Who are the ‘Best Players’ in the World? Is John Terry one of them?
Who is the best footballer in the World?
Whilst it would be hard to argue with the fact Critiano Ronaldo had the best season, I don’t agree this necessarily makes him the most skilful player on the planet. At United, I’d much rather see Wayne Rooney on the park than Ronaldo. I would find it difficult to claim that Ronaldo is an all-round better player than Lionel Messi.
I still strongly believe Ronaldo deserves all the individual awards going though, from FIFPro, European and World Player of the Year, simply because you can’t overlook a player who scored 42 goals in 47 games, including his team’s only goal in the European Cup final. His season was superior to every other players’ by miles, therefore he is a worthy winner.
It’s hard to decide who deserves the player awards, but it can’t be ignored that unworthy winners get their names mentioned an awful lot. Usually, it is players from the English League who are overlooked.
Michael Owen (2001), George Best (1968), Sir Bobby Charlton (1966), Dennis Law (1964) and Stanley Matthews (1956) are the only players from our league to have claimed the title as the best in Europe. No player from this league has ever won FIFA World Player of the Year. Can that be fair? Has their only been one player in the past forty years who is deserving of this title? Was Michael Owen in 2001 really the greatest player we’ve had on show for decades? Really?
The Italian League has seen seventeen winners, the Spanish league has seen twelve winners, and the German league has seen nine. The figures from the English league are some way off, boasting just five winners in the fifty-two years of the award. This suggests that how players are picked doesn’t necessarily relate to who is the best, rather, who fits the mould better, who is expected to appear.
The FIFA shortlist for the World Player of the Year was announced this week and when I got to the end, I thought there had to be players missing. How is it that Manchester United, who won the league and European Cup, have just one player on this list, whilst Chelsea, who came second in the league and runners up in the European Cup, have four players featuring?
The one that grates on me the most is John Terry, whose reputation doesn’t quite seem to fit with the reality of who he is and what he does. Here is the only player who has featured in every FIFPro World XI team, here is the Chelsea and England captain.
Yet I see the player who isn’t even the best centre back at his own club, with Ricardo Carvalho showing himself as a more skilled defender.
I see the player who isn’t even the best centre back for his own country, with Rio Ferdinand playing a crucial role for United and showing himself as a more composed and mature defender.
I see the player who played in 37 of Chelsea’s 61 games in all competitions, spending chunks of the season out injured.
I see the player who was the only one to slip whilst taking a crucial penalty, costing his club their first ever European Cup. I see the player who then cried his eyes out, as he does every time England or Chelsea are knocked out of a competition (see JT vs Liverpool or JT vs Portugal, tears galore), leaving his team mates who he is the captain of to get on with it by themselves. I see the player who didn’t get his hands on any silverware last season.
I see the player who as captain has lead his team to countless charges for failing to control their players in the past few seasons. I see the player who is so arrogant that he tried to take the red card from the referee’s hand when one of his team mates was sent off, yet faced no punishment for it. I see the player who covered his mouth as he chased after Carlos Tevez in Moscow, wanting to hide what he was saying to the Argentine from the World.
I can’t fit the John Terry I see for England and Chelsea in to the same mould that has been created for him. Both Carvalho and Ferdinand, amongst others, are better defenders than him, yet for some reason, this man is hailed above all others as the definition of a centre back.
When looking at goals to games ratios, Manchester United’s defence was better than any in Spain, Germany or Italy, yet none of our defenders made the list. Rio Ferdinand missed just 5 games for United, in comparison to the 24 games Terry missed. Nemanja Vidic missed 12 games for United and still played in 7 games more than Terry. So we have a better defence with defenders who played in almost every match, yet they miss out for a defender whose defence wasn’t as strong, who missed 40% of his team’s matches. Where is the logic?
Fortunately for Ronaldo, he does fit the mould, with the all important Champions League winners medal in tow, and will undoubtedly claim the awards. But there isn’t half something dodgy in the way these winners are decided upon!
Topics: Chelsea, Cristiano Ronaldo, England, English Premier League, Manchester United, Michael Owen, UEFA Champions League
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well said.. purely agree..
god knows how they judge and elect players into the dream team.
