Picking an Ultimate 25-Man Squad in World Football
Imagine being able to pick the best 25-man squad available in world football today—but there's a catch.
Instead of just plucking out the best players available to fill out your squad, it's all going to depend on what squad number they wear for their club teams, with all of our players numbered 1-25.
To remove any suspense, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are going to enter our squad as the best Nos. 7 and 10 in the game today, but who else makes it and who is left cursing their unlucky numbers?
The Rules
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To recap:
- We're going to name a player for every squad number from 1 to 25, with that player having to be registered to that number for their club team at the time of writing.
- Any player with a squad number above 25 is not considered, meaning that the likes of John Terry, Chelsea's No. 26, and David Alaba, Bayern Munich's No. 27, miss out, as does Mario Balotelli and his favourite No. 45 shirt—although whether he'd have made the cut is debatable.
- We're after an actual squad which could compete in any of the major leagues across Europe and the Champions League, meaning that we'll be looking to fill it out as such, so this isn't just a list of the best players to wear a particular number, there are tactics at stake!
- International shirt numbers are not considered, as they'd only confuse things.
Ready? Let's go!
1. Manuel Neuer
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It's a fairly easy one to start with, with the No. 1 shirt and the goalkeeping gloves taken by the Bayern Munich No. 1 Manuel Neuer—a player regarded by many as the finest shot-stopper in the game today.
The German had some stiff competition given that this is the number worn by most of the elite custodians in the game, but given that he's proven his worth for club and country time and time again in the past, the World Cup winner slots in nicely at the head of our squad.
2. Thiago Silva
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Traditionally a number reserved for right-backs, it is one of the best centre-backs in the modern game who takes our No. 2 shirt.
Paris Saint-Germain's Brazilian captain Thiago Silva is the first outfield player in our squad, and his leadership, strength and ability to score crucial late goals (just ask Chelsea) is going to come in more than handy.
3. Giorgio Chiellini
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We're still dispensing with tradition for our No. 3, and picking another centre-back instead of the more traditional left-back.
Juventus and Italy stalwart Giorgio Chiellini gets the nod, although whether he'll see that as adequate compensation for missing his side's Champions League final defeat to Barcelona this month is another matter entirely.
4. Sergio Ramos
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The No. 4 is something of a strange one given that it can be used by both defenders and more attacking, creative midfielders such as Chelsea's Cesc Fabregas or Barcelona's Ivan Rakitic, but we've gone with another one of the former to continue to give our squad great defensive strength.
Sergio Ramos tends to wear the No. 15 shirt for his country Spain, but he's seen in the No. 4 for Real Madrid and was wearing it when he scored crucial goals in his side's Champions League semi-final and final victories in 2014.
5. Sergio Busquets
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Although it's usually a central defender's number, Zinedine Zidane was probably the most famous player to wear the No. 5 in modern times when he sported in for Real Madrid between 2001 and 2006—scoring that famous Champions League final goal against Bayer Leverkusen wearing it at the end of his first season.
Another No. 5 to have an impressive—albeit less spectacular—Champions League final was Barcelona's Sergio Busquets, who was excellent at the base of his side's midfield in the win over Juventus in Berlin this month, and is more than deserving of his place in our squad.
6. Paul Pogba
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Coming in at No. 6 is Juventus's Paul Pogba, who will hope to have a career even half as successful as his opposite number in the Champions League final—the now-departed Barcelona icon Xavi.
France's Pogba has been seen as the perfect example of the modern midfielder player for a while now, and whilst a potential transfer elsewhere this summer might see him switch from the No. 6 shirt, he'd have a great chance of claiming whichever number he ends up wearing.
7. Cristiano Ronaldo
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Onto one of the easy ones now, and the No. 7 shirt which was always destined for a man who has turned "CR7" into his trademark—Cristiano Ronaldo.
Having worn the number at Manchester United, the Portuguese star was forced to switch to No. 9 for his first season at Real Madrid following his 2009 move due to the presence of club legend Raul, but it wasn't long before he was able to take ownership of his favourite shirt and dazzle the Bernabeu fans with his feats within it.
8. Andres Iniesta
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He wears No. 6 for Spain but Andres Iniesta has been Barcelona's No. 8 for a while now, and lifted the Champions League in the shirt earlier this month.
The stylish midfielder simply oozes class and is a nightmare for opposing teams whenever he's on the ball, with the ability to thread passes through the eyes of needles and finding his equally talented teammates with clever through balls.
All-in-all, it is hard to believe that he's only just turned 31.
9. Luis Suarez
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The No. 9 is the man you want at the sharp end of your team scoring goals, and in Luis Suarez our squad has certainly got an excellent one of those.
Having worn the No. 7 shirt at his previous club Liverpool, the Uruguayan switched to the same number he sports for his country when he made the move to Barcelona last summer ahead of a stellar first season in Spanish football which ended with a crucial goal in the Champions League final.
10. Lionel Messi
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Surely the most iconic number in football history deserves an equally iconic figure to wear it, and there should be little doubt about who quite rightly sports our No. 10 shirt.
Lionel Messi—who started out wearing Nos. 30 and then 19 at Barcelona before graduating to his rightful digits—seems to have taken his game up to even higher heights in 2015, and deserves to be recognised as one of the very best to have worn the No. 10 at the elite level.
11. Neymar
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With a staggering 39 goals in Barcelona's all-conquering 2014/15 season—including the one which sealed the Champions League final win over Juventus—it is Neymar who beats the likes of Gareth Bale and Mesut Ozil to our No. 11 shirt.
