The deafening stands at Yuba Bharati Krirangan during a Mohun Bagan-East Bengal derby, the frenzied Park Street pubs during El Clasico and the overgrown Maidan grass that hosts a hundred kickabouts every afternoon, stand as testaments to Kolkata's deep fervour for football.
Kolkata—more than any other city in the country—has been fortunate to witness some of the world’s greatest footballers land on its shores to showcase their talents, be it Pele at Eden Gardens during the 1977 exhibition match or Lionel Messi in Salt Lake in 2011.
But what if the finest footballers to have visited Kolkata could come together in an All-Star team to represent the city? Who would make the cut and who would make the bench? What formation would this fantasy team play?
My Kolkata fills out a fantasy all-star team for the ages.
KOLKATA WORLD FOOTBALL XI (Formation: 3-4-3)
Oliver Kahn is the only goalkeeper in FIFA World Cup history to win the player of the tournament award, which he scooped in 2002
Goalkeeper: Oliver Kahn
A World Cup runner-up in 2002, Kahn spent a leisurely hour in goal during his farewell friendly for Bayern against Mohun Bagan in 2008. Standing at an imposing 6’2”, the German’s reflexes, ball distribution, and sheer presence make him the perfect fit for the role of Team Kolkata’s custodian.
Despite never winning an international championship with France, Mikael Silvestre won five Premier League titles with Manchester United
Right Centre-Half: Mikael Silvestre
The former French international, who represented Chennaiyin FC in Kolkata during the inaugural season of the Indian Super League (ISL), will bring steel and stamina to this team’s defence, coupled with a knack for making goal-saving last-ditch tackles.
Javier Mascherano is the second most capped Argentine player ever, behind Lionel Messi
Centre-Half: Javier Mascherano
If his performance against Venezuela at the Salt Lake stadium was anything to go by, Javier Mascherano will protect Kolkata’s defence as if it were his own heart. Though there is always a risk that the mercurial Argentine can lose his head, but his playmaking abilities from the back make it worth a gamble.
In the 2006 World Cup final, Materazzi gave away a penalty against France, scored the equaliser for Italy, and was involved in the infamous head-butt that got French captain Zinedine Zidane sent off
Left Centre-Half: Marco Materazzi
As a player-coach for Chennaiyin FC, Materazzi got a taste of Kolkata in 2014 and was mesmerised. Attackers, however, will have a much harder time casting a spell over the 2006 World Cup winner for Italy, who should also be a goal-scoring threat from set-pieces.
Paul Breitner scored in two World Cup finals, 1974 and 1982, and is only the fourth man to do so
Defensive Midfield: Paul Breitner
The unsung hero of West Germany’s 1974 World Cup-winning side, Breitner had no problems running the show in the middle of the park in his solitary game in Kolkata, a charity match for Bayern Munich Legends in 2010. And he did that at almost 60 years of age!
Along with Spain's Xavi Hernandez, Dunga is the only player to have played in a World Cup final, a Confederations Cup final, an Olympic final, and a continental championship final
Right Central Midfield: Dunga
The man who lifted the 1994 FIFA World Cup trophy for Brazil may have been rusty on the Kolkata turf some 18 years later, but prime Dunga left it all on the pitch, covering every blade of grass. As captain of the Kolkata XI, Dunga will have one job: stifle the opposition’s most creative players.
Toni Kroos has won four UEFA Champions League titles, the most by a German
Left Central Midfield: Toni Kroos
Kolkata saw plenty of Kroos’s impeccable cross-field passes when he played for Bayern Munich in Kahn’s farewell game, six years before pulling the strings for Germany’s World Cup win in Rio.
Digeo Maradona's magical dribble and goal against England in the 1986 World Cup quarter-final was voted as FIFA's best goal of the 20th century
Attacking Midfield: Diego Maradona
Technically, the most enigmatic footballer in history never played an actual match on Kolkata’s soil. But the late great Maradona did kick plenty of footballs around, especially on his first visit in 2008. The second time around in 2017, a series of health issues and the sweltering Kolkata heat prevented the 1986 World Cup champion for Argentina from lining up alongside Sourav Ganguly in an exhibition game. As for why Maradona should make this team...well...because he is Maradona!
Lionel Messi has over 1000 goal contributions in his career already, the most for any active footballer
Right Wing: Lionel Messi
Messi debuted as full-time skipper of Argentina in Kolkata in September 2011, set up the only goal of the game against Venezuela, and dazzled just about everyone who saw the then-24-year-old in action. Lining up on the right flank for this team, Messi will have the freedom to cut inside and link-up play through the middle, dovetailing with his Argentine idol in the process.
In 1999, Pele was named by the International Olympic Committee as the best athlete of the 20th century
Left-Wing: Pele
When Pele played for the New York Cosmos in the iconic setting of Eden Gardens in 1977, the whole city had come to a standstill. Still regarded by most as the gold standard of all-around attacking football, the Brazilian, like Messi on the right, will be expected to approach the centre of the pitch as an inside forward rather than hug the touchline.
Only one Italian, Silvio Piola, has scored more professional goals than Alessandro Del Piero
Striker: Alessandro Del Piero
The Italy and Juventus fan-favourite may have been underwhelmed during ISL 2014 as part of the Delhi Dynamos, but this is a forward who has terrorised Europe’s best for a generation. With the trio of Maradona, Pele and Messi behind him, Del Piero’s clinical finishing will win it for the Kolkata XI.
SUBSTITUTES
Rene Higuita has 41 career goals to his name, a staggering number for a goalkeeper
René Higuita
Want a backup goalkeeper who can execute a Scorpion Kick in stoppage time to see your team over the line? Look no further than the Colombian superstar who was in our city for an exhibition match against Mohun Bagan in 2012.
1989 was a golden year for Bebeto as he was named the best South American player besides finishing top scorer at the Copa America
Bebeto
Some classic Brazilian flair for a cameo off the bench, in case Breitner or Dunga need to rest their legs. This World Cup winner of 1994 was in town in 2012 representing Brazil Legends.
Luis Garcia was part of the Liverpool squad that won the 2005 UEFA Champions League final against AC Milan in the most dramatic fashion imaginable
Luis Garcia
It would hardly be an All-Star squad without the Spanish speed merchant who led ATK to their first-ever ISL championship.
32 years after winning the World Cup, Burruchaga was Argentina's general manager during the 2018 World Cup in Russia
Jorge Burruchaga
Need a goal in the dying embers of the game to break the deadlock? Call upon Argentine hitman Burruchaga and a replay of the 1986 World Cup final could well be on the cards (especially with Maradona already in the team!). The midfielder was here for the 1984 Nehru Cup.
In 2015, Elano (right) finished as top scorer in the ISL
Elano
What if Kolkata’s galaxy of superstars is tactically outwitted and has to change the game’s setup and tempo? No problem. Just get Brazilian midfield maestro Elano on the pitch. Kolkata still remembers him in action in 2014 and 2015 for Chennaiyin FC.
