ANOTHER LEGEND LEAVES US
Building an all-time male football XI can be a fun or a tedious affair, depending on whether you decide to share your selections on the internet. Some of the positions are, of course, up for debate but this is too short a tea-timely email to get into that discussion. There are, however, half-a-dozen players who are automatic picks. Lev Yashin, Paolo Maldini, Diego Maradona, Leo Messi, Pelé and Franz Beckenbauer. They are The Untouchables or The Non-Negotiables, to give them their slightly less catchy nickname. No Greatest XI can be built without these six, nor shall it be. Regrettably, Cruyff, CR7, R9, Xavi, Ronaldinho, Zidane, Di Stéfano, Puskas, Charlton and co are all going to have to fit around them. And no, you can’t have Zizou as a holding midfielder.
