penalty from Brazil's Tulio in the penalty shootout at the 1995 Copa America Final.  With Peñarol, he played 30 times against rival Nacional and only lost once in "Clásico del fútbol Uruguayo". Fernando Muslera played 130 times for Uruguay.  Cayetano Saporiti also missed out.  The three made honorable mentions.

Defenders

-- Jose Nasazzi was the captain of Uruguay's World Cup winning team in 1930 as well as two Olympic winning teams.  He was often listed as a rightback, but he was playing on the right side of the WM formation. He should be closer to being a centerback, but for this team, I continued to list him as a rightback.  Jose Leandro Andrade was right-half.  He could be interpreted as a rightback or defensive midfielder.  Although both were not natural rightback, I had no plan to take additional player in that position. 

-- Righback Maxi Pereira is Uruguay's second leading cap holder, but his position as mentioned was occupied by Jose Leandro Andrade and Jose Nasazzi. Schubert Gambetta was probably a rightback as well, but I have too many players who could play there.  During the "Maracanazo", he helped to keep Zizinho and Ademir out of the gamem in which he was selected onto the 1950 World Cup team of the tournament.  William Martínez who was a legend with Peñarol was a central defender and a right-half.  He captained his club side at one of their best period in history. Juan Mujica was an important player in the 1970 World Cup Finals.  I left them on honorable mention. 

-- On the left side, Victor Rodriguez Andrade and Ricardo Pavoni were also household names.  

-- Victor Andrade was Jose Leandro Andrade's nephew. Both are among the best footballers in Uruguay's history. Both played as halfbacks, but could easily use as fullbacks in the modern game.  Victor Andrade usually played on the right, but played on the left in the 1950 World Cup Finals. I was planning to use them as midfielders as well.  Ricardo Pavoni played for Independiente during its glorious period.  He won 5 Copa Libertadores with them during the 1970's.He was actually my only true fullback on the team.  I also looked into Juan Mujica.

-- Diego Godin, Pablo Montero. Jose Santamaria and Darío Pereyra were supposed to be the best of Uruguay. As mentioned above, Nasazzi should be a centerback in a modern formation.  Obdulio Varela could also move to the back.  So I had 6 players who could play as central defenders on this team.  

-- Both Diego Godin and Pablo Montero were considered the best central defenders in the world at their time.  Their career in club football spoke for themselves.  With over 150 caps, Godin is Uruguay's most capped players.  

Paolo Montero

-- José Santamaría made the 1954 World Cup all-stars team.  He had a long career with Real Madrid, winning 4 European Cups. He was considered among the greatest player in his position.

-- Darío Pereyra was a big star in the Brazilian league.   In São Paulo FC, his partnership with Brazil's Oscar was supposed one of the greatest ever central defender duo in the Brazilian league's history. However, he was not well-known outside of South America.

-- Diego Lugano was also highly rated in South America, but his European club career was not as good as other contemporary defenders selected.  Roberto Matosas from the 1970 World Cup Finals was also highly rated, but he seemed to be unknown outside of South America. Both Roberto Matosas and Diego Lugano could not get onto the team.

-- William Martinez, Atilio Ancheta and Hugo de Leon lost out to more famous defenders playing in Europe.  They were probably as good since the South American leagues in their generations was probably better than most European leagues.  I might have overrated the European-based defenders.  At the end, I went with what I know best.  Besides, I rated Roberto Matosas and Diego Lugano higher than them.

Midfielders/Wingers

-- The English magazine "FourFourTwo" produced a list of the 100 most important players in the history of football in 2017. Obdulio Varela and Jose Leandro Andrade finished 72nd and 96th respectively (Juan Alberto Schiaffino was ranked No. 46).  Obdulio Varela was considered Uruguay's greatest captain.  His position as a defensive midfielder was not in doubt.  Jose Leandro Andrade was also frequently listed as a defensive midfielder.  Víctor Rodríguez Andrade was a halfback.  I drafted him as a fullback for this team, but he could also serve as a backup defensive midfielder (Please see above about the Andrades).  The three of them took care of the defensive midfielder positions. 

Victor Andrade 

-- With Obdulio Varela, Victor Andrade and Jose Leandro Andrade, I did not have a space for Nestor Gonçalves or Álvaro Gestido. The brother of Álvaro Gestid was Óscar Diego Gestido who was President of Uruguay in 1967.

-- Michele Andreolo's contribution to Uruguayan national team was very limited.  He was a part of their 1935 South American Championship winning team, but I found no record of him ever entering the field playing for La Celeste.  He won the World Cup for Italy in 1938 while making the team of the tournament.  In 2014, I took him because I needed an extra defensive midfielder.  During my review in 2022, I could not understand why I needed him.  My team already had Obdulio Varela, Jose Leandro Andrade and Victor Andrade.  So I replaced him with Ángel Romano.

