World Team of the 20th Century

Team of the best football players

The World Team of the 20th Century or MasterCard 20th Century team (as it was sponsored by MasterCard) was chosen in 1998 to honour the best association football players of the 20th century. The team was consisted of an eleven-member side, with one goalkeeper, four defenders, three midfielders, and three forwards (4–3–3 formation).

4–3–3 formation

## History

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The team was announced on 10 June 1998, in conjunction with the opening ceremonies of the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France. The team was selected in plurality voting undertaken by a panel of 250 international football journalists from amongst the members of eleven-member sides styled as the South American and European Teams of the 20th Century. Those two continental selections were announced a month earlier by the same panel, featuring players who represented national teams of the CONMEBOL and UEFA confederations and would be the pool for the World selection. That meant that no player from outside Europe or South America was eligible for selection for the World Team.

Selection teams for players from the nations of CONCACAF, the Confederation of African Football, and collectively the Asian and Oceania Football Confederations were also chosen by separate, smaller juries of journalists situated respectively in North and Central America, Africa, and Asia and Oceania. They were announced alongside the European and South American teams, but players selected to the former sides were not considered for selection to the world team.

The continental selection All the team selections were sponsored by MasterCard and announced on 15 May 1998.

## Continental selections

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FIFA also published the best XIs of the Century for CONCACAF, UEFA, Africa and the Asian and Oceania Football Confederations.[1] MasterCard sponsored the team selections which were announced on 15 May 1998. The first two selections (UEFA, CONMEBOL) worked as the pool for choosing the World's Best Eleven.

### Pool for the World Selection

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Continent  | Goalkeeper  | Defenders  | Midfielders  | Forwards

|
|
|
|

Europe  |  Lev Yashin |  Franz Beckenbauer
Bobby Moore
Paolo Maldini
Franco Baresi |  Johan Cruyff
Michel Platini
Bobby Charlton |  Eusebio
Ferenc Puskas
Marco Van Basten
South America  |  Ubaldo Fillol |  Daniel Passarella
Nilton Santos
Elías Figueroa
Carlos Alberto Torres |  Alfredo Di Stéfano
Roberto Rivellino
Didi |  Pelé
Diego Maradona
Garrincha

### Rest of the world

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Continent  | Goalkeeper  | Defenders  | Midfielders  | Forwards

|
|
|
|

CONCACAF  |  Antonio Carbajal |  Marcelo Balboa
Gilberto Yearwood
Bruce Wilson
Gustavo Pena |  Ramon Ramirez
Mágico González
Tab Ramos |  Julio Dely Valdés
Hugo Sánchez
Hernan Medford
Africa  |  Thomas N'Kono |  Ali Shehata
Ibrahim Youssef
Emmanuel Kunde
Mwepu Ilunga |  Segun Odegbami
Theophile Abega
Abedi Pele |  Laurent Pokou
Roger Milla
Rabah Madjer
Asia/Oceania  |  Chow Chee Keong |  Kim Ho-kon
Masami Ihara
Soh Chin Ann |  Cheung Chi Doy
Karim Bagheri
Kim Joo-sung |  Majed Abdullah
Kunishige Kamamoto
Khodadad Azizi
Cha Bum-kun

## World selection

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The formation chosen was 4-3-3.

Position | Player  | National side(s)
represented by year | Professional club(s)
represented by year | Rank on the
FIFA Magazine and Grand Jury
enumeration of the top
FIFA players of the 20th century | Continental, FIFA World Cup,
IFFHS, and FIFA awards

