Johan Cruyff’s posthumously released autobiography has served as a reminder that football was good long before Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo came along.
The Dutch legend picked his ultimate dream team before his sad passing in March this year, and there is no place for either one of the Barcelona or Real Madrid stars.
Instead, Cruyff has gone for a shock choice as his left-sided forward.
And there’s also a place for an English icon in his XI.
Here’s the full 1-11 as picked by the great man himself:
Lev Yashin
The Russian icon is still the only goalkeeper to win the Ballon d’Or, doing so in 1963.
Carlos Alberto
The Brazil full-back was the scorer at THAT goal in the 1970 World Cup final.
Franz Beckenbauer
One of only two men to have won the World Cup as a player and a manager.
Ruud Krol
A gifted defender, Krol was a member of the Dutch side which reached the 1974 and 1978 World Cup finals.
Pep Guardiola
The Catalan icon made the transition from great player to great manager, and is these days ripping it up at Man City.
Alfredo di Stefano
The Real Madrid icon won five European Cups in succession in the late 1950s and 60s, scoring in each of the finals.
Bobby Charlton
England’s 1966 World Cup winner won the Ballon d’Or in the same year as well as three First Division titles.
Garrincha
The first ever Brazilian superstar, winger Garrincha arguably outshone Pele during Brazil’s 1958 and 1962 World Cup wins.
Diego Maradona
Needing no introduction, Maradona led Argentina to World Cup success in 1986 – knocking England out along the way.
Pele
The man, the myth, the legend, Pele is widely regarded as the greatest footballer of all-time and he shone in Brazil’s 1958 and 1970 World Cup wins.
Piet Keizer
The shock inclusion in Cruyff’s side, Keizer spent all of his career at Ajax, is the club’s fifth highest scorer of all-time and was named the club captain when Cruyff left for Barcelona. He won the Eredivisie six times.
So here’s what Cruyff’s ultimate team looks like. sorry Lionel and Cristiano:
But who are we to argue with the great man?