I purely agree JT is over rated most of the times, he is tough defender but very injury prone and not forgetting he is helped along with carvalho, ashley cole and peter chech..
Bet you are a frustrated Manchester United fan though.. hahaha.
November 4th, 2008 @ 10:52STFU
November 4th, 2008 @ 11:37JT > Rio
He doesn’t score own goals.
Wow, I used to think it was just me that thought these guys were overrated. Well said. Couldn’t have put it better myself. You could be certain that if Terry put in exactly the same performances but played for say Blackburn Rovers he wouldn’t even be in the England squad never mind the FIFPro World XI.
November 4th, 2008 @ 12:32well to start with, Owen before his injuries was one of the best footballers in the world. He won Liverpool and England games, performed at the big games and had his own enigmatic way of scoring goals. Owen in 2001 > Thierry Henry in 2001.
I know the next 3 years Henry reached a whole new level, but the thing is Owen is always regarded as a not so skilled player, being overshadowed by Henry’s amazing period. It’s not true really.
Secondly John Terry from 2004-2006 >>>>> Carvalho. Terry hasn’t been on top of the world for the last 2 years but he still one of the best defenders in the world, and pound for pound he is much more important for Chelsea than Carvalho. Sometimes the better players take a back-seat to the more important ones. Carvalho has been good for the last 2 years, possibly better than Terry but people act if Terry has not done anything special for years. When Carragher and Rio were still not quite so special Terry was the best defender in England. Yeah Terry has had Carvalho and Gallas etc alongside him but these players are also not the same when they play for their country. It could be perhaps that playing alongside Terry means they play better than their counter parts at the international level?
I think being shortlisted for these awards don’t completely mean who has performed the best but also who are the best players regardless of them not being in form plus the FIFA award represents the vote of national team coaches and captains, at the time they are voting, often the best player at that moment wins, the results often goes to the man of the moment. If these awards were given out right after the CL final you could have expected many Utd players in the shortlist, just after Euro 2008 maybe Spain gets a dozen. For me there is no doubt Ronaldo is the better player, better all round player. He can score with either foot, headed goals, volleys, free-kicks, penalties, all those fancy tricks Messi can pull off plus he influences his team to play much better than Messi, the assist chart doesn’t really reflect it but he played a big part in Utd’s goals last season, no doubt he was the key player of a League and European title winning side. He deserves its more than Messi and there would have been no doubt Ronaldo would have sweeped away with all the awards if they were given out at the end of the club football season. But now? I really don’t know. Ronaldo didn’t really light up the Euro and during the time he has been injured Messi has been brilliant in the olympics for Argetina and Barcelona.
Messi has a very good chance of winning it since all the hype has been shifted towards him now.
The season 97-98 Zidane was very good, but he wasn’t quite the best footballer in the world was he? 2 Goals in the final and he is the FIFA player of the year. Leading up to 2002 Ronaldo hadn’t played much for a few years, 8 goals in the world cup and he is the best player in the world once again. What I mean to say is public opinion and hype plays a big role in determining these awards, right or wrong it has been this way with the FIFA awards from the start.
November 4th, 2008 @ 13:26Terry, Schmerry! Other words for “overrated:” overvalued, overestimated, hyped, puffed up, glorified. Yep, these are the same words I’d use to describe John Terry. Obviously he’s good, but not THAT good. Your comments are dead on chap!
November 4th, 2008 @ 13:29you are a frustrated Manchester United fan your topic will be fully appriciated in talkingreds . face the reality
November 4th, 2008 @ 13:33I’m sick of John Terry. I saw the list and I was shocked at how Chelsea had 4 players compared to our 1. What that says is that it took us 1 player to win the league and champions league, and it took Chelsea 4 players to come second in the league and lose the champions league.
I agree…the logic is missing. It’s like they said, ‘Shit…Manchester United have the winner of the best player in Ronaldo…so we’ll balance it out by excluding any more of their players from the list’.
November 4th, 2008 @ 13:34just out of interest,man u fans, who else exactly would u put in there with them from lst season.ronaldo and rio yes possibly but those 2 aside none of the rest of ur players from last season deserves to be in with that bunch.
November 4th, 2008 @ 14:14Why is it hard to claim Ronaldo is a better all-round player than Messi? Virtually every aspect of Ronaldo’s game was perfect last season, be it his passing, shooting, heading – even tracking back to defend (even if we didn’t really have to rely on it because even our strikers tracked back to full-back roles).
