Football Daily - Euro Leagues: The Greatest Champions League XI

Episode Date: June 12, 2025

We’re delving into the Football Daily archives for this episode as Steve Crossman, Guillem Balagué, Raphael Honigstein & Kristof Terreur argue, debate and (eventually) pick the Euro Leagues’ ultimate Champions League XI before the Champions League Final between Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain back in 2020. Iker Casillas or Edwin van der Sar, Robert Lewandowski or Diego Milito – who makes it into the coveted starting line-up?

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Experience Formula One like never before by tuning into the inside track wherever you get your podcasts. BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts. The Football Daily Podcast with Kelly Kitts. Hello and welcome to the Football Daily. On this episode we're bringing you the EuroLeague's team's greatest Champions League XI. This was first broadcast ahead of the 2020 Champions League final between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich. On the Football Daily Podcast, the EuroLeague's... 2020 Champions League final between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich.

We are doing the all-time Champions League final 11. Joining me are Guillaume Balague, Raphael Honigstein and Christophe Ture. So here are the rules. It has to be a 4-3-3. It's got to be a real team. What are you, what, Raphael Honigstein is already waving his hands. I knew this was a mistake. Nothing about finals.

Where'd you get this from? They've got to be, they've got to have played in the finals. It says on the BBC website, you're picking the best all-time team from the tournament and then it says the only criteria is that they have to have 60 or more Champions League games and to have played in at least one final. It doesn't mean that they have to have some kind of special impact in a final or something. Okay, fine, but I still get to pick the winning team. So, you know, you're selling to me.

It's a fair point, Raph. It's a fair point, but you're still selling to me. That's all I'm saying. I'm just reading you the rules of your own competition. It's not a competition. Kristoff, we've got a chance here, you know. Yeah, it's not a competition. It's between you and me, I think. I know, it's not a competition because there's no winners and there's only one loser and that's clearly me.

I want to win, so I take it as a competition. Okay, good. So we'll start with the goalkeeper. So before we debate, let's just go bang, bang, bang. So Rafael Honigstein, who is your goalkeeper? Edwin van der Sar. Edwin van der Sar. Christoph Thurer. Edwin van der Sar. Brilliant, it's going to be a good debate. Come on. Guillem Balague. Casillas. Thank goodness for that. Of course. Now, okay, 177 appearances in the Champions League. Nobody's played more games, so more times to get it wrong, but still you look at him and you think, no, no, he actually has been since that appearance in the Champions League

final in 1999 when he was 19 and save Real Madrid that day when Cesar got injured. Since then on, he's just become the best player in the competition, one of two Champions League and establishing in that period, as one of the best goalkeepers in the world. I think from the side, he's done it with at least two different clubs. And I think he's more the... He was not like one of the new modern keepers. So more than Casillas was.

He's influenced a generation. I know lots of keepers that say, yeah, Casillas was one of my examples because he was like a little bit spectacular. But we all looked up to van der Sar, because he could play with his feet. Yeah, everything. And that's why I picked him, for instance,

also because I grew up close to a Dutch border and was looking a lot of Dutch football, to be fair, so as a youngster, so that plays in my mind. My first real Champions League memory is he was the goalkeeper, to be fair, so maybe age. I'll be honest with you, geography is not going to convince me. So unless you've got something more, Raf, Guilhem's going to win this one.

I mean, when I think of the iconic goalkeeper that dominated an era, I think more van der Sar in the relationship. I think of Casillas for Spain, of course, for all the titles there. Yes, 2002, he was outstanding when he came on against Leverkusen. But I just don't think he had that impact in history that Van der Sar had for all the reasons that Christoph made. Kieran Imbrieten says should be Buffon and Kevin says must be Peter Schmeichel. Buffon's a difficult one because the Champions League is just the competition that's always

escaped him, so a greater goalkeeper as he is. I'm not sure he can get the nod. I'll put it easy for you, Steve. I mean, this is a romantic competition, isn't it? The ones who won it the most. And this is the goalkeeper that's had 177 games with the most important and most iconic, talking about iconic, club in the competition. So it has to be Casillas, no? so he has to be Casillas, no? Ika Casillas will be our goalkeeper. That's been decided. Sorry, Raf and Christoph Thurer. You made a good case for Edwin van der Sar,

but I'm going with Casillas. What we've got next? Back four. You have a chance to redeem yourself, Steve. Okay, go on then. You can go first, Raf, with the back four. Better write these down, haven't I? Yeah, so I need to check actually who I picked.

