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World Soccer Mailbag Who's the greatest player of all time?
Posted: Thursday October 14, 1999 08:47 PM
CNN/SI's world soccer insider, London-based Gabriele Marcotti, periodically responds to questions and comments from readers. Marcotti writes a weekly column on international soccer for CNNSI.com To submit questions or comments to Gabriele Marcotti, click here. Question from Andy Parsons of Sheffield, England Marcotti: I wouldn't be so drastic. The game is evolving, and I think some kind of Superleague is the natural evolution. There are forces (especially monetary) which will make it inevitable in the long run. This new Champions League is just an intermediate step. The Cup Winners' Cup had actually become a rather stale competition if only because in many countries the national cup is not taken very seriously and I think the level of play in the UEFA Cup was higher anyway. It takes a lot more than this to kill football. Sometimes I miss the knockout excitement of the old Champions League. But then in some ways this version actually helps the champions of smaller countries, because, if they qualify, they get six games, rather than the usual two. It makes upsets more rare but guarantees them more money and a bigger stage. Question from Vincent O of Ado Ekiti, Nigeria Marcotti: That is not an easy question to answer. Nigeria is stacked with talent. Inevitably, most of it plays abroad, because the level and facilities in the Nigerian leagues are not very good. To fully tap the potential, Nigeria would have to have a top quality league and youth system. That is difficult to achieve, because the country has other, more serious problems to deal with. But there are many outstanding coaches who work with young talent in Nigeria. They are often underpaid and overworked and, if possible, should be given a hand. As for the Nigerians in Europe, one step may be having a full-time manager with wide-ranging powers and a long mandate, say, at least four years. (Nigeria this week fired Dutch coach Thijs Libregts). This would give him the chance to split his time between Nigeria and Europe and actually see a wide range of players. One of the problems right now is that many talented Nigerians don't get considered simply because the coach doesn't see them. It was a problem with Bora Milutinovic at the last World Cup. He didn't have time to fully prepare, so he simply called upon the well-known stars, even though some of them were past their best or physically unfit. Question from Baez of Virginia Beach, Virginia, U.S. Marcotti: Reyna has rare skills in terms of vision and technique. The Scottish League may be of dubious quality, but, in my opinion, Rangers is one of the top 25-30 clubs in Europe (just look at their attendance and their lineup). If it's a stepping stone, it can only be a stepping stone to a true juggernaut. Question from Shahan Petrossian, Los Angeles, California, U.S. P.S. who do you think will win it this year, Rivaldo or David Beckham? Marcotti: France Football's Golden Football Award has a fundamental problem that I guess most competitions of its kind have: most voters only get to see players with the national team or in European competition. Each country has one journalist representing them who then selects a player from a list of 50 candidates. Most voters don't get to see these players week in, week out. They may see a bit of the Champions League or the World Cup, but that's it. The media machine has a lot to do with it. I agree that Zidane didn't have a very good World Cup; my vote would have gone to Lilian Thuram. That's why I wouldn't put too much stock in this kind of competition. If you're a popular, well-marketed player who performs miracles in the World Cup or in European competition, you'll get a lot of votes, regardless of how you do in your league. As for this year, I think it will go to Rivaldo. Question from Carlos Souza of Apex, North Carolina However, there are several teams playing with 10 like Barcelona (Kluivert still needs 5 chances to score a goal), Real Madrid (Anelka, until he prove me wrong he is a joke who had a lucky 98/99), etc. Marcotti: I agree that Inter's lack of a creative playmaker has hurt Ronaldo. When Baggio is fit, he is outstanding at delivering through balls and running at defenders. However, a good team can create chances without genius or creativity. Simple things like crosses and free kicks should provide Ronaldo enough quality balls to strike. Remember, we're not talking about just any old player, we're talking about one of the world's best. I also agree that he has more space with Brazil and that defenders have figured him out. But when he is with the Selecao he has the luxury of playing alongside guys like Rivaldo who can take defenders on and go past them. There are enough other individual threats that the defense can't focus on him. To truly contribute he needs to fit into a team context. Granted, Inter, with its share of controversies is not exactly a well-oiled