To modern football fans, Gary Lineker is best known for his roles as a pundit, particularly with Match of the Day, a show he has presented for over two decades. Prior to his ventures into broadcasting, however, Lineker enjoyed a 16-year career in football, earning 80 caps for the England national side between 1984 and 1992.
A striker, Lineker started his career with Leicester City, his hometown club, where he spent seven years before moving to Everton in 1985, who were defending champions at the time. In a cruel twist of fate, Lineker failed to win the First Division with the Toffees, departing after just one season with Everton going onto win the title again after he left.
In leaving Everton, Lineker moved to Spain, signing for Barcelona where he would spend three years and win two major honours before returning to England in 1989. With Tottenham Hotspur, Lineker would play three further seasons before a two-year stint in Japan between 1992 and his retirement in 1994.
One of the best players to come out of England, Lineker played with and against some legendary footballing figures across his career. Not only that, but as a man now in his 60s, the former striker has had the privilege of watching the careers of countless legends unfold. Back in 2003, speaking to FourFourTwo, Lineker put together a ‘perfect 11’ of players. Which ones did he select?
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Peter Shilton
Goalkeeper
Peter Shilton
A goalkeeper for over 30 years, Peter Shilton is one of the few players to have featured in over 1,000 games in the English Football League, such was Shilton’s longevity and ability. The shot-stopper predominantly played for Leicester City, Stoke City, Nottingham Forest, Southampton and Derby County in a career that spanned from 1966 to 1997.
While Shilton found success at club level, being a two-time European Cup winner, he too was famed for his exploits with the English national team. No player has accumulated more caps for the Three Lions than Shilton, who represented his country 125 times across two decades, playing internationally between 1970 and 1990, a tenure that overlapped with Lineker’s own.
“Shilton was one of my heroes as a kid. I watched him play in the FA Cup final when I was eight years old, then I ended up playing with him for England and rooming with him for years. Even after I’d retired, he was still playing, which is quite a story. And if I didn’t pick him, he’d kill me.”
Cafu
Right-Back
Cafu with the World Cup
Legendary right-back Cafu only made his debut in European football in his mid-20s, having racked up over 200 appearances for Sao Paulo in his native Brazil before moving to Roma in 1997. Cafu spent over a decade in Italy, joining AC Milan in 2003 where he would play for five years before retiring in 2008.
Along with his years in Serie A, Cafu is best remembered for his accomplishments with Brazil, who he represented for 16 years. Appearing in four World Cups, Cafu won the prestigious trophy in 1994 and in 2002, being the only player to have ever featured in three World Cup finals. It was on this stage that Cafu and his brilliance were first on display to the world.
“He’s been around long enough to have played in my era. Together with Roberto Carlos, you’ve got the best combination of full-backs you’ll ever see because he and Cafu are so good at getting up and down.”
Franco Baresi
Centre-Back
Franco Baresi in action for AC Milan.
The first of two central defenders in Lineker’s team, Franco Baresi dedicated 25 years to AC Milan across all age ranges, debuting for the senior side in 1977 and captaining the club for 15 years. Considered small in comparison to the typical frame and build of a centre-back, Baresi’s height was never a limitation for him. With an incredible passing range, the defender was dominant in the air and had an exceptional knack for reading the game.
Comfortable as either a sweeper or central defender, Baresi won six Serie A trophies with AC Milan, along with three European Cups/Champions Leagues. He too was part of the 1982 World Cup-winning Italian national team and in 1989, finished as runner-up to Marco van Basten in the Ballon d’Or race.
“Baresi was one of the all-time great defenders: he read everything, made everything look so easy and at the same time, he was brilliant going forward and would supply passes for the rest of that great Italian side.”
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Des Walker
Centre-Back
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A physical defender with a great sense of anticipation, Des Walker’s name is not often mentioned in conversations though perhaps should be. Walker won two League Cups with Nottingham Forest, for whom he made the bulk of his career appearances in two separate stints with the side.
Be it with Nottingham Forest, Sampdoria or Sheffield Wednesday, Walker remained a consistent figure in the heart of his side’s defence. Between 1988 and 1993, Walker played almost 60 games for England and was a staple of the Three Lions side that reached the semi-finals of the 1990 World Cup, just as Lineker was.
“At his prime, he was probably as good a man-to-man marker as there was. Whenever we played Forest, (Brian) Cloughie always stuck him on me. He was so hard to shake off, so I used to try and get Des out of the centre and give them problems.”
Roberto Carlos
Left-Back
Real Madrid's Brazilian defender Roberto Carlos
If Cafu was named on the right flank, there was only ever going to be one name to fill the opposing side. Another staple in the Brazil side between 1992 and 2006, Roberto Carlos earned renown around the world from his time with Real Madrid, joining the Spanish giants in 1996 from Inter Milan and spending over a decade with Los Blancos.
A tenacious and quick full-back, Carlos was best known for the thunderous power he could generate in his shots on goal, particularly from dead ball situations. The defender won four La Liga titles and three Champions Leagues with Madrid while internationally, he helped Brazil win the 2002 World Cup.
