Behind the Curtain | Eastern European draft | The winner: Skizzo

Pre-war players are just boring: if you're lucky you might have meaningless stats, otherwise some quotes like 'The player RedCafenowić who played with him in the 30s says he was a mix of Cruyjff and Beckenbauer'
As a rule of thumb I always pick players I've actually watched, but each to their own if someone wants to pick Pele's dad then so be it.
 
As a rule of thumb I always pick players I've actually watched, but each to their own if someone wants to pick Pele's dad then so be it.

Your current team confirms what you say :)

I try to combine players I know and players I don't know very well if some short Youtube videos allow me to understand/guess their style of play. Sometimes, I pick a player if I like his story.

For example, Bepo/Invictus prevented me to pick Cherenkov this morning :( A very collective player with great passing skills :drool:
 
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Rest in peace, Fyodor Cherenkov, Russia's brightest star
i

Russia football icon Fyodor Cherenkov has died at the age of 55.
Fyodor Cherenkov was the ultimate Russian legend, the most idolised player of all time and the greatest artist imaginable. He was a ray of light in a ruthless and cynical world, a source of pure joy and a reminder how people should behave. His death at the age of 55 is a great loss.

- Yokhin: Qarabag's rise


Cherenkov was loved by everyone, which is surprising considering he was a Spartak Moscow hero. They are the most popular team in Russia and thus naturally one of the most hated.

Usually, their players were loathed by Dynamo Kiev, CSKA and Zenit fans but not Cherenkov. He was universally admired, and Spartak away games were celebrated all over the country as people just wanted to go and watch him play.

Fyodor -- or Fedya as he was called -- was a one-of-a-kind phenomenon. His status reached mythical proportions when he played, and the legend became even stronger after he retired in 1993.

Spotted as a kid by Spartak's Nikolai Starostin and promoted to the first team by legendary coach Konstantin Beskov in 1977, Cherenkov stood out thanks to his amazing vision. He read the game like nobody else and possessed technical abilities to perform passes nobody could predict. Beskov took the youngster under his wing as he promoted short passing at Spartak, and Cherenkov fit in instantly, becoming the soul of the team. With a slight build, it looked like he would be blown away by physical opponents, but Cherenkov always found space to avoid tackles and create magical moves.

People fell in love with him instantly not only because of his genius but also due to his modest character and quiet charisma. Cherenkov, the biggest superstar in Soviet football in the '80s, never changed as a person. He was shy and soft spoken, never raised his voice and stayed away from any controversies. As Starostin said: "I witnessed him closely for almost 20 years, and he has never pushed an opponent, never kicked out at anyone and never simulated an injury." Cherenkov was a role model in every sense of the word.

Spartak with him were the most attractive team in the country by a distance but not the most successful. Many times they lacked killer instinct and finished runner-up. During 13 years in the Soviet championship between 1978 and 1990, Cherenkov won only three league titles while Valeri Lobanovsky's Dynamo Kiev were crowned champions six times during the same period. The well-oiled Kiev machine often outpowered the artistry of Spartak, which was the main reason behind Cherenkov's omission from the national team.

The fact that Cherenkov never played at the World Cup or even the European Championship is a criminal injustice. Lobanovsky was in charge of the Soviet team for most of the '80s -- albeit together with Beskov in 1982 -- and he never found room for Cherenkov's silky skills in his system that saw improvisation as secondary. The midfielder got only 32 caps for the USSR but still managed to score 12 goals.


Cherenkov's genius was never really appreciated and enjoyed outside of Russia. One of the most talented players in the world at the time, he remained relatively unknown, even though Arsenal and Aston Villa fans will certainly remember his contribution to their teams' UEFA Cup demolition by Spartak in 1982 (5-2 at Highbury) and 1983 (2-1 at Villa Park).


Cherenkov would walk into any team in the world in his prime, but his only adventure in Western Europe after the Soviet Union fell apart was rather bizarre and short-lived at French second-division club Red Star Paris. He promptly returned home and retired at the age of 34 after winning the Russian league.


