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| 1994 Chamoions' League with AC Milan |
Some of the unpublished posts from this blog have been turned into a two-volume book: The Multiverse of the Beautiful Game: National Teams of Pure Fantasy.
Volume 1 takes you back in time and asks the questions every football fan has dreamed about. What if Brazil had a more beautiful team in 1982 — would they have cruised to the title? What if the United Kingdom could send its team to the 1970 World Cup? I believe they would have been the strongest side on earth. What if Argentina had fielded both Omar Sivori and Alfredo Di Stéfano together in 1958? What if Johan Cruyff had lined up alongside Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit, and Frank Rijkaard? What if Eusébio had played for Brazil? And that's only scratching the surface — Volume 1 is packed with legendary "what ifs" that will keep you turning pages.
Volume 2 brings the fantasy closer to home. What if England had Michael Olise, Erling Haaland and others in 2026 — could they go all the way? What if Yugoslavia had gone to the World Cup in 2018? What if the United States could select more players in 2010? It would be the greatest American side ever. And what if Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi had actually played for the same national team in 2006? It could have happened — if the soccer gods had smiled on us.
Some of the unpublished posts from this blog have been turned into a two-volume book: The Multiverse of the Beautiful Game: National Teams of Pure Fantasy.
Volume 1 takes you back in time and asks the questions every football fan has dreamed about. What if Brazil had a more beautiful team in 1982 — would they have cruised to the title? What if the United Kingdom could send its team to the 1970 World Cup? I believe they would have been the strongest side on earth. What if Argentina had fielded both Omar Sivori and Alfredo Di Stéfano together in 1958? What if Johan Cruyff had lined up alongside Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit, and Frank Rijkaard? What if Eusébio had played for Brazil? And that's only scratching the surface — Volume 1 is packed with legendary "what ifs" that will keep you turning pages.
Volume 2 brings the fantasy closer to home. What if England had Michael Olise, Erling Haaland and others in 2026 — could they go all the way? What if Yugoslavia had gone to the World Cup in 2018? What if the United States could select more players in 2010? It would be the greatest American side ever. And what if Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi had actually played for the same national team in 2006? It could have happened — if the soccer gods had smiled on us.
Please also see my All-Time World Cup Team Index.
Italy
Italian diaspora
Southern Italy, Central Italy,
Northern Italy(excluding Lombardy), Lombardy
Italy after 1982, Italy between 1938 and 1982.
All-Time Team Under Jose Mourinho
All-Time Team under Bobby Robson(Club only)
All-Time Team Under Helenio Herrera
All-Time Team Under Bela Gutmann
All-Time Team Under Giovanni Trappattoni
All-Time Team Under Fabio Capello (Club only)
All-Time Team under Marcello Lippi (Club only)
All-Time Team under Carlos Ancelotti
This is my selection of a 25 member all-time team for Fabio Capello (club only). The number 25 was chosen because it is the official squad size for the Champions' League.
Fabio Capello is regarded one of the most successful coaches of all-time. In his first five seasons as a manager, Capello won four Serie A titles with AC Milan, where he also won the 1993–94 UEFA Champions League, defeating Barcelona 4–0 in a memorable final. He then spent a year at Real Madrid, where he won the La Liga title at his first attempt, and in 2001 led Roma to their first league title in 18 years. Capello also won two titles at Juventus (which were later stripped after the Calciopoli scandal), and in 2006 returned to Real Madrid, where he won another La Liga title. Overall, he has won a major league championship in seven (or nine, counting the two revoked titles with Juventus) of his 16 seasons as a coach. He also coached the national teams of both England and Russian.
Team
GK: Iker Casillas (Spain/Real Madrid)
Iker Casillas is Spain's most decorated goalkeeper and widely considered to be one of the greatest ever goalkeepers. He spent 16 seasons with Real Madrid and won three Champions' League with Real Madrid. For Spain, he captained Spain into winning the World Cup in 2010 and two European Championships in 2008 and 2012. He is capped over 150 times between 2000 and 2016, appearing in every major tournaments in that period. He also played for Porto at the end of his career.
GK: Gianluigi Buffon (Italy/Juventus)
Gianluigi Buffon is considered to be one of the greatest keeper ever. He made his Serie A debut at the age of 17 in 1995 with Parma. He earned his first cap when he was only 19. He had a total of 175 caps. His biggest achievement must be winning the World Cup in 2006. He has been named the Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year a record eight time. He became the most expensive goalkeeper of all time following his transfer from Parma to Juventus in 2001. He moved to PSG in 2019.
