Total Members Voted: 19
Voting closed: July 10, 2019, 01:39:55 pm
Georgi Naydenov - Bulgarian - GoalkeeperPlaying Career: 1949 - 1967Career Stats1949–1950 Cherv. Zname - Apps 10 Goals (0); 1950–1954 Spartak Sofia - Apps 84 Goals (0); 1955–1965 CSKA Sofia - Apps 176 Goals (0); 1966–1967 Spartak Sofia - Apps 28 Goals (0)1955 - 1966 Hungarian National Team - 51 Caps - 0 GoalsHonours:CSKA SofiaBulgarian League: 8 times - 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962Bulgarian Cup: 3 times - 1955, 1961, 1965Hungarian National TeamOlympics: Bronze Medal - 1956Considered to be the greatest Bulgarian Keeper of All Time. Won the inaugural Bulgarian Footballer of the Year in 1961 and was part of a CSKA Sofia side that one the Bulgarian league a record 9 consecutive times - with Naydenov part of 8 of them. He helped Bulgaria to feature in their first World Cup in 1962, following that up with another qualification 4 years later in 1966. Unfortunately they failed to progress through the group stage in either year, which wasn't helped by their tough groups. These qualifications were however ground-breaking for the Bulgarian side and paved the way for future qualifications in 1970 and 1974, qualifying for four successive World Cups, a feat they've not repeated since.He was known for his hard-work, determination and leadership on and off the pitch. This showed even after his career when he was involved in a passionate argument with the Bulgarian Interior Minister over the merging of Levski Sofia and Spartak Sofia. He died shortly after this incident at the age of 39, 3 years after his retirement, at his home in Damascus, Syria where he'd recently moved. Although officially put down as a heart attack it is widely-believed he was poisoned.Razvan Rat - Romanian - Left BackPlaying Career: 1998 - 2018Career Stats (Years, Club, Games, Goals)1998–2003 Rapid București 82 (4); 2000–2001 FCM Bacău (loan) 39 (2); 2003–2013 Shakhtar Donetsk 300 (10); 2013–2014 West Ham United 20 (0); 2014–2015 PAOK 41 (3); 2015–2018 Rayo Vallecano 36 (0); 2018 Poli Timișoara 10 (0)2002 - 2016 Hungarian National Team - 113 Caps - 2 GoalsHonours:Rapid BucureștiRomanian Cup: 2001–02Romanian Super Cup: 2002–03Shakhtar DonetskUkrainian Premier League: 2004-05, 2005–06, 2007–08, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13Ukrainian Cup: 2003–04, 2007–08, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13Ukrainian Super Cup: 2005, 2008, 2010UEFA Cup: 2008–09The Fourth All time Appearance holder for Romanian, and highest in the 21st Century. Razvan Rat is consider to be on the best defenders ever produced by Romania, and potentially their best ever left back. He played 113 times for his country captaining them for 6 years from 2011 onwards. He's most well known for being one of the stars of the Shakthar Donestk side has grown to dominate Ukrainian football in recent years, culminating in their best achievement when they won the UEFA Cup in 2008-09 in a season that included wins over Barcelona (who went on to win the European Cup), Basel, Tottenham, CSKA Moscow, Marseille and Werder Bremen. In achieving this, they became the first Ukrainian side to win one of Europe's top two competitions. During Razvan's time at Shakhtar they also found success against Arsenal, Chelsea, Roma, Schalke and Celtic in what was their most successful era.Razvan's ability to find a pinpoint long ball and cross from deep to create chances allowed him to play a key role in the Shakhtar side. He was notably hard to beat on the ground or through the air as he was extremely skilled in winning aerial duals and standing up crosses preventing the ball coming in. When he won the ball back he could quickly switch the play and launch counter attacks. Whilst Srna on the other flank bombed forward more, often with the help of Razvan switching the play, Rat would sit deeper providing defensive support on the left side adding to Shakhtar's defensive solidity. This deeper position was enabled by his ability to find the feet, chest or head of the skilled attackers in his side so he could still contribute effectively to the attack.Igor Tudor - Croatian - Left Centre BackPlaying Career: 1995 - 2008Career Stats (Years, Club, Games, Goals)1995–1998 Hajduk Split 66 (6); 1996 Trogir (loan) 5 (1); 1998–2007 Juventus 174 (21); 2005–2006 Siena (loan) 39 (2); 2007–2008 Hajduk Split 8 (1)1997-2006 Croatian National team - 55 Caps - 3 GoalsHonours:JuventusSerie A: 2001–02, 2002–03Supercoppa Italiana: 2002, 2003Serie B: 2006–07UEFA Intertoto Cup: 1999Coppa Italia runner-up: 2001–02, 2003–04UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2002–03Croatian National TeamFIFA World Cup third place: 1998Igor Tudor had a career blighted by injury and ended up retiring aged 30. But when he could play he was a beast. Rock solid defensively and with a knack of headed goals too. Tudor first came into the national team at a young age helping them qualify for the 1998 World Cup where they reached the Semi finals and cane 3rd. He later helped them qualify for two further World Cups, although injury prevented his appearance