View Full Version : Who is (currently) the best player in the world?
This is only my opinion so don't get pissed off with me.
Ronaldo, after his Hat-Trick at OT recently, gets my nod. He is in great touch and seems to always deliver in the big ones. Can't wait to see what he does in the CL Final.
Ruud has had a tremendous season and has been in scinitillatingly consistent form throughout the season....43 goals (or something like that) I'm sure, justifies his name getting a mention.
I'd love to have a few beers and throw this one around with you all as I'm sure that this will be a topic of much debate.
Have fun with this one!
(I am sorry if this has been bought up before but I find it interesting to read others thoughts on this matter)
I think Zidane has been absolutely awesome in this years Champions League - and I guess that's what we need to base these kind of decisions on. It's where all the best players are so anyone who performs here has gotta be world class.
Van Nistelrooy needs a mention I think. He is the top scorer in the CL and has scored an astonishing amount of goals this season. if he can carry this on - especially scoring in europe - then I think we will safely be able to say he is one of the best strikers around..
as for ronaldo, he has looked pretty decent this year but hasn't exactly scored for fun in the CL.
henry's record in the premiership this season has been ridiculously good! he's scored i think 23 goals and made at least 20 assists. that is an unreal record!! this is also why i think he deserves pfa player of the year over ruud. ruud doesn't do as much for the team as henry does
that's it... for now :p
hitmanuk2k
12-05-2003, 22:03
for me, its been between nistelrooy and henry..... partly because i dont see much of the other leagues, but anyway.
nistelrooy, although he's had a much better season this year, with his general play become much improved and more involved, he still lacks the flare and all-around ability of henry. something which i dont believe many players have. for this reason i would say henry is.
PES Master
13-05-2003, 06:34
Forward: Henry
Midfield: Zidane
Back: Tudor
Keeper: Rustu
Player of the year would have to be Zidane again because Ronaldo and Raul would not be scoring as much without him, he is always involved in every goal for Madrid, Henry would be 2nd best.
tudor defender of the year? :\ for a kick-off he mainly plays in midfield if he ever does play, he's probably played a handful of games at the back with montero and ferrara still doing sterling work. i can't put my finger on a single defender who's impressed me but chivu, gallas, nesta, ayala, lucio have all been great
Zinedine Zidane when i see him playing the whole game likes to slow down so i has a lot of time. I love to see him playing. And of course Ruud Van Nistelrooy, he did a great season and i have a weak for him because we are both dutch so i will sooner think he is the best.
Thuram has been outstanding during the knockout stages of the Champions League, but Zidane is still the man.
The best player in the world bar none is obviously RUUD VAN NISTELROOY you can't get much better then him.
He don't put a foot wrong:)
PES Master
17-05-2003, 00:29
lol, i had to pick a juve player i know it could of been Montero or Thuram but Tudor seemed to impress me more.
I definitly think Thuram is the best right-back in the world. he is absolutely awesome in defence - strong, pacey, great in the air but he can also get forward and is one of the best crossers of the ball from full-back
rebusrahman
20-05-2003, 13:47
I have to say Zidane. He is so composed on the ball. Elegant, skilful, insightful... just brilliant. Look how much France missed him in 2002. And his goal in the Champions League final last year was excellent under pressure. I might be kissing ass a little here ;-)
i'd have to say zidane, because he rarely plays a bad game. the ease of his shots and passes... awesome!
my choice would b Zidane . he is just pure class . i cannot c how Ronaldo won player of the year . yeah he had a great world cup , but the award is called player of the YEAR !
Gooner_Harmer
25-05-2003, 19:37
I actually think it's Zidane as well. Simply because he makes football you so easy. It is amazing to watch and I learn something new every time I see him.
RONALDO IS ALWAYS CREATING A NEW DRIBLING OR SHOT.
HE IS AMAZING AND SO, THE BEST OF THE WORLD
RONALDO IS THE BEST
i hav 2 disagree with u there . i think he is very overated
Gooner_Harmer
26-05-2003, 19:39
Originally posted by lfc nut
i hav 2 disagree with u there . i think he is very overated
I totally agree. Is it hard to score with great service? I think not.
OK! It seems as though the majority have a soft spot for Zinadine Zidane...Der!
Previously I stated that I thought Ronaldo was the best for the year, however after some more serious thought (and plenty of piss talk down the pub!!!) I have to say I've been persuaded.
Here goes...
I think as far as Ronaldo goes...the guy is incredible. His balance and control up front can not be questioned! His finishing can be, at times, extraordinary. However, purely for goals scored this year, you would all have to agree that RVN was simply...THE MAN.