-- Many source pointed out that Ángel Romano was Uruguay's greatest player.  Angel Romano had done more for Uruguay than Michele Andreolo.  He won 6 Copa Americas as well as an Olympic Gold in 1924.  He was also a versatile player.  He could play in different positions, but his prime position should be a left wing, a position that I needed reinforcement. At this moment, my team lacked a good left winger.

-- Ramón Villaverde was a striker who played wide for Barcelona FC in the 1950's.  He was a largely forgotten player.  He never played for Uruguay. I just could not consider him just because of his club career.  He was a left winger, but I put him on honorable mention.

-- I had Luis Cubilla and Alcides Ghiggia on the right side.  Alcides Ghiggia scored the most important goal in Uruguay's history in the upset win over Brazil in the 1950 World Cup Finals.  So I rewarded him with a spot here.   His goal inflicted so much pain in Brazil that his name remained more immortal in Brazil than in Uruguay.

-- Pedro Rocha is the only player to appear in four consecutive World Cups for Uruguay.  He was well-decorated with Peñarol, winning two Copa Libertadores in 1961 and 1966.  

Pedro Rocha

-- Enzo Francescoli needed no introduction.  He was somewhat underrated during his club career in Europe.  Nevertheless, Zinedine Zidane named his son after him.  In Argentina, he is the top foreign scorer in the history of River Plate.  In addition, he brought home the long-awaited Copa Libertadores.  For Uruguay, he won the Copa America in 1995.

-- Alvaro Recoba and Gus Poyet were a star from the 1990's playing in Europe.  Their names were widely recognised around the world.  I omitted them because there were too many legends before the 1950's.  

Recoba could operate on the wide, but he was known for his left-footed.  His play was geared toward the right or the middle, where he could shoot. So I put both of them on honorable mentions.

-- I also looked into  Pablo Bengoechea.

Forwards

-- Juan Schiaffino later had a great career with AC Milan.  He was in the AC Milan Hall of Fame.  According to the IFFHS's Century Poll as well as a list produced by FourFourThree, he was the highest ranked player from Uruguay.

-- Hector Scarone was Uruguay's highest scorer for 81 years until both Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez broke his record in the 2010's. He scored 31 goals, which was a big number in his time.
-- Diego Forlan was a two-time winner of both the Pichichi Trophy and the European Golden Shoe, and also received the Golden Ball as the best player at the 2010 World Cup.  

-- Luis Suarez's numbers also spoke for itself.  In 2014, he was a borderline case, but by time of the review of the team in 2022, he was a sure-in.  In fact, I ranked him ahead of Diego Forlan.   He has won two European Golden Shoes, an Eredivisie Golden Boot, a Premier League Golden Boot, and the Pichichi Trophy. He has scored over 500 career goals for club and country

-- In 2014, I took Walter Gomez over Edinson Cavani.  In 2022, I selected Cavani over Gomez.   Cavani contributed more to the national team.  He is the second all-time leading scorer.  Walter Gomez played with River Plate (Argentina) in 1950 at the end of La Maquina.  Later in his career, he formed a famous partnership with Omar Sivori there.  So he was a connection between the two generations of Argentine club football.  His national team appearance was very limited because he moved to play in Argentina in 1950. He only played 4 times for the national team.

Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani

-- I also put Héctor Castro who had one arm on honorable mention.  When he was 13, he accidentally amputated his right forearm while using an electric saw, which gave origin to his nickname, El manco (meaning "the one-armed", or "the maimed").  I also considered Oscar Miguez.

-- Óscar Míguez is Celeste's top scorer in World Cups with a ridiculous eight goals in seven games.  Fernando Morena is the all-time top goal scorer in the history of the Uruguayan Primera División with 230 goals in 244 games.  Antonio Alzamendi was South America of the Year in 1986 because of the Copa Libertadores and Intercontinental Cup won by River Plate. They only made honorable mention. Juan Schiaffino, Pedro Petrone, Hector Scarone, Luis Suarez and Diego Forlan ahead of them.

-- Jose Piendibene might be the best Uruguayan player in the post-World Cup era.   He was nicknamed "El Maestro" for  the reason not only because of his extraordinary football skills.  It was also because of his fair-play. In addition goal scoring ability, he could track back and set up the goals.  I took Angel Romano over him because he played on the left.  Pedro Petrone was famous because of the 1930 World Cup and his career in Italy.

