The 200 best players in the world: 82-77

Unfortunately I got a little stuck with this entry when I came to the final central defenders to appear on the list.

I went back and forth in my head, if this was really right, the highest ranked at 77, and had to revisit and think harder about my original ideas for ranking them the way I have. Hopefully it makes some sense at least. I'm sticking with it anyway! So yeah, that rambling is in the Chiellini writeup and could or should probably have been even longer.
It's possible it is something I'll try to expand on when I get to some of the best central midfielders who in my mind have become the most important, with the most impact, "defenders".

Also in this entry, some France World Cup stuff, quite a few links (some youtube) that I of course all recommend and not least a poll!

Who really is the best central defender in the world? Do vote.


Introduction to the list

200 - 101 (and every writeup+honorary mentions)

100 - 95
100: Jose Bosingwa - Chelsea - Portugal
99: André-Pierre Gignac - Toulouse - France
98: Andrés Guardado - Deportivo La Coruna - Mexico
97: Ricardo Carvalho - Chelsea - Portugal and Rio Ferdinand - Manchester United - England
96: John Terry - Chelsea - England
95: Mark Van Bommel - Bayern München - The Netherlands
94-83
94: Alejandro "Chori" Dominguez - Valencia - Argentina
93: Claudio Marchisio - Juventus - Italy
92: Michael Carrick - Manchester United - England
91: Darren Fletcher - Manchester United - Scotland
90: Miralem Pjanic - Lyon - Bosnia-Herzegovina
89: Santi Cazorla - Villarreal - Spain
88: Samir Nasri - Arsenal - France
87: Luis Suarez - Ajax - Uruguay
86: Mario Balotelli - Inter - Italy
85: Alberto Gilardino - Fiorentina - Italy
84: James Milner - Aston Villa - England
83: Mikel Arteta - Everton - Spain

82:

Thierry Henry

Barcelona

Forward - France



Oh how the mighty have fallen. It's easy to forget now but Henry had a very good season last year and was an important part of Barca's historic improvement under Guardiola where they improved 20 points and 37 goals (and won everything instead of nothing!) with most of the same players intact from the previous season under Rijkaard.

One very noticeable change when Guardiola took over was the immediate high pressure on the ballholder from the Barca attacking players once possession was lost, and it was there playing on the left that Henry made such a change compared to when Ronaldinho had been moved out there under Rijkaard.
Henry actually thrived doing this kind of defensive work. Had he been asked for the more "defensive defensive" approach of consistently tracking back covering his position, be disciplined who knows how successful he would have been, but this very aggressive approach that often paid quick dividends on the attacking front (while on the defensive became a major obstruction to the counter attacks that had been killing them under Rijkaard, and is now arguably the biggest tactical trend out there for attacking teams) was something Guardiola very much had the Barca forwards, including Henry, buy into.

It seems like a distant memory now, but across competitions Thierry Henry actually scored 36 goals last season and despite advancing beyond 30 years of age always being something of a worry for players relying as much on athleticism as Henry have, I think few could have envisioned just how bad things would become this the follow up season.

The main issue isn't even a drastic decline of skills, because while it's certainly clear he isn't at his Arsenal peak anymore, when he was one of the very best players in the world, it's not really clear to me at least, just how much slower or weaker he has become, simply because of the fact that he seems completely unable to have almost any kind of decent healthy spell these days and therefore is never in anything that's near top condition.

The extraordinary pace and body control that time and time again made him glide past, and free of, defenders who never stood a chance. Then the fantastic finishes. It's just not there anymore. Not there anymore to such an extent that you wonder, what is next for Henry? He isn't good enough for Barcelona any longer where Guardiola this season, it became clear, just gave up on him.

There have been talks of retreat to Major League Soccer which then would kind of be Henry giving up as well...

The more imminent challenge is of course the World Cup where he is France captain and for years of course a certain starter.

I won't pretend that replacing Henry with someone I'm certain is better at the moment would suddenly make Domenech's team play up to their talent. There are many issues and throughout his reign, with the notable exception being four years ago at the World Cup where various legends turned back the years for one last dance, something (Domenech is the most sensible answer) has stopped them from playing well.

Two of the constants under Domenech has been, of course Henry, and then almost uninterruptedly a defensive midfield duo of (in the last few years) Lass Diarra and previously ranked Toulalan. The latter due to sad circumstances where Lass Diarra because of serious illness will miss out on the World Cup, has now been broken up, and Domenech has an interesting (to some completely obvious) decision. If he wants to install a similar player into the lineup, it could be yet another Diarra, Alou, and continue with what hasn't really been working, but what he does seem to strongly believe in, or alternatively he could insert a player with different characteristics thereby changing both tactics and style. Perhaps even drastically.



I think if he does that and at the same time just happens to also replace that other constant, Henry, who unless he'd show clear signs of doing a kind of repeat of the 2006 legends turning back the clock, just isn't good enough compared to what both Malouda and Ribery can do as left forwards or what Anelka (Domenech has bizarrely left out Benzema who I could also have added) and I strongly suspect Gignac as well, can do as strikers.

Not long ago this was almost unthinkable but there are even stories of Domenech prior to his 30 man World Cup squad selection, traveling to Barcelona and asking Henry not to go to the World Cup as a protagonist but as a substitute.

Like I said it's hard to predict how this will all play out. On the one hand the team looks to finally see change from what just hasn't been working and on the surface you would say things can only get better but with Domenech no one should be surprised at all if he'll still manage obstructing attack to the point of stagnation, but now also with an added negative bonus of a worse defensive foundation...

And then like Lizarazu talks about in the above James Horncastle column there is also the whole issue of how the legend, the captain, Henry will react to limited playing time. Team cancer on the blue horizon? Wouldn't be surprising.

The only thing I'm sure of is that it's going to be very interesting to see what happens next and simply adding to the intrigue is the group they're are in. South Africa, Uruguay and Mexico are the tricky opposition and I think its the one group where I can see almost anything happen and basically anyone go through in any kind of order.

81:

Thomas Müller

Bayern München

Midfielder/Winger/Forward - Germany



Tall 20 year old athletic freak who must be a dream to have on a football team. Müller can play several positions well and combines superb work-rate, attacking and defending, team work and quick movement to make him already one of the best players in the world without the ball. There I said it.

He'll operate effectively anywhere in the final third and with his prolific pace and constant running is very difficult to properly mark.

With the ball he is a little more inconsistent (or how scary would he be?). On the wing he definitely has the ability (and agility) to make piercing runs with it at great speed, or if central make quick turns once he gets it, but will at times fail to control passes that look rather simple.
My perhaps incorrect theory is that he is often very ambitious with his first touch and that will make him look below par sometimes. No matter what it is though, subpar technique, great ambition or poor decisions, improvements can definitely be made. But make no mistake about it, this already an excellent player. One who sooner rather than later will have a good case for an even higher ranking.

80:

Ivica Olić

Bayern München

Forward - Croatia





He runs, he runs and he runs. He runs really fast!

Olic has probably been one of the more underrated players for years now but at 30 not least thanks to some splendid Champions League performances he is finally getting some well deserved attention.

He is an incredible hard worker who is always on the move and is consistently a passing option when the team is in possession. There he is comfortable getting the ball both on the wing and of course when as a striker he makes runs down the middle. Overall Olic is just a true everywhere-man in the final third.
Then when his team isn't in possession he will consistently be the first man to defend and his pressing at this point has become legendary.

If you put those things together he must be one of the most annoying forwards you can face as a defender. A true pest to play against where there is never a moment of rest. He is either constantly on the move looking for space doing everything he can to escape marking, and then immediately when his team doesn't have the ball, it's the exact opposite and he is right in your face looking to win it back.

All of those mental and physical attributes would in my book have earned him a good ranking standing alone but Olic even has considerable skill. Best is his ball-control allowing him to make some really sharp turns when running high speed with the ball, but he is also a good finisher and how many goals he scores is only down to what role he plays on the team, which brings us to his versatility where he is strong (fast and skilled) enough to play both as a winger and as a forward in just about any system you can imagine.