I mean, my right back, I remember, is Dani Alves. Okay. Left back is Maldini. and then Guillaume would be very happy that I picked the iconic centre backs from Spain, Yes, Pique and Ramos. Don't feel sorry about it they have absolutely been fantastic. I've actually picked the Gem on his right back. Yes yes. Oh Philip. Yeah, Philip Lamb is my right back. Ramos and Puyol are my centre backs, so that's a bit of a difference. But I will have Maldini, and I think I'm cheating a little bit here, the right footed left back of AC Milan as left back in my back foot. Yeah, Christoph? I've done it all first on the right back. Sergio Ramos, the greatest defender

of Spain of all times in Spain as a centre back. I've put Maldini as a centre back and I've cheated a little bit too with my left back as I had to have a player from Bayern Munich. I put Lahm as a right foot left back because he's played in that position too. So that's fair. Lahm, I mean, Raff can confirm this, but I think that's fair because Lama has played there. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely fair. I mean, not that much, I think, over the course of his Champions League career, but yeah, absolutely. He's only won one Champions League, no, Lama? Yeah, 2013. You are going against your own team here, Guillaume.

I just remembered. I'm going to help you, Steve. Ramos is four Champions League wins, and Puyol is absolutely crucial to the best team in the world ever, perhaps. Or close to it anyway. Three Champions League, they both have to be there. And the rest is up to you guys. Maldini has to be there too. Why is it Puyol, why did you pick Puyol ahead of Piquet? Because Piquet is a better player with Puyol next to him. Puyol has always been, even though not the most plastic

and elegant, but the harbour of that defence of Barcelona. At a time when he was asked to change himself as a player. So he was like, you know, this thing you've been doing of heading the ball away and kicking it away, forget about that. You have to build from the back. You have to be high up. And that transition he did very well. So if you defended that Van de Saar was the man to put goalkeepers into the modern world, in a way Puyol was forced to go from right back to centre back to more than centre back. And he did that very well and winning a lot of things in the process. Why haven't you got Alves, Guillem?

Dani Alves, I respect Lam a lot. I met him a couple of times. I see again his progression. Pep Guardiola is the most intelligent player he's ever had or said that at the time he was at Bayern. Those are, you know, marks that you have to quantify. And even though the Champions League has not been fair to him, he's played 112 times in the competition. So, and captain of one of the big clubs in the history of the competition too. Okay, I'll tell you what I'm going to do, Raph. Because Lahm has popped up a couple of times, but interestingly not in your team. Do you want Lahm in? You can have Lahm in at right back instead of Alves, you can change your own team, you can go with your

countrymen, you can go with your initial thought. No I'm going to stick with Dani Alves. He's going to stick with Dani Alves okay so Dani Alves is right back, has to be Ramos. Guilhem I think you've made a very good point, Puyol is in ahead of Piquet and left back. Well we haven't really talked about him but it's got to be Paolo Maldini hasn't't it? Yeah, why not? Why not? And the same reason, I think Maldini has had also a long career in the competition, 116 games. As I said, he was a left back, but he was right footed. And he was very, very intelligent playing both as a centre back and as a left back. Perhaps the best play on the field in the 2003 Champions League final, a win over Juventus at the time.

And then there is that thing about lifting the cup 40 years to the day that his father, Cesare, have lifted in 1963. So he's part of the history of the European Cup as well as the Champions League. And not really remembering what he did during his last Champions League final when he won it because he was full of painkillers. He got surgery, a few were, like 24 hours, he was in Antwerp undergoing surgery to his knee, I think.

