On some of CEE’s all-time greats

Anyone else following the all-time great player nominations going on at UEFA.com? For each nation runs a photo and bio of that country’s top player ever, as determined by local governing bodies. “To help mark UEFA’s jubilee, each national association was asked to nominate its most outstanding player of the last 50 years.”

I figure I’d throw in my two eurocents on a few Central Eastern Europeans…

For the home team, it’s 1962 Golden Ball winner Josef Masopust. Masopust, the last Czech to take the prize until long-time Juventus midfielder Pavel Nedved bagged it in 2003 (and the last player of the year to represent Czechoslovakia ever). Masopust is probably most well-known on the international stage as captain of the 1962 Czechoslovakia team that lost 3-1 to Brazil in the World Cup final.

One wonders if Nedved might one day be considered greatest Czech player ever. Perhaps with a World Cup finals appearance…

For Croatia, I was happy to see Davor Suker get the nod. I experienced Sukermania during the 1998 World Cup while spending a vacation in amazing Korcula. The checkerboarded ones were awesome in that tourney, weren’t they? I’ll always have a soft spot for the Sukerman.

In Romania, the choice of Gheorghe Hagi was a no-brainer with a football career nearly as long as his country’s existence.

This writer’s resident nation Hungary hasn’t offered a nomination yet. You gotta wonder if they’re going to go with Ferenc Puskas. Fifty years ago, Puskas’ mighty “Golden Team” had dissipated thanks to the events of October 1956. Puskas himself emigrated and spent 1958 to 1966 with Real Madrid. He never played with the Hungarian nationals again, and even got four caps with Spain in 1961-1962.

If not Puskas, then who? Béla Illés? Maybe they should just go with Zoltán Gera; hey, he’s got the PR savvy…

I’ll tell you, though, the Polish selection surprised me, with Poland’s committee taking Wlódzimierz “Unlucky” Lubanski. True, he set the national team record for career goals with 50 in 80 games and was the captain of the gold-medal winning squad at the 1972 Olympics, but…what about Zibi?

Of course, as Dennis Miller used to say, that’s just my opinion. I could be wrong.