Quite simply a wonderful player to have on your team.

79:

Branislav Ivanovic

Chelsea

Right-back/Central defender - Serbia



It's possible I was late to the party but for me Ivanovic was one of the major revelations this season. A total beast.

As the season started and Ancelotti was rotating between him and Bosingwa on right-back I was pretty critical cause I thought of Ivanovic as primarily a central defender and Bosingwa as one of the best right-backs in the world. Even if I could see Ivanovic being very good defensively, I always thought Bosingwa was underrated in that part of the game and in no way a liability.

Of course it wasn't long before Bosingwa was out for the season with injury and Ivanovic starting became permanent, and with that, a reality where there was now no way to avoid gradually starting to see, not just this Serb oaf playing out of position over someone I thought very highly of but an excellent right-back in his own right, and not just doing defending mind you, where he added a third defender (actually Cole is no slouch either) able do centre-back type of defending in the backline, but a player who with his athleticism and great team-work was effective going forward as well.

Make no mistake about it, Ivanovic while physically strong like a centre-back, has pace too, and his powerful, often overlapping, runs in the final third throughout this season would have made many good fullbacks proud.

Even his technical ability is pretty good and more than once this season you saw him with power and control beat his man in the opponent half. Either fully to make a run into the penalty area, or more common, simply to deliver one of his surprisingly good crosses.

I actually do think now that Ivanovic is one of the best right-backs in the world and while there are people ranked lower who arguably rivals him as a fullback, he is another player who has received quite the ranking boost because he is a very good central defender as well.

78:

Nemanja Vidić

Manchester United

Defender - Serbia



Tough as nails defender who with great strength and aggression is perhaps the best man to man defender in the world. If close to the attacking player, chances are that the attacking player's chances, are not good at all!

While a very good tackler capable of destruction, Vidic also specializes in always getting a foot or his head

in front of whoever he is marking.

To prevent chances he is someone who really will do anything it takes.

In the air he is virtually unbeatable and while very much similar to most central defenders athletically he isn't the quickest, something like his agility shouldn't be underrated.

Much of why the last pack of centrebacks were ranked where they were, and not higher, was discussed here (Ferdinand, Carvalho, Terry) and while I do feel especially Ferdinand, but Carvalho as well, are more gifted than Vidic in some areas - Ferdinand's positioning and reading the game - Carvalho able to defend and make a difference with more range to it than Vidic - and both of them superior technically - health especially in Ferdinand's case, some decline in Carvalho's, sees Vidic despite some health issues on his own, but still very much in his prime playing consistently great, jump ahead of them and for a short while at least become my highest ranked centreback in the world.

77:

Giorgio Chiellini

Juventus

Defender - Italy



My last remaining reservation when it came to Chiellini's claim as the next excellent Italian defender was his sometimes reckless brutality. At times he seemed intent on proving himself as a hardman rather than a great defender and because of it would unnecessarily commit hard fouls bringing disadvantage to the team in the form of either red cards or freekicks in dangerous places. He was dangerously flirting with entering Materazzi territory instead of breaking into the great defender territory, where his talent so strongly suggested he belonged.

Ironically, this the worst Juventus season in my memory, was the season where that all changed, where you'd see Chiellini cool, calm and collected practice his art, often spotted with a smile on his face and even in great adversity showing no signs of frustration leading to stupidity or to the violence that plagued him earlier in his career.

Now with that gone, only the good remains. As far as tackling goes I'll rate him a little bit below the previous 4 ranked centrebacks but he is still very good.
In direct man marking I also think he is a little bit behind certainly Vidic ( better technically though) but also Carvalho/Ferdinand when at their best, but again he is definitely strong enough in that area as well to make it close.

Where he is ahead of the likes of Vidic, Ferdinand and Terry is speed. As a former left-back he has good pace for a centreback and he uses it to great effect defending greater areas than for an example what Vidic can manage.
Seeing Chiellini at times this season basically being a one man central defender army playing for at least two, was some of the most mind boggling impressive defending I've ever seen.
It should never be like that of course in a team defense that functions, but nonetheless seeing someone in a game at times simultaneously manage defending left back, defensive midfield and both centreback positions was extremely impressive to watch.
Obviously I'm not saying he was in many places at once, that's impossible, but time and time again he was there to cover holes that were appearing all over the place, and with that, showed me at least, that here was the central defender with the best range to his defending out of anyone.

Of course range won't do it alone and if he wasn't very strong, a good tackler, quick with great timing and good in the air, then range can only do so much, but when very gifted at the same time, it does wonders, or least as much wonder as a central defender can do in a game where team defending is much more important than any one individual defending great.

Individually I rate him as the best centreback currently in the world but to get anywhere it's the team that has to defend well, and while a centreback's negative impact concerning defending can still be greater than those in other positions, the positive impact concerning defending can be as great coming from almost any other position. Maybe even indirectly from the forwards who for an example I'd argue had the most negative impact in Chiellini's team, Juventus, defensive failures this season.
Late (fat) Ronaldo at Galacticos Real Madrid is another of my favorite examples and of course late Ronaldinho as well, both for Barcelona and currently for Milan.

It's not as negative as the (maybe not so) hypothetical defender in the back-four who keeps scoring own goals but one rotten apple in any position can create imbalance damaging the team defending and then adjusting to that tactically might just damage the team's ability to score goals, which again, arguably in many ways will make the defending more difficult, which then... well you get the picture... It's just a neverending evil circle affecting winning and losing and in many ways also in there is why I've ranked players the way I have.

Who individually contributes most to a team's chances of winning?
And unless I decided to give tremendous credit to countless of defenders for not being really poor, for not being Frank Sinclair and by default almost causing defeats, that means players in positions contributing more, defending, attacking or both, in more places than deep in your own half which arguably with the speed and skill of players nowadays isn't even that more important to defend, than say certain midfield areas (depending on tactics of course), then these players, at the highest level at least - who the most important players are on lower levels might actually be quite different - judged by me to be doing more than the defenders doing less will of course have to predominantly be ranked higher throughout this list.

And with that, here we have it. The last central defender on the list ranked 77. Had I been more idealistic I could have probably followed through on my ideas even stronger and had everyone much lower - if ranked at all! But it's not all black and white of course and so far the list have been full of players where you could always find some kind of negative justifying being put behind a central defender if at the highest level, but that's over with now and the rest of the list will all be players who I think with their characteristics can contribute more to a team than any current centreback, and the higher we go of course, the less close that will be.

The 200 best players in the world: 94 - 83

Pretty big update with hopefully more to come in the coming days.

The 92 - 86 players were really hard to put in order, and sometimes compare, so I changed my mind several times (and probably will again).

The first player in the next update, ranked 82, is possibly the one who's suffered the biggest drop of anyone and was around top 30 early on.

Hmmm now I kind of wish I had kept track of every ranking change for every player I had made, during the months this has taken. If nothing else it could have resulted in some fun graphs...



Introduction to the list

200 - 101 (and every writeup+honorary mentions)

100 - 95
100: Jose Bosingwa - Chelsea - Portugal
99: André-Pierre Gignac - Toulouse - France
98: Andrés Guardado - Deportivo La Coruna - Mexico
97: Ricardo Carvalho - Chelsea - Portugal and Rio Ferdinand - Manchester United - England
96: John Terry - Chelsea - England
95: Mark Van Bommel - Bayern München - The Netherlands


94:

Alejandro "Chori" Dominguez

Valencia

Forward - Argentina



2009 footballer of the year in Russia made his move to Valencia in January but competing for not least David Villa and Silva's spots he predictably saw limited playing time.

If there was any chance of that limited playing time being permanent though I'd have a hard time understanding why he chose Valencia over the many other clubs interested, he was a free transfer, but I have feeling he was promised a scenario, next season the earliest, where at least one of Villa/Silva would be sold.

