Manchester born Jack did not have a highly regarded playing career starting at the turn of the 20^th century playing a few seasons at Burton United and Grimsby Town before becoming a coach at F.C. St.Gallen in Switerland in 1912. There are sources linking him to the coach of the German national side but the outbreak of World War 1 saw Reynolds move to Holland where his legacy began.

He became coach of Ajax Amsterdam, then a new and small club in the football world but Jack transformed them into a professional outfit even though the players were still unpaid. He made improvements to the club’s facilities and introduced training methods that progressed to players working on skill with the ball rather than the physical side of the game.

Over his 27 years with Ajax, Reynolds won the Eredivisie as many as 8 times and Ajax expert and author, Menno Pot speaks very highly of the legacy that Reynolds left at the club saying : “He was the man who came up with the idea that every player at Ajax should play the same system and the same formation.”

It sounds like a very similar system to what managers like Arsene Wenger at Arsenal and Pepe Guardiola at Barcelona use today.

The roots of Ajax and Holland’s “Total Football” are credited to Rinus Michels who was a former product of Reynold’s youth system in Amsterdam. Mr Pot believes that without Jack Reynolds, Ajax would never have become a force in European football and he is seen as one of the club’s founding fathers.

His reign at Ajax was also interrupted due to World War II where he was taken as a Prisoner of War by the Germans from 1940 to 1945. He made a return to football after the war was over and lifted his final trophy with Ajax in 1947 but decided to retire from the game.

Today, Ajax still recognise the contribution he made to their club and having previously had a stand named after him at their former ground, they now have the ‘Jack Reynolds Lobby’ at the Amsterdam Arena.

Reynolds spent his retirement in Amsterdam and his story is one of most remarkable and impressionable I have ever seen in the history of the game. His modern philosophies and actions on the game created a huge influence, not only on one club and a nation but also the football world, a true LEGEND.

For more lessons of Football History, follow me on Twitter @verbal_football

GK: Gianluigi Buffon

One of the best goalkeepers of all time, Buffon has been a great success for both Parma and Juventus in his career, and has won two Serie A titles, a UEFA cup, a World Cup with Italy and has been named Serie A goalkeeper of the Year 8 times in his career.

LB: Paolo Maldini

Arguably the greatest left back ever, Maldini won every major trophy in his career, including seven Serie A titles and 5 Champions League medals, shattered every appearance record going for Milan and was still playing at the top level aged 40. Edges out Roberto Carlos on this list because he can actually defend.

RB: Cafu

The Brazilian won two Serie A titles (one each with Roma and Milan), a Champions League and two World Cups amongst others in a glittering career. The epitome of what an attacking full-back should be, Cafu is also the most-capped Brazilian of all time, playing 143 games and 4 World Cup’s for his country.

CB: Franco Baresi

Part of Milan defence that has been described as the best in the history of football, along with Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Costacurta and Mauro Tassotti. Baresi spent his whole career at AC Milan and is acknowledge as one of the greatest defenders to ever play the game. Romario summed it up when he described playing against Baresi as, “The most ruthless monitoring of my entire career”.

CB: Lothar Matthaus

Probably the most celebrated German footballer ever, Matthaus played in five World Cups (more than any other player), is the most capped German player ever, and won one Serie A title, a World Cup and seven Bundesliga titles in an illustrious career with the likes of Bayern Munich and Inter Milan. Renowned for his excellent passing, well timed tackling and exceptional positional sense, the German was regarded by Diego Maradona as, “the best rival I’ve ever had.”

LM: Rivaldo

Widely considered one of the finest playmakers in the modern era, Rivaldo is in this team for his exploits at Barcelona, where he won two La Liga titles. Known for his goalscoring ability as well as his playmaking, Rivaldo won a World Cup with Brazil in 2002 and a Champions League title with Milan in 2003. His career faltered when he left the Nou Camp, but Rivaldo will still go down as one of the greatest Brazilians ever.

RM: Luis Figo

The first of Fiorentino Perez’s “galacticos” for Real Madrid, Figo joined from arch-rivals Barcelona for a then world-record fee in 2000. The Portuguese winger won the European Footballer of the Year award in 2000, and followed it up with a World Player of the Year Award a year later. Figo won a host of trophies in his career, including four Serie A titles with Inter, four La Liga titles and a Champions League trophy.

CM: Zinedine Zidane

Probably the greatest player on this list, Zidane is one of the all-time greats and one of two players to be crowned FIFA World Player of the Year three times (along with Ronaldo). Led France to win the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000, and won two Serie A titles with Juventus and a La Liga title and a Champions League whilst at Real Madrid, amongst others.

CM: Ronaldinho

Between 2004 and 2007, Ronaldinho was the best player in the world, scooping two successive World Player of the Year awards in 2004 and 2005. Constant partying and a disinterested attitude have hampered Ronaldinho’s legacy, and his career so far at AC Milan has been indifferent, to put it best. He is recently returning to form, but it is unlikely he will challenge former Barcelona team mate Lionel Messi and Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo’s title of best player in the world again.

ST: Ronaldo

Serious injuries and weight issues have damaged his career, but you cannot argue that Ronaldo was the best striker in the world for the best part of a decade, between 1996 and 2006. A three-time World Player of the Year and the all-time leading scorer at the World Cup, Ronaldo has excelled in stints at PSV, Inter Milan and Real Madrid in his career.

