Marcel Desailly
Guinness Football Challenge Marcel Desailly
PEOPLE often ask me who my dream team would be, and with so many great players to choose from it’s never an easy question to answer. But to help inspire all of those taking part in the Guinness Football Challenge, as well as those playing the mobi game at home, I thought I’d give you an insight into some true football greatness, as I see it!
My goalkeeper would be Angelo Peruzzi. I know Angelo well having played in front of him during my time at Juventus so am more than qualified to tell you what a talent he was. His timing was impeccable, which is vital for keepers, and he was incredibly agile, too. He was number two keeper for the Italian national team but I’m sure he’d have gone on to achieve more had he not suffered with injuries.
My defence would be composed of Lilian Thuram, Paolo Maldini, Franco Baresi and Tony Baffoe. My good friend Lilian Thuram is one of the greats. Not only was he a versatile defender, able to play at centre half or full back, he was also very dangerous going forward – something that helped France tremendously when we won the World Cup in 1998. The fact that Lilian played over 140 games for France during such a golden era in French football tells its own story.
As a young Ghanaian growing up in Europe, seeing my fellow countryman Tony Baffoe make his mark in Europe was a great inspiration to me. Tony was a couple of years older but he became the first African to play in the Bundesliga with Cologne and that certainly helped me believe that I, too, could really make it. He was a very versatile defender and was always popular with the fans.
What all-star defence could be complete without the great libero, Franco Baresi? A one-club man with AC Milan, for me Baresi is the best defender of the last three decades, no question. There was no situation or player he couldn’t handle – and he came up against some of the very best in a glittering career for club and country. A great football brain combined with great technique, I think it will be a while until we see another of his kind again.
The Italians are known for their defensive prowess so it might not be a surprise that my final defender is also an Azzurri legend. Paolo Maldini played for almost a quarter of a century with Milan and I can’t see his 647 game-record ever being beaten. Alongside Franco, the best defender I have ever seen and part of that legendary Milan side of the late 80s. He was also a key figure in the Italian national team. I still find it hard to believe he was never awarded either World or European Footballer of the Year.
In midfield I’m going for Nigeria’s Sunday Oliseh, alongside Zinedine Zidane, Patrick Vieira and Diego Maradona. Sunday Oliseh was Nigerian captain and part of the golden generation of the Super Eagles that won so many plaudits at World Cups ’94 and ’98. In fact he is most widely remembered for his winning goal against Spain in a group game at France ’98 where he made an incredible run before scoring from 25 yards out. He also won Olympic Gold with Nigeria in 1996, while at club level he played for the likes of Ajax, Juventus and Borussia Dortmund. A very physical but technically capable midfielder.
Zidane needs no introduction. A wizard on the football pitch, no occasion was too much for him. In fact, it was on the biggest stages that he rose to the fore – you only have to look as far as his two goals in the 1998 World Cup Final as evidence of that, not to mention that legendary goal he scored for Real Madrid in the Champions League Final against Leverkusen. In fact the only player who can touch Zizou is my next choice – one Diego Maradona. The little Argentinean did things with a ball that seemed beyond human. He didn’t even have to work very hard to be as good as he was. Impossible to control, his sublime ability dictated games. Genius is an often over-used term but not in Maradona’s case.
The last of my midfielders is Patrick Vieira, one of the best defensive midfielders to have ever played the game. A great physical presence on the pitch but combined with such incredible technique and a natural eye for a goal. He was a huge part of the French squad that enjoyed such success at the end of the 90s and early 2000s.
In attack I have chosen Marco van Basten
alongside Senegalese legend Jules Bocande. Another Milan legend, van Basten had it all – class, touch, skill, two incredible feet, and not only could he score all kinds of goals but he was also a great creator, too. You don’t win European Footballer of the Year three times by coincidence. Bocande was a Senegalese international and later coached the Lions. He had a great career in France and Belgium during the 80s and early 90s with clubs such as PSG, Metz and Nice. Always a handful for defenders, he was Ligue 1’s top scorer in 1985-86 with 23 goals. The man they called “The Boc” was a great ambassador for African football in Europe.
So there you have it! My all time dream team, littered with greatness throughout. I just wish I could have seen this international combination of talent and skill play together! Please remember to drink responsibly 18+/21+.