The best players in the world 2018

Re non-English ones of a decent standard;

Josimar will come with their own top 50 soon



Also saw a peculiar France Football article about potential future Ballon d'Or winners:
https://www.francefootball.fr/news/...dix-candidats-pour-le-ballon-d-or-2025/965522

 

That Lukas Tank guy (non-English) came with this

Some players who impressed only slightly less (if at all) than the chosen ones: T. Silva, Koulibaly, Busquets, F. de Jong, Arthur, Neymar, Mbappe, L. de Jong

— Football Arguments (@SergiXaviniesta) December 9, 2018

Genuinely disagree with Hazard not being on the bench (at least) and to me there are better/proper footballers than Reus around (including German players). And oh, L. de Jong is an anti-footballer even if he had a few good games against proper elite teams this season.

 

This one is not too bad

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THE IFFHS WORLD TEAM 2018



GOALKEEPER :

Thibaut COURTOIS (Belgium/Chelsea FC/Real Madrid CF) 46%



DEFENDERS :

MARCELO Vieira da Silva Junior (Brazil/Real Madrid CF) 63%

Sergio RAMOS (Spain/Real Madrid CF) 48%

Raphaël VARANE (France/Real Madrid CF) 75%

Diego GODIN (Uruguay/Clube Atlético Madrid) 30%



MIDFIELDERS :

Luka MODRIC (Croatia/Real Madrid CF) 95%

Eden HAZARD (Belgium/Chelsea FC) 75%

Antoine GRIEZMANN (France/Club e Atlético Madrid) 36%



ATTACKERS :

Lionel MESSI (Argentina/FC Barcelona) 75%

Cristiano RONALDO (Portugal/Real Madrid CF/Juventus FC) 78%

Kylian MBAPPE (France/Paris SG) 56%



Coach : Didier DESCHAMPS (France) 45%





SUBSTITUTES :



Goalkeeper :

Hugo LLORIS (France/Tottenham Hotspur FC) 14%



Defenders :

Kieran TRIPPIER (England/Tottenham Hotspur FC) 13%

Virgil VAN DIJK (Netherlands/Liverpool FC) 15%

Joshua KIMMICH (Germany/FC Bayern München) 13%

Jordi ALBA (Spain/FC Barcelona) 13%



Midfielders :

N’Golo KANTE (France/Chelsea FC) 20%

Paul POGBA (France/Manchester United FC) 26%

Kevin DE BRUYNE (Belgium/Manchester City FC) 35%



Attackers :

Mohamed SALAH (Egypt/Liverpool FC) 29%

NEYMAR (Brazil/Paris SG) 12%

Harry KANE (England/Tottenham Hotspur FC) 7%

https://iffhs.de/iffhs-awards-2018-the-men-world-team-2018/

 

Goal.com top 50 of past month (before the BdO results):

http://www.goal.com/story/goal502018es/index.html

I see they put Lozano in. Of course he had a decent World Cup (against opponents that matter) and I guess they have many Mexican/Spanish speaking readers, but I'd say it isn't clear-cut whether he's PSV's best player (even if he belongs among the two most talented in my opinion). Domestically he was good against Ajax and meh against Feyenoord. On 'talent' it is a better suggestion as L. de Jong. It is not unthinkable PSV will make at least 60 million profit on him.

https://www.whoscored.com/Teams/129/Show/Netherlands-PSV-Eindhoven

(okay, that is my take, ignore if you like)

 

For the first time we have an English version of Josimar's annual list of the world's top 50 players. @PhilippeAuclair, @JamesHorncastle and @Marcotti argued, @larssivertsen took notes.https://t.co/ES4QbXAmIe

— Josimar Fotballblad (@JosimarFotball) December 14, 2018

 

This is maybe also something for @PDG1978 (PDG asked me for my top five a few days back and I had the same as theirs except for that I had Mbappe in instead of Modric for 2018)

I've read now the whole thing and have to say it is a nice read and interesting to see which players receive unanimous approval, while for others only one of them is truly convinced. It is a long-ish piece but can recommend it to everyone.