ST: Gabriel Batistuta

Alongside Ronaldo in this list, there was a lot of competition for the final striking spot, with the likes of Romario, Stoichkov, Baggio, Totti and Del Piero all having legitimate reasons to be chosen here. I went for Batistuta because the Argentine striker was a goalscoring machine for the best part of 12 years in Italy with Fiorentina and Roma. Major honours eluded “Batigol” for the most part of his career, having only won a sole Serie A title with Roma. The highest all-time scorer for Argentina, Batistuta scored 56 goals in 78 games for his country, as well as 168 goals in 269 games for Fiorentina.

The Next XI: Oliver Kahn, Roberto Carlos, Lilian Thuram, Alessandro Nesta, Fabio Cannavaro, Lionel Messi, Pavel Nedved, Kaka, Romario, Roberto Baggio, Hristo Stoichkov.

What do you think? Is there any players do/do not deserve a place on this list?

Follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tomjinks

Sander Westerveld

Since leaving Liverpool in 2001, Wevsterveld has played for 7 clubs including Everton and Portsmouth. The Dutchman is currently playing for Monza in the Italian third division.

Markus Babbel

The German defender stayed with Liverpool until 2004 before joining Blackburn on loan. He then moved to VFB Stuttgart where he played for 2 seasons. After retiring from football in 2007, Babbel was offered the opportunity to become Assistant Manager at Stuttgart. He was then appointed Manager in 2008 after the sacking of Armin Veh. He lasted just over a year before being sacked in December 2009.

Sami Hyypia

A legend at Anfield, Hyypia remained with the club until 2009 making a total of 317 appearances in 10 years at the club. He won the FA Cup, League Cup, Community Shield, Champions League and Uefa Super Cup. He received a standing ovation from the Anfield crowd in his last game, against Tottenham in 2009. He then joined Bayer Leverkusen and has made 20 appearances so far.

Stephane Henchoz

The arrival of Rafa Benitez saw Henchoz replace by Jamie Carragher and the defender decided to leave in 2005. He joined Celtic on a 6-month contract before signing for Wigan. After a year a Wigan he joined Blackburn where he spent just over a year before retiring. He is now reported to be concentrating on acquiring his coaching badges.

Jamie Carragher

A true red. Carragher is currently vice-captain and, in December, made his 600th appearance for Liverpool.

Gary McAllister

The Scot went onto join Coventry in 2002 where he also retired and became manager. He also had a managerial stint and former club Leeds United but, these days, is more commonly seen on Sky Sports.

Dietmar Hamann

The German midfielder was one of Liverpool’s most important players. He stayed with the reds before moving to Manchester City. He currently has no club. Will be remembered for scoring the last goal ever scored at the old Wembley Stadium.

Steven Gerrard

Needless to say but Gerrard has become one of the best midfielders in the World. His loyalty to Liverpool has been second to none and if anybody deserves to win a league title then it’s him. Might have to wait till next season mind you.

Danny Murphy

Moved his way around London in the form of Charlton, Tottenham and finally found a home at Fulham. Is current captain of Fulham and still has a knack of scoring important goals.

Emile Heskey

A certainty to go to the World Cup this summer despite his critics. Heskey left Liverpool to join Birmingham City before a move to Wigan. He is now back in Birmingham playing for Aston Villa.

Michael Owen

In 2002 the World was in his hands. A big money move to Real Madrid followed in 2004 but injuries and lack of opportunity hampered his form. He joined Newcastle and is currently at Manchester United hoping to fight for a place in the World Cup squad.

Robbie Fowler

The 4th highest goal-scorer in the Premier League. Fowler has become somewhat of a nomad. Since Liverpool he has played for Leeds United, Manchester City, Liverpool (again), Cardiff City and Blackburn. He has now gone down under, playing for Australian side North Queensland Fury.

Vladimir Smicer

Smicer remained at Liverpool until 2005. He scored a goal in the Champions League Final in what was to be his last game for the club. He moved to French side Bordeaux before returning home to Slavia Prague. He is now Sports Manager of the Czech national side alongside Michel Bilek.

Patrick Berger

Went on to play for Portsmouth, Aston Villa, and Stoke before returning to Prague to play for Sparta Prague. He retired in January 2010 after failing to recover from a knee ligament injury.

Manager – Gerard Houllier

Houllier remained at Liverpool before being replaced by Rafa Benitez. He went to Lyon and won consecutive league titles. He is currently without a club.

5: Les Ferdinand – 149: ‘Sir Les’ is a classic powerful forward, who was good in the air and had one heck of a shot on him. He was a nightmare for Premiership defenders as his robust style of play caused them no end of problems and he was always difficult to deal with. Ferdinand was playing for QPR when the FA Premier League started back in 1992, before his £6 million move to Newcastle in 1995. Alongside Faustino Asprilla and Alan Shearer, he formed a deadly strike force for the Toon and scored 41 league goals in 68 games in what was the most prolific time of his career, which was capped by winning the PFA Player of the Year award in 1996. Ferdinand moved to Tottenham in 1997, before leaving in 2003 after 6 seasons with Spurs. As his career drew to a close, Ferdinand became the first player to score for 6 different Premiership teams, and just missed out on netting 150 Premier League goals in his career.

