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: 128 - 122

For once these writeups were done pretty quickly and I can just about smell the top 100 now.

I haven't even done any real adjustments to the list in a while so no hours wasted on that either.

Expect another update tomorrow.

Introduction to the list

The list:

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:

Hatem Ben Arfa

Marseille

Attacking midfielder/winger/forward - France



and

Goran Pandev

Inter

Attacking midfielder/Forward - Macedonia



Ben Arfa, right from a very early age compared to none other than Zinedine Zidane, a supremely gifted 23 year old started the season mostly coming on from the bench but during Marseille's recent title challenge surge in Ligue 1 thankfully coach Deschamp has had him featuring more, including starting resulting in a player of the month award, giving me all the excuse I needed to include one of the best dribblers in the world.

Ben Arfa has speed, agility and ball control in abundance. So much so that he is second to only very few players when it comes to those kind of difference-making skills.

What he hasn't had so much is consistency and his history already in his young career of various trouble with teammates and not least coaches haven't helped either when it comes to fulfilling his enormous potential.

If something like his team work will ever improve is doubtful since he has already had every chance to improve both for Lyon and Marseille yet failed, but the individual difference-maker he can be in attack, at a level probably higher than anyone on the list so far not named Ronaldinho (and no even Arfa is not as bad as Ronaldinho when it comes to hurting his own team) I think justifies putting him ahead of many more complete players ranked so far.

I feel Ben Arfa with the kind of attacking skill-set he has is someone who "just" needs the right setting suiting his strengths and then we will really see him explode to a point where I'm sure lots of people will be calling him one of the best in the world. Then perhaps it will be me only having him in the top 60 or so while he'll be in the top 30 or whatever for everyone else.

Well who knows but he is another player who's star I could see really rise for an attacking team in the Bundesliga, La Liga or EPL.

On to Pandev who missed most of the season forced to sit out when he was involved in a contract dispute with his club at the time Lazio and their boorish president Claudio Lotito.

Lotito getting so worked up that Pandev refused to extend his contract that he ordered him isolated from the first team.

That went on for months and mainly resulted, in one: Lazio's attacking game without Pandev stagnating to such an extent that they spent much of the season battling relegation, and two: Pandev taking the matter to the courts eventually winning his freedom and being free to go (for free!) to whatever club interested in his services.

He went to Inter of course where he quickly became another piece in getting the passing game working that the Ibrahimovic-less Inter so desperately needs.

With his fine technical ability and final third movement he is someone very suited to complement Wesley Sneijder the new Inter centerpiece, as well as strikers Milito and Eto'o, both unlike Ibrahimvic dependent on good short passing surrounding them.

Position-wise Pandev can do a good job in all the attacking midfield positions as well as be more of a second striker. He also has a good work rate and will defend his position.

Unlike previously for Lazio and I assume unlike when he represents his country Macedonia, for Inter he is very much a tactical role player mainly present to the benefit of the even more skilled on the team, and as a result of that he might not shine as brightly there, but he has just enough skill, just enough pace, hard work and cleverness to make Mourinho prefer his contribution over for an example immensely talented Mario Balotelli. Even with Balotelli still being a total headcase often ruining his own cause, that is an achievement in itself.

127:

Rafael Marquez

Barcelona

Central defender/Midfielder - Mexico



The Mexico captain and icon (and not least U.S soccer fans number one heel) has been an excellent player for something like 10 years now and in a number of those previous years, as well as even last season, would have ranked higher.
Perhaps even much higher considering his ability in two different positions which in many ways is what saves him some spots still.
Because this season much of his central defender play has been shocking and full of mistakes and with a seemingly lack of focus often resulting in bad decisions.

I suppose he is someone who could always lose his cool but more than that this looks to me like a classic case of a player when he starts losing some of his athletic ability, mainly pace (not a strong point to begin with), isn't adjusting well and still tries to do what he can't quite do any longer, resulting in at times bad timing both when it comes to positioning and tackling.
Crucial stuff for a defensive player and normal Marquez strong points along with his very good, not least for a central defender, technical ability.
Ability over the years enabling him to also do well in midfield.

His range of passing especially, has always been very impressive and he has to be one of the best defenders in the world at that making him a great fit for the way Barcelona plays where any defender with below par technique could mess up that all important passing fluidity.

Since he was never the fastest or strongest in the first place and it's not really what his game has relied on over the years, losing some athleticism shouldn't have as many bad consequences as it has looked like it really did this season for Marquez, so I wouldn't be surprised if it isn't just early stages or decline panic and that Marquez sooner rather than later will adjust (cut down on the mistakes) and with all the non athletic class still intact, enjoy quite a few more years at a high level.

