In today's football, there are only about ten teams that can be called top teams. Who exactly are, maybe you can look at the list of the top 10 in the world. Of course, this list is not set in stone, for example, Germany has long been thrown out of the top 10, and over the years, only Belgium and Croatia have been promoted from second-rate teams to top teams.
Today's football has indeed changed a lot compared to the black and white period. In the black and white period, there used to be such 6 top teams in world football, and now, 3 of them are long gone, and the other 3 have been reduced to second-rate.
Let's first look at the three strong teams that have withdrawn from the stage of history.
The first is the Soviet Union. The USSR was a top team in the fifties and sixties of the last century, and it was the winner of the first European Cup. The famous octopus goalkeeper Yashin is a representative of Soviet football. In fact, until the 80s, the Soviet Union was also a top powerhouse, and they also won the Olympic championship. At that time, the Olympic football champion was much more gold than it is now.
But unfortunately, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the map of Soviet football was also divided, and there were more than a dozen teams at once. However, neither Russia nor Ukraine is a top team.
The second is Yugoslavia. Although Yugoslavia did not win a major tournament, they were indeed a top team in the black and white period, and they were called the Brazilian team of Europe by Pele. Yugoslavia was later divided into seven teams, with Croatia being considered the top team, while Serbia and Slovenia were only second-rate teams. As for North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and other teams, they still need to continue to be tempered.
Perhaps, for a long time to come, the flag of Yugoslav football will be held by Croatia.
The third was Czechoslovakia. Czechoslovakia won the World Cup runner-up and the European Championship, and was a proper top team at that time. At the same time, they were also the only team in the World Series to beat Germany on penalties.
After the breakup, the Czech Republic was a top team for a while, but now it has been reduced to a second-rate team. As for Slovakia, its status in European football has not been high.
Let's look at the other 3 teams that are still there, but have been reduced to second-rate.
The first is Hungary. Hungary in the 50s had the strength to sweep everything, beating England 6-3 at Wembley and beating Germany 8-3 in the World Cup. Although the Bern miracle cost Hungary the title, in the eyes of many, Hungary is the true king of the world.
But Hungary's glory lasted only a few years, and with the turmoil in the country, Hungarian football also slipped rapidly at the end of the 50s. Next, Hungary went through a period of second-rate, third-rate, and non-flow, and it is only in recent years that they have gradually returned to our sight. Although the current Hungary is far from being a top team, the second-rate level is there. In the case of Euro 2024, perhaps Hungary will be in a better position to qualify than Switzerland and Scotland.
The second is Austria. In the eyes of many fans, Austria has always been a second-rate team, and even in the first dozen years of the new century, they can only be regarded as third-rate. However, in recent times, Austria, like Hungary, has a bit of a retro feel.
The reason why I say this is because in the black and white era, Austria was also a great god, they were the creators of chain defense, and they also reached the last four of the World Cup that year.
The third is Uruguay, the winner of the first World Cup. When it comes to South American powerhouses, many fans only recognize Brazil and Argentina. In fact, in terms of historical background, Uruguay is the earliest team in South America. In the first four World Cups, two of the championships were won by Uruguay.
However, in recent decades, Uruguay has been firmly ranked among the world's second-class people, neither falling to the third or fourth class, nor has the strength to rise to the first-class. I don't know when they will be on top of the world again.