4: Robbie Fowler – 163: Known as ‘God’ by Liverpool fans, Fowler was born to score goals and was adored by the Kop. Fowler was relatively short at just 5ft 8in, but this didn’t stop him becoming one of the greatest English goal scorers of the modern era. Having signed for Liverpool in 1992, Fowler spent 9 seasons with the Anfield club in his first spell there and banged in the goals for fun. Despite his goal scoring ability, his career was surrounded by controversy, but that shouldn’t detract from his undoubted eye for goal around the penalty area. He won the PFA Young Player of the Year award in both 1995 and 1996, and peaked for Liverpool at this time before a string of injuries started to get the better of him. He left Liverpool in 2001 to join Leeds, where he played for 2 seasons before moving on once again to Manchester City, before returning to Merseyside in 2006, the scene of his best form to this day.

3: Thierry Henry – 174: The French striker took a while to settle in the Premiership, but once he found he place in the Arsenal team as a striker there was no looking back for him. Henry was a key part of Arsenal’s successful side in the early 2000s in which they won the Premiership twice. The Frenchman had pace to burn and was as composed as anyone in front of goal where he became renowned for his trademark curling side-footed finishes. He was not adverse to scoring spectacular goals either and became a legend at Highbury. He spent 8 seasons at Arsenal before moving to Barcelona and remains on the best foreign players to play in the English Premiership and is certainly the most prolific. He was the Premier League’s top scorer for 5 seasons, as well as being selected in the PFA Team of the Year on 6 occasions and winning the PFA Players’ Player of the Year Award twice.

2: Andrew Cole – 187: Cole is the classic goal poacher, the ‘fox in the box’ who would pop up with a goal when his team most needed it. ‘Cole the Goal’ made his name at Newcastle where he scored a remarkable 55 league goals in 70 appearances. This led to him being snapped up by Sir Alex Ferguson for £7 million in 1995, a shock move that paid off for Manchester United. Cole could be criticised for his lack of contribution to the team, but the partnership he formed with Dwight Yorke is one of the greatest forward pairings that the Premier League has ever seen. He was part of United’s treble winning team of 1999 and helped the club pick up 5 Premiership trophies. Cole moved to Blackburn in 2001 and subsequently played for a number of Premier League clubs but will be remembered for his time at Old Trafford where he scored 93 Premiership goals at a rate just shy of a goal every other game.

1: Alan Shearer – 269: The England striker stands head and shoulders above the rest when it comes to all-time Premier League top goal scorers and his Premiership stats are almost mind-blowing. Shearer was snapped up by Blackburn from Southampton in 1992 and immediately hit the back of the net on a regular basis. Shearer had every attribute a striker needs, he was powerful, a threat in the air and with either foot, and even had pace at the start of his career before he was hit by a number of injuries. It is a testament to him that he scored so many goals despite numerous career threatening injuries, and kept coming back again and again to illustrate his drive and determination. After winning a Premier League trophy in 1995, he moved to his boy-hood club Newcastle in 1996 for a world record transfer fee and became a true legend. He still holds the record for the most goals in both a 42 and 38 game Premiership season.

Shearer’s record of 269 Premiership goals in 441 games will be hard to beat and the Toon legend may well remain as the all-time Premier League top goal scorer forever. It is hard to envisage that anyone in the current game could overtake his tally, especially as many strikers move abroad and few spend their entire career in England. If Fernando Torres stayed at Liverpool or Wayne Rooney spent his whole career at Manchester United then maybe they could run him close, but the Premiership Player of the Decade has certainly set the bar high.

An Inauspicious Start

Ian Rush was born on the 20th October 1961. He grew up in a village called St Asaph in North Wales with five brothers and five sisters, and it was clear from an early age that Rush had a natural talent for football, and particularly for scoring goals. He started off his career at Chester, catching the eye very quickly of Liverpool scout Geoff Twentyman. He scored 14 goals in 34 appearances for the club, convincing both Twentyman and Liverpool manager Bob Paisley that he would be a useful addition to the squad at Anfield. The price of purchasing the young prodigy was to be a hefty one, as Rush was bought for £300,000 in April 1980, a record for any teenager in the world at the time. He started his first game for the club in a 1-1 draw against Ipswich on 13th December 1980, replacing the injured Kenny Dalglish. He proceeded to play only nine games during the season, not scoring once, although he did play in a winning League cup final team and was part of the squad that won the European Cup for the third time in 1981. Rush was however unhappy at not being a regular in the team, toiling in the reserves at the start of 81/82 season, Rush asked Paisley for a transfer. After a talk with Paisley, a new Rush appeared on the pitch.

Goal Machine

His first goal for the club finally came on 30 September 1981 during a European Cup first round second leg tie at Anfield against Oulun Palloseura. Liverpool were already 1-0 up from the first leg and the second game proved to be easy, with Liverpool winning 7-0. Rush scored in the 67th minute, three minutes after coming on for David Johnson. Rush now had an excellent chance to establish himself in the team with David Johnson injured. He scored a two against Exeter in the league cup and followed it with two more in the league against Leeds. He ended the season as the club’s top scorer, netting 30 times in just 49 appearances in all competitions. His most important of the season was his first goal at Wembley in the League Cup final against Tottenham, and he contributed 17 to help the Reds retake the League championship. Rush continued his hot scoring run the next season including four goals against arch rivals Everton, and was voted the league’s most promising player in the 1982-83 season.

