Spain The Greatest Ever? Brazil 1970 Would Have Their Guts For Garters

Spain are a very good team, great even, but come on, the greatest of all time? The Brazilian team of 1970 were courageous, inventive and not scared of taking a risk and remain the standard for all teams to aspire to...

So this all-conquering Spanish team are the greatest of all time, Alan Shearer said they are so it must be true.

But really? The greatest of all time, that means they would be better than the Brazil team that won the World Cup in 1970.

A Brazilian team that is still the by-word for pure footballing joy 40 years after they played with such style and beauty.

For many watching on TV that Brazil was football in colour for the first time but even seeing them now you can see their talent shining through.

Which team would you pay to watch? This Spanish team or those Brazilians?

Obviously not right now because half of them are probably dead but you get my drift.

So many analysts say the Spanish would play that Brazilian team off the park because of fitness, technical ability and modern tactics.

Whatever time frame Pele and Jairzinho would still be the best players on the pitch

I’m not one to play around with the space time continuum hence comparing the past with the present is often futile but are humans are really born with more skill in one generation than another?

If that Brazilian team had been around today they obviously would have benefited from all the new health regimes and Lucozade products on offer now.

However, whatever time frame the two teams would play in Pele and Jairzinho would still be the best players on the pitch by a country mile.

Of course football is about winning, but it is also about entertainment and that hope of seeing something jaw-droppingly brilliant.

That Brazilian team were not afraid to try the outrageous, two of Pele’s finest moments in that World Cup were misses.

He tried the punt from the halfway line against the Czechs and then his unbelievable dummy of the Uruguay goal keeper, he didn’t score with either but it didn’t seem to matter.

It’s like comparing a brand new BMW to a vintage Ferrari

Could you imagine one of Spanish players doing either of those audacious moves, even in the group stages or a friendly, nope they would play a ten yard diagonal pass, again.

It’s like comparing a brand new BMW to a vintage Ferrari. Of course the new BMW has traction control, air conditioner and an Ipod fondler unlike the older car, but some things just have a bit of magic about them despite being technically inferior.

On Sunday night the hyperbole went out of control, Alan Hansen started it of with “you just run out of superlatives about this team.”

Well when you’ve only got “brilliant” and “unbelievable” in your vocabulary that’s going to happen Alan.

The Spanish are a great team but not the best ever, yet these days the pundits cannot bare for anything to be just “good” it has to be mindblowing.

They try and make us feel lucky to be alive to have been able to watch what just happened on the football pitch.

Compare Spain’s World Cup victory to Brazil’s and there is no contest

But in reality, Sunday night was not a great final, it was a no contest because the Italians were knackered and then went down to ten men just as they were trying to get back into the game.

Compare Spain’s World Cup victory to Brazil’s and there is no contest, Pele’s men won every game of that World Cup and scored 19 goals in the process, a feat never repeated.

And don’t forget that Brazil team scored one of the greatest goals ever scored when they beat one of the finest Italian sides ever (all 11 of them) in the final.

Eight of their players touched the ball in a move which started by their own box.

When Clodoaldo picked it up he dazzled four Italians, then passed to Rivelino who passed it down the wing to Jairzinho who zipped inside and gave the ball to Pele.

Then as Cantona said Pele produced the most beautiful lay off in the history of the game to a freight train coming out of camera shot who drives it into the corner of the net.

How many school children and grown men have tried to emulate Carlos Alberto’s diagonal master blaster?

Leave all this greatest of all time lark alone please

There are still windows, gates and fences being broken across the world due to footballers trying to nail that technique.

I’m not knocking the Spanish, of course they are the best team in the world now but leave all this greatest of all time lark alone please.

I bet they are even embarrassed by it.

When were they last involved in a truly great game?

They are the kings of the clean sheet and one nil win, an unstoppable footballing machine.

This Spanish team is like a beautiful woman who is crap in bed, after spending two hours in their company you come away feeling disappointed because you know it could have been better.

Where as just a quickie on YouTube watching the 1970 Brazilian team is life-affirming, joyous and gives you a glimpse of everything that football could and should be.

Go on just try it and you’ll see what I mean, you’ll get a warm glow.