Campbell, McManaman, Ballack and the best Bosman XI of all time

By Mirror Football in Mirror Football Blog

Published 15:31 19/07/10

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Joe Cole has ended one of the transfer stories of the summer by signing for Liverpool on a four-year deal.

Joe Cole joins Liverpool  

By our reckoning, Coley is one of the best free transfers for quite some time, and in fact, he fits nicely into our best Bosman XI of all time.

As ever, there are rules. They must have been transferred either to or from a British club, and they must have gone on to have a meaningful contribution at their new club, so there's no place for the likes of Andrei Kanchelskis going to Southampton from Rangers in 2003.

Goalkeeper: Brad Friedel (Liverpool to Blackburn, 2000; Blackburn to Aston Villa, 2008)
The American stopper has always been a solid performer wherever he has played. A good organiser of his defence, he also has a great record at saving penalties and helped Blackburn win the League Cup in 2002. Has not one, but two Bosman moves to his name, so edges out our other contender Mark Schwarzer.

Right-back: Markus Babbel (Bayern Munich to Liverpool, 2000)
Nearly signed for Manchester United after a strong showing at Euro 96 but the deal never went through and he eventually moved to Anfield on a Bosman in 2000. Slotted straight into the back four and immediately helped the club win a treble of FA Cup, League Cup and Uefa Cup in Gerard Houlier's most successful season on Merseyside. Sadly saw his career halted by Guillain-Barré syndrome, and he left in 2004 for Stuttgart.

Centre-half: Sol Campbell (Tottenham to Arsenal, 2001; Arsenal to Portsmouth, 2006)
Probably the most controversial transfer ever in English football, Spurs skipper Sol crossed the north London divide and joined Arsenal, after promising he never would. And just to add insult to injury, Spurs didn't receive a penny for their star player. Won three FA Cups and two Premier League titles with the Gunners before leaving for Pompey, again on a Bosman, and leading them to another FA Cup victory as captain.

Centre-half: Sylvain Distin (Manchester City to Portsmouth, 2007)
Classy defender joined Harry Redknapp's Pompey revolution, seeking a "fresh challenge" after five years at City. Helped the club win the FA Cup in 2008 and then made them a tidy £5m profit when he moved on to Everton in 2009, after two years service in the heart of the Pompey defence.

Left-back: Mathieu Flamini (Arsenal to AC Milan, 2008)
Arrived at Arsenal as a youth player and slowly forced his way into the side. More comfortable in midfield, the Frenchman often filled in at left-back for the Gunners, especially during the 2005/06 season when both Ashley Cole and Gael Clichy struggled with injury. Established himself as first choice alongside Cesc Fabregas in the Gunners' midfield in the 2007/08 season but chose to leave on a Bosman for Milan.

Right midfield: Steve McManaman (Liverpool to Real Madrid, 1999)
One of the most high-profile Bosman moves ever, McManaman chose to follow his dream of playing abroad and signed for the Spanish giants, instead of staying at Anfield when Gerard Houllier took over. The move certainly paid off as he scored in the 3-0 win over Valencia in the 2000 Champions League final, won two La Liga titles and picked up another Champions League winners' medal.

Centre midfield: Gary McAllister (Coventry to Liverpool, 2000)
Most people thought Gerard Houllier was off his French rocker when he picked up 35-year-old McAllister on a Bosman in 2000, but the Scottish midfielder played an integral role in the club's treble-winning season in 2000/02 and won over the Kop doubters with ease. Houllier has since described him as his "most inspirational signing". Mind you, when you consider some of his other Liverpool signings included Salif Diao and Bruno Cheyrou it is perhaps faint praise.

Centre midfield: Michael Ballack (Bayern Munich to Chelsea, 2006; Chelsea to Bayer Leverkusen , 2010)
The German captain was one of the most wanted men in European football in 2006, with Chelsea, Real Madrid, Inter, AC Milan and Manchester United all battling for the midfield powerhouse. Chelsea won the day and despite injury problems he has still managed to help the club win the FA Cup three times, as well as the League Cup and the Premier League title.

Left-midfield: Joe Cole (Chelsea to Liverpool, 2010)
Former West Ham captain has won three Premier League titles and two FA Cups in seven years at Stamford Bridge but after failing to get the offer he wanted on his new contract, he chose to leave the club. Had Arsenal and Tottenham chasing him but has now signed for Roy Hodgson's Liverpool on a four-year deal. If he stays free of injury he should be a quality signing for the Reds.

Centre-forward: Teddy Sheringham (Manchester United to Tottenham, 2001; Tottenham to Portsmouth, 2003)
After picking up winners' medals for the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League at United, Sheri left Old Trafford to rejoin former club Spurs on a free. After two years at the Lane, he was released by Glenn Hoddle and went to Portsmouth, his goals helping Harry Redknapp's side stay up in their first season in the top flight.

Centre-forward: Henrik Larsson (Celtic to Barcelona, 2004)
After seven trophy-laden years with Celtic, Larsson left for sunnier climes with Barcelona. Helped the Catalan club win two successive La Liga titles, but arguably provided his biggest single contribution in the 2006 Champions League final against Arsenal - his last ever game for the club. With Barca trailing 1-0 to a (fellow Bosman) Sol Campbell goal, Larsson came on for Mark van Bommel and set up both goals to seal a 2-1 win.

Have we missed anyone out? Who would you like to see in our best XI? Sign in below and let us know.

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