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Soccer Stats Corner: All-time Top 10 ELO Rankings |
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Written by Alessandro Nicolo
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Wednesday, 19 December 2007 |
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While the FIFA rankings are better known, many soccer fans also use the ELO to offset the controversial FIFA method of calculating rankings. The following is a list of the national teams with the highest average Elo score from Jan 1, 1970 to Dec 1, 2007:
Rank Country Average Elo rating
1 Brazil 2004.5
2 Germany 1972.1
3 Italy 1926.4
4 England 1921.8
5 Netherlands 1909.6
6 Argentina 1893.7
7 France 1887.0
8 Spain 1880.5
9 Russia 1857.2
10 Czech Republic 1844.9
Naturally, the top three nations listed offer little surprise. The four
to eight spots also sound about right. Let's put it another way, if
someone who follows soccer was asked to name the top ten countries in
the last 30 years their list would probably be similar to this one.
Though Russia may serve as a curve ball to many.
Not that countries from Eastern Europe are strangers to soccer success.
For instance, take the tenth ranked team from the Czech Republic.
Eastern European soccer has a long and rich history. Its legacy reached
its zenith wiht the Magnificent Magyars of the 1950s. While World Cup
glory has eluded the region, they have been competitive at the
tournament. They have also been successful at the Olympics and the
European championships.
It would be a mistake to conclude that the Czech Republic is a
nouveau-riche soccer nation. In the pre-war era, the Czechs were a
world soccer power. Whether under the flag of Bohemia or
Czechoslovakia, the Czech Republic has been at the forefront of world
soccer that continues to produce world class players.
Bohemia, Czechoslovakia and Czech Republic soccer record:
World Cup:
Finalists 1934, 1962
Euro:
Winners 1976
Runner up 1996
3rd Place 1960,1980, 2004
Olympics:
Gold 1980
Silver 1964
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