in one of them. At a club level he shined at the back for Juventus as the redeveloped from their near-misses in the 90s. He helped them to an Intertoto Cup win in 1999, before back to back Serie A titles and a Champions League Final loss on penalties, where Tudor helped Juventus keep a clean sheet against AC Milan for 120 minutes. His success at Juventus helped him win Croatian Footballer of the Year in 2001.Tudor’s strength and hard work gave him great foundations to cope against any kind of attacking line. His ability on the ball allowed him to play in defensive midfield when needed for club and country, partnered with his tactical awareness that allowed him to read the game excellently so he can position himself to break up play early. He was particularly strong and preventing aerial threats as his size and strength allowed him to win aerial duals against anybody. Altogether his attributes allowed him to play a duel role sweeping in behind when needed, or acting as the stopper if an attack was directed at him. Such was his ability, he played a key role in a defence that consistently had the best defensive record in Serie A during some of the league’s best years even bettering Milan’s Maldini and Nesta led defensive line for several consecutive years when they were at their peak.Bülent Korkmaz - Turkish - Right Centre BackPlaying Career: 1986 - 2005Career Stats (Years, Club, Games, Goals)1986–2005 Galatasaray 610 (20)1990 - 2005 Turkish National Team - 102 Caps - 3 GoalsHonours:Süper Lig (8 ): 1987–88, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2001–02Türkiye Kupasi (6): 1990–91, 1992–93, 1995–96, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2004–05TFF Süper Kupa (5): 1988, 1991, 1993, 1996, 1997Chancellor Cup (2): 1990, 1995TSYD Cup (6): 1987–88, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–2000UEFA Cup (1): 1999–2000UEFA Super Cup (1): 2000Galatasaray’s all time record appearance holder. A one club man. The third most caps of anyone for Turkey, (2nd most of an outfielder and most of a defender) and was the first to reach 100 caps for the country. One of only 13 people to have played over 100 European club games. He captained Galatasaray during their most successful period when they one a record 4 consecutive league titles in Turkey and an unprecedented quadruple including the UEFA Cup, becoming the only Turkish side ever to win a major European trophy, against Arsenal in the final and then went on to beat Real Madrid on the UEFA Super Cup. He followed his club success with the best ever World Cup for Turkey where they made the semi-finals, eventually coming 3rd, only knocked out by a single goal by Ronaldo at his peakAs a player, Korkmaz was known as a fearless leader earning the nicknames Büyük Kaptan and Cengaver, or the Warrior and the Great Captain. He demonstrated this most in the UEFA Cup final v Arsenal when with his side down to 10 men, as Hagi was sent off, he dislocated his shoulder but refused to go off, having it popped back in and strapped up carrying on playing, going on to lift the trophy. He was a no-nonsense defender with masterfully timed tackling. His tactical nous showed in his later years including a masterful display against Liverpool in 2002 at Anfield where he kept a peak Michael Owen quiet in a 0-0 draw in the 17th year of his career. The Turkish Maldini was the perfect player to partner Tudor in my defence and would serve as captain.Elseid Hysaj - Albanian - Right BackPlaying Career: 2011 - NowCareer Stats (Years, Club, Games, Goals)2011–2015 Empoli 109 (1); 2015–2019 Napoli 173 (0)2013 - Now - Albanian National Team - 37 Caps - 0 GoalsHonours: NapoliSerie A runner-up: 2015–16, 2017–18, 2018-19Hysaj made a great start to his career helping Empoli get promoted and survive in Serie A. His performances earned him a move to Napoli for the second highest fee ever for an Albanian. He became a first choice in his first season under Sarri beating out Italian international Maggio. He kept his place as Napoli went strength to strength breaking the 80 point barrier got the first time in two decades and then breaking the 90 point barrier pushing Juventus very close to the title. During these seasons his performances saw him selected in the Serie A Young Team of the Year. He had relative success with the Albanian National side, reaching Euro 2016, becoming there youngest ever Captain and was nominated for the best young player of the tournament.His playing style is defined by great balance of attacking and defensive quality with exceptional transition play. His quick feet and sharp short passing allow him to play his way out from the back, using turn of pace and one-twos with centre-mids to shift momentum and either build possession or launch quick counters. His dribbling and complete two footed play have allowed him to excel on either flank, and allow him to trouble defenders who find it hard to judge which way he’ll go with his agile movement.Granit Xhaka - Swiss / Albanian Heritage - Defensive MidfielderPlaying Career: 2010 - NowCareer Stats (Years, Club, Games, Goals)2010–2012 Basel 61 (2); 2012–2016 Borussia Mönchengladbach 140 (9); 2016–2019 Arsenal 134 (11)2011 - Now - Swiss National Team - 70 Caps - 10 GoalsHonours:BaselSwiss Super League: 2010–11, 2011–12Swiss Cup: 2011–12ArsenalFA Cup: 2016–17FA Community Shield: 2017EFL Cup runner-up: 2017–18UEFA Europa League runner-up: 2018–19Switzerland U17FIFA U-17 World Cup: 2009Granit Xhaka has always shown huge promise and ability, that he has become to fulfill as a leader in the Arsenal and Switzerland midfield. The son of a Albanian political prisoner who fled the area, Xhaka grew up in Basel. Under difficult circumstances growing up, he soon showed excellent ability on the football pitch and became one of the stars of an excellent generation of Swiss players, many of whom shared a similar background to Xhaka. This was displayed on the world stage at the U17 World Cup in 2009, where Xhaka was pivotal in leading the Swiss side to victory winning 7 straight game including a few impressive performances against a Brazil side featuring Neymar, Coutinho and Alisson and a Germany side featuring many of the young stars who'd help Germany to the World Cup win 5 years later. His young promise continued with a Swiss Young Player of the Year win in 2012 as he impressed for Basel, leading to a move to Monchengladbach. Standout performances there led to him becoming captain before a £35 million move to Arsenal. His performances continued to impress, as he added much needed steel to the Arsenal midfield, earning him Swiss Player of the Year in 2017.Xhaka's strength and physicality allow him to bully smaller attacking midfielders winning aerial duels with ease and rarely being dribbled past with any level of control. Anyone who does go past him, won't get far as he is an expert and breaking up play with well timed fouls when needed to maintain control over the flow of the game. His place in the Arsenal midfield is crucial to their style of building possession and working slowly towards opportunities where necessary, but he is flexible enough to play the low block against high quality sides when required. His fierce long shots make him a threat from deep positions too, drawing defenders out which also allows him to find spaces with his excellent passing in behind defences either directly or through quick passing into attacking midfielders for them to exploit.Sergej Milinkovic-Savic - Serbian - Left Centre-MidfielderPlaying Career: 2010 - NowCareer Stats (Years, Club, Games, Goals)2013–2014 Vojvodina 13 (3); 2014–2015 Genk 24 (5); 2015–2019 Lazio 163 (31)2017 - Now - Serbian National Team - 12 Caps - 0 GoalsHonours:VojvodinaSerbian Cup: 2013–14LazioCoppa Italia: 2018–19Supercoppa Italiana: 2017Serbia Youth TeamUEFA European Under-19 Championship: 2013FIFA U-20 World Cup: 2015Whilst it is still early in his career, Milinkovic-Savic has established himself as the complete midfielder. His height and physicality mixed with his technique and ball control allow him to excel in both the defensive and attacking aspects of the midfield role in occupies. These attributes were clear from a young age at both a club and international level, and after standout performances for Genk and at the FIFA U20 World Cup for Serbia, Sergej earned himself a move to Lazio, where he has continued to go from strength to strength. This has been recognised with individual accolades as in successive season's he has landed himself in the Serie A Team of the Year, whilst this past season he was crowned Serie A's Best Midfielder. This attention has seen him linked with high profile moves to most top teams in Europe for a transfer of well over £100 million.His tactical discipline and technical ability have allowed him to succeed in both attacking and defensive midfield roles. In 2017-18 when he was left to roam further forward in scored 14 goals in a very prolific season. This last year, he was brought back into a more disciplined defensive role and again he excelled winning midfielder of the season, but with less attacking output and more control over the game, shutting down opponents early and dictating the tempo from there. His strength is key in his ability to win duels with opponents, before creating chances for fast wingers/wing backs or holding the play/slowing the tempo to bring more support in the game, allowing his side to progress further up the pitch through his dribbling and holding ability. Luka Modric - Croatian - Right Centre-MidfielderPlaying Career: 2003 - NowCareer Stats (Years, Club, Games, Goals)2003–2004 Zrinjski Mostar 22 (8 ); 2004–2005 Inter Zaprešić 18 (4); 2005–2008 Dinamo Zagreb 128 (32); 2008–2012 Tottenham Hotspur 159 (17); 2012–2019 Real Madrid 303 (17)2006 - Now - Croatian National Team - 122 Caps - 14 GoalsHonours:Dinamo ZagrebCroatian First League: 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08Croatian Cup: 2006–07, 2007–08Croatian Super Cup: 2006Real MadridLa Liga: 2016–17Copa del Rey: 2013–14Supercopa de España: 2012, 2017UEFA Champions League: 2013–14, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18UEFA Super Cup: 2014, 2016, 2017FIFA Club World Cup: 2016, 2017, 