On a team-by-team basis it is not too bad (i.e. Lewandowski best Bayern player; Busquets #2 for Barcelona; Torreira for Arsenal; Marco Reus is together with Witsel the only in the midfield and attack of Borussia certain of a starting place, against the 'bigger' teams too) although I wouldn't have Aguero as #1 for ManCity. I think I'd also have Pjanic above Matuidi and maybe Chiellini in the Juve hierarchy (good and accurate comment on him being one of the best free kick takers in the world with 20%+ conversion rate).




Most of those team-by-team choices feel good.

Lozano gets again included ( and somewhat surprisingly to me Memphis was one of those to get approval by everyone (although he has done some things on the bigger stages this year, including three assists against ManCity + involved in one other goal in the UCL; good/great games for NT against Portugal, Peru, France, Germany, Belgium this year). Although there are from time to time some irregularities I'd say I can agree with the comment on him helping to bring fluidity and freedom to the attack - it's not purely a 100% focus on delivering as many goals and assists as possible. There is also a calculating element in his game (for Orange NT at least) in that he can recognize it isn't his day but keeps two/three defenders busy which might still pay off at the end.



2017-18 goals


(also noticed the first video got 650000 views within three weeks; I quickly looked at Insigne videos for a comparison and those get a lot less somehow)


It remains bizarre how the man was a Feyenoord fan in his youth and still is (although P. Kluivert was/is his example), grew up in their backyard, but the club didn't think much of him. This once again shows how difficult it is to recognize 'talent'.

 

Oh this one is better (showing long balls and the through balls more, statistically one of his main strengths)

 

After today‘s game and especially his performance since last season, I can safely say Thiago is way too underrated. I know playing in Bundesliga puts him at a disadvantage, but the way he plays since last season under Jupp Keynckes(see the 2nd leg semi-final UCL how he and James skillfully controlled midfield and put Modric and Kroos into the quiet mode), his tight space ball control, his covering and support in running the game in the midfield, his work rate and his underrated defense capability makes him probably the only midfielder in the world that resembles the characteristics of prime Xavi/Iniesta and I would say he is a significantly significantly better player and has significantly surpassed Toni Kroos.

Given the dreadful performance of Toni Kroos at the World Cup 2018, who had so many sloppy play, made so many sloppy decisions when being pressured by opponents against teams like Mexico/Korea/Sweden and who gave the ball away so cheaply so many times even not under heavy pressure situations).

For strikers, if it were one to two seasons ago, I would have no problem saying Suarez was the best, but Lewandowski has taken his place so far this season, his goal score rate in both Bundesliga/UCL are just insane.

 

Yes I see what you mean and certainly individual choices are involved, but as said still found it an interesting read and interesting to see which ones receive universal approval. On a team-by-team basis I think (my idea) it is fairly good.

I'd think someone like Lewandowski, Suarez, Kane and Neymar are strangely low, but also noticed the (Spanish?) goal.com top 50 had Neymar at #24. Perhaps also Sergio Ramos is low but his typically awful positioning was again a reason why they lost heavily against a Barcelona without Messi (not for the first time).

In terms of strange inclusions among the first 40 places, I think of Matuidi (but was great against Argentina I think), Higuain (scored only 16 goals this year in all competitions and he hasn't the assists to compensate for it) and Lukaku.

 

I personally agree about Thiago his 'class' but think his problem for this year is the irregular appearances and participations (for a midfielder) and also that for Spain he appeared in only two games at the World Cup (94 minutes in total) and again only appearing on-and-off in three nations league games (195 minutes in total).

His overall best (and most productive) has been 2016-17 surely where he was maybe his team's best player (if it was not Robben - who was clear #1 in the ratings - or ace Lewandowski back then).

https://www.bdfutbol.com/es/p/j8452.html?cat=-&temp=2017-18&equip=-&rival=-&jug=tot
https://www.bdfutbol.com/es/p/j8452.html?cat=-&temp=2018-19&equip=-&rival=-&jug=tot

(one thing to note too: he played yesterday against the bottom placed team of the league)

 

Can anybody tell me what happened to this guy?
once upon a time in fact not all that long ago he was considered as Harry Kane’s equal.
Now if you mention them in the same bracket you’d be ridiculed