To this day, Cherenkov remains the most capped player at Spartak, with 515 games in all competitions. Despite always preferring passing to shooting, he scored 121 goals for the Red and Whites. The number of assists is unknown, but there is an unofficial estimate of 136. He was the ultimate playmaker, the type of player that is called "Fantasista" in Italy.


Generations of young Spartak fans grew up dreaming of playing alongside Cherenkov and emulating him. The lucky ones, like Yegor Titov, fulfilled their aspirations. Spartak's youth academy is named after Cherenkov, and he contributed a lot to it, working with the kids.


Now the club is in mourning, and plans are in the pipeline to immortalise Cherenkov. Team president Leonid Fedun promised that one of the stands at the newly opened Otkritie Stadium will be named after the club's best player and a st
atue will be raised. In the meantime, fan organisations are discussing whether to retire the No. 10 shirt forever.


Former striker Nikita Simonyan, a legend in his own right who starred for Spartak in the '50s, said: "Fyodor was a great footballer and a saint, amazingly modest person. He was the symbol of Spartak."


Cherenkov was the symbol of pure football, and that's why all of Russia is in a state of deep shock following his untimely death. Rest in peace, Fyodor. Your shy smile will forever remain in the hearts of fans and so will your football.

Michael Yokhin is ESPN FC's European football writer. Follow him on Twitter: @Yokhin
 
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Your current team confirms what you say :)

I try to combine players I know and players I don't know very well if some short Youtube videos allow me to understand/guess their style of play. Sometimes, I pick a player if I like his story.

For example, Bepo/Invictus prevented me to pick Cherenkov this morning :(
I like researching older players but I find it difficult to make a case for them in the match-up, a good case is a player I picked once called Ramon Mifflin, he played for the great Peru side and Pele personally recommended him for the NY Cosmos but I couldn't make an argument for him:(

I might be my debating skills though...
 
@Downcast cheers for posting it, we planned to post that a bit later :)
Before the draft even started i was researching him, watched him in one and a half game(will probably end that second one during the drafting process) and tbh he didnt turned out how i expected but maybe that wash the reason why i liked him so much.
 
@Downcast cheers for posting it, we planned to post that a bit later :)
Before the draft even started i was researching him, watched him in one and a half game(will probably end that second one during the drafting process) and tbh he didnt turned out how i expected but maybe that wash the reason why i liked him so much.

Translation: you will make 20 gifs :D

I like researching older players but I find it difficult to make a case for them in the match-up, a good case is a player I picked once called Ramon Mifflin, he played for the great Peru side and Pele personally recommended him for the NY Cosmos but I couldn't make an argument for him:(

I might be my debating skills though...

It always depends on the opposing midfielders.

Defend a player like Mifflin is not an easy task: the best possible way is to demonstrate he was good at the WC 70.

Once again, not easy because he only won some Peruvian leagues and contrary to offensive players you can't rely on stats.

Last but not least, his Peruvian teammates were more famous: Cubillas, Chumpitaz... I guess some voters considered him as a 'passenger'.
 