Now of course with David Villa making his move to Barcelona the door is certainly more open but Dominguez, despite his many goals, isn't really a striker so more than anyone else, Villa leaving, in the status quo should benefit first of all Nikola Zigic who might just explode next season if really given the chance and the rest of the service remains, whereas Dominguez is still more in competition with Silva and to some extent Mata.
Of course lineups with all three of them are definitely possible plus intriguing and of course one of Silva and Mata might very well still be sold. Especially with Valencia's interesting financial situation in mind.

When we do see more of Dominguez we'll see a very skilled technical player who has great control, pace, who can dribble. Has balance. A player capable of great first touch passes, and good passing in general, and who is a very good finisher.

Overall someone who as an attacking player pretty much has it all but unfortunately at Valencia found himself behind a couple of stars who did most of these things even better.

Make no mistake about it though Dominguez definitely has completeness to his game and can even defend relatively well as we saw when Rubin Kazan beat Barcelona at Camp Nou and against Inter as well.
Dominguez defended his forward position exemplary when Barca was in possession (all the time) and then with his pace and skill was a great threat the other way, crowning his performance by setting up the winner with perfect transition play.

Obviously Dominguez is another Russian Premier League star who I only saw when his clubs played in Europe. Therefore I could definitely be wrong about just how good he is but with likely many starts for Valencia next season, I wouldn't be surprised at all if his play makes a good case for an even higher ranking.

93:

Claudio Marchisio

Juventus

Midfielder - Italy



What he does is that he kicks people's behinds. Really hard and up in the air they go.

No, Marchisio at 23 I believe is "already" one of the better two-way players in the world with not that much more improvement to be made even, but this season, often criminally playing out of position as a left midfielder (often with real winger responsibilities, a classic case of the most complete player being the only remaining hope of filling holes in the squad) Marchisio just very rarely had a fair chance to show it, forcing me to show restraint and ranking him lower than I really think that his talents deserve.

Except for not being a winger Marchisio is a very complete player. He has very good technique like first touch and control. Even good finishing skills which, rinse and repeat, he didn't get much of a chance to show this season either.

He is 100 percent committed to teamwork and has a great engine that he really puts to use. His work-rate is nothing short of excellent.

He also has good pace and the only area where he might be lacking, the passing department where I just haven't seen anything special, he certainly isn't bad - I'm not sure his good technique and decisions make that an option even - but again he's been severely handicapped by playing out wide too much and generally for Juventus this season a complete lack of good passing options on what was a team with really poor movement.

The frustrating thing is that the left-central midfield spot wouldn't seem to suit his characteristics all that badly and we might see him in a similar role for Italy at the World Cup, but for Juventus with immobile centre forwards glued to the box like Amauri, Trezeguet (looking for crosses?) and even Del Piero not all that effective from out there anymore, plus basically a washed up Fabio Grosso also unable to provide any kind of quality width (or crosses for the statues cemented in the box), often it was Marchisio who ended up with that (winger) responsibility. A mission for him almost as impossible as when previously ranked central midfield powerhouses Sissoko and Melo at times also found themselves playing too wide...

Marchisio will probably never be a good winger but he certainly has the characteristics (including ability with both feet) to thrive in 3 man midfields. It might even be what suits him best but there needs to be mobility around him. At least one forward who has good movement (including out wide) in the final third, Anelka for Chelsea the last couple of seasons is a great example, and a good attacking fullback coming forward consistently is also a must.

It's difficult to predict exactly what system Italy coach Marcello Lippi will use at the World Cup. Like last time around I have a feeling we'll see several, but I'll be surprised if we won't see at least some Marchisio in a left-central midfield role, and with Grosso officially out of the squad, opening up the left-back door for Criscito, and with also a very mobile forward up front like Di Natale, it should work a lot better than what we saw for Juventus.

92:

Michael Carrick

Manchester United

Midfielder - England



A player who on the surface rarely looks impressive and because of it is seldom held in high esteem by most fans.

You could even say that many of his attributes are pretty ordinary. Especially those that would make a good attacking midfielder which he just isn't anymore, at least not for a very good team.

He just doesn't have pace or good enough control to be consistently effective in the final third and in one of the more unexpected recent turn of events has in my opinion been surpassed there by midfield partner Fletcher who these days looks better going forward than Carrick.

But what Carrick does have is actual deep lying playmaking ability, a great range of passing and especially when that is combined with a strong physical presence, which Carrick has become, then you have a very valuable player.

Martin Jol put it rather simply this way: Michael's biggest quality is to move play from defence to attack and win the ball. Because of him, other players play better.

I think since those words were spoken Carrick has become, maybe even much better, defensively and he has a lot of responsibility there, creating the situation where all of Carrick's best work, the defensive, but rather uniquely for a British player I think, also the attacking contributions takes place further back, often in the defensive midfield.
Especially on a team like Manchester United who'll mostly control inferior opponents. That is just not very eye catching compared to where a lot of the game takes place, in the opponent final third, so I feel Carrick's contributions further back are terribly overlooked and sometimes ironically even completely forgotten the first mistake or sign of inadequateness he'll make when venturing forward.

There is just something potentially extremely valuable in a player who can make a good attacking contribution as far away from the opponent goal as possible. He doesn't even have to go forward to contribute thereby not compromising the defense. It's just a great risk reward scenario best exemplified with a player like Andrea Pirlo who by doing that to perfection became the most important player on Champions League and World Cup winning teams.

Carrick doesn't have anywhere near Pirlo's other technical skills, restricting him much more to play deep or get exposed, and from there isn't even as good a passer but he is gifted in very important (you could say tactical) areas nonetheless, defensive work (better than Pirlo)+range of passing, off the ball movement being a consistent passing option and while it might not be the great difference maker day in and day out in your average Premier League fixture, just like Pirlo not seldom wasn't in your average Serie A game, against x-defensive opponent, in certain games against certain opponents Carrick with his skill-set can be the most valuable player on what is a very good team, playing at the highest level, for that he deserves credit.

91:

Darren Fletcher

Manchester United

Midfielder - Scotland



Good footballer? Mean bully?

Well, he has kind of turned into both the last couple of years making him a valuable player for Manchester United.

Few are so effective constantly harassing opposition players legally and illegally (at least anywhere that's not the English Premier League!). He'll huff and he'll puff, kick you to the ground. Whatever it takes. He is a monster, said Sir Alex Ferguson!

Of course had he not seemingly improved in others areas the last couple of years he wouldn't be anywhere near this list. Or become a United starter for that matter. It's possible he was always hard working defensively, did his best for the team and so on, but at some point he just became big, mean and strong making those crucial parts of his game all the more effective. Even making him one of the best at what he does.

How much things like his technique has really improved the last couple of years I'm not sure but what is always clear is that not routinely looking bad in those areas (with the ball) is helped a great deal by having strong balance and Fletcher these days certainly has that.

That balance and underrated technique has even made him the more effective Manchester United central midfielder going forward in the final third which on this list is always a nice feather in the hat, and I suspect a key element in making his midfield presence even greater (see Palacios writeup) making him a valuable figure for his team Manchester United time and time again, sooner or later, winning the midfield battle.


90:

Miralem Pjanić

Lyon

Attacking midfielder - Bosnia-Herzegovina



A player who will almost inevitably challenge for a much higher ranking sooner rather than later.

Apart from his already well known technical skills which combined with his acceleration is a good weapon, what's impressed me most when I've seen him this season is the maturity he displays. He is 20 with not much experience at the highest level at all, yet he often looks like a veteran. He makes good decisions showing clear signs of being a great reader of the game, and even his teamwork is impressive featuring good off the ball movement making him a passing option and when it's time to defend he does what can to take care of his position.

On set pieces his striking of the ball is extraordinary and he is a great threat whether it's direct shots or indirect deliveries, towards the goal.

