++ [ originally posted by swag ] ++
This is exactly the point I wholly disagreed with. If anything, those three teams to me represented the antithesis of the star player, the key individual on whose shoulders the team's success rests. All are great examples of teams where true team play made the difference over any individual contribution.
Porto couldn't have gone as far without key performances from Carvahlo, Alberto Carlos, Maniche, etc. ... not just Deco. And for Depor couldn't have done it without Pandiani, Luque, Andrade, Molina ... And Monaco couldn't have done it without Morientes, Cissé, Rothen, Ibarra, etc.
I drew the exact opposite conclusions from those teams in their CL performances last year.