FF All Time XI - Defensive Midfielder Nominations

Yeah fair enough mate. It's close tbf.

 

In the 2 in a 4231 you need one DM and one more suited to b2b. The b2b nominations will have some cracking names in it.

Neeskens
Falcao
Matthaus

ect.

But the Greatest DM of all time is undoubtedly Rijkaard.

 

obviously Frank Rijkaard

 

But Beckenbauer is a center-back ... he played in that line ... different to other "central defenders" like Sammer or Koeman where they played up front of 2 defenders but Beckenbauer doesn't.
There are matches like the WC74 final in where he stay in the defensive line and lead his team from there and stop opponent attacks thanks his supreme intelligence, vision and reading of the game. Actually was very difficult to beat Beckenbauer. I mean, he was the key to stop that magnificent total football.

On the other hand ... Figueroa achieved to be the best player in the world in 1975 and/or 1976. I think he was a little better in defensive skills and better in offensive skills.

By the way ... I think Bobby Moore is very close to them in defensive skills ... also was remarkable to join the attack with controlled ball.


In the msioux rankings about the south-american defenders

Mejor Defensa Central Derecho (1963-1966)

1. Roberto Perfumo (Argentina & Racing Club)
2. Jorge Griffa (Argentina & Atlético de Madrid)
3. José Fernández (Perú & Universitario)
4. Elías Figueroa (Chile & Santiago Wanderers | Unión La Calera)
5. Juan Vicente Lezcano (Paraguay & Peñarol)
6. Djalma Dias (Brasil & Palmeiras)
7. José Ramos Delgado (Argentina & River Plate | Banfield)

Then, from the late 1960's it seems to be the best of its position throughout the continent (Héctor Chumpitaz appears in that period as the best left center defense of South America):

Mejor Defensa Central Derecho (1967-1969)

1. Elías Figueroa (Chile & Peñarol)
2. Roberto Perfumo (Argentina & Racing Club)
3. Julio Meléndez (Perú & Defensor Arica | Boca Juniors)
4. Atilio Ancheta (Uruguay & Nacional)
5. Orlando de la Torre (Perú & Sporting Cristal)
6. Djalma Dias (Brasil & Palmeiras | Atlético Mineiro | Santos)
7. Luis La Fuente (Perú & Universitario)

One can therefore conclude that his career began meteorically. In the 1970's he continued to show a very marked dominance in his rankings, with the exception of the first third of that decade, in which he placed him behind the Uruguayan Atilio Ancheta, who spent a grace period at the time:

Mejor Defensa Central Derecho (1970-1972)

1. Atilio Ancheta (Uruguay & Nacional | Gremio)
2. Elías Figueroa (Chile & Peñarol | Internacional)
3. Julio Meléndez (Perú & Boca Juniors)
4. Roberto Perfumo (Argentina & Racing Club | Cruzeiro)
5. Orlando de la Torre (Perú & Sporting Cristal)
6. Brito (Brasil & Cruzeiro | Botafogo)
7. Osvaldo Piazza (Argentina & Lanús)

Mejor Defensa Central Derecho (1973-1976)

1. Elías Figueroa (Chile & Internacional)
2. Luís Pereira (Brasil & Palmeiras | Atlético de Madrid)
3. Julio Meléndez (Perú & Defensor Lima | Juan Aurich)
4. Roberto Perfumo (Argentina & Cruzeiro | River Plate)
5. Atilio Ancheta (Uruguay & Gremio)
6. Osvaldo Piazza (Argentina & Saint-Étienne)
7. Francisco Sá (Argentina & Independiente | Boca Juniors)
8. Juan Carlos Masnik (Uruguay & Nacional | New York Cosmos)

Interestingly, he maintains his supremacy after returning to Chile and joining the Palestino with which he marked an era in its history, is a very modest team (in where he lead the team to win a ligue and cup tittle and actually lead them to reached final matches in Copa Libertadores), . Interestingly in this period appears Germán Leguía, who began his career as a central defender and only then became a midfielder:

Mejor Defensa Central Derecho (1977-1979)

1. Elías Figueroa (Chile & Palestino)
2. Osvaldo Piazza (Argentina & Saint-Étienne)
3. Henry Caicedo (Colombia & Deportivo Cali)
4. Francisco Sá (Argentina & Boca Juniors)
5. Oscar (Brasil & Ponte Preta)
6. Luis Galván (Argentina & Talleres)
7. Germán Leguía (Perú & Deportivo Municipal | Universitario)
8. Hugo Villaverde (Argentina & Independiente)

He continues to appear among the best until the end of his career, ending in 1982 after playing for Fort Lauderdale Strikers and Colo-Colo:

Mejor Defensa Central Derecho (1980-1982)

1. Hugo de León (Uruguay & Nacional | Gremio)
2. Oscar (Brasil & New York Cosmos | Sao Paulo)
3. Elías Figueroa (Chile & Palestino | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | Colo-Colo)
4. Enzo Trossero (Argentina & Nantes | Independiente)
5. Luis Galván (Argentina & Talleres)
6. Alberto Tarantini (Argentina & River Plate)
7. Luís Pereira (Brasil & Flamengo | Palmeiras)
8. Mario Soto (Chile & Cobreloa)

A very high-flying race from start to finish and without major ups and downs, he is one of the most dominant and regular South American players in history.

 

Because I want ... if you have a problem with that, tell to a forum moderador that delete my post.

 

No Tardelli, no Neeskens and no Arturo Vidal? WTAF!!!

 

Neeskens and Vidal are central midfielders