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What had been particularly important to Rush’s emergence, was his partnership with Kenny Dalglish. They understood each other’s capabilities well, and formed a frightening double act. Rush made excellent runs and had great anticipation, while Dalglish had great vision and passing abilities. The Welsh striker always made his move long before the opponent had realized and Kenny always picked out the front man with a brilliant pass. For that reason, Rush was nicknamed “the Ghost” for the way he ghosted in behind defenders. That season saw Liverpool win the double of the championship and the League cup for the second season in a row. Rush won the PFA young player of the year at the end of the season.

European Cup Winner

The 1983-84 season was probably Rush’s best season for Liverpool. He scored an unbelievable 47 goals in 65 games in all competitions (beating Roger Hunt’s previous 41 goals in a season for the club) and was awarded the European Golden Shoe. He was also rewarded with team titles and individual honours as Liverpool finished the season with a treble. They finished three points clear of Southampton in the League, defeated derby rivals Everton 1–0 in a replayed final of the League Cup and won their fourth European Cup by defeating AS Roma 4–2 on penalties with Rush scoring the third penalty. Rush was voted PFA Player of the Year and the Football Writers Footballer of the Year.

The 1984–85 season was a totally affair however as the Merseysiders had their first trophyless season in ten year. The only lasting memory from the season was the tragedy of the Heysel disaster at the end of the season. Liverpool had made it to their fifth European Cup final against Juventus but the 1-0 defeat was overshadowed by the deaths of 39 Juve fans before the game as rioting hooligans caused a retaining wall to collapse in the stadium. The game still went ahead but neither side’s minds were on the game, rather the tragedy that had befallen the fans before the match. English clubs were subsequently banned from Europe for the foreseeable future.

The next season was much better for the Reds as they achieved the first League and FA Cup double in the club’s history. They had beaten their city rivals to the title and now also had to play them in the FA Cup final to achieve their first double. They were 1-0 down to Everton at half time to a Gary Lineker goal, but they came out fighting for the second half, with Rush scoring two goals (the equalizer, and the crucial third) to complete a wonderful turnaround and seal a fantastic 3-1 victory. Rush took the acclaim by taking the man of the match award for the game.

Moving on

After much speculation about his future, Ian Rush told Liverpool fans before the start of the 1986-87 season that he was leaving the club and heading for Juventus at the end of the upcoming campaign. There was much debate about his departure, whether it was due to wages, the possibility of playing in Europe or a bid to heal the rifts of Heysel. Any fears he wouldn’t give a 100% for Liverpool in his last season were quickly quashed as he scored 20 goals in his first 20 games of the season. They did not win a trophy however as Everton took the league championship and they lost to Arsenal in the League Cup final. The following season he joined Juventus in a £3million deal but the move seemed like a mistake for the Welshman. He did score 14 goals during the season of which 8 were in the league, but injuries, illnesses, a fail to settle into the lifestyle, and Michel Platini’s decision to quit Juve all played a part in him departing Italy after only one season.

Coming Home

To much surprise, Rush rejoined Liverpool for £2.7m on 18 August 1988 – a record signing for an English club at the time. The fans were pleased at his return to the club but in his absence Rush had been replaced in his striking berth by John Aldridge, playing alongside fellow new signing Peter Beardsley. Aldridge was seen as too similar in style to play with Rush, and he started the season in front of Rush who had to be content with a place on the bench. The Irishman continued to score goals but as the season went on, Rush came into some form of his own. Rush came on as a sub during the 1989 FA Cup final against Everton and scored twice in a fantastic 3–2 win. The final had great significance because of the events of April that year. During the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough, 96 Liverpool fans died after a crushing incident in one of the stands.

Rush was preferred to Aldridge in the starting line up for the start of 1989/90 season and this led to the Irish striker’s departure to Real Sociedad. Dalglish’s faith in Rush paid off however and he scored 26 goals, helping the Reds to another League title, Rush’s fifth and last. He scored the same amount of goals the following season but Dalglish’s resignation spoilt Liverpool’s title chances. Rush struggled for form and fitness for the next two seasons and during the 91/92 season, injuries restricted him to only 18 games and three league goals. He did manage to get himself ready for the 1992 FA Cup final against Sunderland and scored Liverpool’s second in a 2-0 win. It was his fifth goal in a FA Cup final. Things were however going down hill in the league as Liverpool only managed sixth, the first time since 1981 that they had not finished first or second. The 1992-93 was harder for Liverpool fans still as they found themselves in 15th place as late as March. Rush had been dropped from the first eleven, but he managed to find some form to score fourteen goals. He did however achieve a magnificent feat during the season on the 18th of October 1992 when he scored his 287th goal for the club in a 2-2 draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford, which broke Roger Hunt’s all time record for the club.

The subsequent season saw manager Graeme Souness give Rush the captaincy in the autumn of 1993, but his time at Liverpool was slowly coming to an end. He was mentoring a future great in his strike partner Robbie Fowler, and although he won his fifth League Cup medal in 1995, the arrival of record signing Stan Collymore that summer spelt the end for Rush. He did start the 95/96 season playing alongside Collymore but Fowler eventually took his place and in March 1996, it was announced that Rush would be leaving Anfield in June. His last game for the club came in a substitute appearance in the 1996 FA Cup Final against Manchester United. It was sad game to bow out on as Eric Cantona scored a late winner to give the Red Devils a 1–0 victory.