Starting lineup
Formation 4-3-3
Victor Andrade and Jose Leandro Andrade were more of a box-to-box midfielder in the modern era.  So I used them in the midfield. In 2022, I considered replacing Diego Forlán with Luis Suarez.  

Argentina Greatest All-time team

Argentina 1978

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

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

Boca Juniors, River Plate, Independiente, Estudiantes de La Plata
San Lorenzo , Racing Club, Velez Sarsfield.
Argentine-born players capped by other national teams
Angels with Dirty Faces with Di Stefano at the World Cup 1958 
Argentina All-Time Team before 1978,
Argentina All-Time Team After Maradona.
Provincia de Córdoba, Argentina All-Time Team
Provincia de Santa  Fe, Argentina All-Time Team
Provincia de Buenos Aires 
The City of Buenos Aires

Argentina has long been recognized as one of the top teams in the world since the inception of the World Cup Finals. However, it wasn't until 1978 that they clinched their first World Cup victory. Prior to that, they had already made it to the final in 1930, showcasing their early prominence in the tournament. An interesting twist occurred in 1934 when Luis Monti, a hero of the 1930 World Cup for Argentina, won the World Cup with Italy instead. The unfortunate timing of World War II prevented members of "La Máquina" from showcasing their skills in the World Cup Finals.

In the post-war periods, Argentina witnessed the absence of exceptional players like Alfredo Di Stefano and Omar Sivori, who never had the opportunity to represent their country in the World Cup Finals. It wasn't until 1978, with the likes of Ubaldo Fillol, Daniel Passarella, and Mario Kempes, that Argentina secured their first World Cup triumph. Eight years later, Diego Maradona's brilliant individual performance propelled Argentina to their second World Cup victory, leaving an indelible mark on football history.

Additionally, Argentina boasted strong teams in 1994, 1998, and 2006, further exemplifying their consistent presence among the world's footballing elite.  In 2023, they won their third World Cup titles.

If there were an All-Time World Cup, this would be the 23 players I would bring to the tournament.  The team is not an All-Star team. I tried to be as realistic as possible.   A few of the players are selected for tactical reasons at the expense of more famous players.

Argentina 1986

Team 
GK: Ubaldo Fillol
Ubaldo Fillol was considered one of the greatest Latin American keeper. He was the 1978 WC winning goalkeeper for Argentina.  He also went to the WC Finals in 1974 and 1982. In 1977, he became the first keeper to win the Player of the Year award in Argentina. For his club career, he started with Quilmes.  He played mainly for River Plate.  He also had spells with Racing Club, Flamengo, Atletico Madrid, etc.

GK: Amadeo Carrizo 
Amadeo Carrizo was the young goalkeeper for River Plate's "La Máquina" in 1940's.  For them, he won five Championship trophies in 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956 and 1957.  He was considered one of the greatest keeper from South America. Despite his greatness, Argentina constantly refused to select him.  He only earned 20 caps between 1954 and 1964. He went to the World Cup Finals in 1958. He also played for Millonarios in Colombia.

Amadeo Carrizo

GK:  Rogelio Dominguez
He played around the same time as Carrizo.  He earned 59 caps.  He missed the 1958 World Cup Finals because he moved to Real Madrid in 1957 and Argentina did not select overseas players.  With Real Madrid, he won two European Cups playing alongside with Alfredo Di Stefano.  Before Real Madrid, he played for Racing Club in Argentina.

RB: Javier Zanetti
Javier Zanetti was the starting rightback for Inter Milan for almost 20 years.  He served as their captain from 1999, earning him the nickname "Il Capitano" (The Captain).  He held all kind of appearance records in Italy.  He widely considered to be Argentina's best ever rightback.  He holds the record of the most capped player in the history of the Argentine national team and played in the 1996 Olympic tournament, five Copa América tournaments and two World Cups, in 1998 and 2002.

Javier Zanetti

RB: Carlos Sosa 
Carlos Sosa started his career with Atlanta in 1939.  He joined Boca Juniors in the 1941, where he established as one of the best defenders of his generation.  He won two Argentine Primera División. He went to play in France in 1952.  He played for Racing Paris and Red Stars in Paris.  With Argentina, he was capped 12 times. He won two Copa Americas(1945 and 1946).

CB: Oscar Ruggeri 
Oscar Ruggeri played in 3 World Cup Finals, winning the one in 1986 and finishing second in 1990. In total, he played 97 times for Argentina. He was La Liga Foreign Player of the Year in 1989 and South American Player of the Year in 1991. He played for both River Plate and Boca Juniors. In 1988, he left for Europe where he played for Spanish clubs Logroñes and Real Madrid. He also had career with Vélez Sarsfield, San Lorenzo, etc.