How much of it has to do with Lyon's style and tactics is hard to say, it is also entirely possible that it's more in Europe than it is in France, but when it comes to passing I see Pjanic very often go for the direct stuff like quick one touch forward passes trying to set up combinations with an immediate aim to create or longer deliveries like crosses into the box making good use of his kicking technique.
He is not exactly warming the ball from what I've seen but I don't think what inevitable will be a bit hit or miss should be confused with lack of ideas or creativity. What he does with his passes often seems to be the most difficult (or ambitious) of options and that he has as much direct success with it (12 assists this season) is impressive and a very good sign for the future.

89:

Santi Cazorla

Villarreal

Winger



At his best Cazorla is a true technical wizard capable of almost anything with a football.

Unfortunately for much of the last year he has has struggled finding form and good health coming back from serious injury, he only started 16 La Liga games hurting his ranking, and despite signs of finally being back to his best, towards the end this season, it has resulted in him not being called up for the Spain Word Cup squad where he'd actually been a regular the last couple of years.

With a summer's rest then, definitely look for Cazorla to have a strong rebound season next time around with plenty of trademark dazzling moves, pace and creativity.


88:

Samir Nasri

Arsenal

Attacking midfielder - France



One of the players seeing the most swings in rank on this list having both been something like at least 20 places lower and as much as 30 places higher.

For much of the season once again I wasn't really that impressed with Nasri game in and game out but at some point during the second half of the season he really started to make his mark on the team, and at times in the injured Fabgregas absence, even making it his own with performances suggesting a much higher ranking. But whether it's the surroundings fault or not, then after that great spell Nasri kind of fizzled out again and I don't think you can say yet that he's really made his mark in the Premier League. At least not in the way that his talent arguably suggests that he should.

Nasri has well known impressive technical skills including being a good passer of the ball and has ball control and enough agility to be a good dribbler. He has good acceleration on the first meters and an underrated work-rate.
Fitting Arsenal he is comfortable central, functioning well even in narrow conditions displaying vital for Wenger's vision very good ball retention skills, while on the wing he perhaps isn't the most effective.

His superior technical skills put him ahead of quite a few better performers and whether it's with or without Fabregas playing alongside him, he deserves credit for his part in Arsenal still being able to enforce their style against the large majority of teams on their way to third place behind Chelsea and Manchester United, where remember they were close much of the way, but personally I'm still missing that great spell of difference-making effectiveness in order to really catapult him up the rankings.

87:

Luis Suarez

Ajax

Forward - Uruguay



He scored 35 goals in 33 games this season!

His virtual free role in the final third for Ajax has proved nothing short of a devilish nightmare for Eredivisie opponents this season who have just not been able to mark him AT ALL.

How well that goalscoring would translate into a better league with better defending I'm not sure. I'm actually a little skeptical how much of a goalscorer he'd really be, but his technique and great movement, especially with more or less a free role to roam around, would make him certainly a very good forward for a lot of teams.

A tricky player to rank since he still plays in Holland but without blowing his dominance there totally out of proportion and ranking him too high, I think rewarding Suarez for all that difference making in games with a ranking around here is okay...

With apologies to Ajax fans, but hopefully the club will get paid plenty for their sorrows, I'd really like to see Suarez in a better league next season and get a better picture of just how good he really is.

Suarez will also be at the World Cup of course where him and Atletico Madrid star Diego Forlan are one of the most interesting attacking duos around. They actually seem to do a lot of the same stuff and Suarez should at least watch his back for the more box orientated Palermo striker Edinson Cavani.
Of course both Forlan and Suarez score plenty of goals in the box but Cavani does have aerial ability and more of a physical presence. Something that could be needed.

No matter what, it's good news for Uruguay though, the more options the better, and once Forlan starts declining Suarez and Cavani both born in 1987 ensure that the future is safe, and on that note also watch out for another Palermo Uruguayan striker, 19 year old Abel Hernandez who at least athletically could be more gifted than all of them.

86:

Mario Balotelli

Inter

Forward - Italy



In record time one of the most controversial players in Italy who right from day one almost has found himself caught up in often very negative attention from the surroundings. Fans, coaches, fellow players and media, take you pick, feeling all provoked.

How much of that is the color of his skin and how much of that is his personality, or both, is a discussion for another time, I'll focus instead of what is the 19 year old's astronomical talent for which the sky seems to be the only limit.

Balotelli probably has the best size/pace combination-potential out of anyone. That alone of course is massive and can lead to greatness.
He is big and technical enough to at some point develop into an excellent box presence and he is more than fast enough with and without the ball to take advantage (and find for himself even) space anywhere on the pitch.
So far due to Mourinho's mostly 4-3-3 tactics it's the latter taking place on the wing that's been more common and often impressive enough in itself, but I think it's once we'll see him more as a striker (whether second or centre-forward) instead of wide, that the real magic will start to happen.

The only thing still lacking there is bit too much of a winger mentality sometimes, even when central, where he doesn't always play up to his size so to speak and gets out muscled where he really shouldn't and either goes down or give up. Even if it will often result in a foul, which is rarely a bad thing no matter how unpopular, I think he could play stronger.

There is also no reason for him not to start improving in the air where he should have all it takes to become a dangerous weapon as well.

As a wide forward on the attacking front there are really few complaints. His work rate could be better, as well as his decision making, actually that's more general weaknesses, but his pace and technique overall makes him very good out there.

It's defensively that he just can't do what Mourinho wants from his wide forwards and more than anything it's that which has often kept him out of the 4-2-1-3 starting lineups, where especially against good teams Mourinho wants that fluidly to transform into a 4-5-1 when defending then right back when attacking, and Balotelli like many others before him, for Chelsea as well as Inter, tried and tested by Mourinho, overall was a hindrance to that working on a high enough level. At least the very high level needed to win a treble.

It's sometimes blurred by his erratics but another very positive sign I'm seeing from Balotelli adding to his athletic gifts, is some real final third creativity. I don't know if he picked it up from Ibrahimovic or what, but he does seem to have some real playmaking ability expressed through delicate touches and passes setting up teammates.

Also worth noting of course is his powerful shot.

So if one was to sum it all up, technically and athletically Balotelli is a very good player already and with upside since he'll only get stronger, but predictably enough for a 19 year old and perhaps especially for one under such scrutiny, and unique pressure you could say, the holes in his game are all mental related.
How, when and if that area will improve is another impossible discussion but hopefully it's more maturity related, than it is unwelcome surroundings unwilling to change that are holding him back.



85:

Alberto Gilardino

Fiorentina

Striker - Italy



Even during the periods where Gilardino was often criticized for his shortcomings in all things related to technique, including below-par finishing turned into a complex when he was at AC Milan, there was one important area where I always found him very elite; those without the ball perfectly timed runs or cuts of his in between defenders, and rather uniquely not even necessarily when having space or his team in transition, but in the narrowest conditions sometimes, just gliding in between say the fullback and centre-back, finding himself through on goal with a great chance to score.
He needs the pass of course and especially when that's been coming from Andrea Pirlo it has been a thing a beauty, but just because Pirlo is a great passer from deep, do not underestimate the great run which (especially with pass coming from deep I think you can say) is just as important.
It's definitely one of the things I'll be looking forward to see at the World Cup. That connection. If it's still there.

At Fiorentina, Gilardino has still been doing that and in Montilivo back in central midfield he has someone with at least somewhat similar potential for passing, but especially this season with Pazzini gone for good and the final downfall of Adrian Mutu, Gilardino without a strike partner alone up front in mostly 4-2-3-1 has found himself much more playing with his back to the goal, so therefore we have seen less of those runs.

His finishing has improved in recent years though and that way, this season at least, making up for those Gilardino-through-on goal chances perhaps being more rare.

He is also stronger these days with better balance and that combined with improved technique meant that, despite me never really seeing him as a target-man type, that his play also in this area has become pretty impressive, and is possibly a reason that neither Toni or Amauri (other than poor form) were selected for the World Cup.