Liverpool Appearances: 660

Goals: 346

Honours with Liverpool:

First Division Championship: 1981/82, 1982/83, 1983/84, 1985/86 & 1989/90.

FA Cup: 1986, 1989 & 1992.

League Cup: 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984 & 1995,

European Cup: 1984.

Charity Shield: 1982, 1986 (shared), 1989, 1990 (shared).

Individual Honours:

1983 PFA Young Player of the Year

1984 PFA Players’ Player of the Year

1984 FWA Footballer of the Year

1984 European Golden Shoe

Before England

Poyet made his name after moving to Real Zaragoza in his early twenties. He quickly exhibited his skills as a powerful central attacking midfielder, with a knack of scoring goals. Whilst playing for the Spanish club, Poyet scored 63 goals in 239 appearances, winning both the Copa Del Rey and Cup Winners Cup (in a run that would see his side defeat both Chelsea and Arsenal) in the process. The midfielder however left for England in 1997 when his contract was up and joined Londoners Chelsea.

Making a Name in England

Despite featuring against both Chelsea and Arsenal a few years prior to his move, Poyet’s name was one that many Premier League fans weren’t familiar with. That however would soon change. Poyet started the season in stunning style before suffering an early cruciate ligament injury. He would however return in time to send Chelsea to the 1998 Cup Winners Cup Final, a stage he was familiar with, by scoring a crucial Semi-Final second leg goal against Italian side Vicenza. Poyet would help lead Chelsea to a 1-0 victory in the final, bringing European success to Stamford Bridge for the first time in years.

A Good Head on His Shoulders

Poyet would continue to impress Chelsea fans in the following season, scoring the only goal with a strike from the edge of the box in a European curtain raiser – the Super Cup, in which Chelsea proudly defeated European Champions Real Madrid. A Boxing Day goal at The Dell gave Poyet his 11^th of the campaign by Christmas and left Chelsea sitting at the dizzy heights of the top of the Premiership. Poyet however suffered an injury in this match which ensured he would be out for three months, he later returned to head Chelsea into the Champions League and would finish the season on 14 goals, making him the second top goal scorer.

A Scorer of Great Goals

The following season, Poyet would continue where he left off, proving that he was one of Chelsea’s most consistent players. On the opening day of the campaign, Gianluca Vialli’s side would beat Sunderland 4-0, with Poyet scoring one of the goals of the season. A flowing Chelsea move resulted in a chip from the magician Zola in which Gus preceded to scissor-volley the ball into the net, a good start to the season you could say. Poyet would again prove instrumental to arguably one of Chelsea’s best seasons as they reached the Champions League Quarter Finals. He would again step up the mantle on the big occasions, scoring twice as Chelsea defeated Newcastle 2-1 in an F.A Cup Semi Final; both goals with his notorious head with the second being a particularly fine header. Chelsea went on to win the trophy but unfortunately for Gus the following season would offer limited chances under new manager Claudio Ranieri. He ultimately finished the season (still with an impressive goal tally) and left for White Hart Lane for a fee of £1.5 million.

Taking a Shot at Management

Like many other footballers, Poyet has taken a stab at a career in management. Linking up with former team mate Dennis Wise, the Uruguayan coached at Swindon Town for a brief period before moving to Leeds with the ex-Chelsea captain. Poyet became a much loved face at Elland Road and continued his managing career as he had left his playing one; always animated. Poyet could be found on the touchline or bench always with an emotional face of some sort. It was this passion and commitment to the game that earned Poyet so many fans around the country. Despite a rather unsuccessful spell as a coach at Tottenham (bar League Cup glory over Chelsea), Poyet has since returned to management with south coast side Brighton and Hove Albion. He has enjoyed a winning start as his side were 3-1 winners away at Southampton, condemning the Saints to their first defeat in 15.

Chelsea Appearances and Honours

145 appearances -49 goals

English FA Cup: 2000

UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup: 1998

European Super Cup: 1998

Poyet’s Scissor Kick in 1999
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10: France – 1998: When the FIFA World Cup was hosted by France in 1998, French football fans were hoping that their nation could once again become successful on the international stage after a period of relative decline. The French team from 1998 certainly had plenty of talent, led by Deschamps, with an enigmatic Barthez in goal, Desailly and Lebouef forming a very solid central defence pairing, and one of the best players in world football pulling the strings, Zinedine Zidane. Not only did they win their home World Cup by beating Brazil in the final, but they also won Euro 2000 two years later to cement their place in history.

9: AC Milan – 1989: This European Cup winning team had star players in every position throughout the team. A line-up of Galli, Tassotti, Costacurta, Baresi, Maldini, Ancelotti, Rijkaard, Colombo, Donadoni, Gullit and Van Basten matches up well against any team in history. The hard-working and hard to break down qualities of Italian teams was given that edge by the flair provided by the three Dutch players. Gullit and Van Basten were a handful for all of their opponents and helped Milan achieve the most success in the club’s history. The Rossoneri picked up a handful of trophies around that time, most notably back-to-back Champions League triumphs.

8: Spain – 2008: The Euro 2008 champions, the current Spanish team is full of attacking flair and will be one of the favourites heading into the 2010 World Cup. Their defence led by captain Puyol may not be the strongest, but in Real Madrid’s Casillas they posses one of the best goalkeepers in the world, whilst Senna provides some steel to the midfield. Ahead of them they have an embarrassment of riches, with Arsenal’s Fabregas and Barcelona’s Xavi and Iniesta all world-class creative players, that’s without Silva and Alonso. In Villa and Liverpool’s Torres they have a deadly forward partnership who could drive them to even greater achievements.