Time to add a modern twist to the team:
Miralem%2BPjanic.jpg


Downcast (Anders Emil Våge) 1. F. Puskás 2. B. Zebec 3. G. Popescu 4. B. Vukas 5. C. Dinu 6. D. Kipiani 7. I. Balaci
Moby 1. M. Sammer 2. E. Streltsov 3. D. Stojković 4. K. Balakov 5. R. Jarni 6. D. Srna 7. M. Klose
green_smiley 1. D. Džajić 2. Z. Boban 3. R. Lewandowski 4. N. Dobrin 5. B. Ivanović 6. I. Tudor 7. J. Katalinski
Skizzo 1. P. Nedved 2. K. Deyna 3. J. Popluhár 4. V. Jugović 5. A. Kanchelskis 6. K. Urbanczyk 7. N. Matić
Isotope 1. H. Stoichkov 2. D. Savićević 3. J. Buzánszky 4. M. Đukić 5. M. Lantos 6. D. Pančev 7. S. Katanec
prath92 1. J. Bozsik 2. M. Sindelar 3. G. Lóránt 4. A. Puč 5. H. Bonev 6. K. Dobias 7. T. Rosický
Šjor Bepo (Invictus) 1. N. Hidegkuti 2. N. Vidić 3. S. Pluskal 4. A. Ondruš 5. D. Petrescu 6. F. Cherenkov 7. Y. Zhirkov
BorisDeLeFora 1. S. Kocsis 2. L. Yashin 3. S. Sušić 4. M. Milutinović 5. B. Kostić 6. C. Chivu 7. G. Krychowiak
Raees 1. J. Masopust 2. A. Shesternyov 3. A. Demyanenko 4. B. Stanković 5. O. Nejedley 6. E. Wilimowski 7. R. Dasaev
mazhar13 (oneniltothearsenal) 1. V. Vasović 2. M. Khurtsilava 3. B. Oblak 4. F. Jusufi 5. M. Meskhi 6. J. Skoblar 7. M. Pjanić
Tuppet 1. Z. Boniek 2. F. Albert 3. F. Bene 4. Z. Čajkovski 5. V. Muntyan 6. F. Deak
Enigma_87 1. L. Kubala 2. L. Modrić 3. D. Šuker 4. M. Belodedici 5. J. Zakariás 6. L. Novák
Pat_Mustard 1. Z. Czibor 2. G. Sárosi 3. W. Zmuda 4. V. Kolotov 5. H. Mkhitaryan 6. Y. Letchkov
RedTiger (2mufc0) 1. G. Hagi 2. A. Shevchenko 3. S. Mihajlović 4. D. Stanković 5. D. Šimić 6. M. Hamšík
Gio (Theon) 1. O. Blokhin 2. V. Voronin 3. V. Bezsonov (Bessonov) 4. D. Šekularac 5. E. Lovchev 6. W. Lubanski
Jayvin 1. G. Lato 2. I. Netto 3. S. Bobek 4. H-J. Dörner 5. L. Bölöni 6. H. Salihamidžić

@Tuppet
 
Some of the goal tallies from that time are a bit :lol:

To be fair people will be saying that about Messi and Ronaldo in 40 years time and laugh at the defences they faced.

Personally I think sometimes players come along who are ahead of their time and lesser mortals struggle to keep tabs on them which leads to surreal stats. I mean how has no one found a way to stop them?

Pre war there does seem to be many top scorer of all time material, so it would seem that defences weren't uniformly of a high standard but that doesn't mean these pre war legends wouldnt have been a threat in Puskas era. The 30-60 period saw some tactical development but physically there wasn't that big a step up.

When you look at the pre war world cups the quality of the play is pretty high but what we can't verify is how good the league opposition these guys faced on a weekly basis which is how their stats got so high.

I think as drafters we owe it to these greats of the past to remember them and it would be sad to see them totally forgotten just because we lack quality footage on them but at the same time we should tell the truth and tell it like it is.. if there is footage demonstrating someone isnt quite up to scratch despite his contemporaries saying something else we should trust our own eyes.
 
Oh crap, think Holcer is not eligible, I thought he was Croatian. Changing the pick in a minute.
 