Zidane is, and always has been, truly outstanding but was this year better than some of his other years? I'm not too sure about that! I didn't see many of his games though, I might add.
Simply a reversal of order...that's all!
Zygalski
30-05-2003, 14:53
What is the time period in their definition of a 'year'?
Is it from Jan 1 to Dec 31? Or the length of the footie season?
To choose a player you would have to explain which a year is.
Players who have done well recently in my opinion are:
Ballack, did great for Leverkusen and in the World Cup,
Henry for all round contribution to Arsenal,
Nedved and Shevchenko.
Nifty1Pound50
30-05-2003, 21:23
Thuram. For his performance against Barcelona. He proved he's the world's best player.
Although fair play, Zinedine Zidane is the most enjoyable, composed, elegant, naturally gifted footballer there is. Thuram edges it for me though, I just think he's so far ahead of everyone in his position. That's the only way to compare, after all.
tottiiii
31-05-2003, 02:52
Best player in the world is hard......but their is no player better than Totti....but im not saying hes the best ;)
well you are saying totti is better if your saying no one is better then him.
hitmanuk2k
31-05-2003, 11:10
Originally posted by tottiiii
Best player in the world is hard......but their is no player better than Totti....but im not saying hes the best ;)
lol, you have made my day.
South Dorset Blue
31-05-2003, 12:20
mine would be gk rustu
df nesta
mf davids
st vieri
Nifty1Pound50
31-05-2003, 12:51
Nesta doesn't have the defensive capabilities of Thuram: he's not as clean a tackler, as strong, as quick, or anywhere near as composed on the ball. Thuram's probably stronger in the air, too.
Edgar Davids can't pass. He can't shoot. He can't tackle. He can run around the pitch pirouetting. He is not the world's best midfielder. I'd rather play Danny Sonner in midfield than Edgar Davids.
Francesco Totti? Give us a break. He dives. He's overrated. He complains. He can't tackle. He's a very good short passer of a football, but his range of passing isn't great, and his contribution over 90 minutes is terrible.
Off the top of my head, I can name you quite a few footballers who are better than Totti:
Zinedine Zidane
Lilian Thuram
Pablo Aimar
Thierry Henry
Dennis Bergkamp
Jaap Stam
Andrea Pirlo (I'm a fan)
Gianluca Zambrotta
Ruud Van Nistelrooy
Patrick Vieira
Ronaldo, probably
The list goes on. Totti doesn't rank anywhere near my top list of players.
tottiiii
31-05-2003, 19:01
Originally posted by Nifty1Pound50
Francesco Totti? Give us a break. He dives. He's overrated. He complains. He can't tackle. He's a very good short passer of a football, but his range of passing isn't great, and his contribution over 90 minutes is terrible.
Off the top of my head, I can name you quite a few footballers who are better than Totti:
Zinedine Zidane
Lilian Thuram
Pablo Aimar
Thierry Henry
Dennis Bergkamp
Jaap Stam
Andrea Pirlo (I'm a fan)
Gianluca Zambrotta
Ruud Van Nistelrooy
Patrick Vieira
Ronaldo, probably
The list goes on. Totti doesn't rank anywhere near my top list of players.
hahaha.....good list i guess....but hes still better than all of em except maybe zidane .....Aimar is good also.....i wont comment on the others since they dont play the same position really....Thuram is a great defender but i wouldnt compare him cause he cant do anything near what Totti can do offensively....and why do you put probably next to ronaldo....as hes better than almost everyone you put on your list...i really dont know who the best player is for sure but Totti is my favorite player and i think hes the most talented player but again just my opinion....
Gooner 4 Life
31-05-2003, 20:28
Roy Mckaay has gotta be up there somewhere. He's scored more than double Ronaldo's goals in La Liga this season and hes scored more than Ruud Van Nistelrooy in a much harder league. Another class act that no one has mentioned is Andriy Shevchenko. Best defender has to be Nesta and best midfielder Gerni Gattuso.
For me it's Roy Makkay he has nearly broken the alltime record for goals in La Liga, ( which is currently held by Ronaldo) he has also done this with a poor strike partner and lacklustre midfield that have'nt offered any support as a result any chance he gets he takes. Whereas Ronaldo has got the likes of Figo and Zidane to feed him the ball and he also has Raul to take some of the preesure of him.
Also Van Nistelrooy has scored 12 from the penanlty spot.
rebusrahman
04-06-2003, 13:35
You may have a point Kez. You may well have a point.