The Brazilian was in quite stunning form throughout the campaign, and he joins Messi and Suarez in our team as the terrifying trio link up again and try to reproduce their feats at club level.
12. Marcelo
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A player who has improved to a fairly staggering degree during his eight years at Real Madrid, the Brazilian left-back Marcelo is in at No. 12 having established himself as one of the best players in the world in his position.
Wearing the first of our shirt numbers outside 1-11, Marcelo will provide a strong case for a starting spot at left-back thanks to his strong defensive skills, ability to join in with attacks and goal threat—which he showed to great effect during the 2014 Champions League final.
13. Thibaut Courtois
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Our first Premier League player in the squad might end up taking Chelsea's No. 1 shirt if Petr Cech were to bring his long association with the Blues to an end this summer, but for now Thibaut Courtois wears the No. 13 with distinction.
Considered unlucky by many, the No. 13 is an odd number in football which seems to be shunned by many outfield players and instead usually sported by goalkeepers, with Courtois the best around at the moment.
14. Javier Mascherano
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The sixth Barcelona player to see his number come up is Argentina's Javier Mascherano, who wears the No. 14 for both his club side and Argentina.
Seemingly comfortable either in defence or the base of midfield, the tigerish 31-year-old is one of the toughest and most dedicated players in the game today, and a man who teammates always seem to want on their side.
15. Mats Hummels
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We've got an out-and-out centre-back in at No. 15, where the Borussia Dortmund skipper Mats Hummels comes into the squad to add to our already solid defence.
The German international has until now remained loyal to his side despite plenty of rumours linking him with a move away to Manchester United—such as this one in the Metro—but the good news for him is that there is no registered No. 15 at Old Trafford right now, so he could end up holding on to his favourite shirt.
16. Sergio Aguero
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Our second Premier League player was the division's top scorer in 2014/15, with defenders knowing that they were more than likely about to concede a goal if and when they saw Sergio Aguero's No. 16 shirt running away from them.
The Argentinean was in red-hot form throughout the campaign just gone, and although the striking talent available elsewhere in our squad might mean that he finds it tough to get on the pitch, he will certainly be able to make an impact once he does.
17. Alexis Sanchez
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A brilliant first season in English football ended with an FA Cup success and a fine goal in the final for Arsenal's excellent Chilean Alexis Sanchez, who has been ensuring that plenty of Gunners fans want to buy a No. 17 shirt with his name on the back.
Sanchez scored 25 goals in all competitions after moving from Barcelona, and you wouldn't bet against him getting even more than that in 2015/16.
18. Jordi Alba
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Our squad is a little short on full-backs, but even if we weren't, there would still probably be room at No. 18 for Barcelona's Jordi Alba, who wears the same number for his country that he does for his club.
Barca's Champions League success in 2014/15 added to Alba's European Championship glory with Spain in 2012, where he scored in the final victory over Italy shortly before securing his move to the Nou Camp from Valencia.
Earlier this month he signed a contract extension at Barca with a buyout clause of a staggering 150 million euros.
19. Mario Gotze
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Nineteen was the number that Mario Gotze was sporting when he dramatically won the World Cup for Germany with an extra-time winner against Argentina last summer, and it's also the one he wore throughout another successful season with Bayern Munich.
The 23-year-old managed to score 15 goals for the second successive campaign as Bayern claimed yet another Bundesliga title, something which they only look like winning more and more of in the seasons to come.
20. Robin van Persie
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He's not had the best of seasons at Manchester United and in truth he is benefiting from not too much competition for his No. 20 shirt, but Robin van Persie makes it into our squad as a backup forward.
The Dutch international has been one of the best forwards in the Premier League for a number of years before age and injury seems to have caught up with him, but he'll provide experience and cover for the rest of our striking talents.
21. Philipp Lahm
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After the high of winning the World Cup, Bayern Munich's Philipp Lahm had to contend with the low of an injury which disrupted his 2014/15 season, but he was still able to return in time to lift the Bundesliga trophy.
The 31-year-old may have retired from international football but he still remains an integral part of his club side, and he'll be determined to experience more of the campaign in 2015/16.
22. Dani Alves
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Having previously worn the Nos. 20 and 2 since moving to Barcelona in 2008, Brazilian right-back Dani Alves switch to the No. 22 in 2013 as a show of solidarity to man who used to wear that shirt, Eric Abidal, who had undergone treatment for liver cancer.
One of the best attacking right-backs in the world game, Alves won both his fifth La Liga title and third Champions League medal in 2015, and has decided to stay at Barcelona in an attempt to win more.
23. Isco
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Sporting a shirt number made famous by the likes of Michael Jordan and David Beckham, Real Madrid's Isco comes in at No. 23 and adds a dash of daring to our midfield.
The former Malaga man isn't always a regular starter at the Bernabeu, but will be a valuable figure in new coach Rafael Benitez's plans in the coming campaign.
24. Marco Verratti
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Having just come to the end of his third title-winning season in a row since joining Paris Saint-Germain in 2012, impressive young Italian midfielder Marco Verratti takes our No. 24 spot thanks to his tenacious tackling and his ability to read a game.
PSG's Champions League second round success at Chelsea in February was a perfect example of the 22-year-old's game intelligence, and he looks to be one of the most vital cogs in Italy's machine for years to come.
25. Thomas Muller
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Taking the final spot in our 25-man squad is Bayern Munich's No. 25 Thomas Muller, who has worn that shirt with distinction for seven seasons now but is still, fittingly, just 25 years old.
A scorer of 27 international goals—10 of them coming over two different World Cup tournaments—Muller is very much one of the best international goal-getters in the modern game, and adds yet more firepower to our star-studded, well-organised squad.
