The "Winning Eleven Era" (or "WE8 Era") was the span of time from
World Cup I until the end of
World Cup VI, including the
World Series, which were played on Winning Eleven 8 xbox.
Ten players were selected as the "Top 10" players of that era, all strikers, meaning that this list was more "Best Strikers" rather than "Best Players":
10. Van Nisterlrooy
Van Nistelrooy played for
Netherlands and lead them to the first ever
World Cup championship match in
World Cup I, where they played
France to a 2-2 draw and settled for silver medals after losing the penalty shootout. Van Nistelrooy also helped Netherlands to the quarterfinals of the
World Series and was one of the top scorers in
World Cup III, an honor which won him the bronze boot. Overall, Netherlands were always a strong opponent and Van Nistelrooy was a player no defender liked to see line up across from him.
9. Kanoute
Kanoute played for
Mali and lead them to two championship appearances, though they ultimately fell short at the last hurdle, taking second in both the
World Series and
World Cup V. Kanoute was the biggest reason for Mali's success as he constantly lead the team in scoring, which earned him a couple scoring awards including the silver boot in both of those competitions as he netted 5 goals in World Cup V and 25 in the World Series.
8. Bakayoko
Bakayoko was relatively unknown when he started his career for
Cote d'Ivoire, but he ultimately proved himself to be one of the best players in the game, helping his nation to win a
World Cup and a bronze medal. He was also a scoring machine, netting 23 goals in the World Series to take the bronze boot from that competition as well as 6 in Cote d'Ivoire's championship run which lead the team in scoring and earned him the silver boot.
7. Flo
Flo was an integral part of
Norway's success, helping his country win two World Cups (
V &
VI) as well as a bronze at
World Cup II. He was one of the top scorers during World Cup V as well, earning a bronze boot for his 4 goals.
6. Trezeguet
Trezeguet was suppose to be overshadowed by his illustrious
French teammates, but the striker proved to be too good to stay out of the headlines. His towering presence always caused opposing teams problems and he recorded a number of goals to prove it. An important key to France's early run of 3 straight trips to the championship match which yielded 1 gold and 2 silvers was also complemented by a strong showing in World Cup V where Trezeguet won the bronze boot.
5. Drogba
Drogba may have had plenty of good teammates, but he was undoubtedly the biggest reason for
Cote d'Ivoire's success. After winning
World Cup III, Drogba continued to dominate at the highest level by winning the silver boot in the following World Cup and then becoming a World Cup top scorer by taking the golden boot at
World Cup V where he once again lead his country to a medal, this time a bronze.
4. Solskjaer
A back-to-back World Cup champion,
Solskjaer was arguably the best
Norwegian player ever. His leadership was the main reason for Norway's late climb to dominance, but he had also helped win a bronze medal earlier in his career as well. He lead by example too, leading his team in scoring in both World Cups which Norway won, taking the silver boot from
World Cup V and then leading the entire tournament in scoring at
World Cup VI.
3. Iashvili
Iashvili became one of the most famous players in WE thanks to a number of important goals that he scored early on in his career to help
Georgia win three championships over the span of four tournaments (
World Cup II,
World Series, and
World Cup IV). The star of Georgia was eventually subdued later in his career thanks to nagging injuries, but no one can forget the impact he made when he first burst onto the scene, scoring Georgia's first ever goal in that famous qualifying win against
Austria, as well as the game clinching goal in the World Cup II final against France.
2. Henry
Henry was unquestionably the most talented player in the game. His skills were unmatched during the first three World Cups where he lead
France to the championship match three times in a row, a feat that has yet to be matched by any nation. Though they never actually won a game in the finals (they did win a World Cup on penalties), Henry was such a force that no team could stop him, as shown by his golden boot award from
World Cup III as well as his silver boot from
World Cup V. With him, France reached the quarterfinals or further in 5 of the 7 major competitions, and as mentioned, went all the way to the championship in 3 of them. Henry's defining performance came in the World Cup III group stage where France entered the last matchday needing a victory to advance. Henry scored FIVE goals en route to a 5-0 win over
Uruguay to ensure France's advancement to the next round.
1. Ashvetia
Ashvetia also played a key role in
Georgia's rise to prominence, but initially didn't garner as much media attention as his teammate
Iashvili. Over time though, it became apparent who was really the driving force behind Georgia's success after he scored the "Goal of the Century" to secure victory against
France in the
World Cup II championship and then won the golden boot for scoring in the
World Series with an astonishing 27 goals. He followed that up by scoring the first goal, and thus the game winner, against the
United States in the
World Cup IV championship which Georgia won 2-0. Ashvetia was the most honored player in WE8 history, with three championship trophies from
Georgia as well as 3 individual scoring awards; a bronze boot from
World Cup IV and a silver boot from
World Cup V to go with his golden boot from the World Series.