GK: Sebastiano Rossi (Italy/AC Milan)
During a 21-year professional career, Rossi appeared in 346 Serie A games, most notably representing A.C. Milan (12 seasons) with which he won 12 major titles, including the 1994 Champions League. Rossi held the record for the longest streak without conceding a goal in Serie A history. In an 11-match span, he kept a clean sheet for 929 consecutive minutes. He was never capped by Italy.
RB: Cafu (Brazil/Roma)
Cafu is the all-time cap record holder for Brazil with 142. He is the only man to play in three World Cup Finals, winning in 1994 and 2002. He was the captain of the national team as they won the World Cup in 2002. With Brazil, he also took part in four editions of the Copa América, winning the title twice, in 1997 and 1999. He played with Sao Paulo, Roma and AC Milan. He was South American Player of the Year in 1994.
RB/CB: Lilian Thuram (Italy/Juventus)
Lilian Thuram is France's most capped player. He played in France, Italy and Spain for over 15 seasons, including ten in the Serie A with both Parma and Juventus. With France, Thuram won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000, and was in the runner-up squad for the 2006 World Cup in Germany. He scored two goals vs Croatia in the semifinal of the World Cup in 1998.
CB: Fernando Hierro (Spain/Real Madrid)
At one point, Fernando Hierro was Spain's all-time leading scorer and he was a center-back. He was capped 90 times between 1989 and 2002, whilst appearing in four World Cups and two European Championships. For Real Madrid, he won three Champions' League titles in 1998, 2000 and 2002. He is considered to be one of Spain's greatest defenders. He had 89 caps.
CB: Fabio Cannavaro (Italy/Juventus/Real Madrid)
Fabio Cannavaro had 136 caps with Italy. He is the second-most capped Italian player of all time. He went to four World Cup Finals. He was the captain and perhaps, the best player of Italy 2006 World Cup winning team. He won the Silver Ball at that World Cupo Finals. He was also one of the few defensive players to have won the Ballon Dd'or. He played for many clubs in his career, but his best years were with Napoli, Parma, Inter Milan, Juventus and Real Madrid.
CB: Alessandro Costacurta (Italy/AC Milan)
Alessandro Costacurta was Baresi's partner at central defense for both club and country. He was a part of 5 Champions' League winning team for AC Milan. However, he only played 59 times for Italy because largely of injuries. He went to two World Cup Finals (in 1994 and 1998), as well as a European Championship in 1996. With Italy, he managed to reach the 1994 World Cup Final, which was lost against Brazil on penalties.
SW: Franco Baresi (Italy/AC Milan)
Franco Baresi was considered Italy's greatest libero. He was capped 82 times between 1982 and 1994. He led the Azzurri to the semifinal of the World Cup in 1990 and then, the Final in 1994. However, he missed most of the tournament in 1994 through an injury, playing in the Final. He was a part of the 1982 World Cup winning team, but he did not play a single match. He was a one club man with AC Milan. He is their captain for 15 years, where he won three European Cups and 6 Serie A titles.
CB/LB: Paolo Maldini (Italy/AC Milan)
Paolo Maldini was considered the greatest leftback of all-time. He won 26 trophies in his 25 year career with AC Milan, including 5 Champions' league trophies. With the Azzurri, Maldini took part in three European Championships, and four World Cups. He reached the finals of the 1994 World Cup and the European Championship in 2000. He was capped 126 times for Italy.
LB: Roberto Carlos (Brazil/Real Madrid)
Roberto Carlos was regarded one of the best leftbacks in history. He had 125 caps for Brazil playing in three WC Finals. He won 3 Champions League titles with Real Madrid and one World Cup title with Brazil in 2002. In 1997 he was runner-up in the FIFA World Player of the Year. He is especially famous for a free kick from 35m out against France in the Tournoi de France 1997. The goal is considered one of the greatest goals ever scored.
CB/DM: Marcel Desailly (France/AC Milan)
Marcel Desailly was considered to be one of the greatest defensive players during the 1990's. He played 116 times for France, winning the WC in 1998 and the European Championship in 2000. He was the first player to win the European Cup in consecutive seasons with different clubs, when he won it with Marseille in 1993 and AC Milan the following year.