2018CroatiaFIFA World Cup runner-up: 2018IndividualBallon d'Or: 2018UEFA Midfielder of the Season: 2016–17, 2017–18FIFA FIFPro World XI: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018FIFA World Cup Golden Ball: 2018Luka Modric has been a key player for every team he has ever played for. This has allowed him to progress through the tiers of the footballing world to Real Madrid where he still remains one of the stars of the team. He is probably the greatest ever player from Croatia (as suggested by his closest rival for the title, Davor Suker) and even the Balkans (as suggested by Predrag Mijatovic), as one of the best midfielders of all time. After establishing himself in the Dinamo Zagreb side and winning a few titles, he earned himself a move to Spurs who played a club record fee. He become Tottenham's star player as they transformed into a team that could challenge the top 4, and was player of the season as they qualified for the European Cup for the first time in over 50 years. He soon got his much wanted move to Real Madrid where he has starred in 4 European Cup wins in 7 years. He's also been key to the best era of Croatian football ever as he captained them to the World Cup Final, the only Balkans side to ever reach that stage. Despite losing the final he earned player of the tournament and went on to be crown the Ballon d'Or in 2018, as the best player in the World. This success hadn't been a one off as he was continuously in the European Team of the Year for the past decade, often winning the best Midfielder in Europe, but the international stage had earned him the recognition he deserved as he became the only Croatian ever to win World Player of the Year and the first Balkan's player in 25 years. He has had incredible longevity too, ranking 2nd in Croatia's all time appearances.The silky style of play that has been so successful for Modric is defined by his agility on the ball, his incredible ball control, allowing for quick passing and dribbling that leaves defenders running in circles. He is a master of tempo control and the second-assist as he carves open defences to allow on-running wingers to slide the ball across to a striker with an open net. He tends to position himself between the edge of the centre circle and the edge of the D in the box, moving sides from side to side, whilst also having a devastating threat from long range shots. Not satisfied by just being a brilliant attacking / possession player, Modric is also fantastic at tackling and intercepting the ball due to his ability to read the game. The completeness of his midfield play was emphasised by his statistics for Spurs in the Premier League where he ranked as the best midfielder in per game assists, key passes, dribbles, passes, interceptions and tackles in his best season. He has all the skills to dominate any game, allowing any side he is in to dictate the pace and rhythm of a match.Mario Mandzukic - Croatian - Left WingerPlaying Career: 2004 - NowCareer Stats (Years, Club, Games, Goals)2004–2005 Marsonia 23 (14); 2005–2007 NK Zagreb 57 (17); 2007–2010 Dinamo Zagreb 128 (63); 2010–2012 VfL Wolfsburg 56 (20); 2012–2014 Bayern Munich 88 (48); 2014–2015 Atlético Madrid 43 (20); 2015–2019 Juventus 162 (44)2007 - 2018 - Croatian National Team - 89 Caps - 33 GoalsHonours:Dinamo ZagrebPrva HNL: 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10Croatian Football Cup: 2007–08, 2008–09Bayern MunichBundesliga: 2012–13, 2013–14DFB-Pokal: 2012–13, 2013–14DFL-Supercup: 2012UEFA Champions League: 2012–13UEFA Super Cup: 2013FIFA Club World Cup: 2013Atlético MadridSupercopa de España: 2014JuventusSerie A: 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19Coppa Italia : 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18Supercoppa Italiana: 2015CroatiaFIFA World Cup runner-up: 2018Croatia's 2nd All Time Top Scorer behind Suker, Mario Mandzukic is a player who has excelled all over Europe, in three of the top five leagues winning 6 titles in 7 seasons, and a European Cup as well as two years as runner ups including one where he scored one of the best goals in European Cup final history, all of which landed him two Croatian Players of the Year. He's also been crucial to Croatia's recent international success, as he was top Scorer in Euro 2012 and scored the goal that sent Croatia to their first World Cup final, knocking out England in the process, before scoring another in the final becoming one of only 5 players to achieve the feat of scoring in a World Cup and European Cup Final alongside Puskas, Gerd Muller and Zidane.Mandzukic's physicality and aerial ability makes him an absolute handful for defenders, as he has the strength to bring the ball down and hold it up to bring other's into the game, or the vision to flick on a header to on-running fast paced attackers in behind defences. His energy levels are amongst the best in the world as he continuously shuts down defenders, often winning the ball back in great positions, and if he doesn't he'll certainly be back pulling his weight defensively. His lay off play has been crucial to the success of Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich and Juventus over the past decade, as has his versatility. He often plays through the middle as a traditional target man or can play as a wide target man on the left, dangerously bringing the ball down, turning and facing before beating the defender on either side. He has an eye for a spectacular goal but can just as well slide through a key pass.Josip Skoblar - Yugoslavian - Right ForwardPlaying Career: 1958 - 1977Career Stats (Years, Club, Games, Goals)1958–1959 Zadar - Unknown; 1959–1966 OFK Belgrade 162 (63); 1966–1970 Hannover 96 - 57 (30); 1966–1967 Marseille (loan) 19 (17); 1969–1975 Marseille 159 (138); 1974–1977 Rijeka 37 (11)1961-1967 - FR Yugoslavian National Team - 32 Caps - 11 GoalsHonours:OFK BeogradYugoslav Cup: 1962, 1966MarseilleDivision 1: 1970–71, 1971–72Coupe de France: 1972Trophée des Champions: 1971YugoslaviaFIFA World Cup 1962: 4th PlaceIndividualEuropean Golden Shoe: 1970–71In his day, Skoblar was one of the most prolific and trickiest strikers in Europe. He won the 1971 European Golden Shoe in a season where set the record for most goals in a Ligue 1 season with 44 goals in 29 games, a record that still stands. He went on to be the French League Top Scorer in three successive seasons, and one player of the season in two of them, helping Marseille to back to back titles for the first time in their history as well as their first League and Cup double. He was recently voted in Marseille's best XI ever and is still their 3rd all time top scorer, just behind Papin but with a far better goals per game ratio as he scored 155 goals in 178 games for the club. He had his best year for the club in 1971 when he came 5th in the Ballon d'Or votes joint with Gerd Muller and just behind Cryuff, Beckenbauer and George Best. He also had international success helping Yugoslavia to their best ever World Cup in 1962 when they knocked out West Germany before reaching the Semi Finals. His international career was however short-lived as he didn't play again once he headed abroad for his career in 1967.He was a versatile player, able to play any of the forward positions. His pace terrified defences, as when combined with his quick feet whilst dribbling and finishing he would often have defenders on the back foot retreating before tearing past them. He was known for his headed goals as he had a gift for timing his arrival late into the penalty box before defenders could pick up on his movement, finding himself unmarked and able to power headers past unsuspecting keepers. Just Fontaine claimed he was the only striker he'd seen in France who was able to finish in any way, and often the only way that it was possible to score a goal, whether he needed to score with the inside or outside of either boot, or with his head, he knew exactly how to finish and would undoubtedly do just what was needed.Stjepan Bobek - Yugoslavian - Centre ForwardPlaying Career: 1942 - 1959Career Stats (Years, Club, Games, Goals)1942 Admira Wacker 8 (7); 1944–1945 Građanski Zagreb 15 (13); 1945–1959 Partizan 478 (425)1946 - 1956 - FR Yugoslavian National Team - 63 Caps - 38 GoalsHonours:FK PartizanYugoslav First League (2): 1946–47, 1948–49Yugoslav Cup (4): 1947, 1952, 1954, 1957YugoslaviaOlympic Silver Medal (2): 1948, 1952Yugoslavia's all-time top scorer with 38 goals, Stjepan Bobek was a very special player. Voted as Partizan's greatest ever player he scored practically a goal a game for over 500 games for the club and remains their all time top scorer. He played at 2 World Cups and 2 Olympics for Yugoslavia, captaining them in his later years including to a draw with Brazil and two silver medals at Olympics, including one where he scored in every round knocking out a Great Britain side from their own Olympics and another where they were only bested by a Puskas goal. He still holds the World Record for most goals in a competitive game by one player, when he scored 9 against Nis in a Yugoslav League game, and was unfortunate not to win the first European Cup after they lost 4-3 to eventual champions Real Madrid, despite beating them 3-0 in Serbia.Puskas hailed Bobek as one of the great Artist's of the game, and said he often tried and failed to copy his incredible skills and dribbling ability. A centre-forward or left inside centre his whole career, Bobek was renowned for his goalscoring ability matched with his incredible vision and technique that allowed him not only to be the greatest goalscorer in Yugoslavian history but to support other top goal scorers as well through his set up play. It is no wonder that during his time at Partizan, not only did he become their all time top scorer, but he assisted many of the goals for his striking partner Marko Valok who is their second all-time top scorer. This ability to both score and assist at apparent will, was down to his amazing ability to manipulate the ball any which way, opening up space for others or turning defenders leaving them for dead. He didn't need a second chance to score and could pounce on any throughball to undoubtedly stick it in the net.