CB: Roberto Ayala
Roberto Ayala captained Argentina for 63 times, a record.  He is also the second cap record holder for Argentina with 115 caps.  He went to three World Cup Finals: 1998, 2002 and 2006. For club football, he was best remembered for winning the UEFA Cup with Valencia. He also played for Real Zaragoza in Spain, Milan and Napoli in Italy and River Plate in his native Argentina.

CB: Daniel Passarella
Daniel Passarella was one of the best center-backs ever played the game.  He captained Argentina when it won the World Cup in 1978. He also went to the World Cup Finals in 1982, but he was forced into have a non-playing role in 1986 after a row with Diego Maradona. He was also known for scoring over 140 goals in his career, very high for a defender. His career was associated with River Plate. He also played for Fiorentina and Inter Milan in Italy.

Daniel Passarella

CB: Roberto Perfumo 
Nicknamed El Mariscal, Roberto Perfumo was considered as one of the best Argentine defenders ever. At club level, Perfumo played for Racing, River Plate and Brazilian team Cruzeiro. He was a legend with Racing Club in Argentina winning the Primera title, the Copa Libertadores and the Intercontinental Cup.  He was considered their greatest player. He had 37 caps for Argentina.  He played in 1966 and 1974 WC Finals. 

LB:  Silvio Marzolini
In 1959, Silvio Marzolini started his career with Ferro Carril Oeste. A year later, he joined Boca Juniors where he played until 1972 and became an idol. He was considered one of the greatest leftbacks in Latin American football history.  For Argentina, he had 28 caps between 1960 and 1969.  He went to the 1962 and the 1966 World Cup Finals.

LB: Alberto Tarantini
Alberto Tarantini had 61 caps between 1974 and 1982. He was the starting leftback for Argentina in 1978 and 1982, where Argentina won their first WC in 1978.  He was infamously known for his career in England where he only lasted 28 matches. He played for River Plate, Boca Juniors and Talleres de Córdoba, River Plate, and European teams SC Bastia, Toulouse and FC St. Gallen.

DM: Luis Monti
The ruthless central midfielder led Argentina to the WC Final in 1930 where they lost to Uruguay.  Four years later, he became an Oriundo and won the World Cup with Italy.  He was also remembered for getting injured at the Battle of Highbury in 1934 when England played Italy.  Monti started his career in 1921 with Huracán. The following year he signed with Boca Juniors but left without playing a game. He joined San Lorenzo. In 1930, he joined Juventus in Italy, where he played until 1939.

Luis Monti

DM: Nestor Rossi
Nestor Rossi is one of Argentina's greatest defensive midfielders.  Nicknamed "Pipo", he started his career at River Plate, playing from 1945 to 1949, and then again from 1955 to 1958, winning a total of 5 Argentine leagues. He played with La Maquina, but at the end of their peak.  He also won 6 more with Millonarios in Colombia. He played in the 1958 World Cup Finals and was a part of their 1957 Copa America winning team.

CM: Fernando Redondo
Fernando Redondo played his first game in the Primera División at only 16 for Argentinos Juniors, and remained five years with the team before moving abroad to CD Tenerife in Spain.  He joined Real Madrid in 1994, where he would become one of the best central midfielders in Real Madrid's history.  He won two Champions' League with them in 1998 and 2000. For the national team, he only picked up 29 caps because he had issues with various managers.

CM/AM/FW:  Alfredo Di Stefano
The best player in the world before the emerge of Pele and Maradona. He was one of the younger member of the great River Plate in the 1940's.  In 1949, he moved to play in Colombia before moving to Europe in 1953.  He won 5 straight European Cups with Real Madrid. He was credited in turning Real Madrid into a legendary club. His international career was limited to the fact that Argentina did not select overseas players.  He played for Argentina, Colombia and Spain.

Alfredo Di Stefano

LW:  Félix Loustau  
A member of River Plate's "La Máquina, one of the greatest team in the history of football. He won 8 national titles during his time at the club. He usually played as an outside left and he is considered to be one of Argentina's greatest wingers. Because the peak of his career was during the 2nd World War, his international career was very limited. Nevertheless, he played 28 times for Argentina scoring ten goals.  He won three straight Copa America in 1945, 1946, and 1947.

AM: Diego Maradona
Maradona was considered the second best player in history after Pele.  He won the World Cup in 1986, scoring the best goal in the history of the World Cup when he scored against England.  He also played in the WC Finals in 1982, 1990 and 1994.  For club football, he was best remembered for leading Napoli to break the dominance of the Northern Italian clubs in the Serie A.  Napoli won two league titles and a UEFA Cup.  He was also considered to be Boca Juniors' greatest player.