CM: Fernando Redondo (Argentina/Real Madrid)
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. For the national team, he only picked up 29 caps because he had issues with various managers.
DM/CM: Emerson (Brazil/Roma/Juventus/Real Madrid)
For nearly a decade, Emerson was a key player for Brazil. He was due to captain the 2002 side, but an injury right before the Finals kept him out of the tournament. Brazil went on to win the tournament. He went to the World Cup Finals in 1998 and 2006. At his club level, he played for Gremio, Bayer Leverkusen, Roma, Juventus, Real Madrid, AC Milan and Santos.
CM: Frank Rijkaard (Netherlands/AC Milan)
Frank Rijkaard was one of Netherlands' most important player. Capped 73 times. He won the 1988 European Championship in West Germany. He notably played for Ajax and AC Milan. He spent 5 seasons with AC Milan when Milan was considered the greatest club team in the world. He won two European Cup with them. In 1995, he led a young Ajax team to their famous Champions' League victory. That team is also considered one of the greatest club sides ever.
RW: Roberto Donadoni (Italy/AC Milan)
Roberto Donadoni was one of Italy's greatest wingers. He was a vital part of AC Milan's squad under both Arrigo Sacchi and Fabio Capello, winning six Serie A titles, three European Cups, four Italian Supercups, three European Super Cups, and two Intercontinental Cups during his time at Milan. Between 1986 and 1996, he earned over 60 caps for Italy. He went to the World Cup Finals in 1990 and 1994, and the European Championship in 1988 and 1996.
LW/AM: Pavel Nedved (Czech Republic/Juventus)
Nicknamed "Czech Fury", Nedved was a key player as the Czech Republic finished second at Euro 1996, and reached the semi-final at Euro 2004. For club football, he is best remembered for playing for Lazio and Juvnetus. At Lazio, he won the Scudetti in 1999-2000, only the second league title in Lazio's history. With Juventus, he led the team to the Final of the 2002-2003 Champions' League final. He won the European Footballer of the that year.
AM/LM: Francesco Totti (Rome/Lazio)
Francesco Totti is the long serving captain of Roma and perhaps, the greatest AS Roma player of all-time. He brought the scudetti back to Roma in 2001 after 20 years. He was named the Italian Footballer of the Year for 2000 and 2001. He won the European Golden Boot award in 2006-2007. From 1998 to 2006, he played 58 times for Italy. He won a World Cup with Italy in 2006.
AM: Alessandro Del Piero (Italy/Juventus)
Alessandro Del Piero is considered to be one of Juventus' greatest players. He played with them for 19 years (11 years as captain), and holds the club records for most goals (289) and appearances (705). At the end of his career, he played in Australia and India. For the national team, he played 91 times for them. He was on the 2006 team that won the World Cup in Germany. He is the joint fourth highest scorer for the Italian national team. he is also his nation's tenth-most capped player of all-time.
AM: Dejan Savicevic (Montenegro/AC Milan)
Dejan Savicevic was a part of the Red Star Belgrade team that won the 1990–91 European Cup before joining A.C. Milan in 1992. With Milan, he won three Serie A titles and the 1993–94 UEFA Champions League. His international career was limited due to sanction placed on his country. He did not play in a major tournaments at the peak of his career. However, he represented Yugoslavia at the 1990 and 1998 World Cups. He had over 50 caps.
AM: Ruud Gullit (Netherlands/AC Milan)
Gullit was the iconic captain of Nethertlands 1988. In 1987, he moved from PSV Eindhoven to A.C. Milan for a world record transfer fee. He was an important player for AC Milan during the 1980's where they won two straight European Cups. He was the European Footballer of the Year in 1987 and the World Soccer Player of the Year in 1987 and 1989. He spent one season with Sampdoria winning the Italian Cup in 1994.
FW: George Weah (Liberia/AC Milan)
In terms of individual awards, no African player wins more awards than him. He was named FIFA World Player of the Year and won the Ballon d'Or in 1995. He won African Footballer of the Year: 1989, 1994, 1995. He was voted African Player of the Century in 1996. He had great careers with AC Milan where he won two Serie A titles. He also played for Monaco, PSG, Chelsea, etc. In 2017, he was elected as the President of Liberia.