You have to take a look at how he is played and what is expected of him. I think it’s completely insane to say, that after a season like that, anyone is a better “all-round footballer”.
What is it that makes Messi better? It seems to be all the rage to claim that Ronaldo “had a good season, but he’s no Messi”. Fact is, I wouldn’t trade the two.
November 4th, 2008 @ 14:30And to sst : frustrated Man Utd fan?? What are you talking about? We’re league and european champions! We’re not frustrated – we ejaculated all over you!
November 4th, 2008 @ 14:32Glenny – Are you so naive that you honestly believe that the Premier League Champions and Champions League…Champions are champions because of 2 players! This isn’t 5 a-side football here mate. How are you going to justify 4 Chelsea players in the list when Chelsea won f–k all last season! Are you telling me that in your opinion Rio Ferdinand and Ronaldo are solely responsible for United’s success last season?
November 4th, 2008 @ 16:34John Terry is a great leader. He is someone who can elevate his team’s play and inspire his teammates. As a defender, he is a very good defender who is consistent and will even score a few goals on set plays. I know Arsenal would take someone like him in a heartbeat.
But one of the best players in the world? He isn’t even the best central defender on his own team. Carvalho has been better than him for the last two years now, and Terry’s pace and skills have clearly declined as a result of age and injuries. He made the short list due to his reputation.
November 4th, 2008 @ 19:43This isn’t about who is a fan of what team and feeling the need to downgrade anyone that doesn’t play for your club/country. Plain and simply put, John Terry is not the best. Agree completely with the article and with Antgrad – if he played for Blackburn, he’d never be picked for England. For some reason, even if you’re a sh– player, if you play for a “big” club, you are somehow looked in better favor than a good player at a “small” club.
November 4th, 2008 @ 19:51TOTALLY AGREE! Terry is a good defender, but to be included in the list just shows how over rated he is. I would pick Vidic over Terry any day. I don’t have to mention Rio, because we all know he’s England’s (maybe Europe’s) top central defender right now with (sadly) Carlvaho second. It’s obvious I’m a Man Utd fan. 2 years ago, yes Terry was right up there with the best defenders in Europe when he played for England and Chelsea. He’s had injuries and has been crushed with losing the Champions League. None of this matters though, because Ronaldo will win award just as Kaka won it last year after winning CL the year before.
November 4th, 2008 @ 20:35The only thing Messi has more of then Ronaldo is hes better at close dribbling in limited space whereas Ronaldo cant be touched in the open field. Compared to Ronaldo, messi might as well not even have a shot at all, while his heading is totally nonexistant, while is passing is pretty good. And as for defending idk why people put messi as a midfielder instead of a forward while with CR7 its the opposite. Messi plays in a 3 pronged attack with the freedom to go wherever he wants and plays MUCH further up the field then Ronaldo who plays from the wings. Why is it that Ronaldo is all of a sudden a forward and not a winger. Could it be that he scored 42 goals not because he played as a forward but because hes undeniably the most talented player on the planet bar none?…While my love for him has diminished theirs no denying who is THE best player on the planet right now.
It seems to me that everyone is always trying to come up with excuses as to why Ronaldo should not be looked upon as the best? When he created over 30 goals in 2006 it was that he couldnt win the CL, so it went to Kaka. Now its that he “plays as a forward/is too cocky/ is selfish/more bullshit”. Why cant people just accept it for what it is?
November 4th, 2008 @ 20:38oh and to Glenny – I would include Scholes in the list along with Van der Sar. 22 goals conceded in entire PL season last year and winning block on PK’s. Scholes had the only goal in win over Barcelona and set up some amazing goals through out the season.
November 4th, 2008 @ 20:41@Ardi: well said my friend…
November 4th, 2008 @ 22:31“At United, I’d much rather see Wayne Rooney on the park than Ronaldo.”
Really? I don’t know what extra Rooney offers to United than Ronaldo. If its loyalty then, mate, loyalty might win fans but it doesn’t win matches for you…
And don’t get me started on Messi… he is a great player but I won’t call a player, who does NOT have weak foot ability and who cannot head the ball, the best.
