New Adidas ads

The new Adidas ads are good -- the 1+10 idea is pretty cool. It got me thinking about the best footballers of all time. It got me thinking about the current crop of players in the world. I started looking at what makes a great footballer.

Ronaldo passed Muller for the most goals scored in World Cup Finals history, but if you look just two spots below, you find a much more impressive feet. Just Fontaine scored 13 goals in one World Cup tournament (only six games) that's more than 2 goals per game average. Ronaldo has appeared in 4 World Cup tournaments (only playing in the last three).

Zidane showed why he is widely regarded as the best footballer of the past decade in France's spanking of Spain this week. Spain should have done better, but as usual left the World shaking their heads. Will Spain ever lift The Cup? Zidane is one of the best footballers of all time. He is in an elite group with Pele and Maradona. Zidane has lifted every piece of silver a player could imagine and yet his career is still not quite over.

So, back to the original thought... 1+10. If I could pick my dream team, who would it be? Here's a start (keep in mind I'm considering the players in their prime):
- Reffing the game I would want Pierluigi Colina (gotta have the best).
- Gordon Banks has to be in goal (but I would want Oliver Kahn on back-up).
- Sweeping in the back would be the great Franz Beckenbauer.
- For the backs, Roberto Carlos, Paolo Maldini & Alfredo di Stefano (left-to-right).
- Running the midfield would be the Frenchmen, Zinedine Zidane & Michel Platini.
- On the outside of the central midfield, George Best & Diego Maradona (Garrincha & Bobby Charlton as subs).
- Would anyone argue against Pele up front?
- Alongside Pele I would want Just Fontaine (Ronaldo as a sub).

With a team like that, I could even coach to a visctory. There are so many great players I left out and who knows, maybe if conditions had been different this would be someone else's blog and my name would be on that list. Although I won't go down in any history books, I am the greatest footballer that never was.