So he was completely wasted too when he played his last final and won his last final. So great player. I always looked up at him. Is it three European Cups and two Champions Leagues that he won? And runners up three times? I don't think many have that kind of CV. We've picked five players so far,

and four of them were either Barcelona or Real Madrid. I think you're in my head, Guillaume. Well, we have believed in an era of Barcelona and Real Madrid in the Champions League is finished, is over, but that's what we believed. And wait until you get to the midfield. All right, well, let's do that now. I mean, unfortunately, there's no way past the Catalans and the Spaniards. Unfortunately, celebrated. Yeah, I tried to bring other players in from other countries, but it's just too difficult.

I mean, I went for Xavi, Busquets and one of them, Toni Kroos. The real Toni Kroos or the real Toni Kroos? Or both of them, Raf? I mean how many Chamsikas have you won? Four. Four? Yeah. That's good enough for me. Go on, Christoph. I think Christoph you've pretty pretty much agreed with almost RAAF's whole team so far.

So are we going to see some moving apart? It would be helpful if we did. I just noticed that on social media, they have changed one player in my midfield. So I will go with that one. It was not the one I selected, but I have Xavi and Iniesta because you can't ignore them. And they've added Seydorov instead of Sidon, but Seydorov has won three Champions League

with three different clubs, so get them in, get them in. So what, sorry, what are your three then? Confirm the three that you actually want. Xavi, Iniesta, Zizou. Xavi, Iniesta, Zizou. Okay, Guillaume. Iniesta won it four times, Xavi won it four times, and Sidov, which is my third midfielder, wanted four times with three different clubs. So I think they should be ahead of Steven

Gerhard. I'm surprised that Rafi doesn't have Iniesta on the side. He's lifting his hand, so let's him talk. I mean, I wanted Iniesta on my side, but I remind you once more about the rules. Yes, I am German, the rules are very important to me. Steve said this has to be a real team. Yes it does have to be a real team. I don't think you can play football with Christoph's team. I have Philipp Lahm to cover defensive midfield as an inverted left back. How many positions is Philipp Lahm playing in your team? How many positions is Philippe Lampen playing in your team? That's why I put him in, to get that discussion going. Pep would have done it.

Also, Raffae, you should realise modern football has been about how you attack and attack and defend high up. And then Iniesta and Xabi and, whatever it was, Xisu, could actually recover possession if everybody's high up the pitch. And then you don't need a defensive midfielder that is called like that because he actually tackles in the midfield. No more Machaleles. Instead, the Chavis and the Estas of this world. That's what we moved to. No, no, no. I feel that sometimes Jesus' whole coaching is one long letter to Del Bosque accusing him of not getting more support for the midfield at his time and all the other Champions League that they should have won if only they would have had Maka Lelle or a type like him after he left.

I have to say I'm disappointed that Clarence Seydolf only appears in one team. I think you've got to have him in Christophe, I've got to be honest. He has to be in the side. It was him or Zidane for me. So it's a really difficult one to pick. So it's going to be Iniesta, Xavi and Seedorf, isn't it? No, but Busquets has to be in there. Raph's right. It has to be a real team.

Your team, Guilhem, you would concede too many goals with Iniesta, Xavi and Seedorf. Who's talking about winning? Entertaining, entertaining, would be lovely to watch. It'd be great. They'd be booing when you're 4-0 down on 10 minutes. And then I'll say, but you know who these guys are? Do you know what they've won? What have you won? I'll be kicked out as director of football or whatever I was at the time.

Does that happen at Biggleswade too when you go into discussions with your fans, Guillaume? Yeah, yes. Yes, your fans, you have to keep them close, but not too close. Anyway, we beat Biggleswade Town. We actually, the town is red at the moment. We just beat it in the derby. That gives me the opportunity to say that. Oh, El Clasico, yeah.