ST: Raul (Spain/Real Madrid)
Raul was probably the best Spanish player in the late 1990's. Raul made his debut with Real Madrid as a 17 years old. He won 3 Champions' League trophies with Real Madrid in 1998, 2000 and 2002. He moved to Germany in 2010 and played with Schalke 04 He is the fourth highest goal scorer in the history of La Liga with 228 goals. For the national team, he earned 102 caps.
ST: Gabriel Batistuta (Argentina/Roma)
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.
ST: Marco Van Basten (Netherlands/AC Milan)
Marco Van Basten was probably the second best Dutch player and among the best striker in football's history. He won the Ballon d'Or three times. He led Oranje to the victory at the European Championship 1988 scoring 5 goals at the tournament. It was Netherlands' first victory in a major tournament. His goal in the Final is considered one of the best in history of the tournament. He started his career with Ajax. He also won two European Cups with AC Milan, a club side that was considered the best ever.
Honorable Mention
Demetrio Albertini (AC Milan), Robertio Baggio (AC Milan), Mauro Tassotti (AC Milan), Jean Pierre Papin (AC Milan), Zvonimir Boban (AC Milan), Christian Panucci (AC Milan, Real Madrid, Roma), Marco Delvecchio (Roma), Walter Samuel (Roma), Vincenzo Montella (Roma), Damiano Tommasi (Roma), Antonio Cassano (Roma), Gianluca Zambrotta (Juventus), Zlatan Ibrahimović (Juventus), Ruud van Nistelrooy (Real Madrid), Davor Zuker (Real Madrid), David Beckham (Real Madrid), Wesley Sneijder (Real Madrid).
Squad Explanation
-- This is my selection of the greatest ever team under Fabio Capello. I never checked if he himself ever came up his own selection of his greatest 25 member team. This is my opinion of his greatest ever team.
-- Only player who played for Fabio Capello at the club level are considered.
-- The peak of Fabio Capello;s career was his first spell with AC Milan. Milan remained unbeaten for 58 league games between 19 May 1991 and 21 March 1993, which included an entire season in the league, a record in Italian football. His team was known for being one of the greatest defences of all time. Mauro Tassotti(see below), Franco Baresi, Alessandro Costacurta and Paolo Maldini were his basic defensive lineup at his tenure there. Capello also had Marcel Desailly and Frank Rijkaard playing defensively for his midfield. His team destroyed Johan Cruyff's Barcelona "Dream Team" in the 1994 Champiosns' League Final. Dejan Savicevic's performance in the Final was one of the greatest individual displays seen in the competition.
-- Emerson might not be the most famous players who had played for Fabio Capello, but played for him with Roma, Juventus and Real Madrid. Capello must have loved using him.
-- Christian Panucci also played for Fabio Capello with AC Milan, Real Madrid and Roma. Capello must have loved him too. However, I selected Cafu and Lilian Thuram over him. Both players have better name recognition. They are among the greatest ever in their position. Besides, I felt that Mauro Tassotti was Capello's main rightback with AC Milan. Mauro Tassotti also deserved to be on the team. In the end, I took Cafu and Thuram.
-- Sergio Ramos was also young in 2006-2007 when he played for Capello. He was known for his mistakes in his early days. So I did not even put him on honourable mention.
-- Fabio Capello coached Real Madrid for the 1996-1997 season(he would rejoin them for the 2006-2007 season). Although Capello did not win a Champions' League with Real Madrid, he built the backbone of the team that won the Champions' League the following season. In that season, Capello brought Roberto Carlos, Predrag Mijatović, Davor Šuker, Christian Panucci, Clarence Seedorf and Bodo Illnger to Real Madrid. Five of them started against Juventus in the 1998 Final. Real Madrid also won the 2000 and 2002 Champions league, but both teams were different from the ones built by Fabio Capello.
-- AS Roma's scudetti winning season with Capello was the club's greatest achievement in recent years. From that team, I selected Gabriel Batistuta, Francesco Totti and Cafu. I ignored Batistuta on my AS Roma all time team because he basically had a single good season with the club. Vincenzo Montella was on that team ahead of him. I felt Montella had spent a longer career with AS Roma. However, this blog team is about Capello's tenure in Rome. For Capello's period alone, Batistuta was probably a more important player than Montella.
-- Capello employed a lot of great attack midfielders. Alessandro Del Piero and Francesco Totti were icons of their clubs respectively. I have no space for Roberto Baggio who did not have his best time while at AC Milan.
-- Zlatan Ibrahimović was a young striker under Capello. I selected more established player over him.
