All-Time European xi vs. All-Time South American xi

[Ish]

I think you are going down the same path anto went. I don't mind bringing LatAm legends to light, but if you go OTT it is detrimental to the whole thing. Andrade was a recent example in our draft world of this working well.

Speaking of the devil, where is anto these days? I see I can't tag him in. So did he leave the caf or was he banned?

 

[harms]

Speaking of the devil, where is anto these days? I see I can't tag him in. So did he leave the caf or was he banned?

There is a rumour that he asked for a 1 year ban (which should end soon btw). Don't know if it's true though, but I certainly hope so, he was one of the most insightful posters here

 

[Ish]

There is a rumour that he asked for a 1 year ban (which should end soon btw). Don't know if it's true though, but I certainly hope so, he was one of the most insightful posters here

Yeah, agreed. Can't believe it would've been a year and I only really took note now FFS

But anyway, I'll await EAP's response before we derail the thread!

Thanks harms.

 

[Physiocrat]

I did consider it, but for me Nedved is a far far better player than Giggs and has more in his arsenal. One of my all time favourite players and I need to have him in my team. In this team his versatility is more useful than his pure width (which he is capable of btw).

No doubt Nedved is the better player but as a dynamo owning the left flank going forward and back he's a better fit IMO

 

[Chesterlestreet]

The problem of putting Robbo in lists of all time great players, is that his trophy cabinet is virtually empty. And that is a big concern, and a reason why he is almost completely unknown outside of UK. Being a great player in England's tenth or so best club (which is what United was back then) can make a player a legend of his club, but not a legend of the sport.

Unfair? Probably yes. But it is also something that we like to mention when we argue Scholes vs Gerrard. And well, Gerrard has won more than Robbo.

Well, that's true to a degree. Only to a degree, though, as the connection between trophies and quality was far less direct if you go back some decades. These days, a great player will end up winning trophies somewhere – a career like that of, say, Stan Matthews is unthinkable in today's game. He would've played for far bigger clubs and won a lot more.

Anyway, I'm not saying Robbo deserves to be listed anywhere (not really into lists, for that matter). But for me, at least, he's in that category of players who achieved less than he should have, by rights. Which makes him an interesting name to bring up, as a dark horse of some sort – but nobody in his right mind would claim he deserves to start for an all-time European XI, that's obvious.

By the way, United weren't the tenth best team in England during Robbo's peak years – that'd be very misleading. There's a reason that team managed to hold their own against Juventus in 1984. It was a very good, but not quite good enough, team – and at that point England's third best, probably, behind Liverpool and Everton. Certainly not tenth.

 

[Pat_Mustard]

The problem of putting Robbo in lists of all time great players, is that his trophy cabinet is virtually empty. And that is a big concern, and a reason why he is almost completely unknown outside of UK. Being a great player in England's tenth or so best club (which is what United was back then) can make a player a legend of his club, but not a legend of the sport.

Unfair? Probably yes. But it is also something that we like to mention when we argue Scholes vs Gerrard. And well, Gerrard has won more than Robbo.

Robbo's trophy cabinet isn't really that bad:

Manchester United[edit]
Premier League (2): 1992–93, 1993–94
FA Cup (3): 1982–83, 1984–85, 1989–90
Football League Cup (1): 1991–92
FA Charity Shield (3): 1983, 1990 (shared), 1993
European Cup Winners' Cup (1): 1990–91
European Super Cup (1): 1991

He was somewhat peripheral to the league wins granted, but it still compares favourably to someone like Socrates who has been mentioned in this thread and is generally seen as a great:

Botafogo-SP
Torneio Vicente Feola: 1976
Taça Cidade de São Paulo (first stage of Campeonato Paulista): 1977
Corinthians
Campeonato Paulista first stage winner: 1978, 1982
Campeonato Paulista: 1979, 1982, 1983
Flamengo
Taça Rio: 1986
Campeonato Carioca: 1986
Brazil
Copa América: Runner-up 1983; Third-place 1979

I did consider it, but for me Nedved is a far far better player than Giggs and has more in his arsenal. One of my all time favourite players and I need to have him in my team. In this team his versatility is more useful than his pure width (which he is capable of btw).

I think 'far far better' is very harsh on Giggs. Giggs had his poor seasons across his mentally long career, but at his best he was an absolute machine in terms of chance creation. I think he's actually become underrated with the passing of time.

 

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

I think 'far far better' is very harsh on Giggs. Giggs had his poor seasons across his mentally long career, but at his best he was an absolute machine in terms of chance creation. I think he's actually become underrated with the passing of time.

No question about that. I just like Nedved because of his playmaking from the middle too. If's we are considering him as a pure winger, then Giggs is right up there... a different type of player, but great nonetheless.