My Veteran 11 - Includes Former Arsenal Striker

Can you imagine a bottom-half team coming up with the idea of selling all their first team players, but keeping the youngsters and signing veterans?

That doesn’t sound so realistic, as a lot of these players left Europe to make big money in some oil rich countries before retiring, or to experience life in new a country far away while still making money. And some of them have moved to smaller clubs in Europe or back home.

But conceding that this is far from reality, I’m going to refer to a French film called “Les Seigneurs” which is not in any way based on true events, just to make the idea look more imaginable.  

In this film, a former great football player who has become an alcoholic is forced by the court to find a stable job after having assaulted a referee. He gets offered a head-coaching job by an unknown and very small football club on an island in Brittany where he decides to recruit his former teammates and world-cup winners who are also having a troubled life after retirement.  

The difference here is that the imaginary plan does not involve brining players out of retirement, but it involves signing veterans.

Let’s say a decent and well-connected former player of our team has been appointed as manager. What he has to do is convince his old friends who are still playing to join the team and help him win the league. They will probably have to accept a pay-cut but also they would be doing a favour to their old friend, and of course they will be excited by the prospect of teaming up with big footballers of their generation.

Assuming everything goes as planned, we will try to help our friend finding a starting line-up of veterans.

Goalkeeper: Dida, 39. Current Club: Grêmio, Brazil.

Defender: Lucio, 35. Current Club: Sao Paulo, Brazil.  

Defender: Rafael Marquez, 34. Current Club: León, Mexico.

Defender: Gabriel Heinze, 35. Current Club: Newell’s Old Boys, Argentina.

Midfielder: Zé Roberto, 39. Current Club: Grêmio, Brazil.

Midfielder: Clarence Seedorf, 37. Current Club: Botafogo, Brazil.

Midfielder: Juninho, 38. Current Club: Vasco da Gama. 

Midfielder: Juan Sebastian Veron, 38. Current Club: Estudiantes, Argentina.

Forward: Del Piero, 38. Current Club: Sydney FC, Australia.

Forward: Raul, 36. Current Club: Al Sadd SC, Qatar.

Forward: Thiery Henry, 36. Current Club: New York Red Bulls, U.S.A.

Let’s see what the attack-oriented formation would look like.

                 Dida

    Heinze   Lucio   Marquez

     Zé Roberto    Veron

   Juninho              Seedorf

              Del Piero

          Raul      Henry

 Simon Sammour