Thanks o lot for your response. I will allow to comment. MALDINI: I guess you´re right. I might have him a bit too low. The reason for this is that in my (and my friends) opinion Maldini was no longer "flashy" at this stage. We loved the "new" ones much more Samuel, Ayala, Ferdinand, Lucio, Cannavaro, Nesta etc. However, these rankings should reflect overall worldwide opinions and in that regard I guess you´re right. I will move him up a bit for 2003+2004. DIDA: When I left him out in 2004 I knew someone (in this forum or the other forums where I post this) would comment. Fair enough. I/We just never saw anything i Dida - NEVER! We saw him as a typically error-prone South American keeper who would have his occasionally world-class super saves. However, once again - this is worldwide so I´ll bring him in for 2004 (he is already in for 2005 which was his peak after my opinion). RONALDINHO: I´ll admit I do not remember 100% either for summer 2003. What I do remember is this. I´m a loyal Manchester U supporter (has been for 44 years). In the summer of 2003 I seriously regarded David Beckham as one of the worlds finest players. I almost cried when he fell out with Fergie and was to be sold. However, when I heard Ronaldinho were to become his heir I immediately forgot all about Becks as I saw Ronaldinho as the 2003 version of the 2025 Lamine Yamal/Kylian Mbappe. That´s what I remember clearly from summer 2003 and hence I must rank Ronnie very high already that year. (You can imagine how I felt when United sold Becks but Ronaldinho never came. However, United bought someone unknown called Cristiano instead!) Again thanks a lot for your response. Very helpful.
TOP 100 BEST FOOTBALLERS - AUGUST 2005: GOLD: RONALDINHO (Barcelona) SILVER: Thierry HENRY (Arsenal) BRONZE: Andriy SHEVCHENKO (AC Milan) 4: ADRIANO (Inter) 5: Steven GERRARD (Liverpool) 6: Samuel ETO´O (Barcelona) 7: Michael BALLACK (Bayern) 8: Frank LAMPARD (Chelsea) 9: KAKA (AC Milan) 10: Ruud VAN NISTELROOY (Manchester U) 11: Zinedine ZIDANE (Real Madrid) 12: Wayne ROONEY (Manchester U) 13: Alessandro NESTA (AC Milan) 14: RONALDO (Real Madrid) 15: John TERRY (Chelsea) 16: Francesco TOTTI (Roma) 17: Paolo MALDINI (AC Milan) 18: Claude MAKELELE (Chelsea) 19: Patrick VIEIRA (Arsenal) 20: DECO (Barcelona) 21: Juan Roman RIQUELME (Villarreal) 22: Alessandro DEL PIERO (Juventus) 23: Pavel NEDVED (Juventus) 24: Fabio CANNAVARO (Juventus) 25: Didier DROGBA (Chelsea) 26: Roy MAKAAY (Bayern) 27: Michael ESSIEN (Lyon) 28: David TREZEGEUT (Juventus) 29: EMERSON (Juventus) 30: Rio FERDINAND (Manchester U) 31: Arjen ROBBEN (Chelsea) 32: Roy KEANE (Manchester U) 33: Gianluigi BUFFON (Juventus) 34: JUNINHO Pernambucano (Lyon) 35: Cristiano RONALDO (Manchester U) 36: Paul SCHOLES (Manchester U) 37: Ashley COLE (Arsenal) 38: Ricardo CARVALHO (Chelsea) 39: Carles PUYOL (Barcelona) 40: Zlatan IBRAHIMOVIC (Juventus) 41: LUCIO (Bayern) 42: Gianluca ZAMBROTTA (Juventus) 43: Petr CECH (Chelsea) 44: Andrea PIRLO (AC Milan) 45: Clarence SEEDORF (AC Milan) 46: Luis FIGO (Real Madrid) 47: Robert PIRES (Arsenal) 48: David BECKHAM (Real Madrid) 49: Hernan CRESPO (AC Milan) 50: Mark VAN BOMMEL (PSV) 51: Gennaro GATTUSO (AC Milan) 52: RAUL (Real Madrid) 53: XAVI Hernandez (Barcelona) 54: JOAQUIN (Betis) 55: Lilian THURAM (Juventus) 56: Roberto CARLOS (Real Madrid) 57: CAFU (AC Milan) 58: David VILLA (Valencia) 59: Alberto GILARDINO (Parma) 60: VICENTE (Valencia) 61: Fernando TORRES (Atletico Madrid) 62: DIDA (AC Milan) 63: Julio BAPTISTA (Sevilla) 64: Iker CASILLAS (Real Madrid) 65: Michael OWEN (Real Madrid) 66: Ryan GIGGS (Manchester U) 67: Antonio CASSANO (Roma) 68: Joe COLE (Chelsea) 69: LUIS GARCIA (Liverpool) 70: Fernando MORIENTES (Liverpool) 71: Lionel MESSI (Barcelona) 72: Xabi ALONSO (Liverpool) 73: Walter SAMUEL (Real Madrid) 74: Roberto AYALA (Valencia) 75: Luca TONI (Palermo) 76: Alexander HLEB (Stuttgart) 77: SIMAO Sabrosa (Benfica) 78: Jose Antonio REYES (Arsenal) 79: William GALLAS (Chelsea) 