7: The Netherlands – 1974: Arguably the greatest squad of players to never win the World Cup, their brand of football was eye-catching and they remain one of the pioneers of the modern game. Beaten by West Germany in the final, most fans thought that the runners-up were the best team at the tournament. They were managed by Rinus Michels, who is credited with the invention of ‘Total Football’ and his managerial skills were recognised when he was named Coach of the Century by FIFA in 1999. They had Johan Cruyff in their ranks, who is one of the most skilful and talented to ever step on a football pitch. If only they gave out trophies for talent.

6: Arsenal – 2004: This Arsenal side went unbeaten throughout the 2003/04 English Premier League campaign and did it with style and panache. Under the guidance of manager Arsene Wenger, Arsenal set the Premiership alight with a passing game that was envied and admired by fans from around the country. Led by midfield stalwart and captain Vieira, it was the striking partnership of Bergkamp and Henry that appeared to be a perfect combination. With the Dutchman creating and the Frenchman putting the ball in the back of the net, they scored goals for fun. They would be higher up this list but fell short as they didn’t manage to win the Champions League.

5: Liverpool – 1984: The Liverpool team of the 1980s achieved English and European domination and got their hands on almost every trophy that was on offer. Their team was pretty much faultless, from Grobbelaar in goal right the way through to Rush upfront. A special mention has to go to the defensive prowess of Alan Hansen and the creative talents of Kenny Dalglish, who helped lead this team to greatness. In 1984 they won the English League, League Cup and European Cup to secure a famous treble after a penalty shoo-out victory in Rome. It was their 3rd consecutive league title in a decade in which they won 6 league titles and 2 European cups.

4: England – 1966: England’s 1966 World Cup winning side are the pride of the country and remain the only English team to win an international tournament to date. Managed by Sir Alf Ramsey, the Three Lions had world-class players in key positions down the spine of the team. From one of the best goalkeepers of all-time Gordon Banks, to supreme defender and captain Sir Bobby Moore and midfield star Sir Bobby Charlton, England had an incredible group of players. Sir Geoff Hurst shouldn’t be forgotten either, as his hat-trick in the final against West Germany ultimately won the World Cup for England and made that great piece of commentary possible.

3: Manchester United – 1999: The United team of 1999 picked up the most coveted treble of all, by winning the Premiership, the FA Cup and the Champions League. That season was full of memorable moments, from Giggs’ storming run in the FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal, to their dramatic comeback in Barcelona in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich. Managed by Sir Alex Ferguson, United had a great ‘keeper in Schmeichel, a solid defence led by Stam, and a deadly strike force in the form of Cole and Yorke. But it was the midfield of Beckham, Keane, Scholes and Giggs that ticked every box and was key to their success.

2: Real Madrid – 1960: The iconic Real team are the most successful team in domestic European football history. The 1960 side claimed Real’s 5th successive European Cup, an incredible feat that is unimaginable today. Their two most influential players are Argentinean midfielder Alfredo di Stefano and Hungarian forward Ferenc Puskas, who are both widely regarded amongst the best footballers of all time. By beating Eintracht Franfurt 7-3 in the final, with Puskas netting 4 and de Stefano 3 on their own, Real Madrid were awarded the original cup permanently and Jose Maria Zarraga remains one of the most successful domestic captains.

1: Brazil – 1970: The Brazil team at the 1970 World Cup remains the group of players against which all current international teams are compared with. It is hard to describe just how good this team was, and they strolled to victory in the tournament, beating Italy in the final. That match produced the finest team goal of all-time, with a flowing move clinically finished off by Carlos Alberto. The legendary squad included Gerson, Jairzinho, Tostao and of course Pele, who is arguably the greatest footballer of all-time. Brazil were allowed to keep the trophy, and the team that won it are the greatest collection of incredibly talented players to play football to this day.

Barcelona:

Guardiola joined Barcelona at the age of 13, spending six years rising through the youth ranks at the club before being promoted to the first team aged just 19 after Barca manager Johan Cruyff had spotted the youngster playing on the right side of midfield for the youth team and decided that Guardiola could be a great defensive midfielder. Guardiola showed great vision and passing skills for a defensive midfielder despite being slow and goalshy. Guardiola made just four appearances in his first season with the first team and spent some time playing for Barca’s “B” side instead. However, by the 1991/92 season Cruyff had decided that Guardiola was good enough to be a regular in his first team and Guardiola didn’t disappoint, proving a key player for a side that won both the league and the European Cup. Guardiola’s place in the first team was undisputed after that and he remained a regular for his nine remaining seasons at the club although injury ruled him out of most of the 1997/98 season. In his remaining years at the club Guardiola picked up another 5 league titles, 2 Spanish Cups, 4 Spanish Super Cups, a European Cup Winner’s Cup and 2 European Super Cup’s. He was also named in UEFA’s All-Star Team of the Season twice. Guardiola, named Barcelona captain just a few seasons after breaking into the team, remained at the club throughout the reigns of three different managers and rejected extremely expensive offers to join other European giants the likes of Parma and Roma. Finally, in 2001, after 17 years on the club’s books, and at the age of 31, Guardiola announced his decision to leave the club to try his luck in a different country. A capacity crowd watched his send-off in a game with Celtic as the club legend left the club.