Everyone should be able to figure how this team will go about their business, but i feel the back 3 may not get the love they could do with, so just some titbits on the three of them....'The innovator' Alexandru ApolzanIt was the Romanian Apolzan who invented the libero role while at Steaua Bucureşti , however, Apolzan played during the darkest period in the history of Romania, when the connections with the outside world were almost cut completely.He was a complete player being able to play in all defensive positions and even started out his career as a forward. He had an impecable aerial game(was nickanmed Apollozan in reference to the greek sun god) , had a strong and accurate shot with both feet and possessed imbecable technique and elegance in both offensive and defensive play , never showing struggle. He was also an icredibly fast player , as his former team mate Ilie Savu recalls , he raced with multiple Balkan Champion at the 100 meter dash , Ion Moina and was beaten only at the last steps. He was clocked at 11 seconds over 100 meters with the heavy football boots.Hungarian coach Gusztáv Sebes, builder of the great Hungarian team from the first half of the 1950s - the Magical Magyars, said in 1954, after the 1954 FIFA World Cup that Apolzan, Ion Voinescu and Titus Ozon are at the same level as his own Hungarian players and that he would be proud to be able to coach them.'The collosus of Rhodes' Traianos DellasEuro 2004 winning defensive rock of Greece. Rehhagel considered him essential to Greece's defensive strategy and was determined to build his cup winning tactic around him. In one team talk he called him "Colossus of Rhodes", in reference to the famous statue of the god Helios which once guarded the entrance to the harbour at Rhodes. "That's how you should be," said the German coach. "Opponents should know they cannot get past you." In another speech, he labelled Dellas "a lighthouse", because "you are the last player – you look out for your team-mates like a lighthouse looks out for ships at sea".'The Bulgarian Baresi' Petar HubchevFormer Levski Sofia, and bundesliga stalwart with teams Hamburger and Frankfurt. Defensive leader of the Bulgarian team that shocked the world and got to the semi finals of the world cup at USA 94. Dubbed 'The Bulgarian Baresi' by famed commentator George Hamilton, his showing at the tournament was met with universal acclaim to the point where he was awarded the tournaments defensive MVP.
