A look at the greatest players in football, including the obvious two, Cristiano Ronaldo and 2009´s best player Lionel Messi, but also at the likes of Wayne Rooney.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have undoubtedly been the two best players in world football of the past two years, with frankly no other player coming near to them in terms of near flawless talent. However, every year other players come to the fore, and in a world cup year, where so much can be decided by what happens in those four weeks, it will be an interesting battle to see who picks up the individual accolades at the turn of the year.
The Players to Beat
Barcelona´s Argentinian wunderkind has carried on this season where he left off last year. He spearheaded Barcelona´s unprecedented Triplete of last season, and completed the 2009 football year with Barcelona by winning six trophies, including the Club World Cup. Between the 2008-09 season and the current one, his goal ratio stands at 0.75 per game, quite remarkable for a player who is not an out and out striker. He scores more goals than most of the great strikers of the game.
Though Messi adds so much more than just goals. In the Triplete season he set up 18 of Barca´s goals in all competitions. Add to that his ability to dribble, it is very rare to see Messi get disposessed and his off the ball play is second to none. Deservedly he was voted as winner of the FIFA player of the year last year, but will he be able to repeat the process?
Cristiano Ronaldo, same genius, same swagger, different club. Real Madrid´s main man is on fire for the Bernabeu club since his record move last summer, if only he can keep from becoming injured, he will be difficult to beat this year. 15 goals in 16 games for Madrid this season, it goes without saying is an incredible return, especially given that he is primarily played in a midfield role. The former Ballon d´Or and FIFA player of the year will have the world cup and reclaiming his number one spot in his sights this year.
The Players to Watch
Wayne Rooney has been outstanding for Manchester United this season. It is no coincidence that the England player has blossomed in Ronaldo´s departure. Rooney needs to be the main player in a team, and although he was still exceptional with Ronaldo, the pair formed an explosive partnership for Manchester United, he has been a different class altogether this season, often dragging United through games single-handedly.
Currently he is the only player above Messi in the race for the European golden boot. Manchester United´s 3-1 destruction of Arsenal at the Emirates stadium was mainly down to Rooney. If the Portuguese Nani can continue to produce that kind of mesmerizing form against Arsenal, continually, Rooney will finally have a partner who can bring the best out in him. In a world cup year, as we have seen before, the team that goes far or wins it often has a player named as the greatest. Fabio Cannavaro won the Ballon dÓr of 2006 after Italy lifted the world cup.
David Villa is a striker often named as one of the world´s best. The Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque has said of him, “I´d have David Villa over Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo”. Along with Fernando Torres, he forms one of the most potent attacking lines in world football, and it takes a special kind of player to score a goal like this. As he plays for Valencia, not one of the top sides in Europe, he doesn´t get noticed as he would were he playing for Madrid or Barcelona. Winning the world cup, or at the least advancing to the latter stages of the tournament is Villa´s only realistic chance of being recognised as one of the world´s best.
There are of course, many other players who could become the world´s best player, such as Cesc Fabregas, Andres Iniesta or even Kaka again. Whatever happens, you can be sure that the four players above will be there or thereabouts.