Alexander Chivadze

tchivadze_01.jpg


Downcast (Anders Emil Våge) 1. F. Puskás 2. B. Zebec 3. G. Popescu 4. B. Vukas 5. C. Dinu 6. D. Kipiani 7. I. Balaci
Moby 1. M. Sammer 2. E. Streltsov 3. D. Stojković 4. K. Balakov 5. R. Jarni 6. D. Srna 7. M. Klose
green_smiley 1. D. Džajić 2. Z. Boban 3. R. Lewandowski 4. N. Dobrin 5. B. Ivanović 6. I. Tudor 7. J. Katalinski
Skizzo 1. P. Nedved 2. K. Deyna 3. J. Popluhár 4. V. Jugović 5. A. Kanchelskis 6. K. Urbanczyk 7. N. Matić
Isotope 1. H. Stoichkov 2. D. Savićević 3. J. Buzánszky 4. M. Đukić 5. M. Lantos 6. D. Pančev 7. S. Katanec
prath92 1. J. Bozsik 2. M. Sindelar 3. G. Lóránt 4. A. Puč 5. H. Bonev 6. K. Dobias 7. T. Rosický
Šjor Bepo (Invictus) 1. N. Hidegkuti 2. N. Vidić 3. S. Pluskal 4. A. Ondruš 5. D. Petrescu 6. F. Cherenkov 7. Y. Zhirkov
BorisDeLeFora 1. S. Kocsis 2. L. Yashin 3. S. Sušić 4. M. Milutinović 5. B. Kostić 6. C. Chivu 7. G. Krychowiak
Raees 1. J. Masopust 2. A. Shesternyov 3. A. Demyanenko 4. B. Stanković 5. O. Nejedley 6. E. Wilimowski 7. R. Dasaev
mazhar13 (oneniltothearsenal) 1. V. Vasović 2. M. Khurtsilava 3. B. Oblak 4. F. Jusufi 5. M. Meskhi 6. J. Skoblar 7. M. Pjanić
Tuppet 1. Z. Boniek 2. F. Albert 3. F. Bene 4. Z. Čajkovski 5. V. Muntyan 6. F. Deak 7. A. Chivadze
Enigma_87 1. L. Kubala 2. L. Modrić 3. D. Šuker 4. M. Belodedici 5. J. Zakariás 6. L. Novák
Pat_Mustard 1. Z. Czibor 2. G. Sárosi 3. W. Zmuda 4. V. Kolotov 5. H. Mkhitaryan 6. Y. Letchkov
RedTiger (2mufc0) 1. G. Hagi 2. A. Shevchenko 3. S. Mihajlović 4. D. Stanković 5. D. Šimić 6. M. Hamšík
Gio (Theon) 1. O. Blokhin 2. V. Voronin 3. V. Bezsonov (Bessonov) 4. D. Šekularac 5. E. Lovchev 6. W. Lubanski
Jayvin 1. G. Lato 2. I. Netto 3. S. Bobek 4. H-J. Dörner 5. L. Bölöni 6. H. Salihamidžić

@Enigma_87
 
70URS+Revaz+Dzodzuashvili.jpg

Revaz Dzodzuashvili is former Georgian defender, one of the best Soviet side backs. Revaz started to play as striker, than was moved to midfield and eventually to defence. First as centre back but than due to his great speed started to play as right back. He was good man marker, famous for completely excluded from the game some "big guns" like Best, Lubanski, Džajić and Heynckes. He was good tackler who liked to join the attack, knew to make good cross from the flank and had good running capacities.

Downcast (Anders Emil Våge) 1. F. Puskás 2. B. Zebec 3. G. Popescu 4. B. Vukas 5. C. Dinu 6. D. Kipiani 7. I. Balaci
Moby 1. M. Sammer 2. E. Streltsov 3. D. Stojković 4. K. Balakov 5. R. Jarni 6. D. Srna 7. M. Klose
green_smiley 1. D. Džajić 2. Z. Boban 3. R. Lewandowski 4. N. Dobrin 5. B. Ivanović 6. I. Tudor 7. J. Katalinski
Skizzo 1. P. Nedved 2. K. Deyna 3. J. Popluhár 4. V. Jugović 5. A. Kanchelskis 6. K. Urbanczyk 7. N. Matić
Isotope 1. H. Stoichkov 2. D. Savićević 3. J. Buzánszky 4. M. Đukić 5. M. Lantos 6. D. Pančev 7. S. Katanec
prath92 1. J. Bozsik 2. M. Sindelar 3. G. Lóránt 4. A. Puč 5. H. Bonev 6. K. Dobias 7. T. Rosický
Šjor Bepo (Invictus) 1. N. Hidegkuti 2. N. Vidić 3. S. Pluskal 4. A. Ondruš 5. D. Petrescu 6. F. Cherenkov 7. Y. Zhirkov
BorisDeLeFora 1. S. Kocsis 2. L. Yashin 3. S. Sušić 4. M. Milutinović 5. B. Kostić 6. C. Chivu 7. G. Krychowiak
Raees 1. J. Masopust 2. A. Shesternyov 3. A. Demyanenko 4. B. Stanković 5. O. Nejedley 6. E. Wilimowski 7. R. Dasaev
mazhar13 (oneniltothearsenal) 1. V. Vasović 2. M. Khurtsilava 3. B. Oblak 4. F. Jusufi 5. M. Meskhi 6. J. Skoblar 7. M. Pjanić
Tuppet 1. Z. Boniek 2. F. Albert 3. F. Bene 4. Z. Čajkovski 5. V. Muntyan 6. F. Deak 7. A. Chivadze
Enigma_87 1. L. Kubala 2. L. Modrić 3. D. Šuker 4. M. Belodedici 5. J. Zakariás 6. L. Novák 7. R. Dzodzuashvili
Pat_Mustard 1. Z. Czibor 2. G. Sárosi 3. W. Zmuda 4. V. Kolotov 5. H. Mkhitaryan 6. Y. Letchkov
RedTiger (2mufc0) 1. G. Hagi 2. A. Shevchenko 3. S. Mihajlović 4. D. Stanković 5. D. Šimić 6. M. Hamšík
Gio (Theon) 1. O. Blokhin 2. V. Voronin 3. V. Bezsonov (Bessonov) 4. D. Šekularac 5. E. Lovchev 6. W. Lubanski
Jayvin 1. G. Lato 2. I. Netto 3. S. Bobek 4. H-J. Dörner 5. L. Bölöni 6. H. Salihamidžić