Always very hard working Gilardino, while Fiorentina was still in the Champions League, was asked to carry a lot in attack and rarely got relief in some tough 3 games every 7-8 days stretches, with Fiorentina simply having no replacements, and he did start to look very unfresh around the time they were unluckily knocked out by Bayern, which then became a major reason for Fiorentina's disappointing league form I think. There just wasn't enough depth for a two front battle which is a real shame cause at times they did show a very high level. But didn't have enough depth to in anyway sustain it.

Gilardino did however get some rest towards the end, where for Fiorentina there wasn't much to play for anyway, so hopefully he'll be fresh for the World Cup where just like in qualification, where he ended Azzurri top scorer, he'll very likely be the first choice centre-forward.

84:

James Milner

Aston Villa

England - Midfielder/Winger



Milner is a very versatile and complete midfielder able to play left,right and central who is strong both physically and technique wise.

He has the kind of range to his passing meaning that whether playing as a winger, where many players are far more flashy, but less effective, or as a central midfielder, he is virtually a guarantee to assist goals.

Even though he is capable when it comes to dribbling and has pace to be a transition threat into open space, there are of course wingers who are more gifted in those areas, but Milner uses his technique intelligently and with the way he can kick the ball often doesn't need any time, or to create much space for himself at all, in order to make good deliveries.

He is also good on set pieces.

Milner has fantastic work-rate and is reliable defensively. Not only covering his wing but impressively there is enough rugby-like robustness to his physique that he can battle his ground centrally as well. How many good wingers can make THAT claim? And overall his team-work is intelligent and exemplary.


83:

Mikel Arteta

Everton

Midfielder - Spain



Due to a knee ligament injury suffered last season unfortunately Arteta was out for large parts of this one as well.

Therefore I did consider not including him, but once he made a strong return featuring several classy performances from January and onwards it was clear he had to be included.

Still, it is something that has hurt his ranking and I do worry about him a little bit, since rightly or wrongly, I'm not sure if coming back he was as dynamic as before the injury.
Of course even if I'm not wrong that could easily have to do with him playing primarily central midfield when he returned and not the more attacking and/or wider roles that we also used to see him in regularly over the years.

But not worrying at all was the level of his play where skill and intelligence reading the game were apparent immediately.
Arteta has excellent technique in all areas with a range of passing featuring some real playmaking ability whether it's shorter passes or crossing, he also has very good ball control and shooting ability.

Needless to say almost, he is also good on set pieces.

With hopefully everyone healthy next season Everton looks to have a really strong midfield. So strong manager David Moyes could face some serious dilemmas.

Fellaini who also got injured is in my opinion so excellent that there is still no players listed I (now) wouldn't rank him ahead of. Tim Cahill is easily defying my writeup of him earlier, questioning if he had slowed down, and has played to his usual standards ever since and young Jack Rodwell I strongly suspect is already so good that he almost just has got to play and looks like an incredible talent. There is also the reliable Osman, usually very solid, and then on the wings, Bilyaletdinov and Pienaar had good looking seasons. Pienaar even among the honorary mentions here!

Especially if Aston Villa loses previously ranked James Milner to someone very willing to spend, I have a hard time seeing them stay ahead of Everton but unfortunately for the Toffees, even though I think their midfield looks almost Champions League caliber material, rivals like Tottenham (even if now for the first time competing in the Champions League as well will be an interesting challenge they're still a club in great condition who will have a good squad no matter what) and especially Manchester City looks to get even stronger.

Unfortunate as well, is when I think of their strikers I feel much less mouth watering compared to the midfield.
Not that they are bad at all, with Saha and Yakubu (Jutkiewicz the wild card??) there is certainly much ability there, but they're not of the same caliber as the midfield in my opinion, a midfield it should be a dream playing in front of, and I really do think, one just one, even better striker than what they already have could take this team to a level that I think would shock people.

The 200 best players in the world: 100 - 95

No wonder this is taking so long. Loosely I'm at 56 thousand writeup words and that's not including this entry or all the list recaps beginning each entry.
I do believe that's a lot pages if this was say a manuscript. As much as 200 plus. I really had no idea I had written that much.

Anyway here we go with some more, it's the top 100 at last:


Introduction to the list

200 - 101 (and every writeup+honorary mentions)

100:

Jose Bosingwa

Chelsea

Right-back - Portugal



Unfortunately Bosingwa went down with a season ending knee injury early this season resulting in not only a somewhat lower ranking but also him missing the World Cup for Portugal.

Bosingwa is one of the best attacking fullbacks in the game and has pace and stamina to get up and down the wing the full 90 minutes.

He is a good crosser of the ball and while I wouldn't call him a great dribbler with exceptional control or anything like that he has enough acceleration to be a great threat anyway, and very few are better at making those overlapping attacking fullback runs.

As it so often goes with attacking fullbacks all that attacking prowess naturally overshadows his defensive game, but unlike quite a few other examples, giving Bosingwa any kind of reputation as a defensive liability would be very unjust. He is rarely caught out of position and is fast and strong enough to be a real handful for the attacking players.

Playing at right-back instead of Bosingwa at the World Cup will be Valencia right-back Miguel who was great four years ago, one of the tournament's best, but has had an up and down career since including losing his starting spot to Bosingwa.

Miguel at this point is quite a downgrade I think. He can still go forward well and is also a good athlete but not with Bosingwa's almost non stop effectiveness and he isn't very good defensively.

99:

André-Pierre Gignac

Toulouse

Striker - France




The second coming of Christian Vieri?

Well that's what it seemed like to me last season when Gignac netted 24 goals on a low scoring team and impressively became Ligue 1. top scorer.

Vieri himself didn't really break through until he was around 23-24 either, same age as Gignac last season.

Very similar in build Gignac also showed similar power and some of the same type of unstoppable runs that made Vieri, despite his build, such a dynamic player at his best. There is definitely pace, and Gignac even possesses a Vieri-like powerful shot! What's not to like then?

Well unfortunately this season it's wasn't just Toulouse who were low scoring, Gignac largely was unable to find the net at all.
8 goals was his sad final tally and despite (deservedly) remaining in the France picture, and going to the World Cup, it's difficult ranking a striker still playing for a midtable Ligue 1 club, with only 8 goals to his name this season (to his credit still their joint top scorer!) very highly among the best in the world right now, even if I really like everything I see. Which I do!
I mean the prime Christian Vieri is easily one of the best strikers I've ever seen and if Gignac, like I believe, has even some of that, he is in very good shape.

Well, that is until he also gets fat like Vieri did.

98:

Andrés Guardado

Deportivo La Coruna

Winger - Mexico



A player I haven't seen too much of this season so I hope his ranking isn't misplaced, whether that means too high or too low.

An extremely energetic and agile dribbler Guardado has enough skill with his left foot (control, shooting and range of passing) to have a good case for the highest ranked winger so far no matter what, but what really sets him apart from the many other skilled pacy wingers as of yet on this list is his great work rate. He works hard defensively as well and while he isn't strong enough to be a very good defensive player, he puts his great stamina to use and helps the team (somewhere Hugo Sanchez is scorning) in both parts of the game.

Unlike a lot of wingers Guardado is also good enough to be effective where space is more narrow in the central, even be creative there, and an interesting x-factor in his game, even if you don't see it too much when he is on the wing a lot, is some definitely above winger-average leaping ability making him a pretty good header of the ball.

Even though there is some more or less promising young attacking talent on the Mexican World Cup team, who are yet to break through in Europe, and unless there is some serious domestic attacking talent that I'm unaware of, or that the greatness that is Cuauhtémoc Blanco

















is still going like he was 10 years younger, Mexico will be very dependent on Guardado for attacking inspiration. Especially you could say with perhaps a fading less dependable leader at the back in Rafael Marquez, which was what orchestrated the almost-upset against Argentina four years ago. But this time perhaps the Mexican strengths lie elsewhere.

97:

Ricardo Carvalho

Chelsea

Defender - Portugal



and

Rio Ferdinand

Manchester United

Defender - England



The long awaited final shared ranking sees perhaps the two most gifted central defenders come together. At their best they're probably still the best at their position, but especially for Ferdinand bad health this season has meant that he just hasn't been able to contribute like the final remaining defenders ahead of him.

