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Brazil and Argentina are two of the most instantly recognizable football nations in the world and rightly so, given their successes and triumphs over the years.
The two countries share a deep-rooted rivalry over continental supremacy and this rivalry crosses over into football, with a loss in the Clásico del Atlántico almost unthinkable to fans of either side.
Whenever the two nations clash in a game of football, the world stands at attention and takes notice and some true classics have been played out over the years in games between the two illustrious sides.
However, beyond their rivalries both on and off the field, Argentina and Brazil have given us some of the most iconic players to ever grace a field of football, with three of the widely acknowledged greatest players of all ti having represented either Los Seleção or Los Albiceleste.
Given the sheer number of all-time greats that have been produced by both Argentina and Brazil over the years, finding a perfect combined XI is a thankless task, with every position having at least three worthy selections.
Ahead of the 112th installation of the 'Atlantic Derby'. we shall be selecting what we consider to be the all-time best XI from players who have represented Argentina and Brazil.
Goalkeeper: Claudio Taffarel (Brazil)
In light of the sheer quality of players produced by Argentina and Brazil in other departments, it is rather surprising that there are not too many legendary goalkeepers and this position was the most straightforward pick.
Claudio Taffarel made his professional debut with Brazilian club Internacional in 1985 and his displays in his country prompted attention from abroad, with Italian side Parma signing him in 1990 to help their quest in their first-ever season of top-flight football.
Further spells were undergone at Reggiana, Atletico Mineiro, and Galatasary, but it is with his national team that Taffarel truly made history.
The Santa Roca native made his bow for the Samba Boys in 1998 and for the next decade, was Brazil's undisputed first-choice, making a total of 101 caps for his nation and winning a plethora of major honors including the Copa America.
The highlight of his career came when he conceded just two goals from open play as Brazil won her fourth World Cup title in 1994 and he also inspired the side to a second-place finish in France four years later, notably saving two penalties in the shootout victory over The Netherlands in the semifinal.
At the time of his retirement, he was the most capped Brazilian of all-time and even though he has since been surpassed by four players, he remains the most capped goalkeeper in the history of his nation.
Upon retirement, he went on to become a goalkeeper trainer and currently serves in this capacity for the Brazilian national team and Galatasaray.
Substitutes: Dida (Brazil), Ubaldo Fillol (Argentina)
Defenders
Left-Back: Roberto Carlos (Brazil)
In what was a highly spectacular and trophy-laden career, Roberto Carlos distinguished himself as the standout left-back of his generation and one of the greatest full-backs in history.
Brazil has been famed for overlapping full-backs from Djalma Santos to Carlos Alberto Torres, but Roberto Carlos took the term 'attacking full-back' to new heights in his over two-decade-long career.
He arrived Real Madrid in 1996 and became a mainstay with the capital club for the next 11 years, playing an integral role in all the successes enjoyed by Los Blancos in this period.
Roberto Carlos was famed for his bursting runs forward and shot power, while he was also adept in the art of delivering pinpoint crosses.
On the international stage, he represented Brazil a total of 125 times (second-most) and won everything winnable with his country including the World Cup, Copa America, and Confederations Cup and finished as runner-up at both the FIFA World Player of the Year and Ballon d'Or voting.
Substitute: Djalma Santos (Brazil)
Center-Back: Daniel Passarella (Argentina)
Daniel Passarella is widely regarded as one of the greatest defenders in history and he was the captain of the Argentine squad that won their first World Cup on home soil in 1978.
During his illustrious career, he represented some notable clubs including River Plate, Inter Milan, and Fiorentina.
Despite his relative lack of height (he stood at just 5 ft 8'), Passarella was incredibly adept in the air and was a significant threat in both boxes due to his jump power and nodding accuracy.
The Buenos Aires native possessed incredible leadership ability both on and off the field and was adept in the art of goalscoring. He retired as the top-scoring defender in history, with 134 goals in 451 matches, although this record has since been surpassed by Ronald Koeman.
Substitute: Hideraldo Bellini (Brazil)
Center-Back: Lucio (Brazil)
Famed for his tough tackling, style of defending, Lucio was one of the best defenders in his generation and was very effective at winning back possession in one on one situations.
Though primarily a center-back, his confidence and technique in ball distribution meant he was sometimes deployed as a defensive midfielder. His height made him excel in the air and he was efficient at both defending and attacking set-pieces.
He helped Inter Milan cement their place in history as the lynchpin of the side that won the treble in 2010 and represented numerous other world-class clubs including Bayern Munich and Juventus.
With his national team, Lucio was also successful and won 105 caps for Brazil between 2011 and 2011, with World Cup, Copa America, and Confederations Cup successes also recorded.
Substitute: Walter Samuel (Argentina)
Right-Back: Cafu (Brazil)
Cafu captained Brazil to a World Cup triumph in 2002, playing all 603 minutes as Brazil lifted its fifth World title in Japan. With 142 caps, he is Brazil's all-time highest appearance maker and holds the distinction of being the only man to play in the final of three consecutive World Cup tournaments, doing so as a victor in the 1994 and 2002 editions and as a runner-up in 1998.
He represented several clubs in his career, but his most notable spell came in the Serie A where he represented AS Roma and AC Milan, winning the Scudetto with the former and two Champions League trophies with the latter.