All in all though the defensive parts of his central defender play lately just hasn't been good enough to justify a much higher ranking.

126:

Nigel De Jong

Manchester City

Defensive midfielder - Netherlands



A pure defensive midfielder who doesn't offer much at all in attack.

I've noticed I've used the term two-way player quite a lot when describing various midfielders, well here finally is someone I can call a one-way player!

De Jong has one of the best work rates of everyone and his athleticism gives him good ball winning ability.

Importantly his short passing game is secure and he has good tactical movement consistently defending his position throughout a game.

He'll be a key player in Roberto Mancini's likely project of installing better defensive discipline or balance into what's mostly been a wild Manchester City side and also at the World Cup for Holland De Jong's defensive contributions will be vital playing behind plenty of attacking talent.

125:

Grafite

Wolfsburg

Striker - Brazil




The above goal wasn't only goal of the year in Germany it became kind a symbol or exclamation of Wolfsburg's incredible title run last season and the travesty that was Klinsmann's Bayern team. One team Wolfsburg had a great attack providing endless highlights. The other Bayern a defense that provided holes to whoever their opponents.

Now to be fair it should be said that in reality just about every Bundesliga defense was kind of like that last season as the league quite simply exploded with goals and attacking play.

But it was Wolfsburg through the brilliant trio of Misimovic, Dzeko and Grafite who was the best attacking team of all and provided goals galore with none less that 80 in all.

Grafite himself became league top scorer with 28, his partner Dzeko had 26 and playmaker Misimovic provided an incredible 20 assists

This season compared to all of that has been a disaster and while both Dzeko and Misimovic generally have shown good form on what's an incredibly inconsistent Felix Magath-less team, Grafite has really seen his form plummet and that he kind of came out of nowhere (or journey man career) at an advanced age to begin with could suggest a much lower ranking would be more correct.

Still, while Grafite will probably never reproduce anything like we saw last season and given that he is 31 would no doubt continue to drop in the rankings if indeed this list did become neverending (more than it is already!)he is still an impressive looking striker with excellent tools worthy I think of a spot.

His great strength (or should I say power) technique combination made him almost impossible to stop last season, isolated 1on1 with a defender it was impossible, and even when struggling this season it's something that still gives him 1 goal about every other game and from what I can see this effective skill combination of his looks as good as intact.

124:

Pablo Hernandez

Valencia

Winger - Spain



25 year old Pablo actually had his breakthrough a couple of seasons ago for Getafe and was even a contender for Spain's EURO 2008 squad, but following that when he came back to Valencia last season, where he had originally been a youth product, the right wing was still occupied by (mostly former) star Joaquin and Pablo saw limited playing time.

This season however Pablo impressively has managed to reverse those roles and it's him who is the first choice right winger at Valencia and in the process even winning a few hotly contested Spain caps.

Pablo is in many ways a typical wing, who unlike for an example even more talented teammates Juan Mata and not least David Silva, it is hard to see really excel more central in tighter space.
While he is a good dribbler he is not David Silva good and his pace is best used when there is space to exploit on the wing. He is far from a Theo Walcott though and is a much more complete player with plenty of excellent technical skills to use whenever he gets the ball. His first touch especially is exquisite.

Without the ball he is actually a hard working player who can pull his weight defensively, really valuably for a skillful winger I think, and that little bit of more robustness in his game plus the seemingly very common theme for Spanish skill players of very good team work, make him for the time being more complete than his younger maybe even more talented winger rivals, and is what has him ahead of the pack so far.

My one concern about him would be consistency. He started this season very well and I was ready to place him even higher but being very good every single game has lately turned into something like being good every other game and with some really bad performances also thrown in, actually opening a little door for some more playing time for Joaquin.

123:

Daniel Guiza

Fenerbahce

Striker - Spain


Guiza has been Spain's third choice striker (with a big gap to the obvious two) for quite a few years now but is hard to rank because for the second season running he plays his football for Turkish giants Fenerbahce where I have close to zero idea how he is currently doing.

His numbers alone of 16 goals last season and 16 so far this one I suppose look decent enough but perhaps to Fenerbahce fans quite the contrary and very disappointing if you consider Guiza joined them as the reigning top scorer in La Liga.

Anyway, without seeing him and the team in action they're not worth much standing alone and could have to do with all sorts of things depending on his role on what kind of team, their tactics and style.

Guiza is a hard working striker who is probably best with another striker or forward he can work together with. Complement and vise versa. I don't know if he has quite enough individual quality (physical or technical) to play alone up front and be an integral part of a really good attack.

However he does have just enough size and strength to be a threat in and around the box and also just enough acceleration in order to in typical good striker fashion be able to make good runs between defenders seeking passes from behind. I wouldn't say either of those departments are elite or anything but nonetheless it's a good combination to possess.

