Ian Wright: If Gennaro Gattuso is the defensive lynchpin of the Milan and Italy sides then Andrea Pirlo is the oil that keeps everything ticking over. Much of whatever side he plays in's play goes through him and even though he's rarely as flamboyant a playmaker as team-mates like Kaka' or Totti such is the accuracy and range of his passing that he brings a lot more fluidity and consistency to the side then they do; Kaka' may be the one to take on opposition players and get shots in from midfield but many of Milan's passing moves which result in him getting the ball will see Pirlo in possession many times.
Milan (and to a lesser extent Italy) often play with one man up front but they rarely employ a target man type figure to hold the ball up nor do they play with conventional wide midfielders/wingers so much of their play is based around a possession game involving a lot of movement in the middle of the park and here is where Pirlo comes into his own. He always makes himself available for the pass and is rarely inaccurate when he moves the ball on to a team mate. No better example of this is during the World Cup semi final against Germany last year when in injury time with the scores level he found a corner cleared to him at the edge of the German penalty area; a lesser player might have tried to smash the ball through the mass of players between him and the goal but Pirlo remained clear headed and proceeded to walk the ball across the pitch and away from goal waiting for the opportunity to find the killer ball which turned out to be a pass to Grosso to sweep the ball into the German goal and send Italy through to the World Cup Final.
09. David Villa (Valencia) 194 points
Tim O'Sullivan: One of the most exciting players to come out of Spain in a long time, and the best is almost certainly yet to come. His goals ratio is a little up and down, but like a lot of modern day strikers from the Henry-generation, his game is about a lot more than merely scoring goals.
His off-the-ball movement is exceptional, distribution is a big part of his repertoire, and he can glide past defenders with ease. His lack of impact in last season's UEFA Champions League quarter final exit to Chelsea was interesting, but he'll undoubtedly grow in stature with maturity.
08. Michael Essien (Chelsea) 225 points
Tim O'Sullivan: I'm absolutely delighted that the Ghanaian monster has made it into the top ten. Whereas Lampard will get the headlines for a deflected thirty-yard goal or Ballack for two seconds of class in ninety minutes of mediocrity, Essien will be in the background doing the dirty work.
Just as people were appreciating how big a player he had become, Mourinho moved him to the centre of defence. Despite some shaky moments, he became comfortable in the role and his sense of positioning was surprisingly astute. To sum up, he can do it all. I think of him as a fantastic tackler and distributor……but then I watch the Arsenal 2006/2007 end of season review on DVD, and remember what happened in the Stamford Bridge clash last season. He can do it all.
07. Ruud Van Nistelrooy (Real Madrid) 235 points
Taareq Elsokari: There isn't much more to say other than one of the greatest centre forwards to ever play the game. His goal scoring record was excellent. Van Nistelrooy is capable of scoring all types of goals. His record in Holland was as good a record as ever and this prompted Man Utd to wait twelve months for him to recover from injury before splashing out ?19 million on him and for five years he never failed to disappoint in terms of a return. He scored 150 goals in 200 starts. He's the fourth ever top scorer in the history of the Champions League and there's no reason why he can't rise in those rankings. He's shown his class at Madrid where he bagged 25 goals in La Liga earning him the Spanish Golden Boot in his first season. When he hangs up his boots he will no doubt be remembered as a great and maybe in the same light as his once hero Marco Van Basten.
06. Samuel Eto'o (Barcelona) 245 points
Daniel Wilcox: After Thierry Henry had a disappointing season last year, Eto'o may well have a legitimate claim for best striker in the world today – a claim that 73 goals in 115 appearances for Barcelona backs up. Eto'o's pace is outstanding and it is this agility that has bagged him so many goals over the years. His composure in front of goal is almost unrivalled and you would bet on his ability to score from any one-on-one position. Eto'o has also proven his diversity while wearing the Barcelona shirt; he has played as a lone striker, a winger and even a defender in the time that he has been at the club and has performed to his usual high standard wherever he plays. Internationally, Eto'o has scored 24 times for Cameroon with 60 caps, a great record when you consider that the team is ranked 15. And at 26, you can rest assured that he will be scoring many more goals for years to come.
