Replace 1 player in a current Euros/Copa side with a past player from same country

France have so many good options, but just dropping 2018 Pogba in for Tchouameni would have probably done it for them.
 
And my point is you don't worry about Leao at all. It doesn't have to be some strict system of Ronaldo playing back to goal like a bruising CF, if you can get some version of the greatest goalscorer of all time in his prime in the team you just do it. You could even just play Jota as the 9 and prime CR7 on the left, or put him off the right. It doesn't have to be so strict position wise. Taking out Portugal's greatest player altogether (when you can get the best version of him) for their second greatest player is just a strange decision. That's like doing the same exercise with current Barca and saying you'd rather have Iniesta or Xavi over Messi since Barca already has Yamal to play off the right and Lewa in the middle, instead of just taking the clear best player and trusting it'll work out.

What? Why on earth wouldn't you take into account the pieces around the one substitution you're allowed to make in this purely hypothetical thought experiment?

The point is that Portugal's biggest weakness is very obviously at striker. I don't think any version of prime Ronaldo was a better striker than Eusebio. End of story.
 
Rather than worrying about who exactly in the squad they would be replacing, my choice for a former player being added would be as follows:

Euro's

Germany - Gerd Muller
Scotland - Denis Law
Hungary - Ferenc Puskas
Switzerland - Severino Minelli
Spain - Alfredo Di Stefano
Croatia - Bernard Vukas
Italy - Roberto Baggio
Albania - Panajot Pano
Slovenia - Branko Oblak
Denmark - Michael Laudrup
Serbia - Dragan Dzajic
England - Bobby Moore
Poland - Zbigniew Boniek
Netherlands - Marco van Basten
Austria - Ernst Ocwirk
France - Michel Platini
Belgium - Jean-Marie Pfaff
Slovakia - Jan Popluhar
Romania - Gheorghe Hagi
Ukraine - Oleg Blokhin
Turkey - Tugay
Georgia - Aleksandre Chivadze
Portugal - Eusebio
Czech Republic - Pavel Nedved

Copa America

Argentina - Diego Maradona
Peru - Hector Chumpitaz
Chile - Elias Figueroa
Canada - Bruce Wilson
Mexico - Hugo Sanchez
Ecuador - Alberto Spencer
Venezuela - Juan Arango
Jamaica - Wes Morgan
USA - Brad Friedel
Uruguay - Obdulio Varela
Panama - Julio Dely Valdes
Bolivia - Marco Etcheverry
Brazil - Ronaldo
Colombia - Carlos Valderrama
Paraguay - Francisco Arce
Costa Rica - Alejandro Morera
 
France have so many good options, but just dropping 2018 Pogba in for Tchouameni would have probably done it for them.

Harsh on Tchouameni tbh. He's France's best midfielder.

Kante on the other hand... I get he's a freak athlete but he's fecking shite with the ball. I lost count of the amount of attacks and counter attacks he ruined this tournament.
 
Brasil Zico for Paqueta
Argentina Di Stefano for Alvarez
Chile Salas for Brereton
Peru Pizarro for Lapadula
Colombia Asprilla forBorre
Uruguay Francescolli for Betancurt
England Rooney for Palmer (I know he is a sub, but I still like Phil)
Spain Villa for Morata
France Platini for Rabiot
Germany Müller for Havertz (tempeted for doin a Muller for Muller or Littbarski)
Holland Cryuff for Wout
Italy Baggio for Pellegrini
Portugal Eusebio for Joao Felix
Think Argentina could do with a better FB, like Zanetti over Montiel/Molina?
 
Harsh on Tchouameni tbh. He's France's best midfielder.

Kante on the other hand... I get he's a freak athlete but he's fecking shite with the ball. I lost count of the amount of attacks and counter attacks he ruined this tournament.

Pogba for any of the 3 DMs they were fielding throughout the tournament, really. I didn't mean to pick out Tchouameni in particular, only the fact that they picked such an all-round negative midfield game after game.
 
Think Argentina could do with a better FB, like Zanetti over Montiel/Molina?

Indeed, but at least we can hold our own defensivly most of times, on the other hand we have been blewing chances right and left since quite sometime even winning titles, Alfredo would help with that while at the same time, press, play, combine, etc
 
Think Argentina could do with a better FB, like Zanetti over Montiel/Molina?

Indeed, but at least we can hold our own defensively most of times, on the other hand we have been blewing chances right and left since quite sometime even winning titles, Alfredo would help with that while at the same time, press, play, combine, etc

If Spain could replace Morata with Torres they would be handy.

Torres? nope, Raul or Villa would do better. The thing is that people on the EPL have that Liverpool season image from him, but he never was that clinical nor that great all around player. He was powerful and fast as hell, I'll give you that.
 
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2018 Pogba instead of Rabiot?
Davor Suker for Croatia any time last few years.
Pele for Brazil might get more than one successful pass upfront.
 
From a neutral perspective, and not caring much about who would improve teams the most I think I would go for players from the past that were highly regarded, but had bad luck for tournaments (injuries, disagreements with managers, etc) were overlooked, or were kept out of the team by players even greater. Assuming we can magically equalise fitness etc across the different decades. Be interesting to see them in a leading role.

Argentina - Bochini
Brazil - Ademir da Guia
Germany - Manfred Burgsmuller
Spain - Pirri
Italy - Beppe Signori
France - Bernard Ghenghini
Netherlands - Willy van der Kuijlen
England - Le Tissier
 
Waddle for Foden (Barnes was crap in an England shirt)
Ince for Rice
Shearer for Kane

I'm being greedy
 
England
Ashley Cole for Luke Shaw/Trippier

France
Zidane for Rabiot

Germany
Gerd Muller for Havertz

Spain
2008 Torres for Morata

Italy
Baggio for literally anyone

Brazil
Ronaldo Nazario for Endrick/Richarlison

Argentina
Zanetti for Montiel

Netherlands
Robben for any attacker

Portugal
Figo on the right wing