Player Rankings

Kicker’s traditional player ranking started today. Only the 2003 season part is counting for that:

GOALIES

World Class:
-

International Class:
1 Jens Lehmann, 33, Dortmund
2 Oliver Kahn, 34, Bayern
3 Rein van Duijnhoven, 35, Bochum
4 Tim Wiese, 21, Kaiserslautern
5 Frank Rost, 29, Schalke

Further Circle:
6 Timo Hildebrand, 24, Stuttgart
7 Claus Reitmaier, 39, Wolfsburg
8 Andre Lenz, 29, Cottbus
9 Simon Jentzsch, 27, 1860
10 Darius Kampa, 26, Nuremberg
11 Roman Weidenfeller, 22, Dortmund

Take a look at:
Pascal Borel, 24, Bremen; Gabor Kiraly, 27, Berlin; Martin Pieckenhagen, 31, Hamburg; Mathias Schober, 27, Rostock; Jörg Stiel, 35, M’gladbach

 

Ranking Central Defenders:

World Class:
---

International Class:
---

Further Circle:
1 Thomas Linke, 33, Bayern
2 Nico-Jan Hoogma, 34, Hamburg
3 Robert Kovac, 29, Bayern
4 Mladen Kristajic, 29, Bremen
5 Christoph Metzelder, 22, Dortmund
6 Sammy Kuffour, 26, Bayern
7 Vinicius, 22, Hannover
8 Bastian Reinhardt, 27, Bielefeld
9 Tomas Ujfalusi, 25, Hamburg
10 Ahmed Madouni, 22, Dortmund
11 Marcelo Bordon, 27, Stuttgart
12 Christian Wörns, 30, Dortmund

Focus:
Vragel da Silva, 29, Cottbus; Delano Hill, 28, Rostock; Andreas Jakobsson, 30, Rostock; Juan, 24, Leverkusen; Alexander Knavs, 27, Kaiserslautern; Marcelo Pletsch, 27, Gladbach, Hany Ramzy, 34, Kaiserslautern


Note: Lucio did not play enough games, otherwise he’d be number one. Beckenbauer agrees to this list in his comment, but misses Bremen’s Frank Verlaat. If I’m just focusing on the further circle I would not rate Kuffour in there (I did not even know that he passes the minimum number of games), also Madouni is not on this level yet. From the focus I think that Hill might be a category higher. My top five (all are in the right section) is: Ujfalusi, Kristajic, Bordon, Vinicius, Kovac


Ranking of the Backers

World Class:
---

International Class:
1 Willy Sagnol, 26, Bayern

Further Circle:
2 Arne Friedrich, 24, Berlin
3 Andreas Hinkel, 21, Stuttgart
4 Bill Tchato, 28, Kaiserslautern
5 Niels Oude Kamphuis, 25, Schalke
6 Dede, 25, Dortmund
7 Bixente Lizarazu, 33, Bayern
8 Bernd Hollerbach, 33, Hamburg

Focus:
Marcio Borges, 30, Bielefeld; Milan Fukal, 28, Hamburg; Heiko Gerber, 30, Stuttgart; Michael Hartmann, 28, Berlin; Torben Hoffmann, 28, 1860; Thomas Rytter, 29, Wolfsburg


I’m not quite satisfied with this choice. For me Lizarazu should change his spot with Sagnol. Friedrich on two is okay, but he might be considered international class as well. Otherwise it is okay, except that I’d exchange Fukal and Hollerbach.

 

Wings, offence

World Class:
---

International Class:
1 Mehdi Mahdavikia, 25, Hamburg

Further Circle:
2 Jiri Stajner, 27, Hannover
3 Ze Roberto, 28, Bayern
4 Jose Dominguez, 29, Lautern
5 Jörg Böhme, 29, Schalke
6 Owen Hargreaves, 22, Bayern

Focus on:
Sergej Barbarez, 31, Hamburg; Paul Freier, 23, Bochum; Marcel Ketelaer, 25, Gladbach.


Manfred Kaltz sees Ze Roberto on 2, Hargreaves 3, Böhme 4, Barbarez and Freier a category higher and Ketelaer not in the list. My view is Ze Roberto international class on rank 2, Böhme down to focus, Freier behind Stajner, Barbarez on the last spot of the circle and Ketelaer out.