A Guiza specialty worth noting is his chipping ability, so goalkeepers be careful to step too far out or you gonna get chipped!

It does look like Guiza will make the Spain World Cup squad but I do think he has been surpassed as the third striker option by someone still to come and I would also think the earlier ranked Llorente with the size and strength he could bring should be a tempting option to at least have in your attacking arsenal.

122:

Ramires

Benfica

Midfielder/Winger



From one tough player to rank to the next!

First time I saw Ramires for Brazil I noticed what you usually notice about Brazilian players, some nice technical skills.

Then I was impressed by his running and how it looked like he fulfilled his defensive duties on the Brazil right wing quite well. There was definitely stamina and plenty of raw athleticism as well.

In the meantime Ramires made the move to European football joining Benfica and as the hype surrounding that team and its success started spreading, with Ramires a part of that (though a smaller part than teammate Di Maria), I was pretty sure Ramires had to make the list.

Not hurting either is my growing suspicion that roughly speaking it's Ramirez physique that Dunga will prefer for the World Cup over Elano's technique for the starting Brazil right central midfielder spot, but we shall see.

Less encouraging was when I watched Ramires against Liverpool over a couple of games where he didn't really impress in either of the two.

The work rate was definitely there but the technical skills didn't look as good as my earlier impression and not all that much dynamic play came from him either.

Still the suspicion of a very good player is just too strong. I've seen physical and technical ability. Two-way play and the impressive versatility meaning he can play different midfield roles.

The 200 best players in the world: 134 - 129

Introduction to the list

The list:

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:

Mauro Camoranesi

Juventus

Right midfielder - Italy



Uh oh this was probably a mistake.

Back when I started this list Camoranesi was playing his best football in years and for a while at least was the best player on a very up and down Juventus team. The up part would soon disappear by the way.
The injury bug however soon caught Camoranesi again and as time went by I did move him down some, but here he is months later still not really having done anything since that good period of form and he should have been moved down more. Especially if you consider that his last few seasons haven't exactly been all that great either.

When healthy he is a feisty hard working player who is disciplined defensively but who is also really good technically and can even be creative going forward whether it's with a pass or most often a clever dribble. He also crosses the ball well.

That's enough talent for an even higher ranking but as his health has gotten worse with age his temperament and focus haven't really and he'll still make really bad decisions sometimes.

Kind of like me keeping his ranking this relative high!

Oh well hopefully he'll enjoy a good healthy spell from now on and while it's downright impossible to impress at Juve at the moment, hit some good form when the World Cup arrives.


133

Simone Perrotta

Roma

Midfielder - Italy



One of the most underrated players for much of the previous decade and a vital member of Italy's World Cup winning side four years ago starting every game.

Despite that though he wasn't even close to the list at first. Post World Cup 2006 Perrotta has not only aged but been plagued by injuries and with that is actually one the few 06 veterans that hasn't been in the national team picture recently.

This season however, to the great benefit of his club team Roma pushing for the title, is his strongest in years, and perhaps for one final time he is back being the Simone Perrotta of old.

A player not with great technical skills like any kind of passing out of the ordinary but someone who through a great work rate and strong tactical play (not least his outstanding movement offensively and defensively - that's where he is really special) is capable of performing strong two-way play in every midfield position. Be it attacking or defending, central or wide.

For teams emphasizing attacking without compromising the defensive side of things he is something of an ideal player. He'll work hard defensively and make all the right runs in transition. Then not miss a beat defensively.
Even in established attack if it's direct play his runs seeking passes in between defenders is a thing of beauty making him a decent goal scoring threat (yes between 5 and 9 goals for a midfielder every year is actually very good in Serie A!).

With those skills Perrotta was an important part of Spalletti's innovative Roma systems (like the 4-6-0) where the closest thing to a striker was Francesco Totti often dropping deep still reliving his younger playmaker days. Him and the team then needed people to make runs, not least forward, around him and no one did that better than Perrotta.

Curiously enough born in England, even though he hasn't been in the national team picture for a while, don't rule out a surprise World Cup comeback for Perrotta if can maintain his fitness.

For Italy that is...


132:

Marcelo

Real Madrid

Left-back/Left midfield

Brazil



Despite what a disappointing Champions League exit to Lyon in a closely contested tie might lead you to believe, Real Madrid this season is an excellent team.

After all they're neck and neck with the just about undisputed best team in the world Barcelona at 77 points and a goal difference of 57 after 30 games.
One better than Barca and an 8 point and 19 goal improvement if you compare to the same stage last season, where it should be said that in the league at least they were actually considered to be rolling to such an extent that towards later stages of what was Barcelona's historic improvement of a season, there were actually some Barca nervousness (paranoia) if Madrid like they had done before could sneak up on them and steal another title.

