12 January 2012
GK: Ubaldo Fillol
He was nicknamed ‘The Duck’ and wore the number 5 at the 1978 World Cup, but Fillol was a panther between the sticks and Argentina’s greatest ever number 1. He was fearless, agile and astonishingly bouncy pouncy. He was everything you could want in a keeper.
RB: Javier Zanetti
Having made his debut back at the beginning of time, ‘The Tractor’ has played in an incomparable 145 internationals for Argentina. So reliable he’s almost perfect, Zanetti criminally missed out on two World Cups during his prime despite his country’s struggles producing top notch players at right back.
CB: Daniel Passarella
The supreme Argentinian defender. At the heart of defence he was snarling and mean as an anarchic gaucho, but coming forward he was a stylish distributer and he scored 22 goals for Argentina in 70 matches, many of which came from curling free kicks. He was the first Argentinian to lift the World Cup and he swaggers into this team without a second thought.
CB: Roberto Ayala
The risk of playing without a tall centre back is annulled since both Ayala and Passarella had the ability to spring over three-storey buildings (if they had ever felt the need to do so). With leadership, intelligence and grit in spades, Ayala was a wee balled up force of nature.
LB: Silvio Marzolini
The mirror reflection of Zanetti over on the right flank, Marzolini was an elegant, versatile left back renowned for his gentlemanly grace and winning mentality (the two even sported the same timeless haircut). He was named best left back at the 1966 World Cup and is the finest player in that position that Argentina has produced.
DM: Diego Simeone
Edging out Javier Mascherano in the deep-lying-destroyer-of-hope role is the irrepressible ‘Cholo’ Simeone. Mr. Knife Between His Teeth is the third most capped player in the history of the Selección. If his coach had asked him to stop a charging Pampas bull, Simeone would have dived in with a two-footed tackle, such was his commitment to the cause.
CM: Fernando Redondo
The classiest player of them all, Redondo is the man charged with linking the lines in this Greatest XI. He can grow his hair as long as he wants, we will still select him.
AMC: Diego Maradona
Half god and half insane; the perfect ten.
RF: Messi
With more than 60 games for Argentina, 19 goals and 20 assists, Messi has participated in two World Cups and two Copas America; dragging a lacklustre and tactically inept Argentina side to the quarter finals of the respective competitions in 2010 and 2011. He is the captain, the focal point, the chi of the current Selección, yet at just 24, one gets the impression he has not yet accomplished a fraction of what he eventually will with the national team. Scary, isn’t it?
CF: Gabriel Batistuta
Has there ever been a better out-and-out striker than ‘Batigol’ in his prime? For 11 glorious years this son of a slaughterhouse worker led the frontline for Argentina, becoming the all time leading scorer for the Albiceleste. Also had the best goal celebration ever.
CF: Mario Kempes
‘El Matador’ was the star of Argentina’s first World Cup win in 1978 and set the mould for future generations of number nines like Batistuta and Hernan Crespo. A mere glimpse of his flowing locks must have sent defenders into a cold sweat; he was a voracious scorer, yet with his devoted teamwork and clever movement he offered so much more than other goal machines. Believed to be responsible for the invention of the term ‘man-crush’ in the late 70s.
Manager: César Luis Menotti
The great philosopher coach who masterminded Argentina’s 1978 World Cup win would work wonders with this set of players. Forget pragmatism, this team is all about poetry.
by Dan Colasimone
(This list was previously published over on Sabotage Times)