Carvalho has played more, yet not nearly as much as for an example his partner in the Chelsea defense. I also think Carvalho when playing, unlike Ferdinand mostly, is showing a little bit of decline from his previous lofty standards.

Their respective gifts are of course very different. Ferdinand can dominate like few others with his great physique and if at close range man-marking the opponent, can be close to untouchable. Both on the ground and in the air. A testament of this is his seemingly non existent need to foul. He hasn't played many times this season, he has only featured in 13 Premier League games, but quite unbelievably in those he has only committed 2(!) fouls and in the previous two seasons only 13 in 24 and 35 games respectively. I tried looking at different good centrebacks and no one really came close to that tally. Committing the least fouls isn't the be all of being a great central defender and other factors are involved, just like with all stats in football, but it does say something at least, and if no one at the moment is even close it does strengthen Ferdinand's case as the best defender in the world when healthy.

Interestingly the closest I could find at least (didn't look that hard it has to be said) were Daniel Agger and Kolo Toure who also have had seasons with very few fouls. Toure with 17, 23 and 15 in at least 40 games the last three seasons. There is also Pique who in La Liga this season only committed very few fouls (15 in 29) but still averaged more than one per game last season and in the Champions League as well the last couple of years.

Ferdinand is of course also known for his sound technique and right from an early age taking that very much needed aspect for the modern defender to new standards for British centrebacks.

For Carvalho who's athletic ability definitely shouldn't be underestimated just cause he isn't big and strong like Ferdinand, more than anything it's perhaps the best defensive instincts in the game that makes him so good. At his best he has close to flawless positioning, whether it's pushing up perfectly timing a defensive intervention or if it's staying back sticking, stylewise if anything, like great Italian catenaccio stoppers of the past to the attacker like he is human glue. More than any current defender he just glues his whole body almost to the attacking players doing anything needed to prevent opposition chances.

My only fear for Carvalho and why he is down here with Ferdinand despite playing more games is that sometimes he will overestimate agility and pace that perhaps isn't quite what it used to be and sometimes gamble a little bit too much. It's still rare though but it happens.

It should also be noted that Carvalho also has very good technique with a good range of passing and good control when he is occasionally going forward.

96:

John Terry

Chelsea

Defender - England



Less gifted than both Carvalho and Ferdinand but starting 129 games the last two seasons overcome that gap and puts him just ahead.
That's just a contribution they cannot match and a tremendously important one to his team.

Terry is near unbeatable in the air and while not quite as excellent, a man-marker or position-wise, as the previously ranked pair, he has great tackling ability serving him very well.

That Terry isn't fast shouldn't be blown out of proportion like it often is, almost no defenders can match the attacking players in that area, and so much of defending by the whole team is geared towards preventing one-on-one races into open space and when those situations do indeed occur it will often be some kind of hole or mistake in the team defending, somewhere causing it.
That Terry is outrun by say Diego Milito isn't as much Terry's fault as its quite simply the natural order of things. How can anyone expect a different result? And it can easily be as much various midfielders jobs to prevent that situation happening as it can be the central defender's.

Finally and I don't know if it is that he has improved in recent years or if I (and everyone else it seems) have simply overlooked it, but I'm actually seeing Terry with some decent control and execution of nice passes these days. It isn't just kicking the ball aimlessly away contrary to what perhaps is his reputation.

Well, with these latest players gone we're naturally getting very close to the end of the road for central defenders on this list. This is how they ranked (using the new order):

1. ?
2. ?
3. John Terry
4. Rio Ferdinand
5. Ricardo Carvalho
6. Thomas Vermaelen
7. Carlos Puyol (Got right-back ranking boost)
8. Rafael Marquez (near the bottom of this list as a central defender but got overall ability boost)
9. Gerard Pique (Ouch! Don't like seeing him behind Marquez :(
10. Pepe
11. Simon Kjaer
12. Diego Lugano
13. Bruno Alves
14. Lucio
15. Walter Samuel
16. Philippe Mexes
17. Alessandro Nesta
18. Daniel Agger
19. Martin Demichelis (midfielder bonus boost or lower)
20. William Gallas
21. Kolo Toure
22. Cristian Zapata


95:

Mark Van Bommel

Bayern München

Midfielder - The Netherlands




The dirtiest player in the game? And a player who wins few friends in the heat of battle among opposition players.

Personally I wasn't even aware that Van Bommel was still any good before this season. Like some other Bayern players, his reputation with me at least, had been damaged almost beyond repair by some of the dismal performances I watched from them last season and he wasn't even on the list originally.

Well, enter this season and Bayern now with a great coach, Louis Van Gaal in charge, instead of a rather clueless one in Klinsmann, and slowly but surely improvement in all areas started taking place resulting in a very strong team playing up to its potential.

Now needless to say almost Van Bommel at 33 isn't the player he was in his 20s where on top of having the qualities that he has now, was also efficient going forward and quite the threat with his shooting ability.

Twice he won Dutch player of the year being a major part in 4 PSV championships and along the way even, coached by Hiddink, even went deep in the Champions League then later won the trophy at Barcelona.

That's where the transformation I guess into a primarily defensive midfielder really began. One that is now well complete and where Van Bommel aggressively operate for Bayern.

Now do I think Van Bommel is better as a defensive specialist than the recently ranked Palacios, Song or Toulalan?

No all them are better physically and all that comes with that, which defensively obviously are integral parts of the game, but through his very own strange combination of intelligence (experience really) and controlled aggression right to the limit, or over it whenever he can get away with it, Van Bommel mostly holds his own in those departments. And as an overall player I still like him more.

The hint of a former very good two-way player just still remains, but mostly what sets him apart compared to those mentioned is his range of passing, where with his new central midfield partner Schweinsteiger who can do the same, he can really help control games for Bayern.
Whether it's great decision making in the short passing game or it's effortlessly hitting longer accurate passes from side to side stretching the opponent's team defense. Especially that, with Bayern on the wings having such excellent players as Robben and Ribery that's something extremely valuable coming from the central midfielders.

The 200 best players in the world: 200 -101 roundup + the nearly-made-its

The 200 - 101 ranked players:

