An ideal 4-4-2 starting eleven built from players with clear roles

This is a perfect starting eleven, set up in a 4-4-2 formation. A team does not always need the players with the best individual skills to win a trophy; it needs a combination of players with clear tasks on the pitch who lead the side to victory. That is exactly how Ranieri led Leicester City to the Premiership title. Without quality players a team will not win anything, of course, but the point is that everyone should help his teammates and work as part of a machine.

In goal, the pick is Gianluigi Buffon. The arguments hardly need spelling out: he may well be the best goalkeeper in the world.

Right-back – Gary Neville. The Englishman was very good at crossing the ball into the box. He was highly disciplined, his tackling was world class and he was also very quick. Neville had every quality a right-back needs.

Left-back – Paolo Maldini. The Italian defender was AC Milan’s leader for over 24 years. He had excellent positioning and incredible tackling skills. Maldini could also score, finding the net on about 40 occasions in his long career.

Centre-backs – Fabio Cannavaro and Lucio. The Brazilian defender has won everything in football. He made over 100 appearances for Brazil and was in the squad when his country won the World Cup. Cannavaro was outstanding at winning first balls. Both were great at tackling and heading, and both could chip in with plenty of goals.

Centre midfielders – Paul Scholes and Roy Keane. Keane earns his place as the man whose job is to win the ball from the opponents. His tackling was incredible. Sometimes a foul is necessary, and Keane knew exactly when to commit one. His playing style made football look like a very simple game. While Keane wins the ball, Scholes has the task of passing it and organising the attacks. Scholes was arguably the best midfielder in the world. Nobody matched his accuracy with long passes. He also had a powerful shot, was full of energy, was good in the air and had great vision.

The side also needs two really fast players, one on each flank. Picking Cristiano Ronaldo would be far too obvious, so he is left out to keep things interesting. Damien Duff takes the left flank, but the young version of Duff, from his days at Blackburn Rovers and Chelsea. He was very, very fast, which combines perfectly with Scholes’ great long passing.

Neymar misses out for the same reason as Ronaldo, and also because this team is meant to play old-fashioned football. On the right, an exception is made for a player who is not especially quick but has great technique. This man is Luis Figo. He could deliver great crosses, score from long distance and from free-kicks, and much more.

Finally, the team needs two forwards, ideally one fast and one physically strong. The first choice is Michael Owen, and the last trump card is Alan Shearer. What these two players were capable of needs no introduction.

That is the dream team. Every fan will have a different one.

The honours behind the eleven

The eleven carries a remarkable collection of medals. Buffon and Cannavaro were team-mates when Italy won the 2006 World Cup, beating France 5-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the final in Berlin. Cannavaro lifted the trophy as captain and won the Ballon d'Or later that year, with Buffon second in the voting, and Buffon was named the best goalkeeper of the tournament. Lucio won the World Cup with Brazil in 2002, earned 105 caps and won the treble with Inter in 2010. Maldini spent his whole career at AC Milan and won the European Cup five times.

Two more of the eleven won the Ballon d'Or: Figo in 2000 and Owen in 2001, the latter while at Liverpool. Shearer's last Premier League goal, against Sunderland on 17 April 2006, took his total in the competition to 260. Neville, Keane and Scholes all belonged to the Manchester United side that won the treble in 1999, although Keane and Scholes were suspended for the Champions League final against Bayern Munich in Barcelona. Duff won the League Cup with Blackburn Rovers in 2002 and two Premier League titles with Chelsea.