80: Jaap STAM (AC Milan) 81: Mauro CAMORANESI (Juventus) 82: Johan MICOUD (Werder Bremen) 83: Ludovic GIULY (Barcelona) 84: Mahamadou DIARRA (Lyon) 85: Javier ZANETTI (Inter) 86: Carlos TEVEZ (Corinthians) 87: ROBINHO (Santos) 88: Dirk KUYT (Feyenoord) 89: Miroslav KLOSE (Werder Bremen) 90: Rafael MARQUEZ (Bracelona) 91: Sami HYYPIÄ (Liverpool) 92: Jorge ANDRADE (Deportivo) 93: Sol CAMPBELL (Arsenal) 94: Giovani VAN BRONCKHORST (Barcelona) 95: Willy SAGNOL (Bayern) 96: CICINHO (Sao Paolo) 97: Shaun WRIGHT-PHILLIPS (Manchester C) 98: Martin DEMICHELIS (Bayern) 99: Ivan HELGUERA (Real Madrid) 100: Maxi RODRIGUEZ (Atletico Madrid) 1: GIANLUIGI BUFFON – JUVENTUS There was talk in Italy that he wasn´t even the best in Serie A anymore. Dida was. He was also on the brink of being surpassed by Petr Cech. In Spain there was even talk about Casillas being the best. My personal number one at this point was Petr Cech and I didn´t consider it twice back then! However, I want to pick the worldwide consensus name, and I still believe this name was Buffon. Safe to say it was pretty close at this stage. 2: CAFU – AC MILAN Past his physically peak but still the best RB around. 3: ASHLEY COLE – ARSENAL At last Roberto Carlos was dethroned. In my opinion there hasn´t been a better LB in the world since Ashley Cole! I guess Zambrotta was his closest rival at this point. 4: ALESSANDRO NESTA – AC MILAN These damn injuries! However, he was still the reference point in regard to elite CB. 5: JOHN TERRY – CHELSEA It was a time in world soccer where we were spoilt for choices at CB. After a sensational season I think Terry just might have had the edge on Cannavaro, Puyol and Rio Ferdinand, Madini, Carvalho and Lucio. 6: CLAUDE MAKELELE – CHELSEA Never understood why Real Madrid let him leave. He did so well that he had the defensive midfield role named after him and this was his absolute peak. 7: STEVEN GERRARD – LIVERPOOL Captain Fantastic. How he spurred his teammates on to complete the Miracle of Istanbul will never be forgotten. Mind you he was utter world-class even without that performance. 8: MICHAEL BALLACK – BAYERN I really believe Ballack is underrated in terms of how he is remembered. From around 2002 until around 2008 he was one of the best and most feared midfielders in the world. At least until he was transferred to Chelsea and had this first tough season, I believe he was better than Lampard. The undisputed leader of the German national team and back then that was some feat. 9: ANDRIY SHEVCHENKO – AC MILAN This was the toughest position to pick. Was it Adriano? – he was so immense everybody called him the new Ronaldo Nazario. Was it Eto´o who excelled in his first season in Catalunya together with Ronaldinho? or was it still Sheva? There was clearly no right and no wrong. It was a matter of who you asked. 10: RONALDINHO – BARCELONA I might get stoned for this, but I enjoyed Ronaldinho more than I ever enjoyed Messi. I enjoyed the Ronaldinho-Eto´o combo more than I ever enjoyed the Suarez-Neymar-Messi trio. For me Ronaldinho is the pinnacle of fun players to watch since El Diego! By Summer 2005 clearly the finest the world had to offer. 11: THIERRY HENRY – ARSENAL Had it not been for Ronaldinho he would still be the best in the world. I´ve said it before and I´ll say it again. The best player to ever grace The Premier League. I don´t understand how this can even be discussed. BENCH: CECH – SAGNOL – ZAMBROTTA – CANNAVARO - MALDINI – VIEIRA – LAMPARD – KAKA – ETO´O – ADRIANO MANAGER: JOSE MOURINHO UEFA CUP 2003 – CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2004 – PREMIER LEAGUE 2005. He was now regarded as the best coach in the world. GOLDEN BOY: 1: Wayne ROONEY – MANCHESTER U 2: CRISTIANO RONALDO – MANCHESTER U 3: LIONEL MESSI – BARCELONA 4: OBAFEMI MARTINS – INTER 5: LUKAS PODOLSKI – FC COLOGNE 6: SERGIO RAMOS – SEVILLA 7: DIEGO - FC PORTO 8 LUKA MODRIC - DINAMO ZAGREB 9: VINCENT KOMPANY - ANDERLECHT 10: IGOR AKINFEEV - CSKA MOSCOW