New order

200-195
200: Alberto Zapater - Genoa - Spain
199: Nikola Zigic - Valencia - Serbia
198: Sergio Ramos - Real Madrid - Spain
197: Lucio - Inter - Brazil
196: John Obi Mikel - Chelsea - Nigeria
195: Sergio Busquets - Barcelona - Spain
194-193
194: Philippe Mexes - Roma -France
193: Anatolij Tymoshchuk - Bayern München - Ukraine
192-189
192: Theo Walcott - Arsenal - England
191: Aaron Ramsey - Arsenal - Wales
190: Pepe - Real Madrid - Portugal
189: Sergei Semak - Rubin Kazan - Russia
188
188: Alberto Aquilani - Liverpool - Italy
187-185
187: Clarence Seedorf - Milan - Holland
186: Diego Capel - Sevilla - Spain
185: Yossi Benayoun - Liverpool - Israel
184-182
184: Riccardo Montolivo - Fiorentina - Italy
183: Kolo Toure - Manchester City -Côte d'Ivoire
182: Yuri Zhirkov - Chelsea - Russia
181-177
181: Martin Demichelis - Bayern Munich - Argentina
180: Marouane Fellaini - Everton - Belgium
179: Cristian Zapata - Udinese - Colombia
178: Tim Cahill - Everton - Australia
177: Paul Scholes - Manchester United - England
176-173
176: Arda Turan - Galatasaray - Turkey
175: Ezequiel Lavezzi - Napoli - Argentina
174: Klaas Jan Huntelaar - AC Milan - The Netherlands
173-170
173: William Gallas - Arsenal - France
172: Shaun Wright Phillips - Manchester City - England
171: Pavel Pogrebnyak - VBF Stuttgart - Russia
170: Darijo Srna - Shakhtar Donetsk - Croatia
169-167
169: Bojan Krkic and Pedro - Barcelona - Spain
168: Ronaldinho - AC Milan - Brazil
167: Tranquillo Barnetta - Bayer Leverkusen - Switzerland
166-163
166: Stiliyan Petrov - Aston Villa - Bulgaria
165: Amauri - Juventus - Brazil
164: Dirk Kuyt - Liverpool - The Netherlands
163: Bruno Alves - FC Porto - Portugal
162-160
162: Lorik Cana - Sunderland - Albania
161: Carlton Cole - West Ham - England
160: Lukas Podolski - FC Köln - Germany
159-155
159: Felipe Melo - Juventus - Brazil
158: Craig Bellamy - Manchester City - Wales
157: Simon Kjaer and Daniel Agger - Palermo and Liverpool - Denmark
156: Alessandro Nesta -Milan-Italy
155: Aly Cissokho - Lyon -France
154-152
154: Walter Samuel - Inter - Argentina
153: Diego Lugano - Fenerbahce - Uruguay
152: Mauro Zarate - Lazio - Argentina
151-148
151: Sebastian Giovinco - Juventus and Luca Cigarini - Napoli - Italy
150: Taye Taiwo - Marseille - Nigeria, Rod Fanni - Rennes and Benoit Tremoulinas - Bordeaux - France
149: Domenico Criscito - Genoa - Italy
148: Fernando Llorente - Atletic Bilbao - Spain
147-144
147: Juan Roman Riquelme, Juan Sebastian Veron, Lucho Gonzalez, Pablo Aimar and Javier Pastore - Boca Juniors, Estudiantes, Marseille, Benfica and Palermo - Argentina
146: Alexis Sanchez - Udinese - Chile
145: Tom Huddlestone - Tottenham - England
144: Gerard Pique - Barcelona - Spain
143-139
143: Raul Meireles, Porto - Joao Moutinho - Miguel Veloso, Sporting Lissabon - Portugal
142: Bacary Sagna - Arsenal - France
141: Eljero Elia - Hamburger SV - Netherlands
140: Marko Marin - Werder Bremen - Germany
139: Giuseppe Rossi - Villarreal - Italy
138-135
138: Raul - Real Madrid-Spain and Ruud Van Nistelrooy - Hamburger SV-Netherlands
137: Konstantin Zyryanov - Zenit Saint Petersburg - Russia
136: Simon Rolfes - Bayern Leverkusen - Germany
135: Ze Roberto - Hamburger SV - Brazil
134 - 129
134: Mauro Camoranesi - Juventus - Italy
133: Simone Perrotta - Roma - Italy
132: Marcelo - Real Madrid - Brazil
131: Christian Chivu - Inter - Romania
130: Simäo - Atletico Madrid - Portugal
129: Marcell Jansen - Hamburger SV - Germany
128 - 122
128: Hatem Ben Arfa - Marseille - France and Goran Pandev - Inter - Macedonia
127: Rafael Marquez - Barcelona - Mexico
126: Nigel De Jong - Manchester City - Netherlands
125: Grafite - Wolfsburg - Brazil
124: Pablo Hernandez - Valencia - Spain
123: Daniel Guiza - Fenerbahce - Spain
122: Ramires - Benfica - Brazil
121-117
121: Mohamed Sissoko - Juventus - Mali
120: Dejan Stankovic - Inter - Serbia
119: Stefan Kiessling - Bayer Leverkusen - Germany
118: Frederic Kanoute - Sevilla - Mali
117: Jermain Defoe - Tottenham - England
116-110
116: Carlos Puyol - Barcelona - Spain
115: Alou Diarra - Bordeaux - France
114: Antonio Cassano - Sampdoria - Italy
113: Deco - Chelsea - Portugal
112: Ryan Giggs - Manchester United - Wales
111: Thomas Vermaelen - Arsenal - Belgium
110: Gareth Barry - Manchester City - England
109 - 101
109: Wilson Palacios - Tottenham - Honduras
108: Gabriel Agbonlahor - Aston Villa - England
107: Ashley Young - Aston Villa - England
106: Giampaolo Pazzini - Sampdoria - Italy
105: Toni Kroos - Leverkusen - Germany
104: Alexandre Song - Arsenal - Cameroon
103: Jérémy Toulalan - Lyon - France
102: Alvara Negredo - Sevilla - Spain
101: Walter Gargano - Napoli - Uruguay

As I've already talked too much about, putting the lower half in any kind of correct order was impossible.

For starters it's not position by position. That provides the first complications. And then the only thing between several closely ranked and even not so closely ranked players, really is their current form.
That also means there is an increasing group of players left off the list who to various extents have a good case over someone in the lower part of the list. I'll touch upon at least some of those cast offs later .
But basically on any different day almost, someone would be ranked differently. The perfect order was always an impossible goal (which didn't stop me from trying very hard anyway but that's my problem), and there are several mistakes with likely many more to come, instead the objective was to compile a great list serving as a gold mine almost of in depth thoughts about hundreds of the very best players in the world.
That those thoughts in many writeups unavoidable expanded to all kind of other things like tactics, countries, coaches, current football events and various clubs - all the better!

The nearly made its/Honorary mentions (could be updated well into eternity so stay tuned):

Nani: Quite possibly the worst omission. The one that got away you could say, that I really regret. His decision making still leaves a lot to be desired, but I got too caught up in all the Nani hate that sprung from his early struggles this season, and failed to see that on ability and talent he rivals, and surpasses, at least some wingers included on the 200-101 part of the list.

Vincenzo Iaquinta: Not the greatest technician but a complete striker nonetheless who will do a good job in any kind of forward role in any system almost. Pace, work-rate, strength and size means he can be alone, in a duo or central as well as wide in a 3 forward lines. Valuable player. Mainly injuries kept him off the list.

Joe Cole: As the rare good English footballer relying much more on technique rather than physique I think he often gets very overrated so it gives me almost perverse joy not including him. Would he be anywhere near as "special" was he Spanish or South American? But yeah like others, obviously he is good and skilled enough to have a good case against quite a few of the 200-101 ranked players.

Elano and Nilmar: Hey they're in the Brazil World Cup squad. Nilmar the forward definitely has talent but hasn't been THAT consistently good so far in Spain I don't think and in the end his nightmare resume earlier in his career during his Ligue 1 adventures (2 goals in 32 games) scared me away of including him on the list.

I mostly liked Elano for City and I believe he can be useful for Dunga but latest I heard was that he was struggling in Turkey and that combined with me not really seeing him much lately, meant no place on the list.

Stephen Ireland: Skilled midfielder who has the talent to be on the list, and was at first, but then came the downfall and he made his way out for players I thought were (way) more deserving.

Gareth Bale: The Tottenham sensation really exploded in the last half or so of the season. He has work-rate and skills. Pace and strength. Even plays two positions. Would definitely be on the list had I started later.

Lucas Barrios: I didn't watch a lot of Dortmund last season so was definitely late to the party when it came to Barrios. That he is really good does look like a sure thing though.
He has pace, strength, good movement and technique. Just inside or just outside the top 100 would have been tempting for his very impressive first campaign in Europe.

Vagner Love:

Two years ago: YES!

One year ago: MAYBE!

Right now: NIET!



Joan Capdevilla and Thiago Motta: Seemingly not much in common at all other than they were the final cuts a while ago. Cuts that really hurt! They do belong on the list but some people mistakenly left out belonged even more....

Milos Krasic: A skilled, strong and dynamic player that I'm still not really sure just how good he really is. Looking forward to seeing him and Serbia at the World Cup.

Hulk and Radamel Falcao: Both Porto stars I think good enough to also be stars in better leagues than the Portugese.
Falcao especially could be an upcoming superstar I think but unfortunately I "discovered" him too late to include him on the list.

Piotr Trochowski: Has more than enough ability to have a pretty good ranking on the list, but the last many times I've seen him he just hasn't been anywhere nearly as good I remember him earlier. Simple as that.