@Pat_Mustard
 
Oh crap, think Holcer is not eligible, I thought he was Croatian. Changing the pick in a minute.
Aye was a big bummer that. I had him pinned down to compliment Belodedici at around round 6 until I realized he's unavailable.
 
left my next pick with Downcast, as probably my turn will come some point tomorrow and I'm not sure when I'll be on.
 
Downcast (Anders Emil Våge) 1. F. Puskás 2. B. Zebec 3. G. Popescu 4. B. Vukas 5. C. Dinu 6. D. Kipiani 7. I. Balaci
Moby 1. M. Sammer 2. E. Streltsov 3. D. Stojković 4. K. Balakov 5. R. Jarni 6. D. Srna 7. M. Klose
green_smiley 1. D. Džajić 2. Z. Boban 3. R. Lewandowski 4. N. Dobrin 5. B. Ivanović 6. I. Tudor 7. J. Katalinski
Skizzo 1. P. Nedved 2. K. Deyna 3. J. Popluhár 4. V. Jugović 5. A. Kanchelskis 6. K. Urbanczyk 7. N. Matić
Isotope 1. H. Stoichkov 2. D. Savićević 3. J. Buzánszky 4. M. Đukić 5. M. Lantos 6. D. Pančev 7. S. Katanec
prath92 1. J. Bozsik 2. M. Sindelar 3. G. Lóránt 4. A. Puč 5. H. Bonev 6. K. Dobias 7. T. Rosický
Šjor Bepo (Invictus) 1. N. Hidegkuti 2. N. Vidić 3. S. Pluskal 4. A. Ondruš 5. D. Petrescu 6. F. Cherenkov 7. Y. Zhirkov
BorisDeLeFora 1. S. Kocsis 2. L. Yashin 3. S. Sušić 4. M. Milutinović 5. B. Kostić 6. C. Chivu 7. G. Krychowiak
Raees 1. J. Masopust 2. A. Shesternyov 3. A. Demyanenko 4. B. Stanković 5. O. Nejedley 6. E. Wilimowski 7. R. Dasaev
mazhar13 (oneniltothearsenal) 1. V. Vasović 2. M. Khurtsilava 3. B. Oblak 4. F. Jusufi 5. M. Meskhi 6. J. Skoblar 7. M. Pjanić
Tuppet 1. Z. Boniek 2. F. Albert 3. F. Bene 4. Z. Čajkovski 5. V. Muntyan 6. F. Deak 7. A. Chivadze
Enigma_87 1. L. Kubala 2. L. Modrić 3. D. Šuker 4. M. Belodedici 5. J. Zakariás 6. L. Novák 7. R. Dzodzuashvili
Pat_Mustard 1. Z. Czibor 2. G. Sárosi 3. W. Zmuda 4. V. Kolotov 5. H. Mkhitaryan 6. Y. Letchkov 7. A. Szymanowski
RedTiger (2mufc0) 1. G. Hagi 2. A. Shevchenko 3. S. Mihajlović 4. D. Stanković 5. D. Šimić 6. M. Hamšík
Gio (Theon) 1. O. Blokhin 2. V. Voronin 3. V. Bezsonov (Bessonov) 4. D. Šekularac 5. E. Lovchev 6. W. Lubanski
Jayvin 1. G. Lato 2. I. Netto 3. S. Bobek 4. H-J. Dörner 5. L. Bölöni 6. H. Salihamidžić