After Barca:

Guardiola was courted by a lot of clubs following his departure from Barcelona, including a bunch of Premiership sides. But he decided to move to Italian side Brescia. The midfielder shockingly failed to make an impact for Brescia and soon moved onto Roma where he failed to break into the first team and he ended up returning to Brescia. A drug ban was also inflicted upon the player during his unsuccessful Italian stint, leaving his Italian career in shambles. Guardiola left Serie A after just two years and, once again snubbing interest from top Premiership clubs, moved to Qatar to play out his career for Al-Ahli. Guardiola excelled in Qatar’s Stars League, impressing whenever he played. He later went on to spend six months at Mexican club Dorados where he impressed once more before finally retiring at the age of 35 years old.

International Career:

Guardiola made his Spain debut in 1992 and soon after captained his country to a Olympics win which led to him being voted the best under-21 player in the world. Guardiola was a regular member of the Spain squad after this, spending a decade pulling the strings in midfield although injuries and falling outs with his international managers led to Guardiola missing out on a few international competitions. He made 67 appearances for Spain, scoring 5 goals in the process – almost as many as he had scored in over 250 games for Barcelona.

Move into coaching:

Guardiola wasted no time in getting his coaching badges and getting into coaching, returning to Barcelona to take over their “B” team in 2007. Guardiola swiftly led the B team to promotion from the Third Division; a feat, along with his legendary status at the club, that led to Barca president Joan Laporta declaring that Guardiola would become manager of the first team in the summer of 2008, taking over the reigns from Frank Rijkaard.

Manager of Barcelona:

Guardiola took over a team full of quality and was quick to make his mark on the team, making it clear which players he did not want whilst immediately setting transfer targets. He sold former key men Ronaldinho and Deco and attempted to sell striker Samuel Eto’o as he felt they were bad influences on the team whilst bringing in the likes of Manchester United’s Gerard Pique, Aliaksander Hleb from Arsenal and Daniel Alves and Seydou Keita from Sevilla. Guardiola suffered defeat in his first game as Barca manager as they shockingly lost to promoted side Numancia but the squad then embarked on a 20 game unbeaten run, scoring a lot of goals in a free-flowing 4-3-3 formation in the process and they flew to the Spanish league title. Barcelona also won the Copa del Rey with a victory over Athletic Bilbao in the final and beat Manchester United to the Champions League to secure a historic treble. Guardiola became the youngest manager to win the Spanish title and the first manager in Spain to win a treble. Barca players have revealed that Guardiola leads a regime with harder work than his predecessor Rijkaard did but is more personal with the players. At just 38 there is still a lot to come from Guardiola as a manager and he has a squad capable of achieving a hell of a lot for the coming years. The legend of Guardiola is far from over.

Bright Future ahead for Barca boss?

Early Career

Although he was a trialist at Newcastle, Beardsley was released and signed his first professional deal with Carlisle United where he spent three years. His successful spell with Carlisle prompted interest from abroad and the playmaking forward moved to the Vancouver Whitecaps in Canada. This was an uncertain time in Beardsley’s career as he had two short spells with the Whitecaps and one unsuccessful stint with Manchester United until Newcastle signed him in 1983.

Newcastle United – First Spell

Beardsley was paired with Kevin Keegan and this partnership led Newcastle to promotion to the First Division. It was then that Beardsley’s talent really came to the fore, he scored 17 goals in his first season at the top level and the following season was even more productive as he netted 19 times. This fine form earned him a spot in the national team where he formed a successful partnership with Gary Lineker and took part in the 1986 World Cup. One of the more curious moments of Beardsley’s career came against West Ham in the league; he had to operate as a stand-in goalkeeper and Newcastle lost the game 8-1. After four seasons with the club, Beardsley was sold to Liverpool for what was then a national record of £1.9million.

Newcastle United – Second Spell

After a trophy-laden spell at Liverpool and two years with Everton, Beardsley returned to his hometown club to play for his former strike-partner Keegan. Despite it being their first year in the Premiership, Newcastle finished third after an entertaining campaign with Beardsley’s creativity providing the perfect foil for Cole’s poacher instincts. The duo managed a combined total of 66 goals in all competitions, and were one of the most feared strike partnerships in the country at the time. According to the man himself, it was during his second spell at Newcastle that he peaked as a player. During this time Beardsley became the main creative force in Keegan’s maverick team; for four years they played the game with a brash, attacking swagger that endeared them to fans across the nation. At this time Newcastle were everyone’s second team and they were unfortunate when Beardsley could not skipper them to a league title in 1996. His place in the hearts of the Newcastle fans was already guaranteed before the iconic moment when he dispatched a penalty kick and ran to celebrate with his son who was a ball-boy at the time

After Newcastle

Beardsley left Newcastle in 1997 and went on to play for a number of clubs including Bolton, Manchester City and Fulham. His enthusiasm for the game ensured that he was never out of the game for too long, taking various coaching positions after retiring from playing.

He had pace, vision, the ability to dribble past opponents and play penetrative passes; an exciting player to watch and one of the most naturally gifted to pull on the black and white of the Toon. Not only is he a Geordie hero, his place in Anfield folklore is also secure after his title-winning exploits in Merseyside. Peter Beardsley is a true great.