Diego Maradona

RW/FW: Lionel Messi 
Born and raised in central Argentina, Messi was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency as a child. At age 13, he relocated to Spain to join Barcelona. At time of writing, he won 4 World Player of the Year and 5 Ballon d'Or.  For Argentina, he has played over 140 times.  At the time of writing, he has not won an international trophy for the national team, but reached three Finals in his career.

SS/FW: Adolfo Pedernera 
He was a member of  "La Máquina".  He is still considered by many to be one of the greatest Argentine players of all-time. He was elected the 12th best South american footballer of the 20th century in a poll by the IFFHS in 2000. He moved to Atlanta in 1947 and Millonarios in Colombia.  Because of the Second World War, he did not play many games for Argentina. He still won the Copa America 1941 and 1945.

AM/FW: José Manuel Moreno 
José Manuel Moreno was the star of  "La Máquina" of River Plate in the 1940's.  Some older fans in Argentina considered him better than Diego Maradona and Alfredo Di Stefano. He earned 34 caps for Argentina scoring 19 goals, but never played in the World Cup Finals due to the World War II, but won the South American Championships of 1941, 1942 and 1947. He also played club football in Mexico and Colombia.  He was selected among the 25 best players in the world in the 20th century by the IFFHS in 1999.

José Manuel Moreno

SS/FW:  Omar Sivori
After Argentina won the Copa America in 1957, Omar Sivori joined Juventus from River Plate where he enjoyed 8 successful years.  He was credited with the resurgence of the club.  With John Charles and Giampiero Boniperti,  he formed "the Magical Trio" with the club.  He won the Ballon d'Or in 1961. He also played for River Plate in Argentina and Napoli in Italy.  He only played 19 times for Argentina.  He later played for Italy 9 times scoring 8 goals.

ST/FW: Ángel Labruna 

Ángel Labruna is the second top scorer of the Argentine First Division with 293 goals. He was also part of River Plate's La Máquina (The Machine), and he was considered one of the best South-American footballers of his generation.  He played 37 matches for Argentina, scoring 17 goals. He also won two South American Championships (1946 and 1955) and as a nearly 40-year-old he played in the final phase of 1958 World Cup held in Sweden.

ST:  Gabriel Batistuta
Gabriel Batistuta is the current top-scorer for Argentina.  He first gained international recognition when Argentina won the Copa America in 1991 where he finished as the top scorer. He earned a move to Fiorentina spending the next 9 seasons there while becoming their all-time leading scorer.  In 2000, he moved to Roma and won the scudetto in his first season. He played 77 times for Argentina.  He went to the World Cup Finals in 1994, 1998 and 2002.

Gabriel Batistuta

Honorable Mention
Americo Tesoriere, Antonio Roma, Nery Pumpido, Hugo Gatti and Roberto Abbondanzieri, Jorge Olguín, Wálter Samuel, Walter Samuel, Javier Mascherano, Roberto Sensini, Jose Ramos Delgado, Jose Salomon, Ludovico Bidoglio, Rafael Albrecht, Fernando Paternoster, Juan Pablo Sorin, Juan Roman Riquelme, Antonio Rattin, Diego Simeone, Esteban Cambiasso, Juan Sebastian Veron, 

Juan Carlos Muñoz, Ricardo Bochini,  René Houseman, Ermindo Onega, Raimundo Orsi, Omar Oreste Corbatta, Ángel Di María, Juan Evaristo, Jorge Valdano, Miguel Ángel Brindisi, Humberto Maschio, Osvaldo Ardiles, Guillermo Stábile, Claudio Caniggia, Americo Tesoriere, Carlos Tevez, Sergio Aguero, Ariel Ortega, Luis Artime,  Bernabe Ferreyra, Mario Kempes, Sergio Aguero, Hernan Crespo, Gonzalo Higuaín, 

Squad Explaination 
-- Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi and Alfredo Di Stefano were automatic selection.  They were the big three of Argentine football.  Following closely behind them were Jose Manuel Moreno and Omar Sivori, both highly esteemed figures in Argentine football history. Daniel Passarella, widely regarded as Argentina's greatest defender, secured his rightful place on the team. Additionally, Amadeo Carrizo, Fernando Redondo, Javier Zanetti, and Gabriel Batistuta were undisputed selections

Lionel Messi 

--  The The Argentine Football Association created their own All-Time Best XI on 2022.  The team was as followed: Ubaldo Fillol, Javier Zanetti, Roberto Perfumo, Daniel Passarella, Alberto Tarantini, Miguel Brindisi, Fernando Redondo, Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi, Gabriel Batistuta and Mario Alberto Kempes.

