please log in to view this image Ever since the first ever international match in 1872 which took place in Glasgow between England and Scotland, international soccer has been seen as the pinnacle of the game. In recent years, for the first time, some have come to consider club soccer as being of greater importance than international soccer. Managing the national team of England or Spain probably no longer has the draw of managing Manchester United or Barcelona, and many people now believe that the Champions League is a tougher competition to win than the World Cup. Today, there are 209 FIFA recognized national teams. Over the years, some national teams have remained great. The Germans, the Italians and the Brazilians, for example, have consistently had very strong national teams, qualifying for almost every World Cup and competing in the latter stages of many. Meanwhile, some national teams come and go, seeing so-called ‘Golden Generations’ be very successful before experiencing long barren spells, struggling to even qualify for tournaments. The Brazilian national team is the most successful of all time, with five World Cups, eight Copa Americas and four Confederation Cup titles. This list is in regards to the greatest individual teams, not which international team has been the greatest over their entire history. Of course, there is no definitive criteria by which ‘greatness’ can be defined. Having said that, one would expect a truly ‘great’ team to win the vast majority of their games, most likely win a major competition and play with a certain style which captured public imagination or left a lasting impression upon the sport. 10. England 1966-1968 please log in to view this image 9. Brazil, 1998-2002 please log in to view this image 8. Netherlands, 1974-1978 please log in to view this image 7. West Germany, 1972-1974 please log in to view this image 6. France, 1998-2000 please log in to view this image 5. Italy 1934-1938 please log in to view this image 4. Brazil, 1970 please log in to view this image 3. Spain, 2008-2012 please log in to view this image 2. Hungary, 1949-1956 please log in to view this image 1. Brazil, 1958-1962 please log in to view this image All explained... http://www.thesportster.com/soccer/top-10-greatest-national-teams-in-history/
Possibly the right teams but not necessarily in the right order. The Dutch team of the 70s should be second, if not first. Total football. 74 is the first World Cup I really remember and me and my mates were obsessed with how good the Dutch were. They were ****ing awesome. When they got a penalty in the first minute of the final, before the Germans had even touched the ball, I smashed my head on the arm of the sofa in celebration. Accidentally of course. When the final whistle blew, I cried. The fact that they won **** all masks just how good they were.
It was the Hungarians of the 1949-56 era who were responsible for dragging English football out of the dark ages. The "Magical Magyars" beat England 6-3 at Wembley in 1953 then completed the humiliation by annihilating England 7-1 the following year in Budapest. It was a wake up call and lead to managers like Matt Busby, Bill Nicholson and even Alf Ramsey (who had played in the Hungary matches) to adopt the training and playing principles of the Hungarians. It can be claimed that the Hungary side of that era were responsible for the birth of modern English football. Maybe it needs another world team to inflict another crushing defeat on us move the English game on to the next level.