@RedTiger
 
We'll take the Bull Wolfgang Weber

1-format6001.jpg


Nicknamed the Bull for his imposing and uncompromising style of play, Weber is one of the greatest West German stoppers of all time, one of the biggest icons of Köln's success in the 1960s with Karl-Heinz Schnellinger and Wolfgang Overath, the scorer of West Germany's equalizer in the 1966 final vs England, was the highest ranked defender in the German Footballer of the Year award in 1965, and was voted World Class twice by Kicker. Weber combined excellent man marking skills with tackling intuition, superior heading, and immense commitment to emerge as the defensive anchor for a Köln team that won 2 German championships, and 3 DFB-Pokal titles; apart from turning out 53 times for the West German national team.

@Jayvin
 
Petr Cech and Marek Jankulovski

Downcast (Anders Emil Våge)
1. F. Puskás 2. B. Zebec 3. G. Popescu 4. B. Vukas 5. C. Dinu 6. D. Kipiani 7. I. Balaci
Moby 1. M. Sammer 2. E. Streltsov 3. D. Stojković 4. K. Balakov 5. R. Jarni 6. D. Srna 7. M. Klose
green_smiley 1. D. Džajić 2. Z. Boban 3. R. Lewandowski 4. N. Dobrin 5. B. Ivanović 6. I. Tudor 7. J. Katalinski
Skizzo 1. P. Nedved 2. K. Deyna 3. J. Popluhár 4. V. Jugović 5. A. Kanchelskis 6. K. Urbanczyk 7. N. Matić
Isotope 1. H. Stoichkov 2. D. Savićević 3. J. Buzánszky 4. M. Đukić 5. M. Lantos 6. D. Pančev 7. S. Katanec
prath92 1. J. Bozsik 2. M. Sindelar 3. G. Lóránt 4. A. Puč 5. H. Bonev 6. K. Dobias 7. T. Rosický
Šjor Bepo (Invictus) 1. N. Hidegkuti 2. N. Vidić 3. S. Pluskal 4. A. Ondruš 5. D. Petrescu 6. F. Cherenkov 7. Y. Zhirkov
BorisDeLeFora 1. S. Kocsis 2. L. Yashin 3. S. Sušić 4. M. Milutinović 5. B. Kostić 6. C. Chivu 7. G. Krychowiak
Raees 1. J. Masopust 2. A. Shesternyov 3. A. Demyanenko 4. B. Stanković 5. O. Nejedley 6. E. Wilimowski 7. R. Dasaev
mazhar13 (oneniltothearsenal) 1. V. Vasović 2. M. Khurtsilava 3. B. Oblak 4. F. Jusufi 5. M. Meskhi 6. J. Skoblar 7. M. Pjanić
Tuppet 1. Z. Boniek 2. F. Albert 3. F. Bene 4. Z. Čajkovski 5. V. Muntyan 6. F. Deak 7. A. Chivadze
Enigma_87 1. L. Kubala 2. L. Modrić 3. D. Šuker 4. M. Belodedici 5. J. Zakariás 6. L. Novák 7. R. Dzodzuashvili
Pat_Mustard 1. Z. Czibor 2. G. Sárosi 3. W. Zmuda 4. V. Kolotov 5. H. Mkhitaryan 6. Y. Letchkov 7. A. Szymanowski
RedTiger (2mufc0) 1. G. Hagi 2. A. Shevchenko 3. S. Mihajlović 4. D. Stanković 5. D. Šimić 6. M. Hamšík 7. K. Kaladze
Gio (Theon) 1. O. Blokhin 2. V. Voronin 3. V. Bezsonov (Bessonov) 4. D. Šekularac 5. E. Lovchev 6. W. Lubanski 7. W. Weber
Jayvin 1. G. Lato 2. I. Netto 3. S. Bobek 4. H-J. Dörner 5. L. Bölöni 6. H. Salihamidžić 7. P. Cech 8. M. Jankulovski