What happened instead of course was Barcelona in early May, at the Bernebau no less, completely putting any doubt to rest and destroying Real Madrid 6-2 in what was yet another magnificent performance.

At the time of writing they're facing each other in just three days and it of course can't be ruled out that history will repeat itself, but this time it's only early April+closer in the standings and if you consider Barcelona currently through lots of injuries really are seeing their depth put to the test, then even if Barca sets things straight and win, this more than ever clash of giants, a much strengthened Real Madrid could still end up stealing the title later focusing their vast resources on the league entirely while Barca once again will be busy playing and preparing for massive Champions League games.

I won't say Barcelona absolutely must beat Madrid again to retain the title but getting even the smallest of margins, with both teams so dominant, would certainly be very useful.

Of the various expensive Real Madrid additions to their squad some have been as good as advertised, some worse and others about what you would expect.
Of the players already in place, some have struggled and are seeing less playing time but then there are those who seemingly have lifted their game and fitted in very well with their new excellent teammates.

The most spectacular example of that (and he was already very good) is of course Gonzalo Higuain who has exploded with 24 goals in 20 games, but also Marcelo though more under the radar is enjoying his career best season and has shown, perhaps for the first time in 4 seasons at Madrid, where people are extremely hard to please, good enough play to be viewed as an actual strength to the team rather than a weakness.

A big part of that has been getting moved away from a position where he spent a good part of the time doing what he did worst. At left-back defending often one on one which is his clear weakness.

This season he has been moved up to midfield playing left-central in Pelligrini's flexible system often referred to as a 4-2-2-2.

There it's much less one on one defending, especially when he often has two excellent defensive midfielders (Alonso and Diarra) behind or around him and he is just another part of the team defending and staying disciplined occupying his left midfield position.
Again something easier than time and time again after an offensive raid playing as fullback having to track even further back only there to be caught up in difficult one on one matchups against whatever La Liga winger on the given day.

Instead in the 27 league games Marcelo has started (more than any other Real Madrid player) it's been his excellent technical skills and the quickness/flashiness he can use them with that's been on the forefront and with them (he leads the team in assists), perhaps surprisingly, he has become an important part of a very strong team, after being a weak link on a much weaker one.

Funny how football works sometimes.

131:

Christian Chivu

Inter

Defender/Midfielder - Romania



Not much funny about Christian Chivu's various injuries though and in a long career of many minor and some major his latest injury was his worst when he early this year fractured his skull.

Thankfully though he now has made it back and is just starting playing games again for Inter.

Back when Chivu first caught people's attention as a young player at Ajax, as I remember it, the sky was seen as the limit for Chivu and he was very highly regarded.

Here was a young player, a leader even, who looked very complete already and who could do a great job playing a number of positions. That's great value.

But Christian Chivu while a very good player for many years now I don't know if he ever became the major star that people thought he would become or improved even from when he first broke through.

Maybe at one of his positions with more experience he is better than ever, as a central defender, over time the preferred position (at least until Mourinho started liking him as his left-back), possibly cause injuries took away some of his pace and when playing midfielder or fullback these days he isn't very dynamic and in some ways is restricted to primarily defensive duties.
Duties that he fulfills well and even if he isn't dynamic he'll always have his great left foot and can contribute good things through that. On set pieces as well as a nice range of passing.

Still mainly what's edging him ahead of a lot players is that he will do a good (especially defensive) job as a left-back, central defender and defensive midfielder. Value.

130:

Simäo

Atletico Madrid

Winger - Portugal




Simao has been one of the better wingers in the world for a good part of the last 10 years but whenever a player much reliant on pace has hit 30 years of age and is having his worst season in a while you do wonder if he is starting to slip.

He still looks fast to me though and it could just be another one of those inconsistent spells that has plagued him for most of his career and I guess prevented him from reaching the very elite. We'll know soon enough anyway and obviously no matter what he will have far from 10 more years left as one of the better wingers around.

When at his best he is still fast, skillful and able to create for himself and others (passing and shooting), not just on either wing but in most of the attacking midfield area and he was an important part of Atletico's very exciting attack last season, that if it wasn't for Barca's even more spectacular exploits, probably would have received more attention.

He is another small somewhat fragile player that doesn't add much weight defensively. His work rate is good at times (perhaps especially for the national team) but even in the typical 4-2-3-1 systems where he has usually roamed protection from "only" two defensive midfielders haven't always been enough protection to keep things balanced.