-- Marco Van Basten did not win the European Cup playing under Capello, but he won the Ballon d'or and FIFA World Player of the Year while playing for him.
-- Ronaldo (Brazil) played half a season with Fabio Capello's Real Madrid, but Capello sold him to AC Milan during the 2006-20007 Christmas break. On the same season, Capello also benched David Beckham briefly, but that turned Beckham's season around. Beckham had an outstanding second half of the season and Real Madrid won La Liga. Thus, Beckham is on honourable mention.
Formation
-- This formation is based upon the 4-4-2 formation in which Fabio Capello used to defeat Barcelona 4-0 in the Champions League Final in 1994. It was the crowning moment of his career.
-- I toyed with the idea of starting both Baresi and Costacurta, but I opted to pair Cannavaro with Baresi.
-- Donadoni started ahead of more famous players because he was a vital part of Capello's successes at AC Milan. He is also the only right wing on this team.
-- I reunited Ruud Gullit with Marco Van Basten rather then starting Dejan Savicevic.
-- In 1994, Capello started Albertini. On my formation, I replaced him with Redondo. Redondo was more tactical sound than Albertini. He added defensive quality to the midfield as well as playmaking ability.
Italy
Italian diaspora
Southern Italy, Central Italy,
Northern Italy(excluding Lombardy), Lombardy
Italy after 1982, Italy between 1938 and 1982.
All-Time Team Under Jose Mourinho
All-Time Team under Bobby Robson(Club only)
All-Time Team Under Helenio Herrera
All-Time Team Under Bela Gutmann
All-Time Team Under Giovanni Trappattoni
All-Time Team Under Fabio Capello (Club only)
All-Time Team under Marcello Lippi (Club only)
All-Time Team under Carlos Ancelotti
This is my selection of a 25 member all-time team for Fabio Capello (club only). The number 25 was chosen because it is the official squad size for the Champions' League.
Fabio Capello is regarded one of the most successful coaches of all-time. In his first five seasons as a manager, Capello won four Serie A titles with AC Milan, where he also won the 1993–94 UEFA Champions League, defeating Barcelona 4–0 in a memorable final. He then spent a year at Real Madrid, where he won the La Liga title at his first attempt, and in 2001 led Roma to their first league title in 18 years. Capello also won two titles at Juventus (which were later stripped after the Calciopoli scandal), and in 2006 returned to Real Madrid, where he won another La Liga title. Overall, he has won a major league championship in seven (or nine, counting the two revoked titles with Juventus) of his 16 seasons as a coach. He also coached the national teams of both England and Russian.
Team
GK: Iker Casillas (Spain/Real Madrid)
Iker Casillas is Spain's most decorated goalkeeper and widely considered to be one of the greatest ever goalkeepers. He spent 16 seasons with Real Madrid and won three Champions' League with Real Madrid. For Spain, he captained Spain into winning the World Cup in 2010 and two European Championships in 2008 and 2012. He is capped over 150 times between 2000 and 2016, appearing in every major tournaments in that period. He also played for Porto at the end of his career.
GK: Gianluigi Buffon (Italy/Juventus)
Gianluigi Buffon is considered to be one of the greatest keeper ever. He made his Serie A debut at the age of 17 in 1995 with Parma. He earned his first cap when he was only 19. He had a total of 175 caps. His biggest achievement must be winning the World Cup in 2006. He has been named the Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year a record eight time. He became the most expensive goalkeeper of all time following his transfer from Parma to Juventus in 2001. He moved to PSG in 2019.
GK: Sebastiano Rossi (Italy/AC Milan)
During a 21-year professional career, Rossi appeared in 346 Serie A games, most notably representing A.C. Milan (12 seasons) with which he won 12 major titles, including the 1994 Champions League. Rossi held the record for the longest streak without conceding a goal in Serie A history. In an 11-match span, he kept a clean sheet for 929 consecutive minutes. He was never capped by Italy.
RB: Cafu (Brazil/Roma)
Cafu is the all-time cap record holder for Brazil with 142. He is the only man to play in three World Cup Finals, winning in 1994 and 2002. He was the captain of the national team as they won the World Cup in 2002. With Brazil, he also took part in four editions of the Copa América, winning the title twice, in 1997 and 1999. He played with Sao Paulo, Roma and AC Milan. He was South American Player of the Year in 1994.