THE 100 BEST FOOTBALLERS AUGUST 2006: GOLD: RONALDINHO (Barcelona) SILVER: Thierry HENRY (Arsenal) BRONZE: Samuel ETO´O (Barcelona) 4: KAKA (AC Milan) 5: Zinedine ZIDANE (Real Madrid) 6: Steven GERRARD (Liverpool) 7: Michael BALLACK (Bayern) 8: Fabio CANNAVARO (Juventus) 9: Frank LAMPARD (Chelsea) 10: Cristiano RONALDO (Manchester U) 11: Gianluigi BUFFON (Juventus) 12: Wayne ROONEY (Manchester U) 13: Andriy SHEVCHENKO (AC Milan) 14: Alessandro NESTA (AC Milan) 15: Andrea PIRLO (AC Milan) 16: Francesco TOTTI (Roma) 17: John TERRY (Chelsea) 18: ADRIANO (Inter) 19: Ruud VAN NISTELROOY (Manchester U) 20: Didier DROGBA (Chelsea) 21: Luca TONI (Fiorentina) 22: Juan Roman RIQUELME (Villarreal) 23: Claude MAKELELE (Chelsea) 24: Patrick VIEIRA (Juventus) 25: Michael ESSIEN (Chelsea) 26: Rio FERDINAND (Manchester U) 27: Gianluca ZAMBROTTA (Juventus) 28: Lilian THURAM (Juventus) 29: Gennaro GATTUSO (AC Milan) 30: EMERSON (Juventus) 31: Paul SCHOLES (Manchester U) 32: RAUL (Real Madrid) 33: Cesc FABREGAS (Arsenal) 34: Arjen ROBBEN (Chelsea) 35: DECO (Barcelona) 36: Ashley COLE (Arsenal) 37: Ricardo CARVALHO (Chelsea) 38: Roberto AYALA (Valencia) 39: Luis FIGO (Inter) 40: JUNINHO Pernambucano (Lyon) 41: Hernan CRESPO (Chelsea) 42: Fernando TORRES (Atletico Madrid) 43: David VILLA (Valencia) 44: Xabi ALONSO (Liverpool) 45: Carles PUYOL (Barcelona) 46: XAVI Hernandez (Barcelona) 47: Zlatan IBRAHIMOVIC (Juventus) 48: Lionel MESSI (Barcelona) 49: RONALDO (Real Madrid) 50: Franck RIBERY (Marseille) 51: LUCIO (Bayern) 52: David TREZEGEUT (Juventus) 53: Alessandro DEL PIERO (Juventus) 54: Iker CASILLAS (Real Madrid) 55: Pavel NEDVED (Juventus) 56: Clarence SEEDORF (AC Milan) 57: CAFU (AC Milan) 58: Roberto CARLOS (Real Madrid) 59: Sergio RAMOS (Real Madrid) 60: Philipp LAHM (Bayern) 61: Roy MAKAAY (Bayern) 62: Dani ALVES (Sevilla) 63: Ze ROBERTO (Bayern) 64: Robert PIRES (Arsenal) 65: Joe COLE (Chelsea) 66: Daniele DE ROSSI (Roma) 67: Lukas PODOLSKI (FC Cologne) 68: Miroslav KLOSE (Werder Bremen) 69: Carlos TEVEZ (Corinthians) 70: Mark VAN BOMMEL (Barcelona) 71: Walter SAMUEL (Inter) 72: Torsten FRINGS (Werder Bremen) 73: William GALLAS (Chelsea) 74: Wesley SNEIJDER (Ajax) 75: ROBINHO (Real Madrid) 76: Marcos SENNA (Villarreal) 77: Javier MASCHERANO (Corinthians) 78: JOAQUIN (Betis) 79: Owen HARGREAVES (Bayern) 80: Alberto GILARDINO (AC Milan) 81: Edwin VAN DER SAR (Manchester U) 82: Willy SAGNOL (Bayern) 83: Mahamadou DIARRA (Lyon) 84: Tomas ROSICKY (Dortmund) 85: Eric ABIDAL (Lyon) 86: Esteban CAMBIASSO (Inter) 87: Maxi RODRIGUEZ (Atletico Madrid) 88: Jens LEHMANN (Arsenal) 89: DIDA (AC Milan) 90: CICINHO (Real Madrid) 91: Florent MALOUDA (Lyon) 92: Cristian CHIVU (Inter) 93: Marco MATARAZZI (Inter) 94: Gilberto SILVA (Arsenal) 95: Dimitar BERBATOV (Leverkusen) 96: Ludovic GUILY (Barcelona) 97: Javier ZANETTI (Inter) 98: Mauro CAMORANESI (Juventus) 99: Dirk KUYT (Feyenoord) 100: Pedro PAULETA (Paris SG) 100: LUCHO Gonzalez (FC Porto) BEST XI: 1: GIANLUIGI BUFFON – JUVENTUS Had it not been for the World Cup then surely, I would put Petr Cech here. But the World Cup just gave Buffon the edge once more. 2: GIANLUCA ZAMBROTTA – JUVENTUS Zambrotta was now the best full-back on the planet. If not before the World Cup then after it. 3: ASHLEY COLE – ARSENAL Not his best season but he was still the best left-back the world had to offer. That is of course when Zambrotta is moved to the right which his versatility allowed. 4: FABIO CANNAVARO – JUVENTUS Among the best but not the best or even the second best before the World Cup. However, there is no way around him after the World Cup. The best defender in the world. 5: ALESSANDRO NESTA – AC MILAN Nesta vs Terry. That was probably a question of whether you were a Premier League fan or not. Nonbiased Premier League fans would say Terry. 6: CLAUDE MAKELELE – CHELSEA For a pure DM Gattuso could have been the pick. I just feel Chelsea was the best club team in the world at that exact moment and Makelele controlled that midfield. 