|
|
|
|
|

Goalkeeper | Lev Yashin |  Soviet Union
(1954-1970)  | FC Dynamo Moscow (1949-1971)  | Unranked  | European Footballer of the Year (1963), UEFA Jubilee Award (Russia)
World Cup All-Star Team[2] (1958)
FIFA World Cup All-Time Team
,[3] FIFA Order of Merit (1988)
Defender (fullback)  | Carlos Alberto Torres |  Brazil
(1964-1977)  | Fluminense (1963-1966, 1974-1977)
Santos FC (1966-1974)
Flamengo (1977)
Botafogo (1971)
New York Cosmos (1977-1980, 1982)
California Surf (1981)  | Unranked  | FIFA 100
World Cup All-Star Team[2] (1970)
Defender (centre-back)  | Franz Beckenbauer |  West Germany
(1965-1977)  | Bayern Munich (1965-1977)
New York Cosmos (1977-1980, 1983)
Hamburger SV (1980-1982)  | 4  | European Footballer of the Year (1972, 1976)
FIFA World Cup Best Young Player Award (1966), FIFA World Cup Bronze Boot (1966), FIFA World Cup Silver Ball (1974)
FIFA World Cup All-Star Team[2] (1966, 1970, 1974)
FIFA World Cup All-Time Team, FIFA World Cup Dream Team
IFFHS Best European Player 1956–1990
FIFA 100, FIFA Order of Merit (1984, 2004)
Defender (centre-back)  | Bobby Moore |  England
(1962-1973)  | West Ham United (1958-1974)
Fulham (1974-1977)
San Antonio Thunder (1977)
Seattle Sounders (1978)  | 14  | UEFA Jubilee Award (England)
World Cup All-Star Team[2] (1966), FIFA World Cup All-Time Team
,[3] FIFA Order of Merit (1996)
Defender (fullback)  | Nílton Santos |  Brazil
(1949-1963)  | Botafogo (1949-1965)  | Unranked  | World Cup All-Star Team[2] (1958)
FIFA 100
Midfielder | Johan Cruyff |  Netherlands
(1966-1978)  | Ajax Amsterdam (1964-1973, 1981-1983)
FC Barcelona (1973-1978)
Los Angeles Aztecs (1979)
Washington Diplomats (1980-1981)
Levante UD (1981)
Feyenoord (1983-1984)  | 5  | European Footballer of the Year (1971, 1973, 1974), UEFA Jubilee Award (Netherlands)
World Cup All-Star Team[2] (1974)
FIFA 100, FIFA Order of Merit (2010)
Midfielder  | Alfredo Di Stéfano |  Argentina
(1947)
Colombia
(1949)
Spain (1957-1962)  | River Plate (1943-1945, 1947-1949)
Huracán (1946-1947)
Millonarios (1949-1953)
Real Madrid (1953-1964)
RCD Espanyol (1964-1966)  | 2  | European Footballer of the Year (1957, 1959), UEFA Jubilee Award (Spain)
FIFA 100, FIFA Order of Merit (1994)
Midfielder  | Michel Platini |  France
(1976-1987)  | AS Nancy (1972-1979)
AS Saint-Étienne (1979-1982)
Juventus (1982-1987)  | 7  | European Footballer of the Year (1983, 1984, 1985), Onze d'Or (1983, 1984, 1985)
World Cup All-Star Team[2] (1982, 1986)
World Soccer Player of the Year (1984, 1985)
FIFA 100
Forward | Garrincha |  Brazil
(1955-1966)  | Botafogo (1953-1965)
Corinthians (1966)
Atlético Junior (1968)
Flamengo (1968-1969)
Olaria (1972)  | 7  | World Cup Golden Shoe Award (1962), World Cup All-Star Team[2] (1958, 1962)
[3]
Forward  | Diego Maradona |  Argentina
(1977-1994)  | Argentinos Juniors (1976-1981)
Boca Juniors (1981-1982, 1995-1997)
FC Barcelona (1982-1984)
SSC Napoli (1984-1991)
Sevilla FC (1992-1993)
Newell's Old Boys (1993)  | 3  | Onze d'Or (1986, 1987), FIFA Player of the Century, South American Footballer of the Year (1979, 1980)
World Cup Golden Ball Award (1986), World Cup Bronze Ball Award (1990), FIFA World Cup Silver Shoe (1986), World Cup All-Star Team[2] (1986, 1990)
FIFA World Cup Dream Team
World Soccer Player of the Year (1986)
Honorary Ballon d'Or (1995)

FIFA 100

Forward  | Pelé |  Brazil
(1956-1971)  | Santos FC (1956-1974)
New York Cosmos (1975-1977)  | 1  | South American Footballer of the Year (1973), World Cup Golden Ball Award (Best Player) (1970), World Cup Silver Ball (1958), World Cup Best Young Player (1958), World Cup All-Star Team[2] (1958, 1970), FIFA World Cup All-Time Team, FIFA Player of the Century, IFFHS Player of the Century, Player of the Century by France Football's Ballon d'Or Winners, FIFA Ballon d'Or Prix d'Honneur (2013), FIFA 100, FIFA Order of Merit (1984, 2004)

Athlete of the Century by International Olympic Committee

## See also

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* FIFA World Cup Dream Team
* FIFA 100
* FIFA World Cup awards
* FIFA Player of the Century
* World Soccer's Greatest Players of the 20th Century
* IFFHS:The World Team

## References

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1. ^ Ramos, Balboa named to MasterCard CONCACAF 20th Century team (15/05/1998) - soccertimes.com
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j The constitution of the all-star team for each FIFA World Cup contested prior to 1998 was determined by a panel of journalists concomitant to the selection of the all-star team for the latter year's World Cup; all-star teams were selected contemporaneously only in 1998 and thereafter.
3. ^ a b c To be considered for selection to the FIFA 100, a player must have been living upon the team's selection in February 2004 and announcement on 4 March 2004; Lev Yashin, Bobby Moore, and Garrincha, consequently, were ineligible for selection.

## Sources

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* Brown, Gerry, and Morrison, Michael (eds.; 2003). ESPN Information Please Sports Almanac. New York City: ESPN Books and Hyperion (joint). ISBN 0-7868-8715-X.

## External links

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* Analysis of the constitution of the world team in the International Herald Tribune
* Enumeration of the European, South American, and world teams by Infoplease
* Ramos, Balboa named to MasterCard CONCACAF 20th Century team. SoccerTimes

* v
* t
* e

World Team of the 20th Century

Goalkeeper|

* Lev Yashin

Defenders|

* Carlos Alberto
* Franz Beckenbauer
* Bobby Moore
* Nílton Santos

Midfielders|

* Johan Cruijff
* // Alfredo Di Stéfano
* Michel Platini

Forwards|

* Garrincha
* Diego Maradona
* Pelé

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