Josue: Really good defensive midfielder but I just couldn't ignore Wolfsburg's struggles (including very much defensive ones) and that was all the excuse I needed to cut him from the list.

Erin Derdiyok and Gokhan Inler: Definitely rivals (if not better even..) Barnetta as best Swiss players. At least of the ones I'm familiar with. Derdiyok looks like a star but it was still a little too soon for him, while Inler perhaps at this point doesn't really look like a coming star anymore but rather just a very solid midfielder. That's not bad but not quite enough to get on the list. Look forward to see if a great coach like Hitzfeld can take the considerable Swiss talent further than what we've been used to in recent major tournaments. Not necessarily further in the competition, that will always be tough, but at least performance-wise. Say cheese!


Mamadou Niang and Darren Bent: Niang the current top scorer in France with 17 goals. He has been a very good player for quite a few years now.
Bent has an impressive 24 in England but is not the player Niang is I don't think.
All in all I should have found a spot on the list for Niang.

Landon Donovan: The great white (non) hope for this list...

Scott Parker: Okay I love Scott Parker as much as the next guy. Actually probably not cause fans really do seem to love this guy.
He is a complete player when it comes to abilities who gives his heart and soul for the team. If we're talking right now he certainly has a better case than the one West Ham player I did rather bizarrely include, but being poor tactically featuring bad decisionmaking in general, I always thought let the rest of his talent down. Positioning>tackling. Sorry Scottie.

Giorgos Karagounis and Konstantinos Katsouranis: Still I think the two most important Greek players. It would have been a Semak-like entry . I kind of regret not doing it.

Steven Pienaar: One of the most improved players this season I think but something I found out too late for him to be included unfortunately.
It isn't just fancy stuff these days from Pienaar, he has improved physically and does good team work, while still being skilled of course.
As the home nation's best player he'll get a lot of attention this World Cup but thankfully right now his talent finally is worthy of it.

Leonardo Bonucci: Him and Andrea Ranocchia were quite possible the best defensive duo in Serie A this season. Ranocchia unfortunately suffered a season ending knee injury, but Bonucci continued playing great and I hope it's him and not fading defender-icon Cannavaro who'll see lots of playing time for Italy in the World Cup.

Fernando Gago: Seemingly has close everything needed when it comes to being an excellent central midfielder.
In fact he could even be the closest thing we've seen (yet so far away) to the great Fernando Redondo which is an alluring illusion that at least Valdano at Real Madrid can be accused of having been fooled by.
But why does someone so talented always play so bad?
Now that is one of the great mysteries at Real Madrid. Almost as great a mystery as why he has suddenly replaced Las Diarra in Madrid's midfield? There are various rumors suggesting it's Diarra's own fault, but to Gago's credit at least now when given the chance again, he is playing better than he has in a long time.
Not that being on an excellent team doesn't have something to do with it....

Aleksandar Kolarov: Very strong and with a great left foot. He should have been on the list. Another player I'm looking forward to see for Serbia at the World Cup. Moving to a big club only seems like a matter of time. Definitely a player who is heading for bigger things than his currentl struggling team Lazio.

Adam Johnson: Fast emerging and exciting old school English winger who already looks better than teammate (and unfortunately listed) Shaun Wright Phillips.
He has great attitude, control and technique when it comes to everything involving touching a football. As well of course as the needed pace. Especially with the ball at his feet where his combination of control and acceleration makes him a standout.
His team Manchester City has of course added tons of talent (including quite a few list people) so he will definitely have to battle for playing time. He must have passed the aforementioned Wright Phillips for starters though and the fans will love every minute they see Adam Johnson on the pitch.

Sami Khedira: One of the very good young German players who didn't make the list. He is a very complete midfielder who does all parts of the game well. His runs without the ball forward especially is a joy to watch. I should at least have found a shared spot for him somewhere. Preferably quite high. As high as just inside the top 50 even?

Alvaro Arbeloa and Gael Clichy: Two very good albeit quite different fullbacks who can share the frustration of not really being anywhere nearly as far behind some of the fullbacks making the list, as the players in between them would maybe suggest.

David Luiz:



The Sideshow Bob Benfica defender is likely the best of the Brazilian defenders that I didn't mention in the Diego Lugano writeup where I tried to brainstorm suitable South American defender candidates for the list.
By now of course 23 year old Luiz looks very suitable indeed and seems to be headed for bigger things with rumors constantly flying around connecting him to clubs in the stronger leagues.

Christian Poulsen: Believe it or not actually one of the brighter spots on the Juve team this season overcoming a tough start to his Italian career where I thought he took a lot of unfair criticism. In the end it was probably that which cost him a spot though. He is as good as he was for Schalke and Sevilla earlier in his career and with Nicklas Bendtner (who I'm just too afraid to even think about including here) Denmark's most important player at the World Cup.
Best known for his defensive qualities where he can be a real enforcer he is well capable technically as well and can even fill in as a defender. Should have been on the list.

Eric Abidal: Started playing really well last season. Perhaps for the first time in the Barca shirt but then this season has been plagued by injuries and not really finding form. Still with being effective in two positions and all, an argument for quite a few players and their rankings, he should have been on the list.

Brazilians: There just weren't enough of them on the list I suspect so here are few notables:

First we have Brazil player of the year two years ago Hernanes who is now moving to Lazio which will certainly be very interesting to watch and it could be quite a coup for a midfield that was very ordinary last season.
I've seen very little of him but earliest impression says he looks to have a very good passing game and great midfield movement.

A couple of others that I want to include, unfortunately I've seen even less of, but they've been taking the Brazilian league by storm recently:

One, Neymar is the crazy flashy skilled Robinho type of forward. At just 18 he will only become stronger but how far his amazing talent will really take him, from what I've heard, much like Robinho you could say, hinges on the mental side of things.

Even though it's early, a perhaps better bet to go really far looks to be Ganso.

As well as excellent number 10 playmaking skills he looks to also have maturity and not least already impressive physical tools as well. The kind you need today as an attacking midfielder trying to make a difference closely marked in the final third and if his skills are as good as early impressions suggest not only can he go, god who knows how far, but is an excellent list-worthy player already.

Carlos Eduardo at Hoffenheim perhaps wasn't quite consistent enough to be included on the list but he is a highly skilled attacking player that Rubin Kazan for €20 million likely will make the new centerpiece of their attack, taking over from Chori Dominguez who left for Valencia.
Other skilled Brazilians in similar roles have done very well for Russian clubs. I think Eduardo is good enough to maybe even become the best one so far.


Javi Martinez: Strong Athletic Bilbao central midfielder who is in the Spain World Cup squad over some very good players. Not least Senna who will have a pretty good ranking on my list but who also had a difficult season. Martinez I'm not even overly familiar with, I'm guessing not least to do with the La Liga extreme two horse race which can easily take focus away from the other teams. At 21 but not untypical for a La Liga player, already with good experience, he is definitely one to keep an eye on.

Miroslav Klose: He is still a very complete striker who has it all really. Great movement, aerial ability, pace and technique. But for whatever reason his clubform in recent years mostly hasn't been all that good. For the national team, like his partner in crime Podolski, by now he should take a backseat to various players who have surpassed him, especially Mario Gomez, but I for one won't be surprised if the Podolski/Klose (very) dynamic duo comes through once again.

Filipe Luís and Fabio Coentrão: Two left-backs who I'm not overly familiar with but who's earned rave reviews this season in Spain and Portugal respectively.
Coentrão from Benfica is a converted winger who is very attacking and looks to have become Portugal's number 1 choice, so we'll see plenty of him at the World Cup.
That unfortunately won't the case with Brazilian Filipe, who if he is as good as reports suggests might have been Dunga's answer for the position where finding natural candidates has been much harder than on the right. It's very possible that Filipe could have been Brazil's World Cup left-back if it wasn't for a serious injury that kept him out of the La Coruna lineup from January to May.

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By the way, "the nearly-made-it's" is something you can say. I heard it in this song that is very far removed from the last song posted in this blog: