Perfect XI

The legends pick their dream team

Ruud Gullit

Ruud Gullit

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

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Ian Wright

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

"He was like Roy Keane and Glenn Hoddle rolled into one"
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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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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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Graham Taylor

"What do you mean, Jackie who?"
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Bobby Charlton

"Di Stefano was the most intelligent player ever"
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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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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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Ossie Ardiles

"Everybody talks about Pele but this guy was out of this world"
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Craig Brown

"I’ve never seen him make a mistake"
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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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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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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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Eric Cantona

"I tell you this: he broke my heart"
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Marcel Desailly

"He did things that didn’t seem humanly possible"
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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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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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Dion Dublin
Dion Dublin