RB/CB: Lilian Thuram (Italy/Juventus)
Lilian Thuram is France's most capped player. He played in France, Italy and Spain for over 15 seasons, including ten in the Serie A with both Parma and Juventus. With France, Thuram won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000, and was in the runner-up squad for the 2006 World Cup in Germany. He scored two goals vs Croatia in the semifinal of the World Cup in 1998.
CB: Fernando Hierro (Spain/Real Madrid)
At one point, Fernando Hierro was Spain's all-time leading scorer and he was a center-back. He was capped 90 times between 1989 and 2002, whilst appearing in four World Cups and two European Championships. For Real Madrid, he won three Champions' League titles in 1998, 2000 and 2002. He is considered to be one of Spain's greatest defenders. He had 89 caps.
CB: Fabio Cannavaro (Italy/Juventus/Real Madrid)
Fabio Cannavaro had 136 caps with Italy. He is the second-most capped Italian player of all time. He went to four World Cup Finals. He was the captain and perhaps, the best player of Italy 2006 World Cup winning team. He won the Silver Ball at that World Cupo Finals. He was also one of the few defensive players to have won the Ballon Dd'or. He played for many clubs in his career, but his best years were with Napoli, Parma, Inter Milan, Juventus and Real Madrid.
CB: Alessandro Costacurta (Italy/AC Milan)
Alessandro Costacurta was Baresi's partner at central defense for both club and country. He was a part of 5 Champions' League winning team for AC Milan. However, he only played 59 times for Italy because largely of injuries. He went to two World Cup Finals (in 1994 and 1998), as well as a European Championship in 1996. With Italy, he managed to reach the 1994 World Cup Final, which was lost against Brazil on penalties.
Franco Baresi was considered Italy's greatest libero. He was capped 82 times between 1982 and 1994. He led the Azzurri to the semifinal of the World Cup in 1990 and then, the Final in 1994. However, he missed most of the tournament in 1994 through an injury, playing in the Final. He was a part of the 1982 World Cup winning team, but he did not play a single match. He was a one club man with AC Milan. He is their captain for 15 years, where he won three European Cups and 6 Serie A titles.
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| Franco Baresi |
Paolo Maldini was considered the greatest leftback of all-time. He won 26 trophies in his 25 year career with AC Milan, including 5 Champions' league trophies. With the Azzurri, Maldini took part in three European Championships, and four World Cups. He reached the finals of the 1994 World Cup and the European Championship in 2000. He was capped 126 times for Italy.
LB: Roberto Carlos (Brazil/Real Madrid)
Roberto Carlos was regarded one of the best leftbacks in history. He had 125 caps for Brazil playing in three WC Finals. He won 3 Champions League titles with Real Madrid and one World Cup title with Brazil in 2002. In 1997 he was runner-up in the FIFA World Player of the Year. He is especially famous for a free kick from 35m out against France in the Tournoi de France 1997. The goal is considered one of the greatest goals ever scored.
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| Roberto Carlos |
CB/DM: Marcel Desailly (France/AC Milan)
Marcel Desailly was considered to be one of the greatest defensive players during the 1990's. He played 116 times for France, winning the WC in 1998 and the European Championship in 2000. He was the first player to win the European Cup in consecutive seasons with different clubs, when he won it with Marseille in 1993 and AC Milan the following year.
CM: Fernando Redondo (Argentina/Real Madrid)
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. For the national team, he only picked up 29 caps because he had issues with various managers.
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| Fernando Redondo |
For nearly a decade, Emerson was a key player for Brazil. He was due to captain the 2002 side, but an injury right before the Finals kept him out of the tournament. Brazil went on to win the tournament. He went to the World Cup Finals in 1998 and 2006. At his club level, he played for Gremio, Bayer Leverkusen, Roma, Juventus, Real Madrid, AC Milan and Santos.
CM: Frank Rijkaard (Netherlands/AC Milan)
Frank Rijkaard was one of Netherlands' most important player. Capped 73 times. He won the 1988 European Championship in West Germany. He notably played for Ajax and AC Milan. He spent 5 seasons with AC Milan when Milan was considered the greatest club team in the world. He won two European Cup with them. In 1995, he led a young Ajax team to their famous Champions' League victory. That team is also considered one of the greatest club sides ever.
