All-time combined Argentina-Brazil XI

Before we begin, just a word of warning: not everyone is going to be happy with the selections made here, but an effort has been made to be as inclusive and open-minded as possible with the choices made.Selecting an all-time Argentina XI is difficult enough on its own, the same can be said for Brazil. Combining the two together? Sure, it is a fun endeavour, but it is also quite the head-wrecking exercise. Suffice to say, yours truly felt a tad like Jack Torrence from the Shining at one or two points during the composition. Thankfully, though, the end product is here and exit from the Overlook Hotel is now a reality.The players opted for here lean heavily towards those who have left a lasting legacy on the game, although pure skill, effectiveness and third-party opinion have all also been taken into account. This XI has been designed with compatibility in mind and the players selected, many of whom are unsurprisingly attack-minded, have been chosen based on the likelihood that they would work together in a certain system (the precise formation of which will be detailed in the final slide.)Will both Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona make the cut? Will there be any room for modern hero, Neymar Jr? Will any unfamiliar faces pop up? Take a read to find out.Do not forget, this list is intended to foster discussion as much as it is to provide a definitive shortlist, so feel free to share your own opinions.

#1 Goalkeeper: Gilmar

Be honest: when one thinks of South American football, conservative shot-stoppers don’t immediately spring to mind. Instead, images of free-flowing, attacking football enter our imaginations as blue, white and yellow blurs streak through our minds. However, even the most offensive of teams need a top-quality goalkeeper between the posts as a last insurance policy.

Argentina’s Ubaldo Fillol comes a close second for this spot due to his magnificent performances as the custodian of the tournament during La Albiceleste’s 1978 World Cup-winning heroics, but it’s Gilmar dos Santos Neves who claims his place as our no.1 on this occasion.

A two-time winner of the World Cup (in 1958 and 1962) with Brazil, the late Gilmar is the only Brazilian or Argentine goalkeeper to have played an integral part in two title-winning campaigns with the national team and due to this he takes his place between our hypothetical posts.

His goalkeeping prowess is well-renowned worldwide, but the Independent’s Ivan Ponting put it best when he wrote in an obituary: “Tall, slim and with the clean-cut, handsome looks of a matinee idol, Gilmar cut a figure of dignified authority, his unflappability in the heat of the most hectic action as imposing as his puma-like agility.”