I'm trying to make a shortlist of the best players this year (from January to November) worldwide anywhere. It's a first step to make a poll of the best players of the year to assemble the best team of 2010. For now the list I've is as follows, I'd appreciate all your input, own comments and nominations: GK CASILLAS, Íker (Spain & Real Madrid) GK HART, Joe (England & Birmingham City / Manchester City) GK JÚLIO CÉSAR (Brazil & Inter Milan) GK STEKELENBURG, Maarten (Netherlands & Ajax) GK VAN DER SAR, Edwin (Netherlands & Manchester United) CB BONUCCI, Leonardo (Italy & Bari / Juventus) CB LÚCIO (Brazil & Inter Milan) CB PIQUÉ, Gerard (Spain & Barcelona) CB SAMUEL, Walter (Argentina & Inter Milan) RB DANI ALVES (Brazil & Barcelona) RB MAICON (Brazil & Inter Milan) LB MARCELO (Brazil & Real Madrid) DM ANNAN, Anthony (Ghana & Rosenborg) DM CAMBIASSO, Esteban (Argentina & Inter Milan) CM CAHILL, Tim (Australia & Everton) CM HERNANES (Brazil & Sao Paulo / Lazio) CM SCHWEINSTEIGER, Bastian (Germany & Bayern Münich) CM XAVI (Spain & Barcelona) LM BALE, Gareth (Wales & Tottenham Hotspur) LM DI MARÍA, Ángel (Argentina & Benfica / Real Madrid) AM HONDA, Keisuke (Japan & CSKA Moscow) AM INIESTA, Andrés (Spain & Barcelona) AM KAGAWA, Shinji (Japan & Cerezo Osaka / Borussia Dortmund) AM LAMPARD, Frank (England & Chelsea) AM NASRI, Samir (France & Arsenal) AM ÖZIL, Mesut (Germany & Werder Bremen / Real Madrid) AM PASTORE, Javier (Argentina & Palermo) AM SILVA, David (Spain & Valencia / Manchester City) AM SNEIJDER, Wesley (Netherlands & Inter Milan) RW GERVINHO (Ivory Coast & Lille) RW KRASIC, Milos (Serbia & CSKA Moscow / Juventus) RW NANI (Portugal & Manchester United) RW ROBBEN, Arjen (Netherlands & Bayern Münich) RW VALENCIA, Luis Antonio (Ecuador & Manchester United) LW AYEW, André (Ghana & Arles-Avignon / Olympique Marseille) LW MALOUDA, Florent (France & Chelsea) LW PEDRO (Spain & Barcelona) SS AGÜERO, Sergio (Argentina & Atletico Madrid) SS CASSANO, Antonio (Italy & Sampdoria) SS DI NATALE, Antonio (Italy & Udinese) SS MESSI, Lionel (Argentina & Barcelona) SS MÜLLER, Thomas (Germany & Bayern Münich) SS RONALDO, Cristiano (Portugal & Real Madrid) SS TÉVEZ, Carlos (Argentina & Manchester City) ST BARRIOS, Lucas (Paraguay & Borussia Dortmund) ST CARROLL, Andy (England & Newcastle United) ST CAVANI, Edinson (Uruguay & Palermo / Napoli) ST DROGBA, Didier (Ivory Coast & Chelsea) ST DZEKO, Edin (Bosnia and Herzegovina & Wolfsburg) ST ETO'O, Samuel (Cameroon & Inter Milan) ST FALCAO GARCÍA, Radamel (Colombia & Porto) ST FORLÁN, Diego (Uruguay & Atletico Madrid) ST HERNÁNDEZ, Javier (Mexico & Guadalajara / Manchester United) ST HIGUAÍN, Gonzalo (Argentina & Real Madrid) ST HULK (Brazil & Porto) ST IBRAHIMOVIC, Zlatan (Sweden & Barcelona / AC Milan) ST LUÍS FABIANO (Brazil & Sevilla) ST MILITO, Diego (Argentina & Inter Milan) ST NEYMAR (Brazil & Santos) ST ROONEY, Wayne (England & Manchester United) ST SUÁREZ, Luis (Uruguay & Ajax) ST VILLA, David (Spain & Valencia / Barcelona)
You're missing Zanetti at LB. Marcelo played as a LW for most of 2010. It's only since Mouirinho took over he's been playing LB again. De Gea cold be placed in the keepers list. He was excellent for Atletico Madrid.
Good list, here is my contribution: GK: Manuel Neuer (Germany & Schalke) GK: Hugo Lloris (France & Lyon) RB: Alexandr Anyukov (Russia & Zenit) RB: Rod Fanni (France & Rennes) RB: Branislav Ivanovic (Serbia & Chelsea) RB: Phillip Lahm (Germany & Bayern) CB: Diego Lugano (Uruguay & Fenerbahce) CB: Diego Godin (Uruguay & Villarreal / Atletico) CB: Mats Hummels (Germany & Dortmund) CB: Thomas Vermaelen (Belgium & Arsenal) CB: Bruno Alves (Portugal & Porto / Zenit) LB: Patrice Evra (France & Man. United) LB: Fabio Coentrao (Portugal & Benfica) CM: Darren Fletcher (Scotland & Man. United) CM: Xabi Alonso (Spain & Real Madrid) RW: Jesus Navas (Spain & Sevilla) LW: James Milner (England & Aston Villa / Man. City) AM: Eden Hazard (Belgium & Lille) AM: Yoann Gourcuff (France & Bordeaux / Lyon) AM: Cesc Fabregas (Spain & Arsenal) ST: Lisandro Lopez (Argentina & Lyon) ST: Welliton (Brazil & Spartak Moscow)
You're right, Javier Zanetti played well as left back and Marcelo as left midfielder. I haven't noticed much to David de Gea but I've heard many compliments. Do you think Xabi Alonso has had a good year?, I think he has had a pale. Eden Hazard has been featured in French football and Diego Lugano in Turkish?