-- IFFHS came up with three All-Time Dream teams for Italy. Their A team consisted of Amadeo Carrizo, Javier Zanetti, Daniel Passarella, Roberto Perfumo, Silvio Marzolini, Fernando Redondo, Osvaldo Ardiles, Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi, Alfredo Di Stéfano and Gabriel Batistuta.  They were followed by their B team: Ubaldo Fillol, Carlos Sosa, Oscar Ruggeri, Roberto Ayala, Alberto Tarantini, Antonio Rattín, Jorge Burruchaga, Ricardo Bochini, José Manuel Moreno, Mario Kempes and Omar Sívori.  The last but not least were their Team C: Hugo Gatti, Jorge Olguín, Rafael Albrecht, Wálter Samuel, Juan Pablo Sorín, Néstor Rossi, Juan Sebastián Verón, Norberto Alonso, Ángel Labruna, Adolfo Pedernera

and Luis Artime.

-- Luis Monti led Argentina to the Final of the first World Cup in 1930.  However, I only selected him from that squad.

-- Argentina was known for "Angels with Dirty Faces" for their victory in the 1957 Copa America.  That team was one of the greatest Argentinian side.  Imagine they played with Alfred Di Stefano at the World Cup 1958.  My imaginary team included 6 members from this All-Time team.  In addition to Di Stefano, my selection also featured notable players such as Omar Sivori, Amadeo Carrizo, Rogelio Dominguez, Nestor Rossi, and Ángel Labruna. That team had more representatives on this all-time selection than the two World Cup winning team combined.  Argentina's performance in the actual 1958 World Cup Finals was disappointing, leading to the infamous label "El desastre de Suecia" or "The Sweden disaster."

-- Both World Cup winning teams were underrepresented. For the 1978 team, I only selected Ubaldo Fillol, Alberto Tarantini and Daniel Passarella.  Mario Kempes won both Golden Ball and Golden Boot at the tournament, but he missed out to the fact there were too many great Argentinian attackers.
-- I only had two players from the 1986 World Cup team. Only Diego Maradona and Oscar Ruggeri made the team.  Daniel Passarella was dismissed before the tournament started. Nery Pumpido would have been my 4th choice goalkeeper.

-- On paper, Argentina had a team that could have won the World Cup in 1994.  The team had 4 players on this team: Diego Maradona, Fernando Redondo, Oscar Ruggeri and Gabriel Batistuta.  Of course, Maradona was ageing and his drug suspension probably caused Argentina's downfall that year.  

-- Lionel Messi led Argentina in winning the World Cup in 2022.  He was the only member of the team that made it.

World Cup 2022

-- Most players played with or before Diego Maradona.  Only four players were on my Argentina All-Time Team After Maradona.  

Goalkeepers

-- For goalkeepers, Amadeo Carrizo and Ubaldo Fillol were obvious choices.  The IFFHS ranked Carrizo as the best South American keeper of the 20th century in 1999.  Fillol was Silver Ball South American Player of the Year: 1978, 1983, 1984.  He went to three World Cup Finals.  He was known as one of the best ever spot kick savers in history.  He saved 25% of his spot kicks.

-- Then, I chose Rogelio Dominguez, a player who coincided with Amadeo Carrizo during their time on the national team. Surprisingly, Dominguez occasionally started ahead of Carrizo, despite the latter's reputation. Interestingly, Dominguez accumulated more appearances for Argentina than Carrizo, despite spending some time playing overseas in an era when Argentina did not typically select foreign-based players. I chose Dominguez due to his compatibility with Carrizo during their prime years. 

-- Americo Tesoriere, Antonio Roma, Nery Pumpido, Hugo Gatti and Roberto Abbondanzieri were some of the more famous goalkeepers from Argentina. They made honorable mentions.

Defenders

-- The four centerbacks were obvious.  Roberto Perfumo, Oscar Ruggeri, Daniel Passarella and Roberto Ayala easily earned their spots. Walter Samuel, Javier Mascherano, Roberto Sensini, Jose Ramos Delgado, Jose Salomon, Ludovico Bidoglio and Rafael Albrecht made honourable mention.  

-- Daniel Passarella was a figure who required no introduction. He could have been the sole Argentine player with two World Cup medals. However, due to a disagreement with Diego Maradona during the training camp, Passarella departed from the team. Despite his departure, he technically remained on the roster. Throughout his career, Passarella gained recognition as a defender who had a knack for scoring goals.

-- Roberto Perfumo, known as "El Mariscal (The Marshall)" won the  the 1967 Intercontinental Club Cup with Racing de Avellaneda, the first Argentine to win the title.  He went to two World Cup Finals. Roberto Perfumo and Daniel Passarella played 53 games together for River Plate between 1975 and 1978, although Passarella was a full-back in several of these matches. 

