FC GOODFELLAS
OPENING REMARKS
When picking this squad, my focus was dead set on power and pure character. Almost every single one of these guys has worn a captain’s armband at some point in their careers. Just so we’re clear—this locker room is strictly a no-fly zone for those modern-day influencers, YouTubers, Facebook celebrities, and whatever other social media anomalies have been infecting football since the dawn of time; frankly, this squad is more sensitive to that nonsense than an old-school coach is to a bad haircut. In this group, Lothar is the only one allowed to be a bit vain or high-maintenance—and honestly, that’s a compromise we had to accept given his legendary preoccupation with looking good. So, give me the grit of Uwe and Alfred, the London pub brawler Charles, Maier, Overath, and Rensenbrink with their questionable attempts at hairstyling, the hard-nosed Masopust and Lata who were forged in the fires of the Eastern Bloc, and for the defense—every single man MUST look like he belongs in a Puerto Rican street gang or the leadership of the Camorra. Give me them, and I’ll conquer the All-Time Dream Team. 🙂
SQUAD
SEPP MAIERClub: He never left Bayern Munich, and frankly, why should he? He won everything there was to win.
National Team: Same story here; he swept everything with the German national side. There’s no higher peak.
Honors: Three-time German Footballer of the Year, and voted the greatest German goalkeeper of the 20th century. There’s plenty more where that came from, but I’m not here to write a novel.
PR Corner: It’s enough to say he was one of the most prominent Germans of the '70s. He’s been a staple in almost every past draft, so I won’t bore you by reciting his entire resume of praise.
MAURO TASSOTTIClub: Solid. Roughly 600 appearances and a mountain of silverware with AC Milan.
National Team: Took silver with Italy at the '94 World Cup. If Baggio and Baresi hadn't been such emotional snowflakes, he would've walked away with gold. ☕
Honors: Won over Luis Enrique's heart. Not a massive trophy, but hey, at least Real Madrid fans will appreciate the sentiment.
PR Corner: Part of "The Defense." He earned his spot in the Milan Hall of Fame and anchored the Del Pierro-era backline during the ATD2 era.
DANIEL PASSARELLAClub: Over 500 games split between River Plate, Fiorentina, and Inter Milan.
National Team: Earned 70 caps for Argentina and played in two World Cups.
Honors: Argentine Player of the Year, a regular fixture in the best lineups of various major tournaments, and a permanent resident on Pelé’s lists.
PR Corner: According to some, he’s the greatest American libero to ever play the game; according to others, he’s one of the finest defenders in history; and to some, he was simply a genius on the ball. He knew how to strike a free kick and shut down an attacker—
ROBERTO AYALAClub: Really shined at Valencia. Spent the bulk of his career playing in La Liga and Serie A.
National Team: Made his debut under Passarella (the guy with the hair) and racked up 116 caps for the Gauchos. Won Olympic gold. If Lehmann hadn't had a complete meltdown...
Honors: Constantly included in "Best XI" lists for just about everything.
PR Corner: You’ve all seen him play. Feyenoord summed it up perfectly when they called him the premier Latin American center-back at the turn of the century.
SILVIO MARZOLINIClub: Spent nearly his entire career at Boca Juniors, where he remains an undisputed legend.
National Team: Won the Pan American Championship with Argentina in 1960 and put in notable performances in two World Cups.
Honors: Wikipedia hasn't quite caught up yet.
PR Corner: Doran says: "A perennial member of the greatest Argentine lineups of all time at left-back. His height made him a vital aerial asset, while his defensive positioning made him a nightmare for opposing attackers. On the ball, he was incredibly comfortable, often using that ability to build play through surges into the opponent's half." Now, Doran is a serious guy, so I don't see any reason to doubt him. And if you still don't believe Doran, I'll remind you that Sir Bobby Charlton included him in his ideal XI during a 2007 interview with FourFourTwo.
LOTHAR MATTHAUSClub: Collected a massive haul of trophies with both Bayern Munich and Inter Milan. The only thing missing is a Champions League title, which he lost in the final minutes back in '99.
National Team: Gave Germany 150 caps, plus Euro and World Cup appearances.
Accolades: Grabbed a Ballon d'Or along with several other shiny trophies and a mountain of different awards.
PR Corner: For those who enjoy a bit of sugar-coating—check this clip:
How good was he? Just ask Pelé. He took home two FIFA Player of the Year silvers. Five wives, an impressive coaching stint, and a career as a TV pundit...
JOSEF MASOPUSTClub: A legend at Dukla Prague, where he even secured three American Challenge Cups.
National Team: Represented Czechoslovakia, winning the European Cup, silver at the World Cup, and bronze at the Euros.
Accolades: 1962 Ballon d'Or winner, arguably the greatest Czech player of the 20th century, and featured on Pelé’s all-time lists...
PR Corner: Think of him as the Czechoslovakian Luka Modrić, though significantly easier on the eyes. On the pitch, he was more disruptive to opponents than a rogue driver cutting you off on a narrow coastal highway in California. Cruyff actually put him on his personal list of all-time greatest central midfielders—and that's ahead of Lothar Matthäus.
WOLFGANG OVERATHClub: A one-club man for Köln. 14 seasons, over 500 matches, and a Bundesliga title plus two domestic cups.
National Team: 81 caps and 17 goals for Germany. Gold, silver, and bronze at the World Cup. If he hadn't dealt with injuries, he would have bagged a Euro title too. Honestly, he basically cannibalized Netzer's international career.