Franjo GlaserHaving an earth shattering penalty record of preventing/saving 73 of 94 penalties faced, he has one of the best penalty save percentages ever. He is a serious contender for All-Time Yugoslavian XI. He was tall and had plenty of agility with reflexes and command of the area, he is one of Yugoslavia's greatest goalkeepers ever and he is one of their greatest players of his era. He is the only Yugoslavian to win his national league, pre and post war. Not a lot of footage of him, but you can clearly see how good his reflexes were and his command of the area here. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/zVgDgiel-fQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/zVgDgiel-fQ</a>Darijo SrnaSrna is one of the best Right Backs of his generation in the world. It is very rare to see someone being extremely loyal for a club outside of his home country, but he was with Shakhtar for 15 years. He is the most capped player in the history of Shakhtar Donetsk, one of their biggest legends and he was a legend for Croatia as well. He won 5 League titles, won the UEFA Cup and also captained Croatia. He was Man of the Match in the UEFA Cup Final which they won. He is also the most capped player of all-time for Croatia with 130 caps, it clearly shows his quality and reliability for both club and country over long periods. He represented Croatia in 2 World Cups and 4 Euros. He had plenty of offers from top clubs including Bayern Munich which he declined out of loyalty to Shakhtar. Quite a rare breed indeed! He was rock solid in defense and also delivered tasty crosses when bombing up and down the field. He made the UCL Team of the Season once, and he delivered the Top assists in UCL in another season. He also made the Europa League Team of the Season as well once.Here is a clip of Srna's crossing and long passing from the right side. He also scored quite a few free-kicks as well.<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/G1kcaomgKHc" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/G1kcaomgKHc</a>Dario SimicTall, strong in the air and in duels, he is the hard tackling CB partner in the side. He was also a versatile player, who could play CB, FB and WB positions to a good effect, having the required tactical nous to achieve success in those positions. Having won 100 caps, he was Croatia's mainstay in 6 major tournaments (3 Euros and 3 World Cups). He played for Dinamo Zagreb (his local team) and for the likes of Inter, AC Milan and Monaco. He's crucially known for his contributions to AC Milan with 12 appearances during their Champions League title win in 2003. He also won a Serie A and another CL trophy, and has 5 Croatian National League titles as well. He is also known for his contributions to Croatia's run in World Cup 1998 where they finished 3rd.<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/C4eODSW30c8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/C4eODSW30c8</a>Josip KatalinskiHe is regarded as one of the greatest players ever from the Bosnian region. He is a strong contender for the best CB from former Yugoslavian region along with Vasovic and Vidic. He is the more ball-playing CB in the side. He famously helped Yugoslavia achieve World Cup qualification by scoring the only goal of the game against Spain in 1974. He is known to score a number of goals despite being a defender. He won the Yugoslavian League title and also played in France for Nice. Branko ZebecHe is one of the best players to have ever come from the Balkan region. He was extremely quick and he was strong as well and these qualities allowed him to play any of LW, LWB, LB and he was capable of playing any outfield position with top quality. He also played midfield and central defense at various stages of his career. He shone in World Cups for Yugoslavia and he captained them. He also finished Runner-up once in UEFA Euro Championships. His reading of the game reflected in his managerial skills, he won the Bundesliga twice as manager, once with Bayern Munich and again with Hamburg. Zlatko CajkovskiHe is one of the best DMs/CMs to have come out of Yugoslavia and is considered one of the best players overall from Yugoslavia as well. He had a great presence in the middle of the park with exceptional marking ability, and he was also a technical player with good passing ability. He won the Yugoslavian League twice for Partizan Belgrade and he also played in German for FC Koln. His understanding of the game is demonstrated by the fact that he won the German League with Koln as a manager, and also won DFB-Pokal trophies as manager of Bayern Munich.Lorik CanaBrought up from the PSG academy, Lorik Cana is Albania's best player and has the most caps for Albania, that is 92. He has played in the French, English, Italian and Turkish top flights, and he most notably played for PSG and Marseille. He was a versatile player, capable of playing DM/CM or CB. He was the captain of Marseille and is also known for his leadership skills. Marseille were Ligue 1 Runners-up twice with him being an important player. He also won the Coppa Italia with Lazio. Cana was named Honorary Ambassador of Kosovo and is the Grassroots ambassador for children's football in Albania.<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/MwiJw-8qEd0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/MwiJw-8qEd0</a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/dmeNnQgMuRE" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/dmeNnQgMuRE</a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/NHSnxNF8ry4" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/NHSnxNF8ry4</a>Nicolae DobrinOne of the greatest Romanian players ever, and one of the greatest playmakers from the Balkan region, Dobrin was an exceptional dribbler and a great creator. His home club has its stadium named after him in memory of the great player. He was such a great representative of Romanian football, as in being among their greatest players, that the Romanian footballer of the Year award has been renamed as the 'Nicolae Dobrin Trophy', and he himself won it three times. In fact, he was the 1st ever winner as well. Real Madrid wanted to sign him, but Romania did not allow him to leave the country. I knew this player before, but I learnt more about him because of this draft. Wow, Dobrin. This video is a must watch. Football is art. And heavy-metal. Control, counter-pressing, you name it!