November 5th, 2008 @ 10:37Glenny, the meanest defense in the entire England and Europe should deserve more acclaim than just Ferdinand, no? Vidic? Evra? Even if their skill don’t compare, their accomplishments should deserve a mention? Tevez, with his hardworking grit and late winners? Rooney and his influence in linking up play? And all of them overlooked for Adebayor, Deco(who played a small part in Barcelona’s treacherous season), Villa(Valencia, need I say more) and Eto’o who played 16 games at the most.
Then you have to take a look at the Italian league where Del Piero who have had a hell of a season in a Juventus team that finished higher than Kaka’s AC Milan.
Anyways, John Terry is over-rated and during the magical 2004-2006 period, he had masterclass protection in front of him in the name of Claude Makelele, Cech behind him and Mourinho on the stands. Note that when Makelele was given the reserves bench, Terry never really became the same player he was. It surprises me the most that the world’s greatest defensive midfielder of all times is constantly overlooked.
November 5th, 2008 @ 10:56AndyCR7
November 5th, 2008 @ 16:56you cannot seriously be that critical of Messi after he destroyed United in the CL but just couldn’t find the finishing touches. Every time he got the ball I was shitting myself. On his day Messi is better than Ronaldo IMO. Ronaldo wastes way too many opportunities due to selfishness. Messi has the skill of Ronaldo and is also unselfish
Liam
“AndyCR7
you cannot seriously be that critical of Messi after he destroyed United in the CL but just couldn’t find the finishing touches. Every time he got the ball I was shitting myself. On his day Messi is better than Ronaldo IMO. Ronaldo wastes way too many opportunities due to selfishness. Messi has the skill of Ronaldo and is also unselfish”
Unselfish??? he is the selfest player i have ever seen! plus he is one dimensional, sorry my friend ronaldo is the far better player
November 6th, 2008 @ 00:49he hardly destoryed man utd as well, he wouldnt beat a man called wesley brown…
November 6th, 2008 @ 00:54“you cannot seriously be that critical of Messi after he destroyed United in the CL but just couldn’t find the finishing touches. Every time he got the ball I was shitting myself. On his day Messi is better than Ronaldo IMO. Ronaldo wastes way too many opportunities due to selfishness. Messi has the skill of Ronaldo and is also unselfish”
You can’t really call it “destroyed” if in the end, he didn’t get a result did he? That’s akin to saying that the big bad wolf who huffed and puffed destroyed the house which was still standing. You have very suspect logic there my friend. At the end of the day, it takes a blend of composure, skill, and mental strength to get results in a football match. Messi didn’t get the result that was needed.
If the question here is whether Messi is a better dribbler, then I suppose I would have to concede that. In terms of close control no one can come close, except I suppose Robinho or Ronaldinho. The question, however, is the all round game. So let’s take at look at the number of headers, free kicks and weaker foot efforts Messi has scored. And compare that to the number that CR scored last season. Who’s got the better all-round game now?
November 7th, 2008 @ 06:14john terry?? you gotta be kidding me!!!!! best players in the world right now are:
ribery, schweinsteiger, ze roberto, giovinco, del piero, nedved, legrotaglie, ibrahimovic, villa, performance wise.
terry is a big joke in world football. have you forgotten that penalty in moscow so easy????
November 11th, 2008 @ 07:03thnks amhemd
November 12th, 2008 @ 00:27It dont think so,because there are some great player like Ronaldo,Messi,Ronaldinho.So there is no doubt about ronaldo to be the world best player
November 28th, 2008 @ 21:13Terry is a real leader and also a world-class player but I don’t think he is the best in the world. It’s hard for defenders and goalkeepers to be win this kind of awards(anyway there are some exceptions: Kahn, Buffon, Cannavaro). To be the best in the World means to be decisive for your team, to make the difference when your team is in difficulty.
January 19th, 2009 @ 13:39first and for must i very suport lionel messi because he is the best player of the wold
looooooooooooooooooooooooooooolz
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axmedmessi
puntland/somalia
April 12th, 2009 @ 11:45Comment removed by moderator: You have a point in your comment, but the language and the crude comments towards the writer are worthless. Come back with a mature comment when you’re ready.
April 15th, 2009 @ 16:26