In his last season for Everton he looked like a serious handful.many will point to him not scoring against big club teams and there does seem to be substance to that but that’s really besides the point
I remember watching him live when he singlehandedly destroyed Bournemouth in 2017 scoring 4 goals and putting on IMO the best individual display by any premier league striker since Suarez vs Norwich in 2013

He scored a sensational solo goal against prem winners Chelsea that same season
Now for Manchester United he can’t even control the ball let alone score a goal
It’s totally embarrassing and sad.im not sure who’s to blame Lukaku himself of Mourinho who has a quite unrivalled history in being able to get the best out of players and also completely destroy them

 

Clearly there is something wrong. For the national team he does his job very well (is also saying the Josimar article) but yesterday he was facing a makeshift Liverpool defense, and he has been successful in 'dominating' (seeking out) Lovren and creating goals that way. That said, his inconsistent touch has always been criticized, even back when he was at Anderlecht.

The team as a whole doesn't help:
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/dec/16/football-dire-jose-mourinho-enjoying-it

20 - Romelu Lukaku had just 20 touches for Manchester United at Anfield - never previously has he had fewer in a Premier League game that he played 90 minutes in. Stranded. pic.twitter.com/TO5d0Dzz0y

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 16, 2018

(for clarity: this includes his games for Chelsea, WBA and Everton - where it is perhaps more likely to happen)

I think with the (possible) exception of Varane and Umititi that are all special cases. I can understand a bit they don't attract fans among the panel, with also not an advocate stepping up to express strong feelings in their defense (as happened for Kimmich etc. though he was slightly off-beat and drawn out of position against Mexico).


Isco has been fantastic for Spain (incl. the back end of 2017) but three successive club managers (Zidane, Lopetegui, Solari) struggle to find the right place for him and he has been booed by the Real Madrid crowd recently, is simply not playing well the past couple of months. It is well possible a substitute or bench player of Real Madrid is better than a starter for Chelsea, but not sure where he would play at another team. On his ball-playing ability and national team form (incl. the ill-fated Russia match) he's top 50 material surely. Scored 10 goals (no pens) in 19 national team games the past two years, including a couple big scalps.

De Gea is the opposite case. Great for his club (this season maybe slightly less, has had a few 'errors leading to goal' while he had zero past season in all competitions), but outright questionable for the national team. I think I can understand why they prefer the other three mentioned goalkeepers.

Kroos has been inconsistent for the national side (as demonstrated by LSR's comments above) and also generally not in control in the 'big' games for Real Madrid (not even in the CL, the CL KO games) - a year below his normal level I'd say. Journalists are understandably heavily influenced by the bigger matches, which is indirectly mentioned there. His technique and ball control is frankly also overshadowed by Modric his sorcery. Marcelo (included in the top 50) was crucial for their Champions League win, after Cristiano their most productive player, and played well in the World Cup (one of Brazil's best performers).

Dybala hasn't been the man of the assist recently and is now a bit hindered by Cristiano his arrival (I think). In 2017-18 he was great in the league (despite Allegri not fully trusting/using him) but sub-standard in the Champions League (this season very good there even if four of the five came against Young Boys, but played only 20 mins as a sub in the 2nd match). Has only recently scored his first ever goal for the national team (after 18 matches). Horncastle and Marcotti overlooking him (both with an Italian focus) certainly peculiar. It is to be hoped for him he doesn't become the man who was incompatible with both Messi and Ronaldo.

 

For what is worth here a Horncastle article from december last year (indeed, had a great 2017-18 start; also a good end).

http://www.espn.co.uk/soccer/italia...h-paulo-dybala-and-should-juventus-be-worried


Here some quite unforgiving (and harsh) comments about his overall game and approach (if that is true, then it is understandable he doesn't fit well next to Messi/Ronaldo & it is potentially detrimental for CL hopes)

https://pesstatsdatabase.com/forum/...id=f64d4b50a92bebc9cc33d2441a311f89&start=160

Not sure whether that is my own opinion though, but am struggling to recall 'big game' performances by him of this year (Milan? Tottenham?).