machine. But it still needs to develop as a unit. Otherwise, if it relies on individual talent (and I concur, that's what it has done for some time now), it will only get so far. Question from Abel Alonso of Detroit, Michigan, U.S. 1) About US goalkeeper K. Keller. I have lived in both England and Spain, and I don't think Rayo Vallecano is less than Keller's former time. What happens is that many people, including your loyal fans, still believe that English football is top, when in reality English football is pathetic, with its "kick and rush" two-century-old and never-changing strategy. Spain's Rayo could beat just about any Premier League team, in Spain as well as in England. Just look at recent years (e.g. Celta Vigo beating French-Norwegian Liverpool. Only the two or three English top teams (flooded by foreign players) are able to play a more organized, gentle football style (M. United, Chelsea, Arsenal). 2) Why is it that you seem to just talk about European football and consistently ignoring other regions of the world, such as South America. Did you know that for example Uruguay (3.5 million people; half the population size of London and Paris) won more international titles (including two World Cups) than England will ever win? I wish you made more comments (positive ones, please!) about South American football. Thank you! Marcotti: Actually, I'm a big admirer of South American football and Uruguay in particular. One of my favorite players was Ruben Sosa, a guy who never got the credit he deserved. I'm based in Europe and I watch a lot (probably too much) soccer and while I get to see the Brazilian and Argentine leagues, I'm afraid I haven't seen much Uruguayan action. I'm well aware that Uruguay won two world titles, but I'm also aware that it occurred a heck of a long time ago. Guys like Ghiggia, Schiaffino and Scarone are long gone. It's very difficult to compete when you're a small country, but I think Uruguay has some promising young talent like Marcelo Zalayeta and "El Chino" Recoba. Its fine showing in the Copa America is hopefully a sign of good things to come. I definitely don't think the English Premiership is the best league in Europe. In fact, I think that tactically many English clubs are in the Stone Age. Having said that, the old stereotype about kick-and-rush doesn't really apply anymore. Yes, the game is played at a higher pace than elsewhere, but it's hardly the way it was. As for English teams being packed with foreigners, most top European clubs (except for Athletic Bilbao) are like that, so you can't really make an argument there. Historically, Rayo is a very poor club, and it will struggle again to stay up (its good start notwithstanding). I honestly don't believe it would beat most Premiership clubs. But if Kasey does well, he can get what deserves and what he was looking for anyway: a move to a top club, in Spain or elsewhere. Kevin R. Theel Lumberton of North Carolina, U.S. Marcotti: Moller isn't getting any younger and he is one of those guys who can get marked out of the game, so I agree with your assessment that Borussia needs to find other solutions. Evanilson at least provides some creativity and Reina looks like he can score a few goals. Bobic has had highs and lows in the past (just like Ikpeba). Both are world-beaters on the day, but both can disappear for long stretches. As long as they don't both disappear at the same time, Borussia will compete for the title. Question from Azzam Alameddin of Amman, Jordan Marcotti: Dwight Yorke is a quality player but in my opinion he does not belong in the same class as Ronaldo, Vieri and Batistuta. For starters, the other three have been scoring consistently for years. Before moving to Manchester United, Yorke had scored 73 goals in 230 games. Not too bad, but not outstanding either. Of course, he did very well last season, though he did get great service. If he can do it again this year, I think you'll see more people giving him credit. As for the midfielders you mention, I think you need to make a distinction between all-around midfielders and offensive midfielders. Seedorf has pretty much evolved into an offensive midfielder. Sure, he can tackle and defend, but that isn't his primary role at Real Madrid. He has good vision and is dangerous running at people. The others are all essentially ball-winners. Keane has the talent and personality to do more than what he does for Manchester United, but since he plays alongside three offensive-minded players (Beckham, Scholes and Giggs), he tends to hang back. In my opinion he's the best of the bunch. Petit is a converted left back and still has a sweet outside shot. He has adjusted very well to the Premier League and is a great ball-winner who has a knack for placing deep, through balls. Vieira is probably the best defender of the bunch. His size and strength make him a virtual wall in midfield and he is very difficult to play against. He is also a neat passer, though not in Seedorf's class. As for Davids, he never gets tired and never stops tackling. He's