05. Cristiano Ronaldo (Man Utd) 256 points
Tim O'Sullivan: They say Thierry Henry can't do it in the big games, but the former Arsenal striker has scored a hat-trick at the Stadio Olympico, that goal at the Bernabau, a brace of goals and assists in one night at the San Siro, many goals versus Liverpool, Man United and Chelsea, Euro 2000 semi, World Cup 2006 quarter final…….the list goes on. Now, the media don't give Ronaldo the same tag, but what has he ever done in the big games? He was mediocre to awful in the five "big" Premiership games he played in last season and when they needed him at the San Siro, he didn't deliver like our top three perhaps would have done. Therefore, for right now, I think this placing is a little too high. Having said that, against every team below fourth in the Premiership he has been exceptional. I'll give him that.
Ian Wright: A fabulous talent there's no doubt but this so called "World's Best Player" according to much of the UK press has never delivered significantly on the big stage and against the big teams. He could one day be the world's best player but no one should confuse the ability to terrorise a mid table premiership side or a good game against a shambolic Roma team with the consistency expected from a genuine top class talent.
Oh and by the way, I hate him……………
So……………….
Fucking…………….
Much……………..
YOU WOULDN'T BELIEVE.
Taareq Elsokari: Had the season of his life and if he continues to improve as well as he did this year and find a way of dealing with being doubled up on by defenders then he can in all honesty go higher up in this list.
Morgan Marx: What was more surprising? Man U's recapture of the Prem title?.......or Ronaldo's maturation into one of the best players in the world. The skill was always apparent. The questions revolved around whether the boy could put everything together. He's already eclipsed his fellow starlet Wayne Rooney. And while Ronaldo will always be a polarising player, one who relies on trickery and, yes, diving, there is no one in English football more dangerous on the ball than the Portuguese winger. And with Thierry's departure, there may not be a more dangerous player left in England period.
Daniel Wilcox: When Ronaldo arrived at Manchester United three years ago, he had a lot to live up, especially being handed the famous no. 7 shirt. After a few seasons where he blew hot and cold, Ronaldo really showed his true talent in the last year. While he isn't at the level some football pundits claim him to be, he is easily one of the best in the world at the moment. Countless times the Portuguese star came up with the goods and played a huge part in United's triumph last season. Now he not only has all the tricks, skills and stopovers in the book, he has added a tremendous end product to his repertoire and is scoring more goals than any midfield should be. Give him a few more years and I wouldn't be shocked if he became on of the best ever.
However the question still remains as to whether he can perform in the big games. He often went missing in the big games against Chelsea, Arsenal, AC Milan and Liverpool. But that is where the few years extra experience comes in. But whatever people say about him 20+ goals in a season for a midfield player is phenomenal and Ronaldo will do well to continue his amazing role.
Colin Pigeau: He's looking to be one of the brightest talents of the future, but I still only think of one thing when he comes up: the ref didn't call a foul for one of his dives in Germany '06, and little Cristiano was crying.
He's a crybaby. Boo-hoo, the Portuguese always beat themselves.
04. Steven Gerrard (Liverpool) 259 points
Tim O'Sullivan: Wow. A very high placing for England's MVP, but not totally unjust. Like his entire set of Liverpool team-mates, he's never performed in an away game against the big four in the Premiership, but aside from that he is usually consistent as Pool's prized asset. The last F.A Cup final in Cardiff was his stage, and its moments like that which will ultimately define him. One of the greatest English footballers ever.
Ian Wright: If Rooney has the potential to be the greatest English player of his generation this is the guy that he'll have to take the crown from. Much of my criticisms towards many "top" players is that they flit in and out of games and often seem disinterested. This is not the case of Steven Gerrard, not many players can impose themselves on a game as powerfully as he can. There's plenty of players more gifted than he is but few with the desire to take a game by the scruff of the neck the way he does.