129:

Marcell Jansen

Hamburger SV

Left-back/Left wing - Germany



So many Hamburg players and I'm starting to feel uneasy about the lack of especially Schalke and Dortmund players (and no there won't be any) who are both having stronger seasons than Hamburg, but I just couldn't find any great candidates on either of those teams, though I'm sure there are some who'll have a good case for a spot on the lower part of the list.

Marcell Jansen unfortunately suffered an ankle injury late March and it's unclear what his level of participation, if any, will be for the rest of the season.

Hopefully it's not something that will endanger his place in the Germany World Cup squad.

Jansen is unusually tall and strong for someone who has played both left-back and now mostly left wing but still has good pace and is a very dynamic player. An excellent combination!

For Hamburg he plays mostly as a left-winger where he can really make use of his great crossing ability. He is also a capable dribbler meaning that crossing ability definitely isn't going to waste.

While I would say his work rate is good I'm not sure he is as good defensively as someone with his non fragile physical ability perhaps ought to be at a position involving lots of two-way play.

Finally like a whole host of German midfielders at the moment he possesses a powerful shot.

The 200 best players in the world: 169-167

Introduction to the list.

The list so far:

200-195
194-193
192-189
188
187-185
184-182
181-177
176-173
173-170

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: Philippe Mexes - Roma -France
193: Anatolij Tymoshchuk - Bayern München - Ukraine
192: Theo Walcott - Arsenal - England
191: Aaron Ramsey - Arsenal - Wales
190: Pepe - Real Madrid - Portugal
189: Sergei Semak - Rubin Kazan - Russia
188: Alberto Aquilani - Liverpool - Italy
187: Clarence Seedorf - Milan - Holland
186: Diego Capel - Sevilla - Spain
185: Yossi Benayoun - Liverpool - Israel
184: Riccardo Montolivo - Fiorentina - Italy
183: Kolo Toure - Manchester City -Côte d'Ivoire
182: Yuri Zhirkov - Chelsea - Russia
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: Arda Turan - Galatasaray - Turkey
175: Ezequiel Lavezzi - Napoli - Argentina
174: Klaas Jan Huntelaar - AC Milan - The Netherlands
173: William Gallas - Arsenal - France
172: Shaun Wright Phillips - Manchester City - England
171: Pavel Pogrebnyak - VBF Stuttgart - Russia
170: Darijo Srna - Shakhtar Donetsk - Croatia

It continues:

169:

Bojan Krkic and Pedro - Barcelona - Spain

Forwards





The first and only shared ranking on this list I promise!

For some reason it just seemed appropriate.

In some ways it could be argued that they're both a little too unproven to sit this comfortable on the list or even to be included at all.

Bojan is someone who has been surrounded by a lot of hype since pretty much day one of his adulthood but this season so far has been slow for him and he now finds himself fighting for playing time, with among others of course Pedro, who unlike Bojan, at least for outsiders, kind of came out of the blue this season after previously mostly playing for Barcelona B .
He had just 5 first team starts last season and didn't really make much of a mark.

This season however with stars such as Iniesta, Henry and Bojan all battling fitness issues he received a chance to play first team Barca football and took it so well that he still, following all of these stars to various extents having been back, is getting plenty of playing time.

Pedro is a skilled attacking player who can make effective runs so that the Barca playmakers can find him and then when he gets the ball he has excellent control.

He is comfortable on either wing and he seems superior to Bojan when it comes to such things as general effectiveness in the area, especially centrally and not least in Guardiola's all important systematic immediate pressure on the opposition ball-holder whenever possession's been lost.

Spain manager del Bosque has declared him a serious candidate for the World Cup and considering the absurd amount of talent he is up against at his position that's a serious endorsement of the kind of talent that he has been displaying this season.
The kind of talent that in just a few months could make this list look rather silly by not having been included!

Yesterday when he scored one of the goals in Barcelona's World Club Championship win over Estudiantes he even set the curious record of being the first player to score in six different competitions in a single season following strikes in the European Super Cup, La Liga, Copa del Rey, the Champions League and the Spanish Super Cup...

Then there is Bojan who it needs to be said is three years younger than Pedro and has already been a star for years, with a much slower start to the season and it could be argued that even last season was a personal disappointment for him. But then again expectations were very high.

He just has those glimpses of great pace and extraordinary dribbling skills that make people expect the world of him.
And that he in stature and style reminds people of his teammate Messi doesn't help lowering expectations either.

Physically is where the obvious improvements can be made. Bojan is a very skilled finisher (over the years he has nettet 500 goals for various Barca youth teams) but needs better off the ball work so he can find himself in better positions more often (when playing with the big boys). Especially when we're talking centrally in the final third.
He is much better coming from the wing where he can use his acceleration into actual space but then another physical problem enters in that he can't defend very well and that rivals like Henry, Iniesta, Messi and now Pedro are more able to put effective pressure on the opponent ballholder whenever the possession is lost.

168:

Ronaldinho - AC Milan - Brazil

Forward



Not on the first,second or third version of this list but with some timely reminders lately of the incredible talent that's still there, the clown prince makes a late entry after all.

But first let's take a look at why he almost didn't make it.

While he is still a supremely skilled player he has been something of a team killer in recent years. Killer of his own teams that is.

Because of what I presume must be poor physical condition, cause he is still only 29 which is a decent football age, he just doesn't have any movement without the ball anymore.
That he doesn't work when his team isn't in possession is not anything new of course. That's never been his role in the first place. But when he never makes runs or has movement off the ball he is generally just too easy to mark.
Then when he 4 or 5 times a game he will make a run he will often be too out of breath to do anything effectively once he gets the ball.
Too often it has seemed like he wasn't able to keep up with the tempo at the highest level anymore, which when you think about it is pretty sad for a 29 year old who among millions of people is still one of the utmost talented this game.

Personally I'm convinced that a significant part of Barcelona's historic improvement from the last season under Rijkaard to first season under Guardiola was the black hole that had become Ronaldinho wherever he was on the pitch now being gone from the lineup.
His extreme case of non work simply limited the team in too many ways. With the ball he reduced the movement of the whole team and without it, for starters, something like effective pressure on opponent possession could never be very effective.

Even last season in what was his debut season for Milan it was when Ancelotti started benching him that results finally improved for Milan and they started a rapid climb up the table. Coincidence? I think not!

So why is this clown even on the list? Why is this season different?

It really isn't that much different from what I can tell. I still see many of the same negative things from him and him now being given a whole left-wing to occupy in a 4-3-3 by new Milan coach Leonardo, where he can then mostly stand still or sometimes go for walks, he still hurts his team's balance consistently throughout games.

But what can't be denied is that he is an extraordinary playmaker when he gets the ball out there.
He doesn't really have the energy/pace/whatever to dribble much anymore, but he'll make great passes that very few can even think of. Short, forward, long, diagonal or cross, he'll do it all and with two other forwards to look for and a player like Seedorf coming from behind often ending up somewhere near him, he's been quite effective lately and he leads Serie A in assists. It's when Milan doesn't have the ball where the real trouble starts but with it and Ronaldinho, parked out on the wing, he has actually become value.

Leonardo seems to have just accepted that off the ball Ronaldinho just isn't good enough anymore in order to not be, a way too easy mark so to speak, so he has placed him so far out left field that he really is beyond normal marking unless you wanna man mark him for some reason.
For long periods of the game he is just out there almost glued to the sideline and yeah most players wouldn't be able do much of anything from out there especially not when they're slow and not much of a threat to cut well inside, but Ronaldinho he'll somehow make things happen from out there.
Say one great first touch, follow it up with some genius pass and the man (the clown) has created a dangerous situation, and that without much effort at all.

He is too skilled not to be on the list :(

167:

Tranquillo Barnetta - Bayer Leverkusen - Switzerland

Midfielder



Now here is a player who I honestly have no idea how is looked upon. What people think of him or how highly or not so highly (at all) that he is rated. If rated at all??

For Switzerland he has been a key player for years now helping them impressively through qualifications to major tournaments. Not an easy thing to accomplish for a small nation.
In Germany I have less of an idea how he has been doing game in and game out. From one season and on to the next. All I can say is that whenever I've seen him there is always something I really like.

Barnetta is just an all-round player in every sense of the word. He will make effective contributions to both defense and attack. Without the ball he has good movement always looking for space and even with the ball he has nice things to offer. Not like some of the previously ranked players in this update but still, he is a skilled player who can run with the ball himself or try and create chances for others through passing.

He is also a versatile player who can get the job done in several positions. Be it on either wing or central.

The man is even good on set pieces where he is always a danger to collect an assist.

All in all this is starting to sound like a player who should be even higher?

Well he is someone who has been connected with big clubs before and seeing what he could regularly do at the highest level would tell us a lot more of how good he really is (or just seeing him flop there) and to what extent this is a case of good at most things but great at none we have here with Barnetta, certainly for Switzerland in major competitions it could be argued that exactly has been the case. That it's mostly been rather ordinary.

It's possible that this year with Leverkusen will tell us a lot one way or the other. They have just secured the "winter championship" in Germany meaning they're leading at the traditional winter break and just how far they can go from that will not only depend on, but should tell us a lot, about how good, not just Barnetta really is, but other players (still to come on the list) from that team as well.

It will be interesting to watch.

