From pre-war period to the new millennium: the "top 11" football players of each generation

To retrace the history of football through the names that have entered the myth of this sport: this is the aim of the following article which, unlike the usual and unreliable rankings that bring together players from different eras, has tried to redefine who have been the best players for each football generation. All of this by using a method as objective as possible.

The research is indeed based on hundreds of sources from all over the world: books, magazines, and websites that have over time tried to keep track of who were the best athletes on the planet. The article naturally takes into consideration a number of prizes and awards awarded to the various players annually (see the Ballon d'Or), as well as being based on thousands of games seen live or on television.

Some players have been "fielded" according to the criterion of the ideal 11, trying to respect as much as possible the position held during their career. In all the formations, only one name was chosen for each role, except in very few cases, in which we really didn't want to (or couldn't) choose.

The teams are all arranged with the 4-1-4-1: a formation that follows the old "Method" of Italy’s world champion in the 30s, recently taken up by both Tite's Brazil and Guardiola's Bayern.

Where number 1 is the goalkeeper, number 2 is the right full-back, number 3 is the left one, number 4 is the midfielder in front of the defence, numbers 5 and 6 are the central defenders, number 7 is the right forward, number 8 and on the 10th the central midfielders, on the 9th the center forward and on the 11th the left forward.

And finally, accompanying each "world top 11" (by clicking on the respective headline) there is always a gallery of photographs to scroll through between myth and romanticism.

World top 11: prewar, war and immediate postwar

 1) Zamora
 2) Andrade
 3) Hapgood
 4) Monti
 5) Domingos Da Guia
 6) Nasazzi
 7) Scarone
 8) Moreno
 9) Bican
10) Meazza
11) Sindelar

World top 11: between the 40s and 50s

 1) Maspoli
 2) Stankovic
 3) Nillson
 4) Varela
 5) Franklin
 6) Wright
 7) Matthews
 8) Zizinho
 9) Nordhal
10) Puskas
11) Ademir 


World top 11: mid 50s 

 1) Grosics/Beara
 2) Djalma Santos
 3) Nilton Santos
 4) Bozsik
 5) Santamaria
 6) Wright
 7) Kubala
 8) Fritz Walter
 9) Di Stefano
10) Schiaffino
11) Puskas 

World top 11: between the 50s and 60s

 1) Jascin
 2) Djalma Santos
 3) Nilton Santos
 4) Didì
 5) Santamaria
 6) Germano
 7) Garrincha
 8) Sivori
 9) Di Stefano
10) Pelè
11) Kopa  


World top 11: mid 60s 

 1) Jascin
 2) Burgnich
 3) Facchetti
 4) Suarez
 5) Schnellinger
 6) Moore
 7) Charlton
 8) Rivera
 9) Eusebio
10) Pelè
11) Law  

World top 11: between 60s and 70s

 1) Banks
 2) Carlos Alberto
 3) Facchetti
 4) Gerson
 5) Moore
 6) Beckenbauer
 7) Best
 8) Cruijff
 9) Muller
10) Pelè
11) Riva

World top 11: mid 70s

 1) Zoff
 2) Vogts
 3) Breitner
 4) Neeskens
 5) Figueroa
 6) Beckenbauer
 7) Keegan
 8) Rivelino
 9) Muller
10) Cruijff
11) Blockin  


World top 11: between 70s and 80s

 1) Zoff
 2) Kaltz
 3) Cabrini
 4) Falcao
 5) Passarella
 6) Krol
 7) Zico
 8) Platini
 9) Rossi/Kempes
10) Maradona
11) Rummenigge  

World top 11: mid 80s

 1) Dasaev
 2) Amoros
 3) Briegel
 4) Schuster
 5) Passarella
 6) Scirea
 7) Butragueno
 8) Platini
 9) Sanchez
10) Maradona
11) Lineker

World top 11: between 80s and 90s

 1) Zenga/Preud’Homme
 2) Bergomi
 3) Brehme
 4) Rijkaard
 5) Koeman
 6) Baresi
 7) Gullit
 8) Matthaus
 9) Van Basten
10) Maradona
11) Papin      

World top 11: mid 90s 

 1) Schmeichel
 2) Cafu
 3) Maldini
 4) Desailly
 5) Sammer
 6) Baresi
 7) Weah
 8) Stoichkov
 9) Ronaldo
10) Baggio
11) Romario 

World top 11: between 90s and 2000s

 1) Kahn
 2) Thuram
 3) Roberto Carlos
 4) Veron
 5) Nesta
 6) Maldini
 7) Figo
 8) Beckham
 9) Ronaldo
10) Zidane
11) Rivaldo 

World top 11: mid 2000s

 1) Buffon
 2) Zanetti
 3) Roberto Carlos
 4) Gerrard
 5) Cannavaro
 6) Maldini
 7) Henry
 8) Kakà
 9) Shevchenko
10) Zidane
11) Ronaldinho 


World top 11: between 2000s and 2010s 

 1) Casillas
 2) Dani Alves
 3) Lahm
 4) Xavi
 5) Puyol
 6) Terry
 7) Cristiano Ronaldo
 8) Iniesta
 9) Ibrahimovic
10) Messi
11) Eto’o

World top 11: mid 2010s

 1) Neuer
 2) Lahm
 3) Marcelo
 4) Pirlo
 5) Thiago Silva
 6) Sergio Ramos
 7) Cristiano Ronaldo
 8) Iniesta
 9) Suarez
10) Messi
11) Neymar


World top 11: between 2010s and 2020s

 1) Courtois
 2) Sergio Ramos
 3) Chiellini
 4) Modric
 5) Van Diijk
 6) Varane
 7) Cristiano Ronaldo
 8) De Bruyne
 9) Lewandowski
10) Messi
11) Benzema

World top 11 of all time

 1) Jascin
 2) Andrade
 3) Maldini
 4) Matthaus
 5) Moore/Baresi
 6) Beckenbauer
 7) Messi
 8) Maradona
 9) Cruijff
10) Pelè
11) Di Stefano/Cristiano Ronaldo