The Guardian's Top 100 Footballers of 2014

[Zomp]

Every year I start this thread with glee.  Here's the link:
 
http://www.theguardian.com/football/ng-interactive/2014/dec/21/the-top-100-footballers-2014-interactive
 
The top 10 comes out on December 24th.  Like last year, I'd like everyone to guess what the top 10 is.
 
Here's my guess:
 
1. Ronaldo
2. Messi
3. Robben
4. Lahm
5. Ibrahimovic
6. Suarez
7. Neuer
8. Bale
9. Neymar
10. Aguero
 
Some observations:
 
I think since they started listing them, no keeper has made it into the top 10. Neuer is my choice to break the cycle.  I read an article the other day that says he stops an ABSURD 95% of shots INSIDE the 18.
 
Last year I felt the Guardian screwed up by naming Messi ahead of Ronaldo.  This year would be no different.
 
The 10 spot was the toughest to come up with.  I put Aguero in there even though I think his frailty should count against him.  I wouldn't be surprised if Di Maria was in the 10 spot.
 
Last year Balotelli was 33.  He isn't in the 40-100 range and I can't see him improving, so I think that makes him the biggest drop.
 
Not surprising to see Van Persie and Falcao drop so much. I'll have to see the rest of the list but I think Matic, Tevez, and Pjanic are rated too low.
 
Once again, The Guardian gets a little to hip for their own good.  Wilfred Bony is a fine player, but ahead of Isco?

 

[Zososoxfan]

1. Messi
2. CRonaldo
3. Robben
4. Mueller
5. Costa
6. Bale
7. Toure
8. Neuer
9. Kompany
10. Cesc
 
I agree that Isco is criminally underrated. Xavi is too high, Zabaleta and Sergio too low. Mandzukic seems low as well.

 

[dirtynine]

A fun side bet would be which English club will place the most players in the list.  

 

[Zomp]

A fun side bet would be which English club will place the most players in the list.  

 
Currently, Chelsea and United have 5, City have 2, Arsenal 3 and Liverpool 3.
 
I can't see Liverpool having anymore and Ozil is already listed so Arsenal will have 1 more in Sanchez.  United will have one more in Di Maria bringing their total to 6.  City will have Toure, Silva, Kompany, and Aguero as definites.  Mangala isn't on the list yet but he was pretty high last year so he may still be yet to come.  Will Navas, Nasri, or Jovetic make the list?  Not sure.  I'll say City should have 7 when its said and done.
 
Chelsea still has Hazard, Costa, and CESC as definites.  So 8 for them?

 

[Zomp]

and I've seen him play less than 20 times but I thought Benatia would be in the top 20.  This list is usually skewed towards attackers, but I have him in the top 5 center backs in the world.

 

[Schnerres]

Too high:
85. Henrikh Mikhitaryan, Dortmund. The guy had a bad last (first) year @Dortmund and this season is even worse.
70. Miro Klose, Lazio. Come on..I love him (his parents live 30km from me and his hometown club is Kaiserslautern, my team), but this position was given only for the WC success of Germany. I agree that there must be about 15 more germans in the top40, but Klose plays too little for Germany and way too few minutes for Lazio.
 
 
Too low:
57. Jerome Boateng, Bayern. That guy didn´t lose a Bundesliga match with Bayern in 50 matches some matches ago (run is still going on). Bayern conceded 4 goals this season in the league, so far. Boateng was the best defender @the WC (not!!! Hummels, who plays a poor Bundesliga campaign and is not on this list so far and was #66 last season).
 
 
(I´m not saying these guys are the only ones, but i watch the german national team and the Bundesliga and german players most of the times, so i can judge them without mistakes)
 
Top10 should be ten of those guys (alphabetical order):
 
Aguero, Bale, Ibrahimovic, Kroos, Lahm, Messi, Müller, Neuer, Neymar, Robben, Ronaldo, Suarez.
 
Who would i drop personally from these 12? Zlatan, Bale, Aguero and Suarez (and add Götze and Kompany).

 

[mikeford]

Alexis Sanchez was 95 last year and he's not in the released bottom 60 so far so I'll be interested to see just how high he goes up

 

[DLew On Roids]

Sidebar question: Do City fans look at Boateng with regret, wondering why the fuck they didn't play him at CB and why he was allowed to leave, or do they figure he was a lost cause because no German turns down Bayern?