Zidane is probably the best but he just doesn't excite me like Rivaldo (he's had an awful season tho!). Ronaldo is the best striker.
its gotta be van nistelrooy. a record 11 goals in champions league and 44 in total has to be worth something.
earlybird
26-06-2003, 15:28
As far as the best footballer goes, it has to be Zidane.
It's hard to judge a striker alongside someone like him because they get judged mainly on the amount of goals they score. Yes, Van Nistelrooy, Raul and Makaay are breaking scoring records left, right and centre, but they don't have the skill, touch and creativity of Zidane. He can do anything he wants with a football, and nobody on the field can stop him.
For a striker to be judged with the great players of all time he surely must have something else up his sleeve, other than to just put away chances other players create for them. Being a striker's more about instinct than skill.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying strikers are crap!! I don't want a backlash. But Zidane is a far more complete footballer.
ronaldo is very overratted!
so okay, he is a great player however, he will find it hard to compete with his teamate raul in providing great goals.
this is a crap disscussion as we can not compare fowards with midfielders because they play a totally different roll!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HENRY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
rebusrahman
09-07-2003, 09:14
Originally posted by earlybird
As far as the best footballer goes, it has to be Zidane.
It's hard to judge a striker alongside someone like him because they get judged mainly on the amount of goals they score. Yes, Van Nistelrooy, Raul and Makaay are breaking scoring records left, right and centre, but they don't have the skill, touch and creativity of Zidane. He can do anything he wants with a football, and nobody on the field can stop him.
For a striker to be judged with the great players of all time he surely must have something else up his sleeve, other than to just put away chances other players create for them. Being a striker's more about instinct than skill.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying strikers are crap!! I don't want a backlash. But Zidane is a far more complete footballer.
I understand what ur saying, earlybird. But I think that if u go on your criteria then we can only pick from midfielders (as they are the only players who will have a more complete game). So better to look at a player in his position and judge how well he does there? And then compare these people?
RVN or Henry were electric last season. Makaay was awesome. Zidane the season before was better? If ur talking about best technical player then yes Zidane but on form I think no.
What do others think?
Ronaldo is the best player in the world he is the most complete player in the world. its even better after coming back from what happened in France 98. he will be the best player in the world for the next 7 years coz hes still only a young player, a close second would be Zidane.
fastcow10
17-07-2003, 00:47
John O'Shea.
best footie player in the world is at the moment RVN10
It totally depends on how you judge these things. If you say whoever is most effective in their position then you can go for a striker like Van Nistelrooy. Zidane does what he does better than any other player, an as said before most players can do sod all to stop him.
But if you judge on the most complete player, Zidane or indeed Van Nistelrooy aren't the best. Zidane can't tackle to save his life at times and his workrate when his team doesn't have the ball is less than desirable, although the same can't be said for Ruud.
If you judge on how a player performs on all stages i.e. League, Cup, Europe, International stage it's different again. Scholes was awsome at imes last season, but has scored in 18months or something for England, and his overall performance hasn't been that much better either.
I'd say probably the best player at the mo' is Raul, as he scores in all competitions at all stages, assists and scores and is very skillful too. How many records has this guy set?
scholes hasnt scored since england beat greece in athens in june 2001
Originally posted by jag87
scholes hasnt scored since england beat greece in athens in june 2001
That's worse than I thought. Perhaps it's England that are just crap generally
Zygalski
18-07-2003, 10:17
Owen and Beckham are scoring over 90% of England's goals these days. Not sure if that is a good thing.
The best player is R9 his hatrick at old trafford was impressive.
rebusrahman
23-07-2003, 12:43
Originally posted by Zygalski
Owen and Beckham are scoring over 90% of England's goals these days. Not sure if that is a good thing.
Vassell has scored quite consistently. Don't also forget that most teams only have 2-3 people who score regularly. Only teams like Arse, Real and Man U have 6-7 players who score 10+ goals a season. Also the ginja ninja has had a bad run of scoring form for England but he has been played in all sorts of places on the pitch. And he has been ok as a midfielder (but not as a goalscorer).
To score goals there is also Rooney, Gerrard, Cole. From corners there is Rio and Sol. And then perhaps whoever plays on the left (maybe Dyer or Sinclair). So not that bad really!
Zinedine Zidane is the gr8est to hav ever lived. period.