The 200 best players in the world: 192-189

The list so far:

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: Philippe Mexes - Roma -France
193: Anatolij Tymoshchuk - Bayern München - Ukraine

And it continues with:

192:

Theo Walcott - Arsenal - England

Wing - Forward



Like Ramos, Walcott is another player who had a rollercoaster ride up and down the positions of this list.

At 20 he is a player who definitely can still improve in a lot of areas.

Actually in a lot of those areas he might be one of the worst players on the list! However as everyone knows he has that great gift of speed and in the end I just didn't feel comfortable leaving someone so elite in that important differencemaking area off the list.

I think it's clear that when he has space available to him he is right up there in effectiveness with players ranked much higher.

With injury problems lately (and that counts against him too), a very good indication of exactly how good he is just now, will be to what extent he gets a run in Arsenal's new 4-3-3 this season and how well he performs. Will be interesting to watch!

191:

Aaron Ramsey - Arsenal - Wales

Midfielder



UPSET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No I haven't seen a lot of him but I'm confident that what I've seen is good enough.

Actually having seen him so little is probably what stops me from putting him even higher!
I'm being a little (too) careful. This is after all a player who is yet to play a whole lot on the highest level.
Sure, I suppose there is a chance that I'm overrating him. That it's ALL TOO SOON.
But what I seriously think I've seen would fully justify including him. Just because it's so rare and so few players got it. Ramsey he's got it!

He has that superb vision and playmaking ability that you only see from very few players and there is great technique too.

Ability, and this is where almost every talent of this type fails/develops into something else in the current game, on a high enough level to survive, to thrive in a climate of tight opposition team defense.

In fact on this whole list you only see it from a very small handful of players so what I think we have with Ramsey is a truly unique talent and possibly the most interesting talent to come out of the UK since Joe Cole (someone like Rooney was a bigger talent but of a nature that at least at the time was less interesting).
AND I do think Ramsey's playmaking ability is a level above what Joe Cole's was and the sick thing is, his technique is at least comparable too!

Even if somehow everything else about him is way below average I'd say that it's okay to include him here.

But let's take a look at some of the other things. Something like how good his movement is I'm not sure of yet and then there is his whole physical ability where there easily could be some way to go.
At least when he is on a team like Arsenal where coincidentally exactly the things Ramsey could bring, that some teams would die for him to bring, on his team IS one of those small handful of unique players who also just happens to be one of the best in the world, AT bringing those things.

I really have a feeling that Ramsey would start on most teams right now and it's really only a team who has someone like Fabregas already who can afford to hold such a gifted player back a little and instead fill the midfield around the big star with more primarely physically talented players.

Players who I might add arguably to some extent has been underachieving quite a bit, and I think Wenger's recent comments about how it's getting more and more difficult not to play Ramsey, is an indication that physically he is getting there too. And I hope so! Cause he will really need to.

With both him and Fabregas playing, even with such a team likely dominating possession, his workrate would have to be very high and he would have to be able to defend his midfield position reasonable well. Whether that would be putting on high pressure on the ball holder Barca style or tracking back transforming the 4-3-3 to more defensive formations when not in possession.

And last but not least here is an interesting article on him that I found:

When Cardiff City striker Jay Bothroyd was an 18-year-old coming through the youth system at Arsenal, his reaction to being substituted in the final of the Premier League Youth Cup immediately cost him his future at the club. He pulled off his shirt and tossed it scornfully at the coaches in the dugout. He was, literally, sent to Coventry, to restart his career.

In the hotly competitive world of youth football, where the most promising players are hunted by a pack of ­ravenous agents, scouts, and managers, it is rare to find the perfect combination of talent and temperament. Terry Burton, Cardiff's assistant manager, remembers the moment he clapped eyes on a boy called Aaron Ramsey, who immediately impressed on both counts.

"He had just left school and was only two weeks into his career and we drafted him into the team for a friendly at Merthyr Tydfil. He was excellent. He had this maturity and vision above his years." Burton got straight on the phone to the manager, Dave Jones, and told him Ramsey had to be included in the first-team squad for their pre-season trip to Portugal. The boy never looked back. His first full season, which began at the age of 16, ended with an appearance in the FA Cup final last May. "In a very short space of time he added to the small list of folk heroes at Cardiff," Burton adds. "Everyone loves their own, don't they?"

He was the one to tip off Arsène Wenger about this special kid at Ninian Park. Burton's connections go back to his time as an apprentice at Highbury, where he went on to coach and help bring through players such as Tony Adams. "I have been 20 years away from the Arsenal and I never really knocked on the door to recommend someone," he says. "But I did with Aaron. That's how impressive his qualities are.