@Gio @Theon
 
We'll take the Bull Wolfgang Weber

1-format6001.jpg


Nicknamed the Bull for his imposing and uncompromising style of play, Weber is one of the greatest West German stoppers of all time, one of the biggest icons of Köln's success in the 1960s with Karl-Heinz Schnellinger and Wolfgang Overath, the scorer of West Germany's equalizer in the 1966 final vs England, was the highest ranked defender in the German Footballer of the Year award in 1965, and was voted World Class twice by Kicker. Weber combined excellent man marking skills with tackling intuition, superior heading, and immense commitment to emerge as the defensive anchor for a Köln team that won 2 German championships, and 3 DFB-Pokal titles; apart from turning out 53 times for the West German national team.

@Jayvin

I don't get it isn't he German?
 
Alexsandr Zavarov
Skillful midfielder who was perhaps the shining light of the great Kiev and Soviet teams of the mid-to-late 1980s. Silky and nimble, Zavarov was an important part of Lobanovskiy's fluid and high-pressing unit connecting play with his willingness to take the ball in tight areas and appetite for the return pass. Soviet Union Player of the Year in 1986 boasting impressive Ballon D'Or credentials - - 6th in 1986, 17th in 1987, 8th in 1988 and 23rd in 1989.

18-Aleksandr+ZAVAROV+Panini+URSS+1988.png
 
Downcast (Anders Emil Våge) 1. F. Puskás 2. B. Zebec 3. G. Popescu 4. B. Vukas 5. C. Dinu 6. D. Kipiani 7. I. Balaci
Moby 1. M. Sammer 2. E. Streltsov 3. D. Stojković 4. K. Balakov 5. R. Jarni 6. D. Srna 7. M. Klose
green_smiley 1. D. Džajić 2. Z. Boban 3. R. Lewandowski 4. N. Dobrin 5. B. Ivanović 6. I. Tudor 7. J. Katalinski
Skizzo 1. P. Nedved 2. K. Deyna 3. J. Popluhár 4. V. Jugović 5. A. Kanchelskis 6. K. Urbanczyk 7. N. Matić
Isotope 1. H. Stoichkov 2. D. Savićević 3. J. Buzánszky 4. M. Đukić 5. M. Lantos 6. D. Pančev 7. S. Katanec
prath92 1. J. Bozsik 2. M. Sindelar 3. G. Lóránt 4. A. Puč 5. H. Bonev 6. K. Dobias 7. T. Rosický
Šjor Bepo (Invictus) 1. N. Hidegkuti 2. N. Vidić 3. S. Pluskal 4. A. Ondruš 5. D. Petrescu 6. F. Cherenkov 7. Y. Zhirkov
BorisDeLeFora 1. S. Kocsis 2. L. Yashin 3. S. Sušić 4. M. Milutinović 5. B. Kostić 6. C. Chivu 7. G. Krychowiak
Raees 1. J. Masopust 2. A. Shesternyov 3. A. Demyanenko 4. B. Stanković 5. O. Nejedley 6. E. Wilimowski 7. R. Dasaev
mazhar13 (oneniltothearsenal) 1. V. Vasović 2. M. Khurtsilava 3. B. Oblak 4. F. Jusufi 5. M. Meskhi 6. J. Skoblar 7. M. Pjanić
Tuppet 1. Z. Boniek 2. F. Albert 3. F. Bene 4. Z. Čajkovski 5. V. Muntyan 6. F. Deak 7. A. Chivadze
Enigma_87 1. L. Kubala 2. L. Modrić 3. D. Šuker 4. M. Belodedici 5. J. Zakariás 6. L. Novák 7. R. Dzodzuashvili
Pat_Mustard 1. Z. Czibor 2. G. Sárosi 3. W. Zmuda 4. V. Kolotov 5. H. Mkhitaryan 6. Y. Letchkov 7. A. Szymanowski
RedTiger (2mufc0) 1. G. Hagi 2. A. Shevchenko 3. S. Mihajlović 4. D. Stanković 5. D. Šimić 6. M. Hamšík 7. K. Kaladze
Gio (Theon) 1. O. Blokhin 2. V. Voronin 3. V. Bezsonov (Bessonov) 4. D. Šekularac 5. E. Lovchev 6. W. Lubanski 7. W. Weber 8. A. Zavarov
Jayvin 1. G. Lato 2. I. Netto 3. S. Bobek 4. H-J. Dörner 5. L. Bölöni 6. H. Salihamidžić 7. P. Cech 8. M. Jankulovski
 
