A day after France Football released its ‘Ballon d’Or Dream Team’ list featuring many legendry players, Fans of the most the popular sport have released their own list with major changes.
Surprisingly, football legend, Pele, who is arguably one of the greatest player of the round leather game was dropped from the list alongside Lev Yashin, Lothar Matthaus.
According to sportbible.com, France Football had announced their team yesterday which included votes from 140 different journalists across the world.
But fans have had their say and after 140,000 votes, three players were swapped out in the form of Lev Yashin, Lothar Matthaus and Pele.
In their place are Italian duo Gianluigi Buffon and Andrea Pirlo, as well as current Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane.
Check out the full team below:
Goalkeeper: Gianluigi Buffon
Defender: Cafu
Defender: Paolo Maldini
Defender: Franz Beckenbauer
Midfield: Zinedine Zidane
Midfield: Xavi
Midfield: Andrea Pirlo
Midfield: Diego Maradona
Forward: Lionel Messi
Forward: Ronaldo Nazario
Buffon being placed over Yashin by fans is likely down to his World Cup win in 2006 as well as his longevity.
The Juventus man is 42-years-old and has admitted he wants to play ‘until he’s 80.’
He told La Stampa: “When you dream, it’s nice to see yourself in so many different situations. I need enthusiasm. Last year I thought about retiring but it created too much negativity.
Pirlo over Matthaus is a bold shout, as is Zidane over Pele. But both men have won a World Cup and in Zidane’s case, a Ballon d’Or.
Elsewhere in the team, a three man defence of former AC Milan duo Cafu and Paolo Maldini alongside Franz Beckenbauer remains untouched.
Maldini is the definition of a one club man, having won the lot across 25 years and 902 appearances for the San Siro outfit.
Diego Maradona and Xavi are the other two players in midfield alongside Pirlo and Zidane.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are the two active outfield players to make the list and it comes as no surprise.
Ronaldo has won five Ballon d’Ors while Messi has six, and the pair have pushed one another nonstop over the last 15 years.
Up front alongside them is Ronaldo Nazario, who forged a legacy as one of Europe’s most prolific forwards.