Yep. He was Madrid's best MF last year by a mile, had a solid World Cup, and Mourinho called him Madrid's "most important player." I'd say he's world class. Hazard plays in France for Lille, and was named to the Ligue 1 Team of the Year for last season; he's also a Belgian international, and is regarded as one of the top young players in the world. Lugano captained Uruguay to the Semi-Finals of the World Cup, and is the best defender in the Turkish league.
He's easy to follow playing for Real Madrid and Spain and the impression he leaves me is usually a bit overrated. Sometimes in Real Madrid I saw better to Lassana Diarra and I believe he was overshadowed by Sergio Busquets during the World Cup . I haven't followed the French or Turkish league. I remember Eden Hazard as one of the great promises of European football, is gratifying to know about him, while if Diego Lugano has continued his great regularity in Fenerbahçe definitely deserves mention.
I like him alot, and actually consider him underrated. Lass Diarra hasn't played well for Madrid since 08, and I'm not a huge fan of Busquets, but this is obviously your list. I think Alonso is one of the worlds best players, a guy that can dictate the tempo of the match from deep positions with wonderful vision and passing range, and a tremendous 2-way, transitional midfielder. And it seems that he has been rated highly by every manager he's ever played for for both club and country.
^ You could probably throw Harry Redknapp into that list as well, he's done a remarkable job with Tottenham.
I agree. Also, I would include Fernando Llorente. He has done very well for club and been solid for country. He has attracted the attention of Real Madrid, Barca, etc. Banega also had a great club term last season and did really well for Argentina when they humiliated Spain.
Redknapps work with Tottenhm, whilst commendabe, is getting massively over rated. Yes, as he never tires of reminding us, they had 2 points from 8 games when he tok over, and now they're in the CL, but let's look at this logiacally. When he took over, he took over a great side with brilliant players which was massively under-performing. Since then it's seen significant investment in the shape of Crouch (£12m), Defoe (£16m), Modric (£16m), Krancjar (£3m), Kaboul (£9.5m), Giovanni Dos Santos (£7m), Sandro (£7m), Van Der Vaart(£7m), Gomes(£7m) and Pavlyuchenko (£12m) amongst others. When you consider that players like Jenas, Huddlestone, Lennon and Keane were not cheap either, Redknapps work is not especially eye catching.
I forgot that list. Until now I've them: DT VAN MARWIJK, Bert (Netherlands) DT MOURINHO, José (Inter Milan / Real Madrid) DT GUARDIOLA, Josep (Barcelona) DT ANCELOTTI, Carlo (Chelsea) DT REDKNAPP, Harry (Tottenham Hotspur) DT DEL BOSQUE, Vicente (Spain) DT EMERY, Unai (Valencia) DT TABÁREZ, Óscar Wáshington (Uruguay) DT QUIQUE FLORES (Atletico Madrid) DT REJA, Edoardo (Hajduk Split / Lazio) DT DESCHAMPS, Didier (Olympique Marseille) DT VAN GAAL, Louis (Bayern Münich)
I was intending an epic post for this later (may still materialise). My team of the year for 2010: -----------Julio Cesar Maicon --- Lucio -----Pique ---- Cole ----Schweinsteiger -- Xavi --------------Sneijder Messi ----------------------Villa ---------------Milito Nominations: GK Iker Casillas Joe Hart Hugo Lloris Victor Valdes RB: Dani Alves Branislav Ivanovic Philip Lahm Sergio Ramos LB: Fabio Coentrao Patrice Evra John Arne Riise Javier Zanetti CB Leonardo Bonucci Douglas Simon Kjaer David Luiz Per Mertesacker Alessandro Nesta Carles Puyol Walter Samuel Central midfield Xabi Alonso Ever Banega Sergio Busquets Esteban Cambiasso David Pizarro Sergei Semak Jeremy Toulalan Mark Van Bommel Attacking midfield Cesc Fabregas Lucho Gonzalez Frank Lampard Meszut Ozil Wingers and forwards Gareth Bale Samuel Eto’o Florent Malouda Thomas Muller Arjen Robben Cristiano Ronaldo Luis Suarez Carlos Tevez Strikers Didier Drogba Diego Forlan Gonzalo Higuain Wayne Rooney
A big "no no". He has always been overated but that's my opinion. However, this is not a point of view but a fact to say that he was the sux last year.
Whenever I saw him play for Lyon in the CL I thought he was outstanding. Once he got sent off against Bayern their hopes went out of the window.
Suarez has been in crap form since the World Cup but I guess the end of last season and the WC make up for it.
Sahin and Hummels have been very good this calender year as well. Arguably better than some of the players already listed.
Same with Kagawa. Frank Lampard, on the list, sadly has only played but a handful of matches this season.
As has been pointed out though Lampard still managed to score 18 league goals this calendar year. Many other midfielders topped that?
As good as Kagawa's been, I'd be apprehensive about including someone like him, simply for the fact that he's only really been playing well since early September. If you're considering players who've performed for all of 2010, and not simply the 2010/11 season, then there are probably a whole host of players who deserve a place ahead of him.
Agreed...But still, Lampard only played half a season. Agreed...Kagawa has only played half a season. So if we include Lamps, safe to say we could make an argument for Kagawa as both have played roughly the same amount during 2010.