It is a distinction between many distinctions but it is worth more than one distinction. In a year in which it decided not to award the Golden Ball due to the pandemic and long months of stopping in all competitions, the French publication France Football decided to open a vote to elect the Best Eleven in the history of football, placing among the options multiple generations to be with the best of the best. And, of course, there were a Portuguese name among the 11 chosen: Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Ballon d’Or Dream Team in one of @francefootball tomorrow in your kiosks and available digitally here: https://t.co/RrFtSRTYjW#BOdreamteam pic.twitter.com/5qUYulJSeJ
– France Football (@francefootball) December 14, 2020
The Juventus player, who won the Golden Ball five times at Manchester United (one) and Real Madrid (four), was elected the best striker ever playing from the left-most zone, where he was competing with Ronaldinho Gaucho, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Hristo Stoitchkov, Ryan Giggs, Thierry Henry, Rivaldo, Rivelino, Oleg Blokhine and Dragan Dzajic on a list that had been released in October.
The vote also had two more Portuguese, who were also winners of the Golden Ball: Eusebius, who competed for the position of best center forward with Ronaldo Phenomenon, Romario, Johan Cruyff, Gerd Müller, Marco Van Basten, Kenny Dalgish, George Weah, Dennis Bergkamp and Sandor Kocsis, and Luis Figo, who was on the list for best right forward in a 3x4x3 scheme with David Beckham, George Best, Samuel Eto’o, Garrincha, Jairzinho, Kevin Keegan, Stanley Matthews, Lionel Messi and Arjen Robben.
The final list for the Best Eleven in History for France Football was as follows:
- Goalkeeper: Lev Yachine (Russia), que ganhou a Gordan Banks, Gianluigi Buffon, Iker Casillas, Sepp Maier, Manuer Neuer, Thomas Nkono, Peter Schmeichel, Edwin van der Sar e Dino Zoff
The only goalkeeper crowned Ballon d’Or @francefootball elected as the last bastion of the best team in history https://t.co/uNGtiNA2n6
– France Football (@francefootball) December 14, 2020
- Right back: Cafu (Brazil), who won Giuseppe Bergomi, Carlos Alberto, Djalma Santos, Claudio Gentile, Manfred Kaltz, Philipp Lahm, Wim Suurbier, Lilian Thuram and Berti Vogts
Able to defend solidly but also to move forward and become a real attacker, Cafu has been a model in his post https://t.co/OTUGPswt6P
– France Football (@francefootball) December 14, 2020
- Central defender: Franz Beckenbauer (Germany), who won Franco Baresi, Fabio Cannavaro, Desailly, Ronald Koeman, Bobby Moore, Daniel Passarella, Mathias Sammer, Gaetano Scirea and Sergio Ramos
Double Ballon d’Or @francefootball, Franz Beckenbauer remained the Kaiser to be chosen as the central defender of the legendary eleven #BOdreamteamhttps://t.co/gf6Ur2XKwp
– France Football (@francefootball) December 14, 2020
- Left defender: Paolo Maldini (Italy), who won Andreas Brehme, Paul Breitner, Antonio Cabrini, Giacinto Facchetti, Junior, Ruud Krol, Marcelo, Nilton Santos and Roberto Carlos
AC Milan player from 17 to 41 years old, Paolo Maldini, it’s a certain idea of football that we hardly see anymore #BOdreamteamhttps://t.co/GXYmz95F9N
– France Football (@francefootball) December 14, 2020
- Defensive midfielders: Lothar Matthäus (Germany) and Xavi (Spain), who won Jozsef Bozsik, Sergio Busquets, Didi, Paulo Roberto Falcao, Steven Gerrard, Gerson, Pep Guardiola, Josef Masopust, Johan Neeskens, Andrea Pirlo, Fernando Redondo, Frank Rijkaard, Bernd Schuster, Clarence Seedorf, Luis Suarez, Marco Tardelli, Jean Tigana and Xabi Alonso
Ballon d’Or Dream Team: Xavi and Lothar Matthäus chosen in the middle https://t.co/8rrqDAF289
– France Football (@francefootball) December 14, 2020
???? (1/2) ???????? Lothar Matthäus is elected by our 140 journalists jury as best defensive midfielder of all time ! #BOdreamteam pic.twitter.com/F0d1LkYzUF
– France Football (@francefootball) December 14, 2020
- Offensive midfielders: Pelé (Brazil) and Maradona (Argentina), que ganharam a Roberto Baggio, Bobby Charlton, Alfredo Di Stéfano, Enzo Francescoli, Ruud Gullit, Gheorghe Hagi, Andrés Iniesta, Raymond Kopa, Laszlo Kubala, Alessandro Mazzola, Michel Platini, Ferenc Puskas, Gianni Rivera, Juan Alberto Schiaffino, Socrates, Francesco Totti, Zico and Zinédine Zidane
Ballon d’Or Dream Team: King Pelé and Diego Maradona elected in this legendary eleven https://t.co/DRCq9V4zGU
– France Football (@francefootball) December 14, 2020
???? (1/2) ???????? Diego Maradona is elected by our 140 journalists jury as best offensive midfielder of all time ! #BOdreamteam pic.twitter.com/Ei6cj9qIBe
– France Football (@francefootball) December 14, 2020
- Right winger / forward: Lionel Messi (Argentina), who won David Beckham, George Best, Samuel Eto’o, Luís Figo, Garrincha, Jairzinho, Kevin Keegan, Stanley Matthews and Arjen Robben
???? ???????? Lionel Messi is elected by our 140 journalists jury as best right forward of all time ! #BOdreamteam pic.twitter.com/8PjMkLUBmo
– France Football (@francefootball) December 14, 2020
- Left winger / forward: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), who won Ronaldinho Gaúcho, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Stoitchkov, Ryan Giggs, Thierry Henry, Rivaldo, Rivelino, Blokhine and Dragan Dzajic
Ballon d’Or Dream Team: Cristiano Ronaldo holder as left striker https://t.co/ESj67fJx1s
– France Football (@francefootball) December 14, 2020
- Center forward: Ronaldo Fenómeno (Brazil), who won Dennis Bergkamp, Johan Cruyff, Kenny Dalglish, Eusébio, Sandor Kocsis, Gerd Müller, Romário, Marco Van Basten and George Weah
???? ???????? Ronaldo is elected by our 140 journalists jury as best centre forward of all time ! #BOdreamteam pic.twitter.com/q87gszTM0M
– France Football (@francefootball) December 14, 2020
Francde Football revealed in parallel the second and third most voted teams in addition to the Best Eleven in History. Thus, they are part of the second best team Buffon, Carlos Alberto, Baresi, Roberto Carlos, Rijkaard, Pirlo, Zidane, Di Stéfano, Garrincha, Ronaldinho and Johan Cruyff, while in the third team are Neuer, Lahm, Sergio Ramos, Breitner, Neeskens, Didi, Platini, Iniesta, George Best, Henry and Van Basten.
The second team squad elected by our jury ! Which one do you prefer ?#BOdreamteam pic.twitter.com/UU4Ea5797T
– France Football (@francefootball) December 14, 2020
…and the third team squad of our best players of all time !#BOdreamteam pic.twitter.com/9wNUHEcdhy
– France Football (@francefootball) December 14, 2020