not the biggest guy, but ha makes his presence felt and is a great intimidator. He also has an excellent sense of position and packs more of an offensive punch than the others. Question from Tolga Pozam Istanbul Marcotti: I watched Galatasary play Chelsea in person and I was very impressed. There is plenty of talent and passion there. I don't think Europeans take Turkey very seriously and that could be a big mistake when Euro 2000 rolls around. Players like Hakan and Tugay are legitimate stars; what Turkey needs is a little more discipline and a lot more self-confidence. I get the sense there is a bit of an inferiority complex there, and there really shouldn't be. Turkish soccer has the tools to go very far. Question from Chris Marose of San Diego, California, U.S. Marcotti: Di Stefano was an Argentine transplanted in Spain who starred for the great Real Madrid teams that won five consecutive European Cups in the late fifties. He was technically a midfielder but would pop up all over the field, winning balls, creating chances and scoring goals. He was arguably the best all-around player of all-time and certainly one of the first to fill that kind of role. In my personal opinion, Di Stefano ranks right up there with Pele, Maradona and Johan Cruyff as one of the best ever. It's very difficult to pick a single number one, especially when comparing guys from different eras, but Di Stefano is without question one of the all-time greats. Question from Michael Maggi Plainview, New York, U.S. Your point about Italia not lacking strikers is well made. But how about the midfield? Italy has lacked a creative midfield now for about 18 months. Demetrio Albertini (center) seems to be losing his touch (at the national team level anyway) and Dino Baggio (center) is not playing his tackling midfield role well enough. Eusebio DiFrancesco (left wing) has been playing his version of the invisible man since being capped by Zoff in September 1998. The only midfielder that seems to be pulling his weight is Diego Fuser (right wing). Dino Zoff (CT of the national team) and others from the FIGC (Federazione Italiana Gioco Calcio) have been claiming that the number of foreigners playing in Serie A is to blame. If you look at the starting midfielders for Milan, Lazio, Fiorentina, Juventus and Inter you'll know what I mean. The above teams are premier teams in Italy and the FIGC scouts these teams for national team selections. Roma is the only Serie A team I could think of with non-Italian midfeilders. Also, Parma has Dino Baggio, Diego Fuser and Vanoli (who were all selected for Italia-Danimarca). Last season, Dino Zoff tried using the Roma midfielders, but they have been sub par. If Italia would have midfielders like Zinedine Zidane, Edgar Davids, Rui Costa, Diego Simeone, Juan Veron, then maybe they wouldn't lose to Denmark at home 3-2 after a 2-0 lead. I also believe they wouldn't have to play their last qualifying match in Belarus trying to gain a point in order to clinch a spot for the finals of Euro 2000. Also, last spring, they drew at home 0-0 against lowly Belarus due to an ineffective midfield. I'm at a loss for words as to how pathetic the Italian midfield has become. Apparantly there is a lack of midfield talent. Who's to blame? Marcotti: There's a short answer and a long answer. Short answer: since Rivera's retirment, Italy has had one talented playmaking offensive midfielder, Giancarlo Antognoni. There have been plenty of creative players, but they were either wide men (Donadoni, Conti, etc.) or forwards (Baggio, Zola, Mancini etc.). So you could conclude that Italy simply doesn't produce players like that. The real answer is more complex and winds its way back to Arrigo Sacchi. His system featured two forwards (Van Basten and Gullit) and a midfielder who would move up and tuck in behind, creating chances and crosses (Donadoni). Unlike the past, the midfielder didn't necessarily play in the middle. To make up for this (remember this is Italy and everyone thinks defense first), the two central midfielders had to become more defensive (and therefore, generally less creative). The much maligned Sacchi influence many coaches and today most teams play some variation of the 3-4-3 formation. Lazio is the exception, but theirs is a 4-3-1-2, with Veron cutting in from the left. Generally, the three forwards include two pure strikers and a man who plays further back, setting up play (Zidane at Juventus, Ortega at Parma, Totti at Roma, etc.)
Unfortunately, Zoff doesn't share that view. He believes in a more traditional 4-4-2. But since Italian central midfielders are of the Di Biagio-Albertini-Dino Baggio variety (i.e. all-around guys and not creative types) he doesn't have the right kind of player to play there. He could play Totti there, but he's concerned that it would upset the defensive balance of the club. Which begs the question: why does Zoff play a 4-4-2 if no big club in Italy plays that way? I don't know, you'd have to ask him.
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