Accolades: 4x Bundesliga Team of the Season, part of the 1974 World Cup squad, and the undisputed greatest player in Köln history...
PR Corner: Open the link to witness greatness—do it, just admire the view:
He won FIFA Player of the Year twice. Definitely satisfied any emotional fan out there.
ALFREDO DI STEFANOClub: He essentially turned Atlético Madrid into the "other" Madrid club. Won the Copa Aldao, the Small Club World Cup, and the Copa del Generalísimo.
National Team: 41 caps and 29 goals across three different national teams. As an Argentine, he was South American champion in 1947. Played in the 1962 World Cup, though the Spanish coach famously left him on the bench.
Accolades: He has plenty.
PR Corner: Cruyff places him in the top six of all time. ZZ considers him the most complete player ever—possessing the strength and stamina of a wild animal, freakish football intelligence, and a total toolkit of skills. According to Doran, his range covered everything from his own penalty box to the opponent's. He was a flawless player in defense, playmaking, and finishing. To the Winter Snake, he is simply the most complete player to ever lace up boots—period. Bobby Charlton called him the smartest player ever. Personally, I think he’s just built different. 🤷
UWE SEELERClub: Purely HSV. Roughly 500 appearances and goals, including a league title and a cup win.
National Team: 72 caps and 43 goals for Germany. Took home silver and bronze at the World Cup.
Accolades: 3rd in the 1960 Ballon d'Or voting, and a three-time German Footballer of the Year...
PR Corner: It’s enough to say that Gojko and ZZ both agreed—he was one of the greatest strikers to ever live. After watching this video, I’m inclined to agree:
JOHN CHARLESClub: A Leeds and Juventus legend, racking up about 500 appearances and 250 goals. He was the top scorer in both the Italian and English leagues.
National Team: Led Wales to the quarterfinals of the 1958 World Cup (their only appearance so far). Finished with 38 caps and 15 goals.
Accolades: 3rd in the 1959 Ballon d'Or race, and during those years, he was a constant fixture near the top (4th, 6th, 7th, and twice 8th). Named the greatest Welsh player of the 20th century.
PR Corner: They say he's the only person in history to be world-class as both a center-back and a striker. True to that, Lester played him as a defender at the FIFA awards, while "Mr. No" played him as a target man. He's widely regarded as one of the best foreigners in Serie A history and an automatic selection for all-time British dream teams. He even pulled off a nutmeg on Di Stefano. A gentle giant, but definitely not a pushover.
Bench:
GREGORZ LATO and
ROB RENSENBRINKManager:
Jamie Perez3 TACTICS
The squad is tough, compact, and possesses an undeniable grit—they're ready for anything. You want to play beautiful football? We're here for it. You want to throw hands? We're also here for that. Given the versatility of the roster—specifically guys like Di Stefano, Matthäus, and Charles—we have a massive amount of tactical depth to pull from.
ATTACKING STRATEGY- We’re expecting all the midfielders to be actively involved in orchestrating the play—it's a collective effort. The central figure is undoubtedly Di Stefano, who will have total freedom to roam and organize the flow. Matthäus acts as the connective tissue here—keeping the balance between the defense and the rest of the squad while dictating the tempo from deep. When Matthäus pushes forward, Masopust steps up to act as the safety net. As for Overath, his job is to use those long balls to set up mate-level opportunities—
- The attacking duo of Seeler and Charles is primarily tasked with finding the back of the net. Their synergy should be seamless—think along the lines of Seeler and Müller at Bayern Munich, or perhaps Charles and Bonipace at Juventus. Both are pure goalscorers; Charles relies more on raw power, whereas Seeler uses that clever intuition that allows him to score from just about anywhere. Beyond scoring, both will be responsible for pinning back opposing defenders to carve out space for Di Stefano and the other midfielders to charge into the box. Seeler might drift wide when needed, while Charles can serve as an excellent decoy.
- Passarella will have the license to burst forward whenever we intercept the ball in the opponent's half. Our fullbacks are also heavily involved in the attack—Marzolini offers significantly more in terms of creative flair, while Tassotti provides explosive energy and can unleash a long-range rocket if the opportunity arises—
https://youtu.be/96xwDRRkrjA?t=41- On corner kicks, Passarella and Marzolini will go up for the header, leaving Tassotti in the strike zone to mop up any rebounds. Passarella handles the free kicks, though he'll hand over anything from 30+ yards out to Lothar.
DEFENSIVE STRUCTURE- In goal, we have Maier, who's basically a cat ready to snatch anything coming his way. Passarella serves as the commander and the heart of the defense, paired with Ayala, while Tassotti and Marzolini hold down the flanks. Everyone in this unit is gritty and uncompromising, yet smart enough not to throw caution to the wind recklessly. Ayala is also capable of playing the role of a dedicated man-marker against the opponent's strikers if necessary.
- Sitting right in front of them is a midfield composed entirely of world-class defensive specialists. Regarding our defensive philosophy, we aim to win the ball back as quickly as possible—because, let's face it, the best defense is keeping possession. How good are they at this? Just look it up on YouTube. ☕
- Our forwards will be tasked with harassing the opposition's center-backs during their build-up play, forcing them into mistakes. Neither of them is the type to just stroll around while the opponent has the ball—and I assume everyone already knows that Charles spent parts of his career playing as a defender, too.
- Defending opponent corners shouldn't be much of an issue since this squad is packed with aerial threats; Charles will take charge of marking their tallest player.