 

[Zomp]

Alexis Sanchez was 95 last year and he's not in the released bottom 60 so far so I'll be interested to see just how high he goes up

 
How far do you think?  I guess I'd have him in the 20-30 range but could consider an argument for the teens.

 

[soxfan121]

Is there any legit argument to Neuer at #3? 

 

[Zososoxfan]

Is there any legit argument to Neuer at #3? 

 
Neuer is the best keeper in awhile (Buffon in his prime was no slouch), but he plays on such stacked teams that he doesn't get to show it much. I think under different circumstances he could be a top 5-6 guy, but the lethal goalscorers/creators are more valuable.

 

[Schnerres]

So spots 40-11 are out.
Too low/high:
Reus40: Had a poor year, as shown by his -17. But should be even lower...No WC, relegation zone with Dortmund, a few injuries.
Kompany37: Isn´t he the absolute leader of City? And his WC was a great plus for him, too. Should be higher, in my opinion, but obviously defenders are ranked low.
 
Top10 should be (if i didn´t miss anyone):
Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar, Robben, Neuer, Lahm, Aguero, Suarez, Müller, Bale.

 

[Zomp]

9 out of 10 ain't bad.

 

[teddykgb]

Sidebar question: Do City fans look at Boateng with regret, wondering why the fuck they didn't play him at CB and why he was allowed to leave, or do they figure he was a lost cause because no German turns down Bayern?

Not at all. He was disinterested and soft while he was here and played very poorly. To be honest I still don't think he's very good, he just plays for a great team and has some attributes well suited for the very little they ask him to do. As a pure defender, he's miles behind many in the world imo

 

[Zomp]

Mascherano is the highest defender on the list?  Yeesh.
 
I'm a huge fan of Benzema but I actually think Lewandowski is better.
 
Modric at 23 feels shockingly low but I'm not sure who I'd move back. James?  Alonso?

 

[rodderick]

One player from South America in the list and it's fucking Rogério Ceni, who had a thoroughly mediocre and unremarkable season for São Paulo. He wasn't even a top 5 keeper in the Brazilian league, how on earth is he the only player out of Europe worthy of being represented?

 

[Dummy Hoy]

So spots 40-11 are out.
Too low/high:
Reus40: Had a poor year, as shown by his -17. But should be even lower...No WC, relegation zone with Dortmund, a few injuries.
Kompany37: Isn´t he the absolute leader of City? And his WC was a great plus for him, too. Should be higher, in my opinion, but obviously defenders are ranked low.
 
Top10 should be (if i didn´t miss anyone):
Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar, Robben, Neuer, Lahm, Aguero, Suarez, Müller, Bale.

 
I'm Kompany's biggest fan, but his play has clearly dropped this year. I don't watch nearly enough football to judge a list like this (I doubt any of us do), but that seems like a fair ranking for him. That has him at what, 3rd best defender in the world? That almost seems too high.

 

[Zososoxfan]

Quick thoughts:
 
Schweiny too high - he's still good, but not the player he once was.
Iniesta had a down year, but 28 is low.
Mascherano is very very good, but I think he showed and shows it more with Argentina than with Barca. If it wasn't for Sergio, Masch would still be considered one of the best pivots in the game. His distribution is outstanding.
Vidal probably deserves to be a bit higher. Same for Godin (no love for defenders).
Surprised Felipe Luiz didn't make the list, but I haven't watched him as much in the EPL.
James seems a bit high.
Xabi Alonso also seems very high to me.
 
I really think Neymar is overrated. He has tantalizing talent and does score some sweet goals, but he's inconsistent. I think he's improved leaps and bounds from last year, but not top 10 for me. Aguero also could be a little lower for his underwhelming WC.

 

[Zomp]

Casillas also should be nowhere near this list.

 

[Morgan's Magic Snowplow]

Too high:
 
Xabi Alonso - Has been great for Bayern in Pep's system but looked absolutely cooked in the World Cup.  Still a good specialist player at this stage but #21 is way too high.
Ribery - I don't think he really has the legs anymore, has battled injuries much of the year.
Costa - Great box striker for a team that knows how to use him, but #12 in the world?
Courtois - Great keeper but at #17 too high for my taste, especially if a guy like De Gea is only #55.
Pirlo - Everybody loves Andrea Pirlo but watch him play and see him jog in like a 20 meter diameter circle all match.  Runs the show in Italy, physically overmatched against better competition in World Cup and Europe at this point.
Bony- wtf
 
Too low:
 
Di Maria - Should have been Top 10 IMO when you consider his play for Real, Argentina, United all together.
David Silva - Criminally underrated at #35.
Kompany - Can't believe he is behind Sergio Ramos
Alaba - Great all around player.  I would take him over Xabi Alonso in a cocaine heartbeat if picking a squad, especially if it wasn't specifically a Guardiola team.