7: STEVEN GERRARD – LIVERPOOL Stevie G – Captain Fantastic. Even if I never ever supported Liverpool, I was in awe. 8: KAKA – AC MILAN Nearing his Ballon d´Or peak, he was now one of the best players in the world. 9: SAMUEL ETO´O – BARCELONA This was his absolute peak. What a fabulous and watchable player he was. 10: THIERRY HENRY – ARSENAL This was his last season of his absolute peak seasons. So close to adding a Champions League medal. 11: RONALDINHO – BARCELONA He couldn´t produce the goods at the World Cup where he flopped big time. However, he had been the best player in the world for around two years, and he was probably Player of the Season 2005/2006 before the World Cup. So, he deservedly keeps the no one spot for one more year. SUBS: CECH – CAFU – CARLOS – TERRY – FERDINAND – PIRLO – BALLACK – LAMPARD – ZIDANE – ROONEY – CRISTIANO RONALDO JOSE MOURINHO - CHELSEA There was no shortage of candidates around this time. Lippi, Capello, Rijkaard, Wenger and Ferguson to name a few. Of course, Lippi or Rijkaard would win a Manager of the Season award. However, The Special One had made his Chelsea team the best in the world. He had an aura at the time that made him the best around. GOLDEN BOY: 1: Cesc FABGREGAS – ARSENAL 2: Lionel MESSI – BARCELONA 3: Sergio RAMOS – REAL MADRID 4: Sergio KÜN AGÜERO – ATLETICO MADRID 5: Theo WALCOTT – ARSENAL 6: Vincent KOMPANY – ANDERLECHT 7: David SILVA – CELTA VIGO 8: Gerard PIQUE – MANCHESTER U/ZARAGOZA 9: Valeri BOJINOV – FIORENTINA/JUVENTUS/MANCHESTER C 10: Hatem BEN ARFA - LYON
THE 100 BEST FOOTBALLERS AUGUST 2007: GOLD: KAKA (AC Milan) SILVER: Cristiano RONALDO (Manchester U) BRONZE: RONALDINHO (Barcelona) 4: Lionel MESSI (Barcelona) 5: Didier DROGBA (Chelsea) 6: Thierry HENRY (Arsenal) 7: Steven GERRARD (Liverpool) 8: Samuel ETO´O (Barcelona) 9: Wayne ROONEY (Manchester U) 10: Francesco TOTTI (Roma) 11: Andrea PIRLO (AC Milan) 12: Zlatan IBRAHIMOVIC (Inter) 13: Frank LAMPARD (Chelsea) 14: Ruud VAN NISTELROOY (Real Madrid) 15: Michael ESSIEN (Chelsea) 16: Paul SCHOLES (Manchester U) 17: Rio FERDINAND (Manchester U) 18: John TERRY (Chelsea) 19: Alessandro NESTA (AC Milan) 20: Cesc FABREGAS (Arsenal) 21: DECO (Barcelona) 22: Ashley COLE (Chelsea) 23: Petr CECH (Chelsea) 24: Gianluigi BUFFON (Juventus) 25: Fabio CANNAVARO (Real Madrid) 26: Clarence SEEDORF (AC Milan) 27: David VILLA (Valencia) 28: Michael BALLACK (Chelsea) 29: Dani ALVES (Sevilla) 30: Juan Roman RIQUELME (Villarreal) 31: Paolo MALDINI (AC Milan) 32: Gennaro GATTUSO (AC Milan) 33: XAVI Hernandez (Barcelona) 34: Ricardo CARVALHO (Chelsea) 35: Fernando TORRES (Atletico Madrid) 36: LUCIO (Bayern) 37: Danielle DE ROSSI (Roma) 38: Ryan GIGGS (Manchester U) 39: Carlos TEVEZ (West Ham) 40: Florent MALOUDA (Lyon) 41: Dimitar BERBATOV (Tottenham) 42: Wesley SNEIJDER (Ajax) 43: Arjen ROBBEN (Chelsea) 44: David SILVA (Valencia) 45: Owen HARGREAVES (Bayern) 45: Luca TONI (Fiorentina) 47: ROBINHO (Real Madrid) 48: Andriy SHEVCHENKO (Chelsea) 49: David TREZEGEUT (Juventus) 50: Dejan STANKOVIC (Inter) 51: Sergio RAMOS (Real Madrid) 52: Andres INIESTA (Barcelona) 53: David SUAZO (Cagliari) 54: Iker CASILLAS (Real Madrid) 55: Hernan CRESPO (Inter) 56: Javier ZANETTI (Inter) 57: Roberto AYALA (Valencia) 58: Miroslav KLOSE (Werder Bremen) 59: Joe COLE (Chelsea) 60: Franck RIBERY (Marseille) 61: Edwin VAN DER SAR (Manchester U) 62: EMERSON (Real Madrid) 63: DIEGO (Werder Bremen) 64: Carles PUYOL (Barcelona) 65: RONALDO (Real Madrid) 66: ZE ROBERTO (Santos) 67: ALEX (PSV) 68: SIMAO Sabrosa (Benfica) 69: JUNINHO Pernambucano (Lyon) 70: David ALBELDA (Valencia) 71: William GALLAS (Arsenal) 72: Frederic KANOUTE (Sevilla) 73: Diego FORLAN (Villarreal) 74: Pavel NEDVED (Juventus) 75: Kolo TOURE (Arsenal) 76: Torsten FRINGS (Werder Bremen) 77: Philipp LAHM (Bayern) 78: Gianluca ZAMBROTTA (Barcelona) 79: JOAQUIN (Valencia) 80: Javier MASCHERANO (Liverpool) 81: RAUL (Real Madrid) 82: Mahamdou DIARRA (Real Madrid) 83: Roberto CARLOS (Real