The contest to find the best football club side in the world has already started and it could soon be followed by a competition to find the best team of veterans on the planet.

As Manchester United and other leading teams compete in Brazil for the accolade of being the world's premier club at the new world championships, FIFA is planning a world cup for senior and retired footballers.

The prospect of seeing the likes of Pele, Franz Beckenbauer, Johann Cruyff and Michel Platini lacing up their boots and taking to the field once more is the brainchild of Antonio Matarrese, FIFA's vice-president.

The organisation has been considering a variety of competitions to try and sustain interest in the beautiful game and believes that a veterans' world cup would be popular with spectators.

A FIFA spokesman said: "Former great players may not have the same pace and fitness levels but they still have lots of skill. There is a desire among fans to see former great players, but the crucial question will be whether they are capable of still playing."

Only former professional footballers aged 40 or over would be eligible to represent their country at the first veterans tournament which could take place before the 2002 World Cup in Japan and Korea.

Dr Matarrese, writing in FIFA's monthly magazine, claims that many senior and retired players have been overlooked when it comes to spreading football around the world. But he warns that pitching retired professionals against today's young stars could be dangerous.

Dr Matarrese writes: "Football is of course a game based upon physical exercise and fitness. It would be foolish to advocate direct confrontation on the field of play between extremely fit young people and opponents a few decades older . . . my concern is to provide greater opportunities for those older players who feel they are not, at the moment, receiving sufficient attention from the game's authorities."

A veterans world cup has already been discussed by FIFA's executive committee, which is now examining the cost.

FIFA is keen to follow the example of sports such as golf and tennis which have developed a lucrative veterans circuit drawing large crowds.