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A Chelsea midfielder has revealed his dream XI, combining footballing greats, close friends and former teammates.
Chelsea's Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has offered a unique glimpse into his ideal footballing line-up, composed of players from any era and formation.
The midfielder’s selections are deeply personal, reflecting figures he idolised during his formative years or teammates he formed strong relationships with on the pitch.
The Chelsea player's choices are part of an ongoing series by the club, which has seen Noni Madueke make his selections prior to the Club World Cup.
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Dewsbury-Hall’s unique selections
In goal, Dewsbury-Hall selected Iker Casillas, admiring his stature and all-encompassing abilities from a young age.
His defence features two formidable centre-backs, Rio Ferdinand, whose clips he loved as a child, and Virgil van Dijk, whose quality he appreciated firsthand as an opponent.
Ricardo Pereira earned the right-back spot, an "unbelievable" player he enjoyed watching at Leicester City. Notably, Kal Naismith, a close friend from his Luton loan spell, takes the left-back position and is also named captain.
Central midfield is anchored by his idol Paul Scholes, admired for his technical brilliance despite lacking physical attributes, and Kevin De Bruyne, his second-favourite player ever; Elliot Lee, another good friend, completes the midfield trio.
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Lionel Messi occupies the right wing, deemed the greatest of all time, while Wayne Rooney, who inspired Dewsbury-Hall's love for football, takes the left wing.
Jamie Vardy, Leicester’s standout player in his view, leads the line as striker.
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What’s next for Chelsea?
Chelsea will play Palmeiras in the last eight of the Club World Cup on Friday (Saturday morning, UK) for a place in the semi-finals, where they could face Inter, Fluminense, Manchester City or Al-Hilal.
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