Madrid) 84: Alessandro DEL PIERO (Juventus) 85: Maxi RODRIGUEZ (Atletico Madrid) 86: Nemanja VIDIC (Manchester U) 87: Robin VAN PERSIE (Arsenal) 88: Rafael VAN DER VAART (HSV) 89: Patrick VIEIRA (Inter) 90: Ricardo QUARESMA (FC Porto) 91: PEPE (FC Porto) 92: EDUARDO Da Silva (D Zagreb) 93: Filippo INZAGHI (AC Milan) 94: MAICON (Inter) 95: Adrian MUTU (Fiorentina) 96: Claude MAKELELE (Chelsea) 97: Raul ALBIOL (Valencia) 98: Mark VAN BOMMEL (Bayern) 99: YAYA Toure (Monaco) 100: Roy MAKAAY (Bayern) BEST XI: 1: PETR CECH – CHELSEA As mentioned in previous editions, my personal opinion was that Cech was already ahead of Buffon in 2005+2006 but I felt Buffon was the consensus pick. This season, however, Buffon played in Serie B and Cech must get at least one year as the no. 1 in the world because he really was the best for at least one year. So, I´ve chosen 2007. 2: DANI ALVES – SEVILLA The new sensation at RB. Already the best in the world in his position. 3: ASHLEY COLE – CHELSEA Stays as the best LB in the world. A true legend. 4: JOHN TERRY – CHELSEA It could have been All Italian with Cannavaro and Nesta. I´ve chosen All English because that´s the way we saw it back then where I come from. I´m not totally sure about European consensus at this point but I believe it was so close that it isn’t wrong to go All English. 5: RIO FERDINAND – MANCHESTER U He had restored global recognition. The following years Vidic would get more attention so this might be his peak. 6: ANDREA PIRLO – AC MILAN Back then my personal pick would be Fabregas. However, Pirlo was bossing the midfield of a Champions League winning team, so I think he was the consensus pick. 7: STEVEN GERRARD – LIVERPOOL The best Box-to-box midfielder of his era. He will stay in the team for another year. 8: KAKA – AC MILAN He was phenomenal this season. Especially in the Champions League where he demolished Man United. I remember I clearly felt he was deserving of his Ballon d´Or. 9: DIDIER DROGBA – CHELSEA The best striker in the world this season. He might even be the best player in the world in this season. In a Player of The Season Award he would at least get second place. What a beast. 10: RONALDINHO – BARCELONA Declining – surely. But not yet enough to throw him out the window. He would still be Barcelona´s best player but only for a few weeks more. 11: CRISTIANO RONALDO – MANCHESTER U The third best player this season after Kaka and Drogba. A phenomenal season and if his ascending to superstardom hadn´t started earlier it had surely started now. BENCH: BUFFON – RAMOS – ZAMBROTTA - CANNAVARO – NESTA – ESSIEN – LAMPARD – MESSI – ETO´O – HENRY MANAGER: CARLO ANCELOTTI – AC MILAN This is tough because once again I have to go against my own opinion. Ancelotti must be the pick due to his Champions League exploits. However, as I saw it back then I preferred both Mourinho and Fergie. GOLDEN BOY: 1: Lionel MESSI – Barcelona 2: Cesc FABREGAS – Arsenal 3: Sergio AGÜERO – Atl. Madrid 4: Alexandre PATO – AC Milan 5: Samir NASRI – Marseille 6: Hatem BEN ARFA – Lyon 7: Karim BENZEMA – Lyon 8: Giovanni DOS SANTOS – Barcelona 9: Gerard PIQUE – Zaragoza/Manchester U 10: NANI – Sporting Lissabon
THE 100 BEST FOOTBALLERS - AUGUST 2008: GOLD: Cristiano RONALDO (Manchester U) SILVER: KAKA (AC Milan) BRONZE: Lionel MESSI (Barcelona) 4: Fernando TORRES (Liverpool) 5: David VILLA (Valencia) 6: Zlatan IBRAHIMOVIC (Inter) 7: Samuel ETO´O (Barcelona) 8: Steven GERRARD (Liverpool) 9: Didier DROGBA (Chelsea) 10: Frank LAMPARD (Chelsea) 11: Wayne ROONEY (Manchester U) 12: Sergio AGÜERO (Atl. Madrid) 13: Franck RIBERY (Bayern) 14: XAVI Hernandez (Barcelona) 15: Cesc FABREGAS (Arsenal) 16: Rio FERDINAND (Manchester U) 17: John TERRY (Chelsea) 18: Dani ALVES (Sevilla) 19: Iker CASILLAS (Real Madrid) 20: Michael ESSIEN (Chelsea) 21: Wesley SNEIJDER (Real Madrid) 22: Michael BALLACK (Chelsea) 23: ROBINHO (Real Madrid) 24: Ruud VAN NISTELROOY (Real Madrid) 25: Luca TONI (Bayern) 26: Carlos TEVEZ (Manchester