-- Oscar Ruggeri won 4 titles with the national team (1 World Cup, 2 Copa Americas and a Confederation Cup).  He was one of the most decorated player in Argentine national team's history.  He was named on AFA's greatest All-Time team in 2022.

--Roberto Ayala captained La Albiceleste a record 63 times. He amassed a total of 114 caps, which was the second-highest at the time of his retirement.

Roberto Ayala 

--Upon joining Barcelona, Javier Mascherano made a transition to the central defender position. He holds the distinction of being the second most capped player for Argentina. While he gained recognition among younger fans, who witnessed Barcelona's numerous trophy victories, my personal preference lies with Perfumo, Ruggeri, Passarella, and Ayala. These four legendary defenders may not have enjoyed as remarkable club careers in Europe as Mascherano, but they are often ranked higher by most individuals.

-- On the right side, Javier Zanetti had a 20 year career at the top level.  Notably, he holds the record for the most appearances by a foreign player in Serie A. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest right-backs to have ever graced the game. On the other hand, Carlos Sosa may not have garnered much attention beyond Argentina, but within the country, he was highly esteemed. In fact, in 2000, Sosa was rightfully selected for Argentina's All-Time Best XI for the 20th Century.

--  Silvio Marzolini was among the greatest left backs in football history.  He was an all-timer with Boca Juniors and ended up coaching them in the early 1980's, where a young Diego Maradona played for him.  He was elected to be the leftback of the All-Star team of the 1966 World Cup Finals.  I opted for Alberto Tarantini over Juan Pablo Sorin, despite both players not excelling in European club football. Tarantini's career coincided with a period when South American club football was on par with its European counterpart. Therefore, his struggles in England could be attributed to various factors, such as cultural differences or adjustments. Nevertheless, it is worth mentioning that Tarantini had won a World Cup. During my research, I also came across Fernando Paternoster, although my knowledge about him is limited. Paternoster served as the left-back for the 1930 World Cup team and made history as the first player to miss a penalty in a World Cup final when he failed to score against Mexico

Midfielders/Wingers

-- I considered Luis Monti one of the greatest defensive midfielders ever played the game.  He was a star with Argentina before switching to Italy.  Despite winning a World Cup with Italy, he was not on my all-time team for Italy.  I tried not to select "oriundo" for that team. He was nicknamed "Doble Ancho (Double Wide)" because he covered a large section of the field.  He was known to be a hard tackler, but he had the skills to be the playmaker during the attack. He played with Argentina in the 1930 World Cup Finals, where he was one of the top players.  Nestor Rossi was another automatic selection for central midfielders. He played for River Plate at the end of "La Máquina", where he played with some of the players from that era.  He was also the central midfielder behind Argentina's famous 1957 Copa America winning team.

Nestor Rossi 

--I intended to select Osvaldo Ardiles as a potential deep-lying midfielder due to his skill set. However, Fernando Redondo possessed the ability to not only fulfill defensive duties but also contribute significantly to advancing the ball up the field. Another player capable of playing in that deep role was Juan Sebastian Veron. However, I decided to give him an honorable mention rather than including him in the final selection.

-- Antonio Rattin's name recognition in the English speaking world come from his incident in 1966.  He was actually a very good midfielder.  That incident might or might not help his career since every soccer history buff knew him because of the incident. Diego Simeone was the first Argentine player to reach 100 caps. But I kept them off the team because I already have Fernando Redondo, Luis Monti and Nestor Rossi ahead of them. It was almost impossible to break into the team with the three of them.  

-- Fernando Redondo never had the opportunity to showcase his talents for the national team. He was notably excluded from the 1998 World Cup squad due to a dispute with Daniel Passarella. However, this omission does not diminish his worth as a player. Similarly, Alfredo Di Stefano had limited appearances for La Albiceleste, but that did not affect my evaluation of him. Countless individuals regarded Redondo as one of the greatest central midfielders in history. With Real Madrid, he played a pivotal role in their triumph in the 1998 UEFA Champions League, marking their first victory in the competition since 1966. One unforgettable moment from that campaign was his extraordinary backheel assist to Raul in a quarterfinal match against Manchester United. This skillful nutmeg of Henning Berg near the touchline remains an enduring image from Champions League action in the 1990s.

Fernando Redondo

-- Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi, Alfredo Di Stefano, José Manuel Moreno and Omar Sivori already occupied all of the forward/attack midfielder positions.  