Newcastle United – 1983-87, 93-97, 325 total appearances, 119 goals

Early Career

Zola began his career in his native Italy, signing his first professional contract with Nuorese 1984. He would get his first big break in 1989 moving to Italian giants Napoli and it was here that the little Italian began to make a name for himself. Playing alongside Argentinean legend Diego Maradona, Zola’s game improved as he began to embrace the creative and technical side of the game, learning arts such as free kick taking from the World Cup winner, an art that would prove to be one of his signatures later in his career. From Napoli Zola joined fellow Serie A club Parma and the young Italian continued to win silverware, helping Parma lift the UEFA Cup in 1995. Ironically it was current Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti who played a big part in Zola’s move to Stamford Bridge, placing Zola available for transfer in 1996 after playing him out of position for months.

A Love Affair with Stamford Bridge

Chelsea snapped up Zola in November of 1996 for £4.5 million and he was given the now iconic number 25 jersey. Zola became an immediate success with the Londoners, scoring a host of individual goals in his first season. A solo effort against Manchester United, in which he rounded much of the Red Devil’s defence at a tight angle before slotting the ball past the Dane Peter Schmeichel  prompted Sir Alex Ferguson to state ‘Gianfranco was an exceptional player for Chelsea, all in all, a clever little so and so’. Furthermore Ryan Giggs would later admit that Zola was the only player in English football that United routinely man-marked, a huge testament to the abilities of the Italian.

Sky Rocketing Chelsea to Success

Before the arrival of Zola, Chelsea had not won a piece of silverware since their victory in the 1990 Full Members Cup. The magic and class of Gianfranco Zola would lead Chelsea to an outstanding 6 honours in 4 years. The first of these came in an epic 1997 cup run. A semi-final saw Chelsea pitted against a very strong Wimbledon side. At 1-0 Chelsea looked anything but comfortable; with the Crazy Gang pressing for an equaliser it looked like it would only be a matter of time until it arrived. Zola however had other ideas. He received the ball on the edge of the Wimbledon box, executed a delightful back-heel that fooled the whole defence before hammering the ball into the bottom corner, sending Chelsea to Wembley. Zola was again instrumental in Chelsea’s 2-0 final victory over Middlesbrough and ended the season picking up the Football Writers Association award, becoming Chelsea’s first to win the award and the only ever player to do so without playing a full season.

This victory would qualify Chelsea to participate in Europe the following year in the Cup Winners Cup. Zola was no stranger to tasting success on the European stage and was again instrumental in a tournament that Chelsea would eventually win, sealing their first European success since 1971. Zola would come off the bench (he didn’t start because of an injury) and score the only goal of the game in a 1-0 victory over German side Stuttgart after being on the pitch for barely 20 seconds. Zola would later provide a free kick which fellow Italian Roberto Di Matteo would score from to win Chelsea the 2000 FA Cup, their second FA Cup success in four seasons.

His form in the league under manager Gianluca Vialli would help send Chelsea into their first ever season in the UEFA Champions League, meaning that Zola had the opportunity to exhibit his skills on the highest club stage of them all. It was a brilliant campaign for Chelsea as they progressed to the Quarter Finals of the tournament, only to be knocked out by European giants Barcelona. Zola would score 3 goals for the Blues’ on this fine run including a stunning free kick against the Spanish side.

The End of the Chelsea Chapter

In the following years Zola would find his opportunities with Chelsea limited due to the emerging striking partnership of Eidur Gudjohsen and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, this is not to say however, that there were any less moments of magic from the Italian. In an FA Cup tie against Norwich City, Zola would produce a goal that will linger in the memory of Stamford Bridge for years to come. Running towards the near post as the corner was swung in; Zola improvised executing a mid-air back-heel, sending the ball into the net; simply breathtaking. Chelsea manager at the time Claudio Ranieri said of the goal, ‘Gianfranco tries everything because he is a wizard, and the wizard must try’.

Zola scored his final goal for Chelsea in an end of season fixture against Everton, an audacious lob from outside of the penalty area, an effort that epitomized Zola’s Chelsea career. Chelsea did their best to convince him not to leave, offering him almost four times as much money to stay, however Zola felt his time at the Bridge was over and headed back to Italy.

In November 2004 he was awarded OBE in a ceremony in Rome and has since been voted as Chelsea’s greatest ever player. Although not officially retired to him, the number 25 shirt has yet to be worn since the Italians departure and you would struggle to find a player whom Chelsea fans deemed worthy of wearing it.

Management

Zola has since become involved in management, injecting his flair and charisma into a young West Ham side. Despite the club currently experiencing financial difficulty, Zola has already shown he has the ability to succeed as a manager, performing impressively last campaign and illustrating his shrewdness in the transfer market with several successful signings. A moment that is likely to stick in the mind of Chelsea fans and Zola himself is his return to Stamford Bridge last season. The term standing ovation is one that is thrown around all too regularly these days however that is exactly what the Italian received as 42,000 people sung ‘La la la la Zola’ in unison; a heart warming moment fully earned by a man who was one of Chelsea’s greatest servants.

Chelsea Appearances and Honours

312 appearances – 80 goals

FA Cup – 1997, 2000

League Cup -1998

European Cup Winners Cup – 1998

European Super Cup – 1999

FA Charity Shield – 2000

Zola’s wonder goal against Norwich

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