U) 27: Sergio RAMOS (Real Madrid) 28: Nemanja VIDIC (Manchester U) 29: Andres INIESTA (Barcelona) 30: Emmanuel ADEBAYOR (Arsenal) 31: Thierry HENRY (Barcelona) 32: Rafael VAN DER VAART (HSV) 33: Danielle DE ROSSI (Roma) 34: Gianluigi BUFFON (Juventus) 35: Alessandro DEL PIERO (Juventus) 36: Ashley COLE (Chelsea) 37: Arjen ROBBEN (Real Madrid) 38: DECO (Barcelona) 39: Dimitar BERBATOV (Tottenham) 40: Andrey ARSHAVIN (Arsenal) 41: Esteban CAMBIASSO (Inter) 42: Ricardo CARVALHO (Chelsea) 43: Francesco TOTTI (Roma) 44: Andrea PIRLO (AC Milan) 45: RAUL (Real Madrid) 46: Petr CECH (Chelsea) 47: MAICON (Inter) 48: Javier MASCHERANO (Liverpool) 49: David SILVA (Valencia) 50: Luis FABIANO (Sevilla) 51: Patrice EVRA (Manchester U) 52: Seydou KEITA (Sevilla) 53: Joe COLE (Chelsea) 54: Marcos SENNA (Villarreal) 55: RONALDINHO (Barcelona) 56: Alessandro NESTA (AC Milan) 57: Fabio CANNAVARO (Real Madrid) 58: NIHAT Kahvechi (Villarreal) 59: David TREZEGEUT (Juventus) 60: Anatoliy TYMOSHCUCK (Zenit) 61: DIEGO (Werder Bremen) 62: DANNY (Dynamo Moscow) 63: Cristian CHIVU (Roma) 64: Philipp LAHM (Bayern) 65: PEPE (Real Madrid) 66: Carles PUYOL (Barcelona) 67: Jose BOSINGWA (FC Porto) 68: Karim BENZEMA (Lyon) 69: Javier ZANETTI (Inter) 70: Luka MODRIC (D Zagreb) 71: Edwin VAN DER SAR (Manchester U) 72: Giorgio CHIELLINI (Juventus) 73: YAYA Toure (Barcelona) 74: Gennaro GATTUSO (AC Milan) 75: Florent MALOUDA (Chelsea) 76: Ricardo QUARESMA (FC Porto) 77: Alexander HLEB (Arsenal) 78: Diego FORLAN (Atl. Madrid) 79: Bastian SCHWEINSTEIGER (Bayern) 80: Mario GOMEZ (Stuttgart) 81: Miroslav KLOSE (Bayern) 82: Rafael MARQUEZ (Barcelona) 83: Roque SANTA CRUZ (Blackburn) 84: Owen HARGREAVES (Manchester U) 85: Pavel NEDVED (Juventus) 86: JUNINHO Pernambucano (Lyon) 87: Mahamadou DIARRA (Real Madrid) 88: Yuri ZHIRKOV (CSKA Moscow) 89: XABI ALONSO (Liverpool) 90: Daniel GÜIZA (Mallorca) 91: Santi CAZORLA (Villarreal) 92: Klass-Jan HÜNTELAAR (Ajax) 93: AMAURI (Palermo) 94: SIMAO Sabrosa (Atletico Madrid) 95: Paul SCHOLES (Manchester U) 96: Mark VAN BOMMEL (Bayern) 97: LISANDRO Lopez (FC Porto) 98: LUCIO (Bayern) 99: Michael CARRICK (Manchester U) 100: Diego CAPEL (Sevilla) BEST XI 1: IKER CASILLAS – REAL MADRID Let it be said. We never rated Casillas. In fact, we thought he was one of the most overrated players ever. His shot stopping and super saves were world class, however, he would have been crushed in a more physical league. He was insure coming out for crosses and he couldn´t command his area like Schmeichel or Kahn. That´s our view. However, as said before these rankings should not be our opinion. Instead, I do my best to reflect a worldwide opinion, hence, Iker is the world’s best goalkeeper at this point. 2: DANI ALVES – SEVILLA Sensational and of course he would move to one of the best teams in the world. Ramos, Maicon, Bosingwa and Sagna were his closest rivals but they were nowhere near him. 3: ASHLEY COLE – CHELSEA Evra, Lahm, Abidal might have been better choices had it been a team of the season. Overall, Cole was still the best though. 4: RIO FERDINAND – MANCHESTER U The best ball playing centre-back in the world at this stage. 5: JOHN TERRY – CHELSEA Nesta was still respected. Puyol, Pepe, Chiellini, Vidic, Kolo Toure were emerging. 6: XAVI HERNANDEZ – BARCELONA Sensational in Spain´s quest for Euro glory and soon to become the cornerstone in Pep´s Barca team. This was still before his absolute peak though, so I was tempted to field Gerrard as DM and Lampard as AM. 7: STEVEN GERRARD – LIVERPOOL Lampard or Cesc it could have been but then Gerrard would have pushed Xavi to the bench. 8: KAKA – AC MILAN One year on from his Ballon d´Or and one year before his move to Madrid. Not at his Ballon d´Or level but still one of the very best players around. 