Speaking on Jamie Carragher’s Greatest Game Podcast, Roberto Martinez has named one ex-Everton star in his dream five-a-side team alongside some all-time greats such as Johan Cruyff and Cafu.
Martinez was, of course, Everton manager for three years between 2013 and 2016, and despite working with some top-class players at Goodison Park such as Romelu Lukaku and Leighton Baines, the only ex-Everton player who made it into his dream 5-a-side team was someone he never even managed.
However, we don’t think any Toffees fan will disagree with the Belgium manager’s pick, as he chose Neville Southall as the goalkeeper in his dream team.
“I have chosen Neville Southall as my keeper.
“I never saw Neville play, but the way everyone speaks at Everton, it almost makes you feel that, everyone has an incredible story about Neville playing in goal.”
Jamie Carragher went on to tell a story about one of Southall’s greatest ever performances in a game he went to as a youngster, before Martinez continued to wax-lyrical about him.
“I think that’s the type of story you have, you hear so many about how he used to train, how he used to effect games, it’s a player that, without seeing him play made you feel that he’s something very special.”
The fact that Southall has made it into this team without Martinez ever even watching him play shows just how special of a player he was.
The Welsh goalkeeper is clearly still spoken highly of at Goodison Park to this day, and anyone who ever watched him play will understand exactly why that is.
Martinez could have chosen a plethora of top goalkeepers, just look at who his number one is for Belgium at the moment, but other people’s stories about Southall seem to have convinced him that he’s amongst the greatest stoppers of all time, and that isn’t a view that we’re going to disagree with.
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