 

Yes I can see that and one of the two main criteria was "helped their team the most" (the other main criteria was "which players have played the best"). Which is I think a sensible idea and deceptively clever to consider in tandem (instead of only taking the quasi-individualized stats or so). Then I'd understand and agree with Pjanic being ahead (16 non-penalty goals in the league not exceptional), but definitely not Matuidi.

 

Guardian top 100 including player descriptions:

The 100 best male footballers in the world 2018: Nos 100-41
Our panel of 225 experts from 69 nations compile a list of the greatest male players in 2018. We will unveil 30 names a day until the top 10 on Friday.

https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...male-footballers-in-the-world-2018-nos-100-71

 

To round it off, I saw a Sunday Times article that captures quite well in which nuanced/mixed terms he gets discussed in his own country ("Roy Keane agreeing with you on Sky right now, and saying he'd have loved to have shared a dressing room with Memphis. (this may not be entirely true)"). It isn't the aim of the article but in effect it managed to do so.

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Memphis Depay: ‘If you don’t perform well some people want you to hide. I’m not that type of person.’
Things are looking up at Lyons for the player dubbed one of the best of his age at Old Trafford before being rejected by Van Gaal and moved on by Mourinho



What has changed for Memphis Depay? Sipping coke and nibbling olives in Lyons’ old town, a deep young man tells a story of growth and learning to be himself again. He is just back from Ukraine, where he set up Nabil Fekir to send their side into the Champions League knockouts, and that’s a symmetrical 33 goals and 33 assists in 84 league and European games since he left Manchester United. Memphis’s first words frame the rest of our long conversation: “Lyons allowed me to be who I am, to be free — on the pitch and outside as well.”

United was a different experience. Critics said he “did not ‘want it enough” whereas the truth was, he says, he wanted it too much. On the pitch he was forcing it, over-eager to impress. Off it, he overthought things and overdid the gym, desperate to get back in the team after being benched by Louis van Gaal and barely even in Jose Mourinho’s matchday squads. Memphis would lurk “in my big, big house not really happy,” feeling he could not go out. “If you don’t perform well some people want you to hide and be in your cave and I’m so not that type of person.”

He reminds you he was only 21, 22 and like many young people “was struggling with being myself and finding out who I am.” It is tempting to see him as a victim of the press — who picked on irrelevancies such as his cars and jackets — or as yet another talent United failed in the post-Fergie era, but Memphis regards both portrayals as excuses. “If I look back, it was just me. I wanted to succeed so bad. I wanted to train so hard.

“I don’t think it was the English media, because the media don’t determine how I play in the game. Sometimes my opportunities weren’t enough but I didn’t deliver what was expected, never mind what people expect, what I expect from myself. And Manchester is a great club. I don’t feel they treated me wrong.”

United inserted a time-limited buyback clause within his sale to Lyons in January 2017 and he is once more looking the footballer Van Gaal billed as among the world’s best for his age. “When I left,” smiles Memphis, “I said to Mourinho ‘you will see me at the top.’ He said ‘OK, I hope that and I hope we will buy you back one day.’ I never had a bad relationship with him.” Van Gaal? More complex. “We didn’t fall out, it was just a misconnection with each other. As a team we didn’t play great football and some things I don’t understand — if you have talented young players, Anthony Martial, Luke Shaw and the others, they need freedom.”

Memphis developed as a free-moving attacker at PSV Eindhoven, his youth football coming at striker or No 10, but Van Gaal shackled him to the left wing with strict rules. “It’s not like you weren’t allowed to dribble or anything,” he recalls, “it was just the tasks you had. When you give some players too much information they think too much.

“Young players shouldn’t think, if they give the ball away, ‘next ball I have to play safe’. That’s not football. That’s not me. I put risk in my game, try to be reckless but in a good way. One time I wanted to work on my left foot and crosses, so I was doing extra training with Giggsy. (Van Gaal) called me in his office and said ‘why are you training?’ I said I want to improve my cross with my left foot. He said your crosses are already good, it’s in your head. He wasn’t happy I was training extra and things like that make you think as a young guy. At the time I wasn’t playing and had wanted to show how much I want this, that I’d do more than normal to get my chance again.”

