Agreed on the Anglo-centric nature of the list; it seems to be standard practice of these kinds of lists.

And I agree on the paltry state of SA football. The team will be lucky if they don’t get embarrassed in their group games.

For these reasons I am anti-lists! And I am especially anti-World Player awards. These things are popularity contests and more often than not reflect people’s valuations of imaginary images of players. Messi’s topping of the list is a good example. He is brilliant in flashes these days, tearing apart (often bottom-side) defenses one moment, and disappearing in big games the next (in my opinion, he was a mere spectator in many Barcelona games in the CL last year, despite scoring in the final). Kaká is another example: he has been dismal for Madrid so far and had a very poor season last year at Milan. Gerrard and Rooney, well, Anglo-centrism is far-reaching! Brilliant at times, incomprehensible at others. If you ask me, the player of the year in 2008 should have been Xavi Hernández, but a guy like him is quiet, a true team player who doesn’t concern himself with image-building. He just does his job, brilliantly, day in and day out.

Essien is another guy like that. In his case, he is also burdened by a latent brand of racism that pigeonholes Africans, very often, into “hard-workier/tireless” stereotypes. Much like Makelele before him–in my opinion, such a class, magnificent, and intelligent footballer–the world football talking heads will first point to the “creators”–of goals and plays (aka Messi, Kaká, etc) and not those who make everything possible for their team on the field.

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There must be something wrong here. How come the following 11 players are not considered THE best in the world?
Julio Cesar; Maicon, Lucio, Juan, André, Gilberto Silva, Hernanes, Elano ,Kaká, Nilmar, Luis Fabiano

The 6th World Championship is approaching.

Michael Essien is the best player in the world, and he’s also the most versatile. Unreal, really.

Dani Alves might be Brazil’s second best fullback, but there are moments when he’s the best player in the world.

Shay Given is one of the best goalkeepers in the world. Casillas isn’t shabby either, nor is Edwin van der Sar. But you won’t see any of them on the list.

At the top of his game, Patrice Evra, all four foot nine inches of him, might well be the best player in the world…etc

But, as you can see, these lists are only interested in strikers and attacking midfielders and, as such, are worthless unless accompanied by that disclaimer. It’s like announcing a list of the most beautiful women in the world and restricting it only to redheads.

errr……… hello weres fabregas and arshavin

Hi Saad,

Arsenal last won the English Premier League in the early 2000s …

If you asked the top coaches of this world they will tell you that the most valuable players are those that are most useful off the ball…those who close down space, break attacks, and other ‘blue collor assignments’. Planting the ball into the net coz of pace and strategic location (Torres), outsprinting others to score (Ronaldo), or driving hard shots into the net (Gerard) are not the only yardsticks…it is in this myopia that good players off the ball like Mascherano, Darren Fletcher, and so on are ignored.

Hi Solomon,

Thanks for your comment. Despite not being a MUFC fan, I think you’re right about Fletcher. He is a top player.

if i m to choose one than i will go forCesc Fabrigas

wayen rooney is fantastic fantastic player , i think he is best player in the world at moment, hes form this season n has been special .

Hi Sen,
am glad that we have one objective fan out there, I also do not fancy MUFC too much, but I have beenn watching Fletcher for a while and am convinced he is one of those players that work like the spokes in the wheel, you don’t see them too much, yet because of them star players of the rival team have no space to play their game.