There were a lot of top defenders around in the early noughties though, especially the Italians.
I remember the Juve/Milan Champions League final, was hardly a chance in the game.
Del Piero was a great player but wouldve been twice as good but for injuries.
Michael Owen, Totti, Henry, Bergkamp, Ruud, Raul were super forwards as well.
Throw in Rivaldo, Nedved, Figo
All of those players werenāt as good as their 2010 counterparts in my opinion.
Mbappe, Neymar, Suarez, Lewandowski are better players than Owen, Totti, Henry etc. They just coincided with an unfortunate era for them, due to the dominance of Messi and Ronaldo.
the very fact you mentioned Neymar in the same sentence as Henry is offensive, and Totti. Go way to fuck
Stam, Cannavaro, Nesta, Maldini, Ayala, Sol Campbell, Ferdinandā¦theyād all take very high rank at the back today
Ashley Cole, Carvalho, Zambrotta. Vieira, Pirlo in midfield
the best X1 at the 2006 tournament
Buffon
Zambrotta Cannavaro Thuram Lahm
Pirlo Vieira
Ronaldinho Zidane
Ronaldo (9) Henry
Trezeguet another great French striker from the early 00ās who rarely gets a mention but would have definitely started ahead of Giroud. The Dutch had a plethora of quality attackers back then a level above the likes of Gakpo and Depay in todays team. The likes of Kluivert, Bergkamp, Overmars, RVN etc. RVP and Robben arrived on the scene in the mid 00ās then.
Trezeguet was kind of in Henryās shadow, even though he probably was better for France.
I dont know what the fuck has happened to Dutch and Italian attacking talent compared to before.
Vieri, Inzaghi, Totti, Montella, Cassano, Del Piero, Baggio and Signori still knocking around as well
even Fernando Torres is a class above anything Spain have produced since, his career kind of tailed off but for a while he was unplayable
Inter had a ridiculous attacking roster there when they signed Robbie Keane.
R9, Vieri, Baggio, Zamorano, Recoba, Robbie and probably a few more!
Luca Toni would have been very prolific around 2006 too.
Torres in his prime was unbelievable. Lpool koed Arsenal in Europe there one year, Adeboyor missed a couple and Torres buried all his, that was that. He was a killer.
The past is a foreign countryā¦
David Villa was at the 2006 World Cup too. Raul and Morientes were a fearsome enough pairing in 2002. Although the general consensus is we should have beaten them that day it felt like they caused us awful bother early on. Would I be correct in saying Spain had 2 or 3 ruled out for offside?
yeah but Luca Toni was a cabbageā¦
Ireland were actually on top early doors and Spain scored against the run of play. Robbie megsed Puyol and almost scored a screamer and Duffer was causing havoc. Morientes scored from a long throw in to the box.
Morientes had a goal incorrectly disallowed before half time alright.
Zinedine Kilbane had one cleared off the line early in the second half then. Harte then had the penalty miss.
We actually battered the cunts on reflection
Niall Quinn caused Hierro absolute havoc when he came inā¦ they didnāt know what to do with him. Thereās a man would have some career if he was around now.
The big man up front is coming back into vogue. Everything always comes back into fashion.
Quinn wouldnāt ever have been as mobile as these new breeds but by God would he give it to the current centre halves in the physicality stakes. Him and Phillips was one of the best big man/small man combos iāve seen
Quinn had a beautiful touch on anything above knee height, anything on his knee or chest
He was deceptively skilful.
do you remember his goal against England in 91 I think. Let the ball come across his body and glanced it with the left. That was a beautiful goal.