Defensive Midfield:

World Class:
---

International Class:
1 Michael Ballack, 26, Bayern
2 Zvonimir Soldo, 35, Stuttgart

Further Circle:
3 Altin Lala, 27, Hannover
4 Jens Jeremies, 29, Bayern
5 Godfried Aduobe, 27, Rostock
6 Fabian Ernst, 24, Bremen
7 Ciriaco Sforza, 33, Lautern
8 Marcel Maltritz, 24, Hamburg
9 Collin Benjamin, 24, Hamburg

Focus:
Stefan Beinlich, 31, Berlin; Pal Dardai, 27, Berlin; Torsten Frings, 26, Dortmund; Jaime, 30, Hannover; Rüdiger Kauf, 28, Bielefeld; Sven Kmetsch, 32, Schalke; Thorben Marx, 22, Berlin; Silvio Meißner, 30, Stuttgart; Carsten Ramelow, 29, Leverkusen; Pablo Thiam, 29, Wolfsburg


For all critics, kicker’s reason for Ballack not in the category world class: was not at the highest limit in the second season half; just three goals; just one international game in 2003. Lothar Matthäus: Jeremies is international class, Frings too deep, Kehl should be in. My take is that Ernst should be number 3, Aduobe and Benjamin down to focus, Frings, Jaime and Ramelow up to the further circle, Kehl up to focus.

 

Ranking Attacking Mids:

World Class:
---

International Class:
1 Marcelinho, 28, Hertha

Further Circle:
2 Krassimir Balakov, 37, Stuttgart
3 Tomas Rosicky, 22, Dortmund
4 Aliaksandr Hleb, 21, Stuttgart

Focus:
Nebosja Krupnikovic, 29, Hannover; Johan Micoud, 29, Bremen


Comment Thomas Häßler: Balakov was international class, Hleb better than Rosicky, Micoud and Krupnikovic further circle, Jarolim, Cardoso and Wosz in the focus. My take: Hleb ahead of Rosicky, Micoud bottom of further circle.



Ranking Forwards:

World Class:
---

International Class:
1 Giovane Elber, 30, Bayern
2 Jan Koller, 30, Dortmund

Further Circle:
3 Thomas Christiansen, 30, Bochum
4 Claudio Pizarro, 24, Bayern
5 Mikael Forssell, 22, Gladbach
6 Tomislav Maric, 30, Wolfsburg
7 Kevin Kuranyi, 21, Stuttgart
8 Miroslav Klose, 25, Lautern
9 Fredi Bobic, 31, Hannover
10 Michael Preetz, 35, Berlin

Focus:
Vahid Hashemian, 26, Bochum; Benjamin Lauth, 21, 1860; Vratislav Lokvenc, 29, Lautern; Bernardo Romeo, 25, Hamburg; Marko Topic, 27, Cottbus; Artur Wichniarek, 26, Bielefeld.


Comment Klaus Fischer: everything’s right. My take: I got problems with Elber on 1 after months without road goal and actually he is everything but top in the minutes/goal relation; because of that I’d rate Koller higher, who is a different kind of forward (unlike Elber not the scoring forward). On 3 I rate Bobic, who is international class – he proved that in the NT (what better base could you have for international standard if not international games?) where he was the only reliable scorer. For me Forssell is at least the best player in the further circle, if not number 4 in the international class. Preetz should not be in the list, the rest is okay.


I’ll put it in here as well: the kicker reader vote for their favourite players (explicit: not only sportive criteria count); 32.000 voted. The top 3 for each position:

GOAL
1 Kahn 24.7%
2 Wiese 11.8
3 Jentzsch 8.2

CENTRAL DEFENCE
1 Linke 19.8
2 Lucio 15.1
3 Bordon 12.7

BACKERS
1 Friedrich 30.9
2 Hinkel 21.3
3 Lizarazu 13.5

WINGS
1 Freier 23.6
2 Mahdavikia 22.4
3 Ze Roberto 20.4

DEFENSIVE MIDS
1 Ballack 46.3
2 Jeremies 10.0
3 Frings 9.5

ATTACKING MIDS
1 Balakov 22.1
2 Hleb 18.8
3 Marcelinho 16.7

FORWARDS
1 Bobic 22.8
2 Elber 22.1
3 Christiansen 12.2

COACHES
1 Magath 39.6
2 Gerets 14.7
3 Hitzfeld 11.5

 

1 - the ranking was released in the Monday printed editions of kicker. The reader poll was completely in yesterday.

2 - Marcelo Bordon is Brazilian, born 1976, came from FC Sao Paulo in 1999. He's a tall central defender, one of Stuttgart's key players. Very dynamic, good distance shot.