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Perfect XI

Football legends tell FourFourTwo about their dream team

Ian Wright

Ian Wright

"He's a special player and a great-looking guy. He's got everything going for him"

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Les Ferdinand

"He was a complete loony in the dressing room – I had to have him in my squad"
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John Barnes

"People just choose the best players – Pele, Cruyff and so on – but who's going to do the dirty work? This XI would win matches"
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George Best

"The fact that Jim Baxter is remembered mostly for humiliating England helped with his selection in this team..."
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Denis Irwin

"On ability alone, England have never had a more gifted midfield player than Gazza"
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Shay Given

"Lionel Messi would be a nice player to come off the bench for the last 20 when the defenders are starting to tire"
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Jamie Redknapp

"Sorry, Dad, I can't make you manager of this team – there can only be one..."
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Steve McManaman

"If Roy Evans was at Anfield now, Liverpool would be in the Champions League every year"
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Ray Wilkins

"If Glenn Hoddle had been French, Spanish or Italian he would have been held in higher regard"
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Ryan Giggs

"He would do a Cruyff turn and before you knew it, he'd be gone, whipping the ball into the back of the net"
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David Villa

"Nah, I can't put myself in. Actually, yeah, sure I can - I was top scorer at Euro 2008!"
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Raul

"I'm not going to put myself in this team, certainly not upfront. Maybe I can go in at left-back"
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Matt Le Tissier

"I'm still waiting for Sir Alex to buy me a drink – it was my two goals against United that got Ron Atkinson the sack"
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Martin Chivers & Bob Wilson

"If Bergkamp had played in the Cruyff team of 1974, Holland would have won the World Cup"
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Ivan Zamorano

"Roberto Baggio was a charismatic leader – he even enjoyed those games where his team were losing"
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Andriy Shevchenko

"John Terry is a natural leader, and Lionel Messi is the attacking player of the 21st century. I can't even specify his position. He's everywhere"
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Gheorghe Hagi

"It is a great regret of mine that I never played alongside Zidane, but only played against him. That was hard enough..."
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Tony Adams

"He's an amazing player, technically excellent and with a beautiful wife..."
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Dion Dublin

"He is quite simply the best left-winger in the history of the Premier League..."
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Peter Beardsley

"For three or four years at the end of the 80s, John was possibly the best player in the world..."
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Jamie Carragher

"He was like Roy Keane and Glenn Hoddle rolled into one"
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Eric Cantona

"I tell you this: he broke my heart"
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Craig Brown

"I’ve never seen him make a mistake"
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Michael Owen

"He’s not done it for as long as the rest of my team, but you’re a fool if you don’t think he will continue on the up."
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Marcel Desailly

"He did things that didn’t seem humanly possible"
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Ossie Ardiles

"Everybody talks about Pele but this guy was out of this world"
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Bobby Charlton

"Di Stefano was the most intelligent player ever"
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Ronald Koeman

"There’s no way that I could pass up the opportunity to play in this team."
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Ruud Gullit

"He played for Hamburg in the ’80s and was famous for his Bananenflanken."
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Hristo Stoichkov

Technically Yordan Letchkov was one of the best players I ever played with. He should have played for one of Europe’s big clubs."
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Graham Taylor

"What do you mean, Jackie who?"
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Brian Laudrup

"My brother started as an attacker but became an elegant attacking midfielder, perhaps the most complete there has ever been."
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James Richardson

"He’s also, to the best of my knowledge, the only ex-con in my side"
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Graeme Sharp

"People likened Peter Schmeichel to Neville Southall, but I thought Nev was better..."
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Mario Kempes

"If you think Camacho sweats a lot as a coach, imagine how much he sweated as a player..."
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Ian Wright

"Even when you’re playing against him, you watch because he’s so good"
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Emmanuel Petit

"Both physically and tactically a giant of the game. I used to enjoy coming up against him for Arsenal against Manchester United – it was always a battle. But one I used to look forward to"
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Samuel Eto'o

"Everyone wants to play like him and to his level. He has got better and better. Is there anyone better than him? Not at the moment..."
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Ian Holloway

"Super Ray gave me a load of suits when I joined QPR – he didn’t want them anymore but they looked the nuts on me!"
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Albert Ferrer

"Quality, an eye for goal and a great brain. One of the greatest of all time despite being even shorter than me!"
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Jaap Stam

"One of the best players ever produced by the Netherlands. Had a marvellous technique and goalscoring ability..."
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Lou Macari

"Billy was a little fella, but so strong in the tackle. Determined, no-nonsense, and most of all, a winner..."
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