Amidst the plethora of WhatsApp crazes and Instagram nominations, however, a rather interesting viral challenge/riddle/fantasy thought experiment has taken off, having been started by an unlikely source…former Liverpool centre-back Jamie Carragher.
Get sent this last night & it’s tough!
— Jamie Carragher (@Carra23) April 14, 2020
Best World XI that have played while you have been alive.
No 2 players can be from the same country or have played for the same club!!
This is mine. pic.twitter.com/coZCaf89HL
The rules seem reasonably straightforward, all you have to do is make a world XI - from your life time - where no two players have represented the same club or country.
The challenge? It’s like doing sudoku upside-down while reciting the Russian alphabet – you can spend a painstaking two hours completing it before Alan Shearer’s Southampton career suddenly pops into your head and ruins the whole thing.
VVD & Shearer! Southampton
— Jamie Carragher (@Carra23) April 17, 2020
Tip: one-club men are your friend.
That didn’t stop some of football’s greatest minds from getting involved in the fun, with current Rangers manager and Carragher’s former Liverpool teammate Steven Gerrard making good use of his free time to produce a nicely balanced team (Andy Robertson was in Celtic’s academy but you’d have to be super-pedantic to pull him up on that).
Steven Gerrard’s 11! No 2 players from the same country or club!! pic.twitter.com/pvcFjqFaE8
— Jamie Carragher (@Carra23) April 16, 2020
One of the real challenges of the side is accommodating both modern GOATs in Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, being as the latter has represented Juventus, Manchester United and Real Madrid, but another former Liverpool man in Phil Thompson was more than equal to the challenge.
Pundits on Sky sports picking a World XI of players all from different countries and never to have played with each other. Nice to see Billy make Phil Thompson's team #lufc pic.twitter.com/YKMPFCwcrz
— Rhino Rich (@RhinoRich73) April 18, 2020
It was another of Carragher’s former colleagues who really caught the defender’s eye, as Stan Collymore cobbled together a magical, mouth-watering midfield three of Gerrard, Michel Platini and Zico.
Think that’s the best I’ve seen!
— Jamie Carragher (@Carra23) April 17, 2020
Extra marks for creativity should be awarded in a format where Jan Oblak has seemingly been chosen in nearly every XI, and a slightly left-field captaincy selection by comedian Kevin Bridges delighted its recipient.
Delighted to skipper the side. Good choice from the head of recruitment to go for experience
— John McGinn (@jmcginn7) April 17, 2020
Given its own famously eclectic mix of talents, it was only natural that Soccer Aid got in on the act, although the likes of Ben Shepherd and Robbie Williams’ mate will be wondering how they’ve missed out on this impressive (if slightly rule-bending) XI.
We had high hopes @Carra23 but we're sorry to say it can't be done from just #SoccerAid legends 郎
— Soccer Aid (at ) (@socceraid) April 15, 2020
Here's a #SoccerAid World XI with no two players from the same country or have played for the same club AT THE SAME TIME!!
You're in the team though ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/6z5oWSVog7
Journalist Sam Wallace managed to squeeze in one of the best front lines imaginable, throwing into question just how old the boyish-looking Telegraph writer really is...
The best lockdown challenge so far, Jamie. Just feel my lads have the edge over yours
— Sam Wallace (@SamWallaceTel) April 17, 2020
José Luis Chilavert
Lauren
Franco Baresi
Virgil Van Dijk
Vasily Rats
Paul Gascoigne
Lothar Matthäus
Zinedine Zidane
George Best
Pelé
Lionel Messi
It certainly wasn’t a challenge for the faint-hearted, requiring at least half an hour on Wikipedia and the ability to recall how many clubs Pavel Nedvěd has represented on demand, and unsurprisingly, some players were just happy to be there…
Yes Jamie ❤️
— Didier Drogba (@didierdrogba) April 14, 2020
Source : 90min