 

[Zososoxfan]

Too high:
 
Xabi Alonso - Has been great for Bayern in Pep's system but looked absolutely cooked in the World Cup.  Still a good specialist player at this stage but #21 is way too high.
Ribery - I don't think he really has the legs anymore, has battled injuries much of the year.
Costa - Great box striker for a team that knows how to use him, but #12 in the world?
Courtois - Great keeper but at #17 too high for my taste, especially if a guy like De Gea is only #55.
Pirlo - Everybody loves Andrea Pirlo but watch him play and see him jog in like a 20 meter diameter circle all match.  Runs the show in Italy, physically overmatched against better competition in World Cup and Europe at this point.
Bony- wtf
 
Too low:
 
Di Maria - Should have been Top 10 IMO when you consider his play for Real, Argentina, United all together.
David Silva - Criminally underrated at #35.
Kompany - Can't believe he is behind Sergio Ramos
Alaba - Great all around player.  I would take him over Xabi Alonso in a cocaine heartbeat if picking a squad, especially if it wasn't specifically a Guardiola team.

 
I disagree on Costa, the dude is a striker's striker and he's the best prototype around.
I am a huge fan of Courtois and think he's pretty well-ranked. Reasonable minds may disagree. Also I've been VERY impressed with Claudio Bravo, he makes all the saves, and his distribution is slowly improving.
I like Di Maria a lot too, agree that you could move him up a few spots (not many more he could move up!)
I am not a fan of David Silva's game. I think he's actually overrated generally, and pretty close to accurately rated here.

 

[mikeford]

Alexis at 22 feels right number wise but I'd rate him more than Benzema so I kinda feel he should be higher than him.

 

[ifmanis5]

Amazing how few of those top players are in the Premier League. It's taken a few steps backwards in the past couple of years.

 

[Morgan's Magic Snowplow]

 
I disagree on Costa, the dude is a striker's striker and he's the best prototype around.
I am a huge fan of Courtois and think he's pretty well-ranked. Reasonable minds may disagree. Also I've been VERY impressed with Claudio Bravo, he makes all the saves, and his distribution is slowly improving.
I like Di Maria a lot too, agree that you could move him up a few spots (not many more he could move up!)
I am not a fan of David Silva's game. I think he's actually overrated generally, and pretty close to accurately rated here.

 
Is Costa really better than Zlatan, Lewandowski, or Benzema?  Not to mention wingers like his teammate Hazard or Alexis?  If I'm putting together a team from scratch I take any of those guys (except maybe Zlatan) over him.  He's a pure box striker, not very dynamic with the ball at his feet or on the counter-attack.  I think he's been fortunate to play in two systems that get the best out of his abilities at Atletico or Chelsea, while hiding his limitations.  His track record with Spain is awful and I think he would be similarly ineffective in a lot of other systems.
 
Courtois is a great keeper but IMO De Gea has been clearly the best keeper in the Premier League this season.  So to have Courtois ranked 40 places higher, and as one of the highest ranked keepers I can remember on this list in general, seems off to me.

 

[bosox4283]

Quick thoughts:
 
Schweiny too high - he's still good, but not the player he once was.
Iniesta had a down year, but 28 is low.
Mascherano is very very good, but I think he showed and shows it more with Argentina than with Barca. If it wasn't for Sergio, Masch would still be considered one of the best pivots in the game. His distribution is outstanding.
Vidal probably deserves to be a bit higher. Same for Godin (no love for defenders).
Surprised Felipe Luiz didn't make the list, but I haven't watched him as much in the EPL.
James seems a bit high.
Xabi Alonso also seems very high to me.
 
I really think Neymar is overrated. He has tantalizing talent and does score some sweet goals, but he's inconsistent. I think he's improved leaps and bounds from last year, but not top 10 for me. Aguero also could be a little lower for his underwhelming WC.