"I spoke to Arsène just before they signed him. I was sitting with him in his office at the training ground and said: 'I'd really like to find something negative to say, but I can't.'" The worst he could come up with was that he was exceptionally quiet – ­surprisingly so for a lad nicknamed Rambo who wrote on his social networking ­webpage that he was scared of "nuffin".

As Burton explains: "Having come across a lot of London boys who obviously have a ­different type of personality, you didn't really know Aaron was about the place. Not on the pitch, though. As a character, that's where he comes to life. That's the best way, really."

Burton was also important in swinging Ramsey's decision away from Old Trafford and towards north London. "Manchester United were in, just after we had played in the Cup final. I said to Aaron: 'I don't know what is going to happen, but if you get the chance, ­consider Arsenal because of the way they play and the way you play.'"

Burton is sure there will be no resentment from Cardiff's vociferous fans this afternoon and says they are all very proud of him and how he is pushing on. It is easy to detect the improvements that come from working with, and against, faster technicians. "It is not very often that young players move up and get straight into the team," Burton says, smiling. "He did that at Cardiff and again with ­Arsenal. He'll be thinking the game is easy."

Not quite. Even though Wenger describes Ramsey, who was 18 on Boxing Day, as "ahead of schedule", he still has to take on board some valuable lessons. While he has caught the eye with some of his cameo appearances this season, a splendid first goal in the Champions League at Fenerbahce being the best example, on other occasions he has been guilty of preferring the flash over the safe option in the closing stages of nervily tight games. Nobody doubts that he will soon learn.

At the rate he is progressing, his home town of Caerphilly will soon no longer be famous just for producing cheese and Tommy Cooper.

190:

Pepe - Real Madrid - Portugal

Defender



Even more so than Mexes earlier Pepe is incredibly naturally gifted.

Whatever the sum may be of his great athleticism and excellent technical ability, it's probably higher than for any other central defender on the list, or out there anywhere, I think quite similar to the young Lucio, so despite all the well known flaws, some seen on the picture above, leaving him off the list entirely I just didn't think was the correct choice.

Yeah he is a total nutcase and in the midst of any run of good form, sometimes looking dominant, he is capable of both defensive and epic mental breakdowns.

Hopefully he'll get his act together eventually. Based on talent alone he really should be up there with the very best central defenders.

189:

Sergei Semak - Rubin Kazan - Russia

Central midfielder



Captain of the excellent Russian national team as well as the champions Rubin Kazan, this inclusion is somewhat of a tribute to the almost impossible win that Kazan secured over Barcelona.

There was definitely luck involved and Barcelona mostly dominated but Kazan still managed to do what teams astonishingly seldom have succeeded in doing against this historically great Barcelona team, and actually executed their defensive game plan close to perfection.

Under, what of course is, which is why so many teams fail, the most difficult of conditions.

I think sometimes it's a more than a little neglecting of the work that goes into good defense when people talk about a team "just" "parking the bus".
Certainly against Barcelona facing that incredible attack it would never be enough or as simple as to just have the whole team back and kick the ball away, or whatever it is "parking the bus" implies you do exactly.

Some teams are perhaps reduced to that when playing Barcelona but as we see all those teams end up suffering heavy defeats too.
If it was in any way simple or easy to get a result against a team like Barcelona that way then everyone would do it (and maybe not lose all the time!).

No what everyone are trying to do is to play a good defensive game with all that comes with it. Work very hard defending space. Marking zones. Close down at exactly the right times and back off exactly at the right times. This has to go on all over the pitch from almost every player and against a team as good as Barcelona it requires not just very hard work but really wise tactical sense. A lot of that can be prepared by the coach of course, and absolutely have to, but the execution of course is still up to the players.

Chelsea last season in the Champions League was the team, maybe the only team all season who was able to do it. They had a great coach in Hiddink to organize things to perfection and they had the right players to execute (not just by parking the bus) but team defense at a high enough level to give themselves a great chance to win.

Now I wouldn't say Rubin Kazan was on that level defensively, that Chelsea showed in that game. Not even close. Barcelona created a lot of chances, but still they did do a good job and their players executed very well under great pressure.

And not just out of the blue either. Apparently Kazan has only lost once away from home in over a year.
That's pretty remarkable in itself and that (finally) brings me to their captain, the currently ranked 189 player in the world, Sergei Semak who quite simply embodies these things. All these things talked about above!

He is a veteran leader for club and country who basically does all the right things in his defensive midfield position. Both with and without the ball.
Obviously he is far from the most talented so far on this list, he is in fact the least talented, but he could very well be the smartest (his teachers wanted him to become a mathematician!) And if you combine that with what is still a very impressive workrate for a 33 year old then you have one very effective football player. One I think worthy of a spot on this list.