That's not to say he's not without his flaws as a footballer. He can't run a game like a Pirlo or a Riquelme, he can't beat players like a Ronaldinho or a Kaka' and he's a little too fond of trying the 40 yard long ball without quite having the talent to pull them off accurately on a consistent basis (although as any West Ham fan who saw the pool-hammers cup final he does connect with a fair few of them) but all in all were I picking a realistic and balanced world XI there's no way Gerrard wouldn't be in it.
Taareq Elsokari: Possibly the all round complete central midfielder in the world. He can do it all, he can pass, tackle, shoot and most importantly influence a team and a game in his favour. Also in my opinion should be the England captain as well as the best player in the squad. Gerrard is also the only current England player that the world would agree on as being truly "World Class".
Morgan Marx: Steven Gerrard has pledged his future to Liverpool, and Liverpool has apparently pledged to surround him with quality players. Can we just settle on his position though? No one questions Gerrard's physical ability or leadership qualities. But how is it that one of the 5 best players in the world struggles to find a position for both his club and country. His failures at the '06 WC and '07 Champions League finals are mollified by the dismal performance of those around him. In the future, he won't have that excuse to fall back on. It's time for Gerrard to lead his team, club and country, to bigger successes.
Daniel Wilcox: Stevie G is no doubt Liverpool's Mr. Dependable. Gerrard has been the driving force in Pool's midfield for many years and in recent seasons his ability has reached an all-time high. Gerrard is a tremendous all-rounder. His passing is still astounding and he is one of the best distributors in the game right now, while his attacking prowess is top notch as well, with his right foot getting Pool out of many a bad situation. Not many in the beautiful games have all this ability, but when you add to that Gerrard's sheer determination you get one of the best players in the world. For example of this, look back to 2005 and the Champions League final where Gerrard almost single-handedly turned the game on its head and led Liverpool to victory. For club and country, Steven Gerrard is a true MVP.
Colin Pigeau: Does it everywhere through the middle. Can play as a winger, can distribute the ball from the centre, can shoot the lights out, and drags the team on his back. Everything you want in a player and captain.
03. Thierry Henry (Barcelona) 288 points
Tim O'Sullivan: The greatest Premiership player of all-time and a true Arsenal legend. However, he decided to leave my beloved gunners last month, so I don't want to continue for the fear of welling up……sob.
Ian Wright: As an Arsenal fan waxing lyrical at length about the brilliance of Thierry Henry should come very easily for me. However after 8 years of seeing him play at Highbury and the Emirates his departure for Barcelona still hurts a bit and his statements that he'll always be a gunner even though his new home is the Nou Camp kind of sounds like an ex-girlfriend telling me that she still loves me, will always have a special place in her heart for me and that she hopes we can still be friends before inviting me to watch as she fucks the man she left me for.
All the same I want to be fair.
Without a doubt, no questions asked, the single greatest and most exciting player to ever grace the Premiership. English football is a poorer place for his absence.
Taareq Elsokari: Quite possibly the best player to ever play in the Premiership. He had it all, pace, skill and quality. Truly deserving of the World Player of the year award for the 2005-2006 season with him practically pulling Arsenal to the final they otherwise had no business being in. A great player that will no doubt be a huge miss to the English league but an even bigger miss to Arsenal.