<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/0PgXVPINdrE" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/0PgXVPINdrE</a>Bernard VukasBernard Vukas was voted in 2000 as the greatest Croatian Player of All-Time by Croatian Football Federation and was voted the best Croatian athlete of 20th century. Needless to say that he was one of the best attacking players produced in the Balkan region. He had extraordinary dribbling ability and could play Left Wing or Attacking midfielder, which makes him perfect for the position I have him in, where he can drift wide or come through the middle as he has the freedom to do either. He won 3 Yugoslavian League Titles, and his Hajduk Split team won the league unbeaten, and the record is yet to be broken. Vukas, along with Branko Zebec, Vladimir Beara and Zlatko Cajkovski, played for FIFA's 'Rest of the World' team against England at Wembley (those were 4 of the greatest Yugoslavian players and 3 of them are in my lineup ). He played in 2 World Cups and won two Olympic Silver medals. He scored 300 times in his club career and is Hajduk Split's All-Time Top Scorer. He scored 22 goals in 59 games for Yugoslavia, his scoring record is very high for someone who is not a striker. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/frEfXgeskyk" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/frEfXgeskyk</a>Georgi AsparuhovGeorgi Asparuhov is considered to be the greatest Bulgarian footballer of all time and is placed 40th on the list of all-time best footballers by FIFA. He was a complete forward with good fnishing, technique and heading ability. He was voted the best Bulgarian footballer of the 20th century, ahead of Hristo Stoichkov. For overseas followers Stoichkov was the hero, but within Bulgaria, the media and fans seemed to hold Asparuhov in the same category, if not higher. He won the Bulgarian League thrice, and also appeared in 3 World Cups. Levski Sofia's stadium is fondly named in his honour as the 'Georgi Asparuhov Stadium'. Looking at this video, how good is his hold-up play and bringing other attackers into play? Brilliant.<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/Vrkm6XZY7Aw" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/Vrkm6XZY7Aw</a>Zlatan IbrahimovicA genuine great of the modern game, he was one of the Top 3 footballers in the world during his peak. He always had it in him to bring something special, something unpredictable and that got him to stand apart from all the other strikers of his generation. He had everything in his locker, from touch, control, audacity, aerial strength to power and accuracy in his shots. He is currently the third-most decorated active footballer in the world, having won 31 trophies in his career. He is Sweden's All-Time top scorer with 62 goals and has won the Swedish player of the year a record 11 times. He played in 2 World Cups and 4 Euros. He won 4 Serie-A titles with Inter and AC Milan, and 4 Ligue 1 titles with PSG. He made the UEFA Team of the Year 4 times, UEFA Euro Team of the Tournament once, Serie-A Footballer of the Year 3 times and Ligue 1 Player of the Year 3 times. He scored 50 goals in all competitions in 2015-16. He is the only player to score in the UEFA Champions League with six teams: Ajax, Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona, A.C. Milan and Paris Saint-Germain.Crazy player, who was crazy good! He could do things with the football that most others couldn't begin to imagine.<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/ln35qLphK4I" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/ln35qLphK4I</a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/4faVkCbNRG8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/4faVkCbNRG8</a>TacticsIt is a balanced 4-2-2-2 of 4 defenders with Full-Backs wandering forward only when necessary, 2 DMs/CMs, 2 AMs who have freedom to drift wide or play through middle and 2 Strikers with the complete set of players able to cover the entire blade of the pitch. Plenty of leaders in the side such as Simic, Srna, Zebec, Cana and Ibrahimovic add to the team's strength. It's a complementary CB partnership with one hard tackling CB and another ball playing cultured CB. Both FBs were adept at defense, and also had very good running and crossing abilities. The midfield has two players capable of anchoring and circulating the ball. The attacking midfielders were fantastic dribblers and passers, they could cut-in when the FBs overlap and play through balls or they could play crosses themselves. Ibrahimovic and Asparuhov were both forwards who brought others into play, so they could combine to devastating effect. Ibrahimovic, Dobrin and Srna were adept at free-kicks.
That first fixture is a great tie! Modric-Skoblar—Bobek are three of the best talents in the whole draft... but really like how Lawnmowerman has built that 352 (two ideal wingbacks too!) Weldone gents.
Interesting match up indeed. Good to see the non-regulars drifting into these parts of the forum
Sabotaging me Defacto, fer crysakes!
This is an ex-drafting legend you're talking to Nicholls gave us the first ever Domino draft too.
Ah crap, my mistake, I'll fix it.
Ah, way before my time
Crosby Nick never fails.
Got the PM thanks. Who should I vote for in the other game?
Tighter than a duck's arse these matches.
No need to draw me into this fracus Foregone -I'll have you know my arse is my bidnezQuack you later
Had that pic just lying around eh
You never know when a Duck's Arse could be useful in a Balkan Draft.
Wonder who the Shelley Levene is of this draft? (Me probably the way things are going)
you are the Ricky Roma of the draft mate. No set of steak knives for Hazell
Poll