He played for Van Gaal again at Dirk Kuyt’s testimonial in May. “I hadn’t met him since the last game of the (2015-16) season when he put me out of the squad for the FA Cup final. I don’t know if that was personal. It doesn’t matter any more. But I saw him at Kuyt’s game...and even in that game I was coming from the bench!” says Memphis, bursting out laughing. “I played only the last 15 minutes!”

He holds no bitterness towards Mourinho either. “I thought I was going to fight for a second chance under him and found I didn’t really have that chance. I saw everybody playing left wing except me, even Wayne Rooney. Rooney is of course a legendary player but not a winger. I don’t blame the manager. Maybe he doesn’t like my style of play. I love playing beautiful football, tricks and doing cheeky things. I don’t know if that’s his type of game.”

It was heartening that every time Mourinho’s matchday squad went on the board and he wasn’t in it, other players expressed surprise. They knew he was training well. It was actually away from Carrington that life was most difficult. “I wasn’t really myself,” Memphis reflects. “I didn’t change the way I was dressing or driving but it didn’t make me feel good. People think I think so much of myself but it was really the other way around. I was driving a nice car but not enjoying it. Feeling people don’t like me, because they imagine I’m thinking I’m better than them. I was struggling with that. I remember some of the quotes about me, like ‘party boy’. That’s just pure lies. I went out only once in one and a half years in Manchester and it wasn’t even fun. I am not a party boy.

“The problem is people read then see you on the pitch and think ‘this guy is taking the piss, goes to Manchester and wears No7, isn’t playing well, just parties, he’s driving a Rolls Royce.’ Nothing positive. And that’s basically a guy I’m not. I had to learn to be deaf and blind.” He means shut out the things written or said, but explains this refers to praise as well as criticism. Now when he scores he puts his fingers in his ears and the message is not defiance “but more about having tunnel vision, being focused on yourself and your goals”. On social media, kids around the world tell him that — and his story — strikes a chord with them and from the gesture a ‘Memphis Foundation’ was born, through which he helps deaf and blind children, in Africa and Holland, giving them a better life through music, education and sport.

How happy he seems now. On YouTube compilations of his goals in France you will see impudent one-on-ones, Panenka penalties, audacious finishes from outside the box — including an extraordinary strike from the centre circle against Toulouse. The positivity he carries on to the field goes hand-in-hand with a new zest for life. “I am loving life,” he says. “Every morning I start by getting on my knees and thanking God and then my day is set.”

He has had a powerful reconnection with the Christian faith in which his mother, Cora, raised him. He appreciates social media for helping him convey who he really is. On Instagram he displays his taste for elaborate clothes, for glamour, and music, but he also posts sensitive and soulful messages. He is no longer “hiding”. Individuality is his key of life.

“When I was young, and I’m talking five, six years old, I liked flashy colours, the shirts I wore,” he smiles, “and some people liked it, some didn’t. ‘Hey, what are you doing wearing pink?!”

Not limiting his self-expression to football is crucial too. Memphis is musical: he has been writing songs and making music since he was young and it “feels like therapy.” Recently he posted himself freestyle rapping, wielding a cigar, and of course some did not like it (“I smoke a cigar on vacation or if I’m celebrating but I’m not a smoker,” he explains). However Lyons’ coach, Bruno Genesio, stopped him at training. “Hey, I like that video!” Genesio said. The club even reposted it.

Perhaps that sums up all that’s changed. “You start by being happy with yourself again,” he reflects. “And now I still have beautiful cars, but they are not in Lyons. Because the streets are small! I’m driving just a Hyundai from the club and I like it. I drive around the city somewhere, maybe get a coffee and read my Bible at a nice location. I am really happy. My life is very... natural. I think I can be a main player at one of the top five clubs in the world but football is not my only purpose. I now just enjoy being in the moment in the game, letting things flow. I’m not even 70% of where I can go.”

https://www.ad.nl/europees-voetbal/memphis-in-topvorm-moet-het-nu-laten-zien~a3b224bd/
(if one wonders whether it is correct Mbappe isn't on this overview list, yes that is correct)