Morgan Marx: Let's pause for a moment of silence for our friend Tim…Now, Thierry Henry is the best player I have ever watched. While I'm not a Gooner for life like Tim, I became aware of European football as an Arsenal fan thanks to Nick Hornby. I've visited both Highbury and the Emirates. I own an obscene amount of soccer jerseys, including 4 of Arsenal. And most of that is due to Henry's brilliance. Will Arsenal suffer in his absence? Undoubtedly. But this is not like Kaka leaving Milan or Gerrard leaving Liverpool. While Henry is pure class, he is not irreplaceable. And while a move to Barca should open many doors for Henry, he must be careful what he's wished for. He can no longer complain about a lack of transfer money, about the youngsters he was surrounded with. Anything less than 20 goals and a league title will be a failure. He has taken criticism for appearing lost in the star studded French national team. Barcelona may be better. Will Henry end his career on a high note? Or will he finish out his years a shadow of the best player the Prem has ever seen?
Daniel Wilcox: What is there to say about Thierry Henry that hasn't already been said. When Arsene Wenger paid Juventus ?10.5 million for the Frenchman in 1999, they probably didn't know that they were getting the soon to be most prolific goal scorer in the world and for many years at Arsenal, that's what Henry was. After a year dogged by injury it remains to be seen if he is as good as he once was but the goal scoring figures speak for themselves. 174 in 254 appearances for the Gunners is almost unprecedented and equates to a goal every 0.7 games. To retain that kind of average for one season is an impressive feat but Henry did it for many years wearing the red and white and still has the talent to do it at Barcelona if he stays fit.
Thierry's goal scoring ability comes with his awesome ability to conjure up a magical moment out of nothing. His blistering pace creates openings some strikers wouldn't even think about attempting in their wildest dreams and his first touch is world class and creates countless opportunities. But even when it appears that there is no chance of scoring Henry will pull a rabbit out of the hat. One of the greatest goal scorers of all time.
Colin Pigeau: His critics say he doesn't perform in big matches, but it's not the truth. There is simply no player on the planet who has as deadly a combination of skill, power, ruthlessness in front of goal, speed, and daring-do as the Arsenal Barca 14. Name a better striker, and you'd be wrong.
02. Kaka (AC Milan) 293 points
Tim O'Sullivan: Not perfect, but certainly not far off, the Brazilian diamond has turned into the world's most coveted footballer over the past twelve months. His intelligence goes hand-in-hand with his raw acceleration and class. He sometimes fatigues too easily, but aside from that its hard to argue with the people who label him as the world's best.
Ian Wright: In 2006/2007 there was no better footballer in the world than Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite. Kaka's story is not the typical one of South American superstars, instead of playing barefoot in a slum as is the romantic notion we have of many top South Americans he is the middle class son of a civil engineer but even though his background may not match that of a Pele, a Ronaldo or a Maradona the way he plays the game certainly does.
Kaka' has many wonderful attributes as a footballer, his tall and athletic frame means that he's much stronger than one would think, he's quick, a good finisher and he can pass the ball but if there's one thing that really impresses me about him is that he's probably got the best first touch in world football, he can bring a ball under control and into his stride whilst running at full pace and that ability usually gives him plenty of space and time to do damage to his opponents.
At 24 Kaka' still has time to improve his game and I don't believe we've yet seen the best of him as hard as it is to believe and I wouldn't be shocked if by the time the next World Cup comes around he'll best the best player on the planet by a good margin.
Taareq Elsokari: If this was based solely for the last 12 months, then no doubt about it Kaka would be number 1. He has always been regarded as a great talent, but his performances over the last 12 months where he was the only Brazilian in Germany and then carried Milan to the Champions League have pushed him up a few places. He is a brilliant player who can overtake Ronaldinho consistently as being the worlds premier player.
Morgan Marx: There's no argument that the best player in the world is Brazilian. The hard part is picking between the one who plays with stereotypically Brazilian flair, or the one who epitomises hard work and determination. For me, it is Kaka. While he lacks the ever-present smile and trademark hair of his national teammate, Kaka possesses every skill one could want in a player. Pace, on the ball skill, shot placement, power, the ability to track back…the list goes on and on. He was the most dangerous player for Brazil at the '06 WC, and at 25 could see another 2 cups yet. Transfer talk surrounding Kaka strikes me as ludicrous. Who could you possibly replace the best player in the world with? Oh, that's right. The other one.