Well done, well done. Congratulations. Right, Classico, yeah. Well done. Well done. Congratulations. Right. Okay. So I'm going with a bit of an amalgamation here. Our midfield three will be Sergio Busquets because Raph is completely right. We need a holding midfielder. You can shake your head all you want, Christophe. I've decided. He's going to be center forward in a minute. And then we are going to have Zidane and Seydorf. That is our midfield three. No, Chaby, no, Iniesta.

They're great players, Guillaume. They're great players. And maybe they should be in, but I'm going for Zidane and Seydorf. You won't be the manager next season. Ronald Koeman will be in to replace me in the short term. and I'll be in to replace me in the short term. Welcome to the Inside Track with me, Rick Edwards. This is the podcast that takes you inside Formula One like never before. And I'm Matt Magendie, and thanks to my exclusive access,

I'll be getting up close and personal with Red Bull Racing this season. This week, I sit down with one of the team's big bosses, Dr Helmut Marko. I also didn't think that Max would win four championships. He didn't have the success what we expected from him. Experience Formula One like never before by tuning into the Inside Track wherever you get your podcasts. Sir Alex Ferguson is the most successful British manager of all time. So how did this apprentice toolmaker from Glasgow become one of the most iconic figures in sporting history? His strength, his character, his determination, the fight in him.

Ferguson was every department. He can be persuasive, he can be charming, he can be frightening. Go down as the best, it's as simple as that. I'm Kelly Cates and this is Sporting Giants, Sir Alex Ferguson. I didn't want to feel, I couldn't feel. Listen on BBC Sounds. On the Football Daily Podcast, the EuroLeagues. With Steve Crossman. Listen on BBC Sounds. We're on onto the forwards.

Our team so far is Ika Kasiass in goal, Dani Alves at right back, Sergio Ramos and Carlos Puyol the centre-halves, Maldini at left back, three central midfielders, Busquets holding with Zidane and Seydorf just doing what they do. So we need three forwards now. I love this message that we've just had just because it's going to wind up Raff and that's fine.

Sudeep Raff says, if Lewandowski is picked, it is clearly only out of recency bias. I mean, when does recency start? In 2012? I mean, the guy is the fourth highest goalscorer in the Champions League and the only two out of three guys ahead of him I have obviously picked in my team. I don't think anyone found a way not to pick them. And the only guy that has a realistic claim to be ahead of him as a center forward is Benzema.

But I just prefer Lewandowski. There's something about his style that I just prefer. And anyway, we have too many Madrid and Barcelona players already. So Lewandowski and you can guess the others. We don't even have to talk about that. Okay. So, well, I guess. Yeah, Lewandowski and you can guess the others. We don't even have to talk about that. This is a good point. So can I just check our wide forwards are Messi and Ronaldo? Yes? No, no question marks. White. Ronaldo is a nine. Yeah. Ronaldo is played as a nine and he's played left and right. He can play wide. That's fine. Stopping a troll. It's when you get him as well, of course. If you get him at when he arrived to Manchester

United, yes, he's a wide player. Then at Madrid in the last three years of at Madrid already, this is five years ago, for five years, he's been a nine. Five years of his career. Yeah, but he played wide for Real Madrid as well. He was not always a now. At the beginning, yeah, perhaps the first two seasons, but that's it. After that, it was just the perfect anyway, you need to embed some annex to him. What position is he for you then game? Is he a wide forward? Or is he your number nine? I put she done as wide left. But because we have an as midfielder, that's it, I won't battle for it. But she then only won one champion six surprisingly, but was the best player in the world at this time, wasn't he? But we've got him already. He was my left one. Ronaldo's nine and Messi

is whatever he wants to be. Yeah, that is fair. All right. So you've got Lewandowski. So Rafs is Messi, Lewandowski, Ronaldo. Christoph, what's your three? It's Messi, Ronaldo, the surprising names. And then I wanted, if fans on Twitter are talking about the recency bias, I wanted to pick Divock Origi as central striker but he wasn't available. So I went for Lewandowski too because we know he's going to do it in the final. He's the fourth top scorer in the Champions League. He's been there. He's been great this season. He's my forward. It was him or Benzema for me too. And I went for, we need another player from this Bayern team that has done brilliant, put Lewandowski in it. And there was no suggestion or any rule about impact in the final.

