Summary
Piers Morgan overlooked Messi while picking his greatest ever XI.
Morgan’s XI includes a former England international who won the World Cup.
Pele and Thierry Henry are among those who miss out.
Piers Morgan omitted Lionel Messi, an eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, from his list of football’s greatest players. The journalist-turned-television host is known to dislike the Argentine, having previously stated that he was not even among the greatest four players in the game’s history.
Morgan’s close friendship with Cristiano Ronaldo is well known, and the 60-year-old is never shy in praising the Portuguese at every opportunity. Unsurprisingly, the Real Madrid icon makes the roster, as does one of England’s 1966 World Cup-winning players.
Goalkeeper and Defenders
Gordon Banks, Cafu, Franco Baresi, Paolo Maldini, Roberto Carlos
Gordon Banks, who won the 1966 World Cup with Sir Alf Ramsey, has been given the role between the sticks. Even though he is the team’s oldest player, Pele believes the Englishman would still be among the greatest if he participated in today’s game.
Two Brazilian players flank the back four. Cafu was the iconic captain in his country’s 2002 World Cup victory, and he also had a storied career in Italy, playing for Roma and AC Milan. Meanwhile, Roberto Carlos was regarded as a fearsome defender due to his ability to hit a dead ball with such force that few could match.
Between them is the Italian combo of Franco Baresi and Paolo Maldini. As teammates, they helped establish an impenetrable backline for club and country, with the latter of the two in particular regarded as the greatest defender of all time due to his ability to play left-back as well as centrally later in his career.
Midfielders
Zinedine Zidane, Lothar Matthaus, Ronaldinho
The midfield is difficult to argue with, as Morgan prefers Lothar Matthaus to sit at the base of the midfield to shield the defence. The German is the first of three Ballon d’Or winners in the engine room, having made 150 appearances for Germany during a career that included winning the World Cup and European Championship.
Zinedine Zidane, probably the greatest midfielder in history, plays alongside him. While the Frenchman is better known for his offensive abilities, his tenacity and nastiness, which have been on full display, make him the ideal bridge between Matthaus and the careless third man.
Morgan has chosen Ronaldinho as the final member of the midfield trio, despite the fact that he was more of a winger during his peak. The Brazilian was as entertaining as they came back then, often playing with a smile on his face and making defenders quake in their boots.
Attackers
Diego Maradona, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldo Nazario
Even without Messi or Pele in the front three, this is an onslaught no defence wants to face. Diego Maradona, the heir to King Pele’s throne, was as naturally gifted with the ball at his feet as anybody else, and he would undoubtedly have won multiple Ballon d’Ors if he had been eligible.
If Maradona was moved to the right, Cristiano Ronaldo would likely take up the position on the left. Although he is the greatest goalscorer in the game, the Portuguese’s best years were spent on the flanks, while attackers like Wayne Rooney at Manchester United and Karim Benzema at Real Madrid sacrificed their skills to allow the five-time Golden Ball winner to thrive.
Ronaldo Nazario, his namesake, comes in last place on the list. Many believe that the Brazilian may have been the best if he had the fitness and, possibly, professionalism of the man who came after him. Nazario was endowed with speed and terrifying power, making him unstoppable when in full force.
xz