Substitute: Javier Zanetti (Argentina)
Midfielders
Defensive midfielder: Diego Simeone (Argentina)
Diego Simeone made a name for himself as a tough-tackling, no-holds-barred holding midfielder who left everything on the field and always gave his all for his side to attain victory.
In his playing career that started in 1987, Simeone represented clubs in Argentina, Italy, and Spain, with his two spells with Atletico Madrid granting him legendary status with the club's fans which has since been exacerbated with his performances in the dugout.
The Buenos Aires native represented Los Albiceleste a total of 106 times and retired as his country's most capped player (since surpassed by four players including Lionel Messi and Javier Zanetti).
Substitute: Falcao (Brazil), Javier Mascherano (Argentina)
Attacking midfielder: Zico (Brazil)
Zico is widely regarded as the ssecond-bestplayer in the history of Brazil, with many even considering him a more talented footballer than the mythical Pele.
During his career, Zico achieved legendary status and wowed fans the world over with his array of skills, control, passing and goalscoring ability.
Zico was innately gifted in the art of freekick taking and at the height of his power was the premier setpiece specialist in the world, with 64 goals scored from direct freekicks.
On the international stage. Zico rrepresentedBrazil a total of 71 times, scoring 48 goals and was the star of the uultra-talentedand entertaining Brazilian squad at the 1982 World Cup which many regard as the best side to never win a World Cup.
Substitute: Ronaldinho (Brazil)
Attacking midfielder: Diego Amando Maradona (Argentina)
Diego Maradona is one of the most instantly recognizable faces in the world and needs no introduction anywhere on the planet.
The Lanus native was a bundle of talent in his heydey and helped his teams to numerous victories with his game-changing abilities.
Maradona was as talented as he was controversial and to this day is held in almost mythical regards by the people of Naples owing to his exploits during his seven-year spell with Napoli.
On the international scene, he represented Argentina 91 times, with his most defining moment coming when he almost single-handedly guided his nation to their World Cup triumph in 1986.
Alongside Pele, Maradona is regarded as the best player in the history of the sport and despite his numerous controversies, it cannot be argued that football was blessed to have him.
Substitute: Garrincha (Brazil)
Forwards
Left-Wing forward: Pele (Brazil)
Edson Arantes dos Nascimento popularly known as Pele is a retired Brazilian player who is widely regarded by fans, the media, pundits, and ex-players as the best to ever play the game.
After witnessing the heartbreak caused by the loss of the 1950 World Cup final to Uruguay at the Maracana, a 10-year-old Pele made a promise to his father to bring home the World Cup and eight years later, a teenage Pele wrote his names into footballing folklore with his performance at the Mundal in Sweden.
The picture of a 17-year-old Pele being hoisted in the air by his teammates in celebration is one that would live forever and this was to be the first of three World Cup triumphs for the Brazilian legend.
The Minas Gerais native was unarguably the first global footballing superstar and generated media interest wherever he went, despite spending the entirety of his career with his boyhood club Santos.
In total, he represented Brazil 92 times and is the nation's record goalscorer with 77 goals. He is credited as the highest goalscorer in history with 1281 goals from 1363 games, but these include friendly fixtures played at club level.
His official goal count stands at 767 from 831 and sees him sit third on the list of highest scoring footballs of all time.
Substitute: Romario (Brazil)
Centre-Forward: Ronaldo Nazario de Lima (Brazil)
Ronaldo was a child prodigy who burst onto the scene as a 17-year-old and was part of Brazil's World Cup-winning squad in 1994 (despite not making an appearance).
He represented marquee clubs like PSV, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, and AC Milan and in his prime was an unstoppable force of nature who scored goals for fun and terrorized opposition defenders and goalkeepers.
Ronaldo is arguably the most complete striker in the history of football, possessing beastly strength, pace, skills, holdup ability, dribbling, and finishing precision.
While his club career was in no way ordinary, injuries played a major role in robbing him of his best years and his defining moments came with his national team.
He represented Brazil 98 times, scoring 62 goals and was the driving force behind the World Cup win in 2002, as well as numerous other major titles including the Confederations Cup and Copa America.
Rather curiously, he never won the Champions League but was named the Ballon d'Or winner on two occasions and FIFA World Player of the Year on three. To date, he is the youngest ever winner of the two accolades.
Substitute: Gabriel Batistuta (Argentina)
Right-Wing Forward: Lionel Messi (Argentina)
Unlike almost every other player in this feature, Lionel Messi is yet to taste success on the international scene, but his performance with Barcelona is enough to grant him immortality in the annals of football.
The Rosario native has been the standout player of his generation (alongside Cristiano Ronaldo) and despite his lack of success with Argentina, he has every right to be considered in the GOAT debate.
With five Ballon d'Ors and 34 club trophies, Messi is one of the most decorated players in history and his repertoire of abilities include, close control, passing accuracy and range, dribbling and of late, deadly freekicks.
Substitute: Alfredo di Stefano (Argentina)
Managers
Mario Zagallo (Brazil), Carlos Billardo (Argentina)
So, there you have it, a combined XI featuring the best players to have ever represented Brazil and Argentina, including a substitute for each position and two managers.