9: FERNANDO TORRES – LIVERPOOL Sensational season and if I couldn´t remember it I would probably have a difficult time believing that he was in fact regarded as the best striker in the world at that exact moment. Luckily, I remember. Torres was the best in summer 2008. I have no doubt about this pick. 10: CRISTIANO RONALDO The best player in the world by this time. No questions asked. There are years throughout history where I´m having a little doubt whether I´ve picked the right number one. This year is NOT one of them. CR7 ruled the world. 11: LIONEL MESSI – BARCELONA We would have to wait another year before we truly began to see Messi´s peak. By summer 2008, he was a top 3 player in the world already though. MANAGER: ALEX FERGUSON – MANCHESTER U This was the peak of his THIRD legendary Manchester United team. Having already been knighted in 1999 he had now secured legendary status. GOLDEN BOY: 1: Sergio AGÜERO – Atletico Madrid 2: Alexandre PATO – AC Milan 3: ANDERSON – Manchester U 4: BOJAN Krkic – Barcelona 5: MARCELO – Real Madrid 6: Toni KROOS – Bayern 7: Theo WALCOTT – Arsenal 8: Gio DOS SANTOS – Barcelona/Tottenham 9: RAFAEL Da Silva – Manchester U 10: Ivan RAKITIC – Schalke 04
THE 100 BEST FOOTBALLER - AUGUST 2009: GOLD: Lionel MESSI (Barcelona) SILVER: Cristiano RONALDO (Manchester U) BRONZE: KAKA (AC Milan) 4: XAVI Hernandez (Barcelona) 5: Samuel ETO´O (Barcelona) 6: Andres INIESTA (Barcelona) 7: David VILLA (Valencia) 8: Fernando TORRES (Liverpool) 9: Zlatan IBRAHIMOVIC (Inter) 10: Steven GERRARD (Liverpool) 11: Wayne ROONEY (Manchester U) 12: Didier DROGBA (Chelsea) 13: Franck RIBERY (Bayern) 14: Frank LAMPARD (Chelsea) 15: Rio FERDINAND (Manchester U) 16: Cesc FABREGAS (Arsenal) 17: Thierry HENRY (Barcelona) 18: Michael ESSIEN (Chelsea) 19: Dani ALVES (Barcelona) 20: Sergio AGÜERO (Atletico Madrid) 21: Xabi ALONSO (Liverpool) 22: Nemanja VIDIC (Manchester U) 23: John TERRY (Chelsea) 24: Karim BENZEMA (Lyon) 25: DIEGO (Werder Bremen) 26: Danielle DE ROSSI (Roma) 27: Alexandre PATO (AC Milan) 28: Andrey ARSHAVIN (Arsenal) 29: Yaya TOURE (Barcelona) 30: Arjen ROBBEN (Real Madrid) 31: Michael BALLACK (Chelsea) 32: Carles PUYOL (Barcelona) 33: Diego FORLAN (Atl. Madrid) 34: ROBINHO (Manchester C) 35: Patrice EVRA (Manchester U) 36: Iker CASILLAS (Real Madrid) 37: Yoann GOURCUFF (Bordeaux) 38: MAICON (Inter) 39: Emmanuel ADEBAYOR (Arsenal) 40: Javier MASCHERANO (Liverpool) 41: Ashley COLE (Chelsea) 42: Edwin VAN DER SAR (Manchester U) 43: Wesley SNEIJDER (Real Madrid) 44: Dimitar BERBATOV (Manchester U) 45: Nicolas ANELKA (Chelsea) 46: Julio CECAR (Inter) 47: David SILVA (Valencia) 48: Sergio RAMOS (Real Madrid) 49: Gianluigi BUFFON (Juventus) 50: Frederic KANOUTE (Sevilla) 51: Ricardo CARVALHO (Chelsea) 52: Gerard PIQUE (Barcelona) 53: Gonzalo HIGUAIN (Real Madrid) 54: Andrea PIRLO (AC Milan) 55: Francesco TOTTI (Roma) 56: Esteban CAMBIASSO (Inter) 57: Mario GOMEZ (Stuttgart) 58: Philipp LAHM (Bayern) 59: Giorgio CHIELLINI (Juventus) 60: Edin DZEKO (Wolfsburg) 61: Diego MILITO (Genoa) 62: Luka MODRIC (Tottenham) 63: Robin VAN PERSIE (Arsenal) 64: Klass-Jan HÜNTELAAR (Ajax/Real Madrid) 65: Carlos TEVEZ (Manchester U) 66: GRAFITE (Wolfsburg) 67: RAUL (Real Madrid) 68: Luis FABIANO (Sevilla) 69: Alberto GILARDINO (Fiorentina) 70: Lassana DIARRA (Portsmouth/Real Madrid) 71: Felipe MELO (Fiorentina) 72: Petr CECH (Chelsea) 73: Thiago MOTTA (Genoa) 74: William GALLAS (Arsenal) 75: Jesus NAVAS (Sevilla) 76: Santi CAZORLA (Villarreal) 77: LUCIO (Bayern) 78: Gael CLICHY (Arsenal) 79: Antonio CASSANO (Sampdoria) 80: Alessandro DEL PIERO (Juventus) 81: Andre-Pierre GIGNAC (Toulouse) 82: Zvjezdan MISIMOVIC (Wolfsburg) 83: Ryan GIGGS (Manchester U) 84: Anatoliy TYMOSHCHUK (Zenit/Bayern) 85: Pepe REINA (Liverpool) 86: Marcos SENNA (Villarreal) 87: Eric ABIDAL (Barcelona) 88: PEPE (Real Madrid) 89: Fernando GAGO (Real Madrid) 90: Rafael VAN DER VAART (Real Madrid) 91: Juan MATA (Valencia) 92: Dirk KUYT (Liverpool) 93: Luis SUAREZ (Ajax) 94: Javier ZANETTI (Inter) 95: Mauro ZARATE (Lazio) 96: Mesut ÖZIL (Werder Bremen) 97: Michael CARRICK (Manchester U) 98: Michel BASTOS (Lille) 99: Marek HAMSIK (Napoli) 100: Ezequel LAVEZZI (Napoli) For