Daniel Wilcox: Kaka more or less single-handedly put Manchester United out of the Champions League final, so I'll let the others discuss this piece of crap magnificent star so I don't get too angry.
Colin Pigeau: The most telling thing about Kaka to me is that he's not only exceptionally skilled, but he has balls like you wouldn't believe. Just watch his second goal against Man United: who else would have the sack to stick their head in between two on-rushing defenders to squeeze the ball through? If he was there another second longer, he was dead. As it was, the centre halves took each other out like Larry and Curly. Nyuk, nyuk.
01. Ronaldinho (Barcelona) 295 points
Tim O'Sullivan: He's in really poor form at the moment…….apparently!!! Well, that's what the media will have you believe, anyway. I don't quite think they realise that he scored 21 goals in La Liga alone last season, from an attacking midfield position, as well as scoring two of the finest goals in last year's UEFA Champions League competition. Plus, he's been pure class for the past four years now. Definitely one of the best five players in the last twenty years.
Ian Wright: The common perception is that Ronaldinho got fat and had a poor 2006/2007. Barcelona finished the season with no trophies a year after they won the La Liga and Champions League double but to my mind this didn't have much to do with a drop in the buck-toothed Brazilian's form. Ronaldinho still had a 20 goal season last year and with Messi and Eto'o both missing for long periods of the season due to injury he was the one who carried the side to the runners up spot in the league.
Even if that wasn't the case and Ronaldinho had been as bad as people have said last year he's still done more than enough in the previous few seasons to be worthy of the top spot on our poll. Ronaldinho is the sort of footballer that makes me love the game; he does things that few other players can do and attempts things in matches that no one else would try and it's almost always done with a smile on his face.
A joy to watch, why couldn't he have been born Irish?
Taareq Elsokari: Overall, over the last 5 years he has been the best player in the world. As an attacking force he is unstoppable when he is on form and every opposing team's nightmare. He can run at defenders, he can make you think he's going to run at you only to play someone into space and then he can score goals out of practically nothing. He didn't have a great season by his own standards but that doesn't mean he had a bad season overall, a great player no doubt and will always be the one that got away from Fergie.
Morgan Marx: Whether he is the number 1 rated player in the world can be debated (which seems obvious to say in a debate about who is the number 1 rated player in the world). What can't be questioned is the fact that Ronaldinho Gaucho plays the game the way everyone should, with joy, as an expression of personality, for the sheer fun of it. Some of those stereotypes are probably unfair (I'm sure Ronaldinho cares about winning as much as his teammates). But at his core, Ronaldinho is playing a game, while others are participating in a business. He plays the way we want our stars to do so. And that, if nothing else, makes him the best player in the world to watch. (I'd still take Kaka if I was starting a team…)
Daniel Wilcox: 6 various World Player of the Year and 1 European Footballer of the Year awards in 4 years pretty much speaks for itself and sums up Ronaldinho's class better than any blurb I could write. Despite him downplaying the idea of him being the best in the world, there are few football fans in the world that would, or even could, deny him that honour. Since joining Barcelona in 2003, Ronaldinho averages a goal every two games, but it's not his goal scoring ability that is his best attribute. His level of skill and ability when it comes to ball control is unparalleled. When Barca paid ?21 million for the player back in 2003, they probably didn't know how good a deal they were getting as the player has drawn huge offers from the biggest clubs around the world. We can only wonder how many more Premiership titles Man United would have had if their deal for the Brazilian hadn't fallen through in 2003. Damn Spaniards.
Colin Pigeau: He's so f'ing good that he makes everyone else look stupid. I have no doubt that a lot of other payers can do the tricks he does, but no one else has the balls to try it in a game. Forget trying them, he does them seamlessly.
That's the list. You can view all the writers' individual top 50's in The Round Football Column this coming Tuesday.
Come back on Monday for out pre-season roundtable.