 
Filipe Luis has been riding the pine this year at Chelsea. Mourinho seems to view Luis as his third fullback option behind Azpilicueta and Ivanovic. 

 

[mikeford]

 
Courtois is a great keeper but IMO De Gea has been clearly the best keeper in the Premier League this season.  So to have Courtois ranked 40 places higher, and as one of the highest ranked keepers I can remember on this list in general, seems off to me.

Yeah but "this season" started in late August/Early September.
 
What Courtois did for Atletico from Jan 2014-May 2014 outweighs everything De Gea has ever done in his life. 

 

[Morgan's Magic Snowplow]

Yeah but "this season" started in late August/Early September.
 
What Courtois did for Atletico from Jan 2014-May 2014 outweighs everything De Gea has ever done in his life. 

Meh, pretty close to a wash, still hard to justify a disparity of 40 places. Admittedly, I'm not watching Atleti very often, but I assume you're not either.

 

[Zomp]

Top 10 are:
 
1. Ronaldo
2. Messi
3. Neuer
4. Robben
5. Muller
6. Suarez
7. Neymar
8. Bale
9. Lahm
10. Aguero

 

[Billy R Ford]

Americans who received votes: Clint Dempsey (2 votes, 10 points) and DeAndre Yedlin (1 vote, 1 point). Somewhere, there's a Guardian journalist who thinks DeAndre Yedlin is the 40th best player in the world.
 
Some notable names I saw who didn't receive any votes: Pepe, Carlos Vela, Pedro, Iker Muniain, Maxi Pereira, Hernanes, Olivier Giroud, Ramires, Christian Eriksen, Javi Martinez, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alvaro Negredo, Keisuke Honda, Dante, Nemanja Vidic, Jan Vertonghen, and Marek Hamsik.
 
One of the things most suspect to me is that the Premier League has 31 players represented and the Bundesliga only 15. There are only three players from the Bundesliga represented who aren't from Bayern, and all three are from Dortmund. Does anyone really want to make the case that Liverpool should have 3, Arsenal 4, and Manchester United 6, but Bayer Leverkusen, Schalke, and 'Gladbach shouldn't have any? Though to be fair, I don't watch enough Bundesliga to have a very strong opinion on the players from those teams.
 
Overall I think the top of the list is very good though, the content of the top ~25 seems pretty accurate though you could quibble with where guys are exactly.

 

[Schnerres]

Speaking of Bundesliga players that should be at least mentioned as potential inclusions for next year:
Keeper:
Bernd Leno(22), Leverkusen
 
Defense:
Neven Subotic(26), Dortmund
Ricardo Rodriguez(22), Wolfsburg
 
Midfield:
Hakan Calhanoglu(20), Leverkusen
Ilkay Gündogan(24), Dortmund
Roberto Firmino(23), Hoffenheim
Christoph Kramer(23), Gladbach(on loan from Leverkusen until 06/15)
Julian Draxler(21), Schalke
Max Meyer(19), Schalke
Kevin de Bruyne(23), Wolfsburg
 
Forward:
Kevin Volland(22), Hoffenheim
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting(25), Schalke
 
Obviously, some guys are close, others have loads of potential (Max Meyer for example) and a long way to go. A lot will depend how they will fare in CL after the break and who will go to the CL next season. Wolfsburg has a decent chance to join the CL next season(2nd) and Hoffenheim could join them, too and both teams are supported through some financial spenders (Hoffenheim through SAP owner Dietmar Hopp and Wolfsburg by Volkswagen). It will also be interesting to see how Wolfsburg(SC Portugal) and Gladbach(Sevilla) will fare in the next round of the Europa league. Both teams have been playing a superb Bundesliga season, but face tough opponents.
So it is kind of weird that there are only players from Dortmund(who had another great run in last years CL and some of Germanys WC winners) and the half roster of Bayern and nobody else. Of course, when you think about it, 100 players total in this list should be like an average of 5 players from superb teams like City, Arsenal, Atletico, etc. will give you only about 15 teams, because there should be about 5 teams (like Bayern, Real, Chelsea, Barca), that should have 10 players each in this list.

 

[AirborneSas]

A little different list from French newspaper L'EQUIPE.  Neuer at #1.
 
http://www.lequipe.fr/Football/Actualites/Le-top-100-des-meilleurs-joueurs-2014/523982