“I played a friendly in Japan against him when he was a young lad. I remember this kid running (up) and down the left wing, it was unbelievable. Gordon Milne was coaching us and I said, ‘We’ve got to find out who that kid is - let’s try and buy him.' It turned out that his name was Roberto Carlos. They said, ‘He’s not for sale.’”
Lothar Matthaus
Midfielder
Lothar Matthaus in action for West Germany
One of the greatest midfielders to ever play the game, Lothar Matthaus played for a number of brilliant teams in a career that spanned over 20 years. A World Cup and Ballon d’Or winner, Matthaus spent five years with Borussia Monchengladbach before joining Bayern Munich in 1984, his first of two stints with the club.
Matthaus spent four seasons in Italy with Inter Milan, during which time he won the Ballon d’Or along with a Serie A title and the 1990/91 UEFA Cup. He returned to Bayern in 1992, winning three more Bundesliga trophies to add to the three he won during his first tenure in Bavaria. Matthaus represented his country between 1980 and 2000 and remains Germany’s most-capped player.
“I’ve left out Zico; I’ve left out Glenn Hoddle, a particular favourite of mine; I’ve left out Chris Waddle and I’ve left out John Barnes and Graeme Souness. It’s tough, but Matthaus was a fantastic player. To have played in so many World Cups was outstanding.”
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Bryan Robson
Midfielder
bryan robson man utd
Bryan Robson began his career with West Bromwich Albion, but it was with Manchester United that he found the most success. Joining the Red Devils in 1981, Robson spent over a decade at Old Trafford, earning the nickname “Captain Marvel” for his performances and influence at the club.
Robson faced injury problems in his time as a player which limited his abilities, but even then, the former England international had a stellar career, winning two Premier Leagues, two FA Cups and a League Cup domestically before joining Middlesbrough in 1994. A recipient of 90 England caps, few players have captained the Three Lions more than Robson did.
“He was another hero of mine. I was in awe of Robson, even when I played alongside him! Without his injuries, he would’ve been in everybody’s best XI ever, because he could do everything: he could get up and down, he could defend, he could pass, he could score goals.”
Michel Platini
Midfielder
Michel Platini captaining France.
Michel Platini represented Nancy, Saint-Etienne and Juventus across his 15-year career as a player, which saw him be named “The King” for both his leadership and ability. An attacking midfielder, Platini was a prolific goalscorer, finishing as the top scorer in Serie A for three consecutive years between 1983 and 1985.
Platini won two Serie A titles and a European Cup with Juve, the pinnacle of his career in terms of honours won. He would enter management and eventually administration, though his time in the latter field ended in controversy. In discussing Platini’s inclusion in the team, Lineker kept things brief and simple.
“You can’t not have Platini in, can you?”
Diego Maradona
Attacking midfielder
Diego Maradona
A minimal number of players can be mentioned in the same breath as Diego Maradona, one of the best to ever do it. Maradona’s first foray into European football came with Barcelona, who signed him from Boca Juniors in 1982. It was with Napoli, however, who he joined two years later, where Maradona cemented his legacy.
Maradona is still revered in Naples and understandably so, having led the club to their first-ever and second Serie A titles. His career was marred by issues faced away from the pitch, but nothing could take away from the mercurial way in which Maradona played the sport.
“He was head and shoulders above everyone else I’ve ever seen. I once played in a Rest of the World game and Maradona was out on the pitch doing these tricks and all these great players - Zico, Platini, Elkjaer - were standing there with their mouths open. The goal he scored against us - not the punchy one but the second one - on a pitch that was unplayable, was incredible.”
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Marco van Basten
Striker
Marco van Basten
The first of two strikers to feature in Lineker’s team, it can be easy to forget that Marco van Basten played his last game at the age of 28. A legend for both Ajax and AC Milan, the Dutchman was a lethal finisher, known for his ball-striking ability, intelligence and overall quality as a player.
The forward is a three-time Ballon d’Or winner, the pinnacle of a career that saw him win the Euros with his country, three Eredivisie trophies with Ajax and with AC Milan, he won Serie A four times along with two European Cups, all before the age of 30.
“It’s such a shame Van Basten’s career was curtailed by injury. What did he have that I didn’t? Touch, skill - and he scored goals as well. He was just such a wonderful, gifted, well-balanced footballer.”
Hugo Sanchez
Striker
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Last to be named in Lineker’s team, Hugo Sanchez was one of the most fearsome goalscorers of his era. His first experience in European football came with Atletico Madrid but it was with their cross-city rivals that he found the most fame. In 1985, after three years in the Spanish capital, Sanchez moved to Real Madrid where he would play until 1992.
Sanchez played alongside Emilio Butragueno, known as The Vulture, and along with Manuel Sanchis, Martin Vazquez, Miguel Pardez and Michel, was part of the “Vulture’s Cohort,” a group of players that fired Madrid to five-straight La Liga titles between 1985 and 1990. In four of those seasons, Sanchez was the league’s top scorer for four of them, consecutively.
“The best goalscorer I ever played with. His movement and agility was unbelievable - he was a gymnast. He used to get on the back post and deliberately take the defender in too far from them to head it, knowing that if it was a big, high cross he could twizzle himself around and overhead kick it. I played in Spain for three years and he was top scorer every season.”
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