[Draft] The People's Choice Draft

Was just adding them up there... when I stumbled on this. Two number 8 picks

 

Got my numbers mixed up, it should say 12 there.

 

Cool. Give me a few mins and I'll get the numbers up. Lost track there.

 

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2. A player with zero international caps - 10 picks left

3. A player who has won three top division titles in different countries - 7 picks left

4. A player who represented a different country than the one he was born in, at international level - 6 picks left

5. Footballers who played a match in the 19th century - 9 picks left

6. UK born players who played abroad - 4 picks left

7. A player who has won Ballon d'or - 3 picks left

8. Players who have played in more than one European Cup/CL final - 1 pick left

10. Player who scored in a CL/European Cup final - 7 picks left

14. A player who was born in the 60's or 70's - 2 picks left

15. A player who has between 15 and 30 international goals - 6 picks left

16. A player who has played for 5 clubs or more (loans do count, B/C teams do not) - 2 picks left

 

Velibor Vasović (10)

Career span 1958-71
Country Yugoslavia: 32 caps, 2 goals
Clubs Partizan Belgrade, Red Star Belgrade, Partizan Belgrade, Ajax
Position sweeper
Medals 1 European Cup, 7 domestic titles (4 Yugoslavia, 3 Dutch), 3 Dutch cups

For a time, it seemed that Velibor Vasovic’s talent would never quite get its rightful reward at the very top level. Having his seen his international career just miss two of Yugoslavia’s greatest campaigns – the run to the 1962 World Cup semi-final and Euro 68 final appearance – he then scored ultimately irrelevant goals in two losing European Cup finals: 1966 and 1969.

In truth, though, such experiences carved out the kind of building block on which Rinus Michels could construct his grand design. “Michels was the architect of Total Football,” Vasivoc himself said. “And I helped him the most.”

The Serbian sweeper certainly wasn’t modest. But then others argued he was just realistic. Certainly, Vasovic’s abrasiveness, ability and – most importantly – intelligence gave Ajax an edge they were previously missing when he arrived in 1966.

At 10 years older than Johan Neeskens and nine years older than Johan Cruyff, his nous complemented their nascent ability. Firstly, through example. “I did small things, like make an offside or stand in the wall to make a gap for goals. When you see examples from other players on the field, you learn a hundred times better than in training. In that way I was able to make a lot of changes at Ajax, which was a very young team at that time.”

Secondly, through influence. Just like classic captains such as Matthias Sammer and Roy Keane, Vasovic imposed his will on teams. “I was a winner all my life,” he typically explained to David Winner. “I could not understand why we would play a game in which we lose four kilos of bodyweight for nothing. When you put on your shirt and lace up your boots, you have to win… With such a character I was very helpful to the Dutch players because they were not naturally like that.”

Ruud Krol, for example, admitted he “tried to think and move like Vasovic. I learned a lot from him. He was the conductor.”

But, finally, there was Vasovic’s acumen. His football intelligence helped Michels put the final touches to his plan. With Ajax already experimenting with interchanging positions, the manager noticed that Neesken’s feral hunting and Vasovic’s natural inclination to step up and squeeze the space all enhanced the improvisation. And so the pressing game was born. “We discussed it, me and Michels, the aggressive way of defending.”

And, so, in 1971, Vasovic finally lifted the European Cup. And a dynasty began.





Minty - Lionel Messi (12), George Best (6), Gerd Muller (8), Rivaldo (7), Gaetano Scirea (13), Claude Makelele (9), Ruud Krol (1)

THG - Diego Maradona (13), Lotthar Matthaus (9) Roberto Baggio (11), Lev Yashin (12), Andrea Pirlo (8), Frank Lampard (6), Andriy Shevchenko (14)

T.S. Eliot - Paolo Maldini (12), Marcel Desailly (4), Alessandro Nesta (9), Iker Casillas (8), Javier Zanetti (13), Denis Bergkamp (1), Michael Laudrup (11)

Keano88 - Pelé (13), Marco van Basten (10), Xavi (8), Frank Rijkaard (9), Jinky Johnstone (6), Neymar (1), Giacinto Fachetti (12)

Padmill - Zinedine Zidane (10), Dennis Law (11), Ibrahimović (13), Steven Gerrard (6), Angelo Peruzzi (14) (+2)

Moustache - Eusébio (4), Luís Figo (11), Manuel Neuer (8), Pavel Nedvěd (7), Juan Román Riquelme (15), Djalma Santos (1), Nílton Santos (12)

Mr Monaghan - Ronaldo (11), Thierry Henry (3), Michel Platini (7), Alessandro Del Piero (15), Carlos Alberto (16), Edwin van der Sar (8) Daniel Passarella (9)

Scotia - Henrik Larsson (9), Marco Tardelli (1), Clarence Seedorf (8), Didier Deschamps (14), Kenny Dalglish (15), Packie Bonner (12) Craig Bellamy (16)

Idioteque - Ryan Giggs (12), Ronaldinho (1), Dino Zoff (13), Arjen Robben (3), Luis Suarez (16), Patrick Vieira (14) Paul Lambert (6)

Packybhoy - Toto Schillachi (1), Mark Hughes (9), Roy Keane (14), Siniša Mihajlović (16), Danny McGrain (13), Ashley Cole (11), Billy McNeill (8)

Mr. Fawlty - Johan Cruyff (11), Ferenc Puskás (4) Ruud Gullit (7), Garrincha (16), Johan Neeskens (8), Zico (9), Paul Breitner (1), Velibor Vasović (10)

mark82 - Franz Beckenbauer (7), Andres Iniesta (12), Gianluigi Buffon (13), Socrates (1), Raul (10), Gabriel Batistuta (11), Jairzinho (16), Alessandro Costacurta (14)

obafgkmlt - Carles Puyol (12), Roberto Carlos (16), Bobby Moore (6), Lilian Thuram (14), Peter Schmeichel (11), Romario (3), David Beckham (15), Paco Gento (10)

V For Vendetta - Cristiano Ronaldo (13), Alfredo Di Stefano (4), George Weah (11), Kaka (7), Stanley Matthews (9), Ronald Koeman (16) Robert Gardner (5) Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (8)

Pennywise - Franco Baresi (12), Fabio Cannavaro (13), Philip Lahm (1), Cafu (14), Gareth Bale (6), Oliver Kahn (8) Hristo Stoitchkov (7) Hernan Crespo (16)

@packybhoy

 

If you're browsing on a laptop, press Ctrl + F, then type in the name of the player you're wanting to draft. If he's already taken, he'll show up in the search. There are similar functions if you're browsing on your phone. If you're using a Samsung, press the three dots on your browser and select 'Find on Page', then type in the player's name.

 

iPhone: Open the page in browser and type your search term in the URL bar, then scroll down past all search suggestions and it will say "find on page" at the bottom

 

John arne Riise (15) scored 16 international goals

Norways most capped player



@Scotia

 

Brilliant mate, cheers

 

Matthias Sammer balon d'or winner , pot 7


sorry folks don't know how to do the fancy stuff.

 

@Mr Monaghan

 

Didn't realise Sammer had won the Balon d'or

 

Matthias Sammer

With Borussia Dortmund as a player, Sammer won the Bundesliga and DFL-Supercup in 1995, the Bundesliga, DFL-Supercup, and European Footballer of the Year in 1996, and the UEFA Champions League and Intercontinental Cup in 1997. With Germany as a player, Sammer won the UEFA Euro 1996, where he was named the tournament's best player, and was subsequently awarded the Ballon d'Or later that year. Sammer retired with 74 total caps, 23 for East Germany and 51 for the unified side.

 

This was my next pick. Great shout