World Team of the 20th Century

Updated August 28, 2020 | Infoplease Staff

The team, comprised of the century's best players, was voted on by a panel that included 250 international soccer journalists and released on June 10, 1998 in conjunction with the opening of the 1998 World Cup. The panel first selected the European and South American Teams of the Century and then chose the World Team from those two lists.

World Team

Pos
GKLev Yashin, Soviet Union
DCarlos Alberto, Brazil
DFranz Beckenbauer, West Germany
DBobby Moore, England
DNilton Santos, Brazil
MFJohan Cruyff, Netherlands
MFAlfredo Di Stefano, Argentina
MFMichel Platini, France
FPele, Brazil
FGarrincha, Brazil
FDiego Maradona, Argentina

European Team

Pos
GKLev Yashin, Soviet Union
DPaolo Maldini, Italy
DFranz Beckenbauer, West Germany
DBobby Moore, England
DFranco Baresi, Italy
MFJohan Cruyff, Netherlands
MFEusebio, Portugal
MFMichel Platini, France
FFerenc Puskas, Hungary
FBobby Charlton, England
FMarco Van Basten, Netherlands

South American Team

Pos
GKUbaldo Fillol, Argentina
DCarlos Alberto, Brazil
DElias Figueroa, Chile
DDaniel Passarella, Argentina
DNilton Santos, Brazil
MFDidi, Brazil
MFAlfredo Di Stefano, Argentina
MFRivelino, Brazil
FPele, Brazil
FGarrincha, Brazil
FDiego Maradona, Argentina

Year-by-Year ComparisonsThe World Cup
The World Cup
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