Sunil Chhetri’s Dream Team: Lionel Messi features, but no Cristiano Ronaldo in the six-a-side team
Sunil Chhetri had been asked to pick his dream team on a major social media website, and the Bengaluru FC captain compiled a cracker jacker of a team. The team, has Manuel Neuer in goal, the centre back duo of Jerome Boateng and Alessandro Nesta as the defenders, with the front three of perhaps the best players of their respective generations in Lionel Messi, Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo Luis (who he referred to as ‘THE Ronaldo’).
The Indian captain though, didn’t pick himself in his team, despite being on the list of top ten international goal scorers. But, if there was ever a six a side tournament, you wouldn’t blame him for picking this team.
German International and Bayern Munich shot-stopper Manuel Neuer is considered by many as the best goalkeeper in the world, having revolutionised the art of goalkeeping with his unique ‘sweeper keeper’ technique. The World Cup winner after moving from Schalke has won four Bundesliga titles and the UEFA Champions League in his time at Munich.
The defence constitutes Alessandro Nesta and Jerome Boateng, two of the best of their generations. The Italian International and World Cup winner, Nesta, has 78 caps for the National Team, and has played for Italian giants Lazio and Milan in his career, but is known mostly for his time at Milan where he partnered the likes Paolo Maldini and Jaap Stam at the heart of defence which won two Champions League crowns.
Jerome Boateng is probably the most questionable inclusion in the side, though his trophy cabinet cannot be argued with, he has won the World Cup, the Champions League and four Bundesliga titles.
The top three would give any defence nightmares, I would expect Zidane to start from the middle (will be criminal to not start him there). The Real Madrid manager is comfortably one of the best number tens the game has ever seen, having won the Champions League at Real Madrid (and repeating the feat later as a manager), and guiding France to a World Cup and a European Championship.
Lionel Messi needs absolutely no introduction, possibly the best player the world has ever seen, he has won a staggering amount of trophies at Barcelona, a record five Ballon d’Ors and less famously has guided his nation to two Copa America finals and a World Cup final.
Describing Ronaldo by his numbers would be a crime, and hence I would let a certain Zlatan Ibrahimovic describe him, “I think Ronaldo was phenomenal. He was the player that whatever he did it became wow! He could do a difficult thing and it became magic. He would take the ball and it was like him saying ‘I’ll take care of it now’. You didn’t have that kind of football player before and you don’t have it today. He doesn’t exist. As a young player, I watched him and said to myself ‘I want to be exactly like that’… the player who makes the difference, the shining light, simple as that. ”.
What will be your dream team? Tweet it to me @soumalyamoitra7, and if your dream team is worth writing home about, rest assured it will be.
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