RW: Roberto Donadoni (Italy/AC Milan)
Roberto Donadoni was one of Italy's greatest wingers. He was a vital part of AC Milan's squad under both Arrigo Sacchi and Fabio Capello, winning six Serie A titles, three European Cups, four Italian Supercups, three European Super Cups, and two Intercontinental Cups during his time at Milan. Between 1986 and 1996, he earned over 60 caps for Italy. He went to the World Cup Finals in 1990 and 1994, and the European Championship in 1988 and 1996.
LW/AM: Pavel Nedved (Czech Republic/Juventus)
Nicknamed "Czech Fury", Nedved was a key player as the Czech Republic finished second at Euro 1996, and reached the semi-final at Euro 2004. For club football, he is best remembered for playing for Lazio and Juvnetus. At Lazio, he won the Scudetti in 1999-2000, only the second league title in Lazio's history. With Juventus, he led the team to the Final of the 2002-2003 Champions' League final. He won the European Footballer of the that year.
AM/LM: Francesco Totti (Rome/Lazio)
Francesco Totti is the long serving captain of Roma and perhaps, the greatest AS Roma player of all-time. He brought the scudetti back to Roma in 2001 after 20 years. He was named the Italian Footballer of the Year for 2000 and 2001. He won the European Golden Boot award in 2006-2007. From 1998 to 2006, he played 58 times for Italy. He won a World Cup with Italy in 2006.
AM: Alessandro Del Piero (Italy/Juventus)
Alessandro Del Piero is considered to be one of Juventus' greatest players. He played with them for 19 years (11 years as captain), and holds the club records for most goals (289) and appearances (705). At the end of his career, he played in Australia and India. For the national team, he played 91 times for them. He was on the 2006 team that won the World Cup in Germany. He is the joint fourth highest scorer for the Italian national team. he is also his nation's tenth-most capped player of all-time.
AM: Dejan Savicevic (Montenegro/AC Milan)
Dejan Savicevic was a part of the Red Star Belgrade team that won the 1990–91 European Cup before joining A.C. Milan in 1992. With Milan, he won three Serie A titles and the 1993–94 UEFA Champions League. His international career was limited due to sanction placed on his country. He did not play in a major tournaments at the peak of his career. However, he represented Yugoslavia at the 1990 and 1998 World Cups. He had over 50 caps.
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| Dejan Savicevic |
Gullit was the iconic captain of Nethertlands 1988. In 1987, he moved from PSV Eindhoven to A.C. Milan for a world record transfer fee. He was an important player for AC Milan during the 1980's where they won two straight European Cups. He was the European Footballer of the Year in 1987 and the World Soccer Player of the Year in 1987 and 1989. He spent one season with Sampdoria winning the Italian Cup in 1994.
FW: George Weah (Liberia/AC Milan)
In terms of individual awards, no African player wins more awards than him. He was named FIFA World Player of the Year and won the Ballon d'Or in 1995. He won African Footballer of the Year: 1989, 1994, 1995. He was voted African Player of the Century in 1996. He had great careers with AC Milan where he won two Serie A titles. He also played for Monaco, PSG, Chelsea, etc. In 2017, he was elected as the President of Liberia.
ST: Raul (Spain/Real Madrid)
Raul was probably the best Spanish player in the late 1990's. Raul made his debut with Real Madrid as a 17 years old. He won 3 Champions' League trophies with Real Madrid in 1998, 2000 and 2002. He moved to Germany in 2010 and played with Schalke 04 He is the fourth highest goal scorer in the history of La Liga with 228 goals. For the national team, he earned 102 caps.
ST: Gabriel Batistuta (Argentina/Roma)
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.
Marco Van Basten was probably the second best Dutch player and among the best striker in football's history. He won the Ballon d'Or three times. He led Oranje to the victory at the European Championship 1988 scoring 5 goals at the tournament. It was Netherlands' first victory in a major tournament. His goal in the Final is considered one of the best in history of the tournament. He started his career with Ajax. He also won two European Cups with AC Milan, a club side that was considered the best ever.
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| Van Basten |
Demetrio Albertini (AC Milan), Robertio Baggio (AC Milan), Mauro Tassotti (AC Milan), Jean Pierre Papin (AC Milan), Zvonimir Boban (AC Milan), Christian Panucci (AC Milan, Real Madrid, Roma), Marco Delvecchio (Roma), Walter Samuel (Roma), Vincenzo Montella (Roma), Damiano Tommasi (Roma), Antonio Cassano (Roma), Gianluca Zambrotta (Juventus), Zlatan Ibrahimović (Juventus), Ruud van Nistelrooy (Real Madrid), Davor Zuker (Real Madrid), David Beckham (Real Madrid), Wesley Sneijder (Real Madrid).