And if there was a rule about impact in the final, he will do it this final. So don't worry, this will still stand on Sunday evening, just like my Atletico Madrid will win the Champions League prediction, I guess. Yeah, it's to reach the future perfectly. I just don't know about having Lavendowski in there because to me, it's all about the final.

Like Zidane, for example, I mean, he's Zidane, but I essentially picked him for that volley in the final. Yeah, well, we are in agreement that even though it's not about what they did in the final, it's better if they had an impact in a final, no? Because that will put, it'd be a small selection, but it'd be a very exclusive selection. If it's about impact in the final, we have to put Gareth Bale in.

I was about to ask that exact question. He can be a candidate. Not put it in, he can be a candidate. But it has to be the global thing. And yes, Lewandowski, we haven't seen him in a final, have we? So I agree with you, Steve. What was your team, Steve? What was your team?

I want to know what your team was. Oh, no, we're building my team, which is my association. Oh, no, you have to come up with your own team. You have to come up with your own team. I think that was one of the... He's doing it. He's listening to the experts. We're giving him our opinions

and then he just put it together. And then he changes it and then he mixes it up to a team that everybody says, what's this? I could never be mistaken as an expert. and then he just put it together. Yeah, and then he changes it and he mixes it up to a team that everybody says, what's this? I could never be mistaken as an expert. Yeah, because we don't want to call that lineup that you build him as ours. It's Steve Grossman's. It's your choice. We don't agree with it. Rahul says, Shevchenko, Raul, Del Piero haven't had a mention. Shocking. Discuss.

Yeah, true, true. I thought he would come up with Raul, Piero haven't had a mention. Shocking. Discuss. Yeah, true, true. I thought you would come up with Raul to be fair. Yeah, Raul could have been there perfectly. Must be still top five goal scorers in the Champions League, 70-year-old goals. The man that was not a ten at anything and was just one footed and couldn't head the ball but still just managed to get such a brilliant career out of it and get titles in the process as well. But yeah we forget, I mean 92 includes yes the Galantico era, includes the Piero's era, includes a bit of Milan which we have mentioned so it's you know we'd only had half an hour to talk about what is it since 92, how many years is that, it's a long period.

But names beyond the obvious have been mentioned already so I shouldn't be too harsh on ourselves. Okay well I've made my decision. Here is the full lineup for our all-time Champions League Final 11. Ingo Icaquias, back four from right to left, Dani Alves, Sergio Ramos, Carlos Puyol, Paolo Maldini. Three central midfielders, Sergio Busquets will be holding and then Zinedine Zidane and Clarence Seydorf will have the freedom to roam. Right and left you can pick but it's Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo and seen as you've all just taken the rules and thrown them out the window, I've decided to pull rank and our number nine will be picked solely on his impact in a final. Diego Milito is the number nine of the all-time Champions League final team and I don't care, he's scored both goals for Inter in the 2010 final

and that's why I've picked him, Raph, because of the opposition. As long as you're happy. As long as you're happy. He's speechless. It's the scandal that rocked rugby union to its core. The so-called Bloodgate scandal. Tom Williams now receiving attention. It seems so clear that this wasn't real blood. It's out and out cheating. This is a story of lies and deception, conspiracies and cover-ups.

There was terror that it could tear the house down. Courtroom drama and secret deals. So obviously a lie. And a human cost that changed lives and careers forever. Dee Richards is found guilty and banned for three years. I'm Ross Kemp and this is Sports Strangers Crimes Bloodgate. Listen on BBC Sounds. Welcome to the Inside Track with me, Rick Edwards. This is the podcast that takes you inside Formula One like never before. I'm Matt Magendy and thanks to my exclusive

access, I'll be getting up close and personal with Red Bull Racing this season. This week, I sit down with one of the team's big bosses, Dr. Helmut Marko. I also didn't think that Max would win four championships. He didn't have the success what we expected from him. Experience Formula One like never before by tuning into the Inside Track wherever you get your podcasts.