--Alfredo Di Stefano received only 6 caps for Argentina, all of which were before his prime. Interestingly, he went on to represent Spain over 30 times. However, despite his extensive international appearances for Spain, it is hard to disregard his Argentine roots. Di Stefano's versatility as a player, including his ability to drop deep, further justified my decision to exclude Osvaldo Ardiles from the selection.

-- Ricardo Bochini and Juan Roman Riquelme were both omitted from the team due to an abundance of attacking midfielders and secondary forwards already present. Despite being Diego Maradona's idol and a renowned figure in the Argentine league, Bochini had limited opportunities at the national team level. Maradona specifically requested his inclusion in the 1986 World Cup team, which turned out to be Bochini's only major tournament appearance. Juan Roman Riquelme achieved legendary status with Boca Juniors, yet his time at Barcelona was deemed unsuccessful. However, it was during his stint with Villarreal that he experienced his peak in European football. In the national team, Riquelme encountered disagreements with several individuals, including Diego Maradona. Ultimately, he made the decision to retire from international football prior to the 2010 World Cup Finals.

-- José Manuel Moreno was the greatest Argentine player before the emerge of Alfredo Di Stefano or even Diego Maradona.  In 1999, he was ranked as the 5th best South American player in the 20th Century (behind Pelé, Maradona, Di Stéfano and Garrincha).

-- I could not find space for Rene Houseman, Raimundo Orsi and Omar Oreste Corbatta.  They were Argentina's greatest wingers.  Corbatta was only 26 yeras when his form started to decline before he joined Boca Juniors in 1963. The wide players would be Félix Loustau on the left.  Messi could also play on the right.

Forwards

-- Mario Kempes was the hero of the 1978 World Cup winning team, but Gabriel Batistuta, Lionel Messi, Omar Sivori, Moreno, Adolfo Pedernera, Alfredo Di Stefano and Diego Maradona were ahead of him for a spot of the team. So he only made honorable mention.
-- The players from River Plate's La Máquina never got the chance to shine in a World Cup Finals.  Ángel Labruna, Adolfo Pedernera, Félix Loustau and Jose Manuel Moreno made the team.  Nestor Rossi and Alfredo Di Stefano also played with them.

-- Gabriel Batistuta was the all-time top-scorer for Argentina when he retired.  He was probably the best striker in the world during his prime.  I took him over Luis Artime, Guillermo Stábile, Bernabe Ferreyra and Hernán Crespo.  Luis Artime's strike rate of 0.96 goals per game for Argentina also makes him one of the most prolific goal scorers in Argentine international football. He played at the 1966 FIFA World Cup and at the South American Championship 1967, where he was the top goalscorer.  Guillermo Stábile scored 8 goals and 4 games, and was the top scorer of 1930 World Cup.  However, apart from the World Cup Finals, he never played for Argentina again.

-- Omar Sivori won the Ballon d'Or in 1961.  In my opinion, he and José Manuel Moreno were right behind Diego Maradona, Alfredo Di Stefano and Lionel Messi as the 4th or 5th greatest ever Argentine player.  Some older Argentine considered José Manuel Moreno to be greater than Diego Maradona and Alfredo Di Stefano.  

Omar Sivori (R)

-- Ángel Labruna spent 20 years with River Plate.  For the national team, he was limited because Argentina refused to participate at the World Cup.  However, he won two Copa Americas.

-- At one point, Hernan Crespo was the world's most expensive player.  Except Diego Maradona, no other player held that title.  However, his national team career was overshadowed by playing behind Gabriel Batistuta.  Without Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero would have been Argentina's star player of his generation.  His national team career was not as good as his club form.

Starting lineups 
Formation I 
Cesar Luis Menotti developed a personal rivalry with Carlos Bilardo in the 1970's and 1980's.  They were two different styles of football.  Menotti was more offensive and artistic while Bilardo's style was more defensive and practical.  I based this 4-2-4 formation with Menotti's team in 1978.   Diego Maradona would have a free role enjoyed by Mario Kempas in 1978.  I thought of playing him on the left because Jose Moreno usually played on the right behind the forward line. In the end, Maradona should stay as the center of attack, I reasoned.  Lionel Messi and Jose Moreno would move around the field in a free flowing style.  Alfred Di Stefano would be the deep-lying midfielder.

Cesar Luis Menotti's team

Cesar Luis Menotti

Formation II
Carlos Bilardo used a similar formation in 1986.   I forced Di Stefano to the left so that Maradona could play in his original position.   I considered playing Messi up front where Barcelona often used him.  This team would be protected by 6 defensive players.

Carlos Bilardo's team

Carlos Bilardo

Formation III
 If I were managing this team, this is the formation I would use.  I move Maradona to the left because he was a better left-side player than any of the obvious starters on the team.  I brought in Redondo to run the midfield.