anyone who loves the Messi vs Ronaldo thing – it´s now 1-1. I´ll keep the score between those two throughout. TEAM OF THE SEASON: VAN DER SAR; DANI ALVES – PATRICE EVRA – CARLES PUYOL – NEMANJA VIDIC; XAVI HERNANDEZ – ANDRES INIESTA – FRANCK RIBERY; LIONEL MESSI – CRISTIANO RONALDO – SAMUEL ETO´O - MANAGER: PEP GUARDIOLA BEST OVERALL XI – AUGUST 2009: 1: IKER CASILLAS – REAL MADRID He was not as hot as the year before just after the Euro´s. He was not our choice. In fact, he would even only be our fifth choice after Van der Sar, Cech, Cesar and Buffon. However, I´m still convinced Casillas was the pick if you asked worldwide. Hence, he continues in this team even if it hurts going so much against my own opinion. 2: DANI ALVES – BARCELONA Initially, I would say sure number one, but he was not. Maicon was breathing down his neck. Alves was sensational though and his move to Barca didn´t slow his reputation down – on the contrary. 3: PATRICE EVRA – MANCHESTER U It was a three-horse race at this stage. Evra vs Cole vs Lahm. This was Evra´s peak so if he was ever to warrant a place in this team it would be now. 4: CARLES PUYOL – BARCELONA Almost as always, the battle for places in central defence was tight. This was a four-horse race between Puyol, Ferdinand, Vidic and Terry. Puyol gets the nod due to being the most talked about this season after Barca´s CL triumph. Rio and Vidic had a slightly better season than Terry. Carvalho had dipped ever so slightly but enough not to be in contention. Chiellini and Pique weren´t quite there yet. 5: RIO FERDINAND – MANCHESTER U I think some would prefer Vidic. I would not – not yet anyway. 6: XAVI HERNANDEZ – BARCELONA The heartbeat of Spain - the World´s best NT – the heartbeat of Barcelona – the World´s best club team. Maybe the first name on the manager´s team sheet. 7: CRISTIANO RONALDO – MANCHESTER U Fergie couldn´t keep him anymore. Ronaldo had wanted the move already in 2008 but promised Fergie one more season if Fergie then would let him go. So, he went as the world´s second best player. 8: ANDRES INIESTA – BARCELONA Now a key cog in the best midfield in the world. If not before then the equalizer vs Chelsea in the CL semi-final put him on the map. 9: SAMUEL ETO´O – BARCELONA After an injury riddled 2007-08 he was back to his best in 2008-09. When Eto´o was at his best he was the world´s best striker at this stage. 10: LIONEL MESSI – BARCELONA Now the King of World Soccer. Crowned by Barca´s Champions League win. 11: KAKA – AC MILAN Not the best anymore. Not at his Ballon d´Or peak anymore. But still good enough for Florentino and still good enough for this team. BENCH: VAN DER SAR – MAICON – COLE – TERRY – VIDIC – GERRARD – XABI ALONSO - LAMPARD – RIBERY – ZLATAN - VILLA NOTE! Do you like VAR or do you hate VAR? I love it and I will tell you why. In 2008/09 Chelsea faced a formidable Barca team in CL semi-finals. Tom Henning Ovrebo was the ref. He stole the victory from Chelsea and handed it to Barcelona who then went on to win the final. I still wonder if Messi would have surpassed Ronaldo yet in 2009 if Chelsea had knocked Barca out. I still wonder if this Barca team would have been categorized as one of the best in history. Puyol probably wouldn´t have been in this team either nor would Iniesta. I´ve nothing against these legendary world-class players. They deserve their place in history. But with VAR Chelsea would have beaten Barca and the above rankings would probably have looked different. Strange to think that in 2009 VAR could have corrected history and made it look different than it does now. Strange to think that Tom Henning Ovrebo had power to write a chapter in the football history book. GOLDEN BOY: 1: Alexandre PATO – AC MILAN 2: Theo WALCOTT – ARSENAL 3: Stevan JOVETIC – FIORENTINA 4: BOJAN Krkic – BARCELONA 5: Eden HAZARD – LILLE 6: Alan DZAGOEV – CSKA MOSCOW 7: Davide SANTON – INTER 8: Rafael DA SILVA – MANCHESTER U¨ 9: Javier PASTORE – PALERMO 10: Iker MUNIAIN - BILBAO