I have the pick of Enigma so I can take the picks of Pat_Mustard & Tuppet just in case.

Will be online all the afternoon
 
Downcast (Anders Emil Våge) 1. F. Puskás 2. B. Zebec 3. G. Popescu 4. B. Vukas 5. C. Dinu 6. D. Kipiani 7. I. Balaci
Moby 1. M. Sammer 2. E. Streltsov 3. D. Stojković 4. K. Balakov 5. R. Jarni 6. D. Srna 7. M. Klose
green_smiley 1. D. Džajić 2. Z. Boban 3. R. Lewandowski 4. N. Dobrin 5. B. Ivanović 6. I. Tudor 7. J. Katalinski
Skizzo 1. P. Nedved 2. K. Deyna 3. J. Popluhár 4. V. Jugović 5. A. Kanchelskis 6. K. Urbanczyk 7. N. Matić
Isotope 1. H. Stoichkov 2. D. Savićević 3. J. Buzánszky 4. M. Đukić 5. M. Lantos 6. D. Pančev 7. S. Katanec
prath92 1. J. Bozsik 2. M. Sindelar 3. G. Lóránt 4. A. Puč 5. H. Bonev 6. K. Dobias 7. T. Rosický
Šjor Bepo (Invictus) 1. N. Hidegkuti 2. N. Vidić 3. S. Pluskal 4. A. Ondruš 5. D. Petrescu 6. F. Cherenkov 7. Y. Zhirkov
BorisDeLeFora 1. S. Kocsis 2. L. Yashin 3. S. Sušić 4. M. Milutinović 5. B. Kostić 6. C. Chivu 7. G. Krychowiak
Raees 1. J. Masopust 2. A. Shesternyov 3. A. Demyanenko 4. B. Stanković 5. O. Nejedley 6. E. Wilimowski 7. R. Dasaev
mazhar13 (oneniltothearsenal) 1. V. Vasović 2. M. Khurtsilava 3. B. Oblak 4. F. Jusufi 5. M. Meskhi 6. J. Skoblar 7. M. Pjanić
Tuppet 1. Z. Boniek 2. F. Albert 3. F. Bene 4. Z. Čajkovski 5. V. Muntyan 6. F. Deak 7. A. Chivadze
Enigma_87 1. L. Kubala 2. L. Modrić 3. D. Šuker 4. M. Belodedici 5. J. Zakariás 6. L. Novák 7. R. Dzodzuashvili
Pat_Mustard 1. Z. Czibor 2. G. Sárosi 3. W. Zmuda 4. V. Kolotov 5. H. Mkhitaryan 6. Y. Letchkov 7. A. Szymanowski
RedTiger (2mufc0) 1. G. Hagi 2. A. Shevchenko 3. S. Mihajlović 4. D. Stanković 5. D. Šimić 6. M. Hamšík 7. K. Kaladze 8. A. tymoshchuk
Gio (Theon) 1. O. Blokhin 2. V. Voronin 3. V. Bezsonov (Bessonov) 4. D. Šekularac 5. E. Lovchev 6. W. Lubanski 7. W. Weber 8. A. Zavarov
Jayvin 1. G. Lato 2. I. Netto 3. S. Bobek 4. H-J. Dörner 5. L. Bölöni 6. H. Salihamidžić 7. P. Cech 8. M. Jankulovski