Squad Explanation
-- This is my selection of the greatest ever team under Fabio Capello. I never checked if he himself ever came up his own selection of his greatest 25 member team. This is my opinion of his greatest ever team.
-- Only player who played for Fabio Capello at the club level are considered.
-- The peak of Fabio Capello;s career was his first spell with AC Milan. Milan remained unbeaten for 58 league games between 19 May 1991 and 21 March 1993, which included an entire season in the league, a record in Italian football. His team was known for being one of the greatest defences of all time. Mauro Tassotti(see below), Franco Baresi, Alessandro Costacurta and Paolo Maldini were his basic defensive lineup at his tenure there. Capello also had Marcel Desailly and Frank Rijkaard playing defensively for his midfield. His team destroyed Johan Cruyff's Barcelona "Dream Team" in the 1994 Champiosns' League Final. Dejan Savicevic's performance in the Final was one of the greatest individual displays seen in the competition.
-- Emerson might not be the most famous players who had played for Fabio Capello, but played for him with Roma, Juventus and Real Madrid. Capello must have loved using him.
-- Christian Panucci also played for Fabio Capello with AC Milan, Real Madrid and Roma. Capello must have loved him too. However, I selected Cafu and Lilian Thuram over him. Both players have better name recognition. They are among the greatest ever in their position. Besides, I felt that Mauro Tassotti was Capello's main rightback with AC Milan. Mauro Tassotti also deserved to be on the team. In the end, I took Cafu and Thuram.
-- Sergio Ramos was also young in 2006-2007 when he played for Capello. He was known for his mistakes in his early days. So I did not even put him on honourable mention.
-- Fabio Capello coached Real Madrid for the 1996-1997 season(he would rejoin them for the 2006-2007 season). Although Capello did not win a Champions' League with Real Madrid, he built the backbone of the team that won the Champions' League the following season. In that season, Capello brought Roberto Carlos, Predrag Mijatović, Davor Šuker, Christian Panucci, Clarence Seedorf and Bodo Illnger to Real Madrid. Five of them started against Juventus in the 1998 Final. Real Madrid also won the 2000 and 2002 Champions league, but both teams were different from the ones built by Fabio Capello.
-- AS Roma's scudetti winning season with Capello was the club's greatest achievement in recent years. From that team, I selected Gabriel Batistuta, Francesco Totti and Cafu. I ignored Batistuta on my AS Roma all time team because he basically had a single good season with the club. Vincenzo Montella was on that team ahead of him. I felt Montella had spent a longer career with AS Roma. However, this blog team is about Capello's tenure in Rome. For Capello's period alone, Batistuta was probably a more important player than Montella.
-- Capello employed a lot of great attack midfielders. Alessandro Del Piero and Francesco Totti were icons of their clubs respectively. I have no space for Roberto Baggio who did not have his best time while at AC Milan.
-- Zlatan Ibrahimović was a young striker under Capello. I selected more established player over him.
-- Marco Van Basten did not win the European Cup playing under Capello, but he won the Ballon d'or and FIFA World Player of the Year while playing for him.
-- Ronaldo (Brazil) played half a season with Fabio Capello's Real Madrid, but Capello sold him to AC Milan during the 2006-20007 Christmas break. On the same season, Capello also benched David Beckham briefly, but that turned Beckham's season around. Beckham had an outstanding second half of the season and Real Madrid won La Liga. Thus, Beckham is on honourable mention.
Formation
-- This formation is based upon the 4-4-2 formation in which Fabio Capello used to defeat Barcelona 4-0 in the Champions League Final in 1994. It was the crowning moment of his career.
-- I toyed with the idea of starting both Baresi and Costacurta, but I opted to pair Cannavaro with Baresi.
-- Donadoni started ahead of more famous players because he was a vital part of Capello's successes at AC Milan. He is also the only right wing on this team.
-- I reunited Ruud Gullit with Marco Van Basten rather then starting Dejan Savicevic.
-- In 1994, Capello started Albertini. On my formation, I replaced him with Redondo. Redondo was more tactical sound than Albertini. He added defensive quality to the midfield as well as playmaking ability.