Lord Shrimpeh
02-08-2003, 13:58
Apart from Van Nistelroy and Thierry Henry who are better.
tottiiii
02-08-2003, 19:59
Henry has more skill than RVN
Red Finesse
02-08-2003, 21:13
1. Zidane (also my fav in PES2)
2.Shevchenko
3.Raul
4.Henry
5.V.nistelrooy
georginho
02-08-2003, 21:57
Thierry Henry is one of the most complete footballers to have ever lived.
He can do things that most players can't and is one of the quickest players on the planet, and pace alone can cause problems, so the technique he has makes him pure genius.
And in my view the most complete striker in the world.
He can change a game with one peace of magic.
tottiiii
03-08-2003, 00:18
Totti is the best player on the planet....Ronaldo Zidane Henry and Raul are the only others who could be in his class...theirs not really any player that can do the things Totti does with his vision , passing , ball control, and scoring touch....and can do it with either foot
ricardinho
03-08-2003, 08:49
Why It's always those strikers or attacking midfielders who get all the fame?
Respect more defensive players and goalkeepers too!!
tottiiii
03-08-2003, 22:02
yea tru i know what you are saying....but its hard to have a defensive midfielder or goalkeeper as the best in the world....maybe their should be a thread for each position....
Nedved is unbelieveably underrated. He doesn't get my vote, but he is up there.
Raul gets my vote.
Harry-Kewell
24-10-2003, 22:24
In my opinion these are the best players in each position:
Goalkeeper - Santiago Canizares
Defender - Alessandro Nesta
Midfielder - Zinedine Zidane
Striker - Christian Vieri
adams9802
25-10-2003, 00:45
For me.
Striker: Henry
Midfield. Nedved
Defense: Campbell
Keeper: Cudicini (blunder aside)
Most of you are to biased towards you own club teams!:D
It's hard to pick a player for a certain position, simply because they are many great players who play in certain positions. Yet, there are players who are not conventional and who do not play as their position is partciulary stereotyped. Does this make them any better or worse? ;)
PicturePerfect
25-10-2003, 04:38
Take Zambrotta for example. Incredibly versatile player. Doesn't get much exposure, however.
I agree PP, unfortunately too many people look at goals scored per game and the ratio of goals per game, rather than looking at the WHOLE performance of the individual and their influence within the team.
PicturePerfect
25-10-2003, 05:53
Yes, we can look at Paddy Vieira for example (I am the ExampleMan!). Let's be honest, he's not a massive goal-scorer by any means but he has such an amazing influence on Arsenal and France when they play. He wins tackles, motivates players and does an all-round awesome job around the park.
The same can be said about Roy Keane ('cept he's a bit demento ;) ).
Harry-Kewell
25-10-2003, 15:21
Take Zambrotta for example. Incredibly versatile player. Doesn't get much exposure, however.
True say, Zambrotta is class. Many people don't watch Serie A, they just watch the Champions League and that's one of the reasons why they don't think much of him. Week in week out he's getting praise from Marcello Lippi. I rate him highly and I'd certainly have him in my Dream Team.
Again good example PP, without Patrick would Arsenal be the same team?!
The same can be said for Roy Keane and Man Yoo.
Pavel Nedved.
He's pacy, skillful, can hold the ball up well, can cross it, can create chances from anything, and can score from a midfield position, which he does so, regularly.
Agree with Raul... does the business not just for Real but for Spain too.
lufc_1986
03-11-2003, 01:59
Zidane is the best player in the world by a mile ! Name another player that can do all of the following : Pass and Shoot (including volleys) with superb technique AND both feet, Head the Ball with great precision (98 final), Take players on and shield the ball as well as he does, control the ball anywhere on the field, have the vision to pick out a killer ball against ANY team..........the list goes on............
Zidane is the best player in the world, without a shadow of doubt.
but on current form, henry/neved
methical
06-11-2003, 17:57
without doubt zidane. he is amazing and in the all time top 10 easily
Okay...i'll start a thread/s titled:
Best Striker (World)
Best MF (World)
Best DF (World)
Best GK (World)
Obiously, people are interested in this type of discussion but there clerly needs to be some criteria. On that basis we will sort into positions played and judge the players with position in mind.
Cheers!
MatPhillips
17-11-2003, 22:36
Nedved or Raul...
Darth Daft
27-11-2003, 05:10
Me, im the greatest Playa'
http://www.80stees.com/images/products/keeponpimpin-link.gif
MatPhillips
27-11-2003, 23:18
funny. not gerard houllier's "we'll be champs in 5 years" but funny all the same
Henry: pace, skill, strenth, scoring abillity, passing abillity.
I just think he is the Best in the world currently.
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