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The Guardian's top 20 players in the world cup

Cabinet96

Cabinet96

Hall of Fame Member
I've only really watched the last two world cups, but how can Messi and Ronaldo be there when the likes of David Villa aren't? Unless the latter is making an entry into the top 20, which I guess isn't out of the equation.
 
P

Pothas

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Yeah I have no idea what they are doing there. Ronaldo ahead of a whole load of great World Cup players.
 
sledger

sledger

Spanish_Vicente
Is this a list of great players who have played in a world cup, or a list of players who were great at the world cup? If it's the latter I can see plenty of players in the list so far that probably shouldn't be.

Edit: In fact there are a few who probably wouldn't fit into either category for me. Jay Jay Okocha, Thomas Brolin and Rodger Milla, for example.Milla was great in his own way I suppose, but I doubt Brolin or Okocha would make most peoples' top 100 list of great players, world cup affiliated or not.
 
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Cabinet96

Cabinet96

Hall of Fame Member
It's the latter. I.e. they think Ronaldo's world cup performances have been the 33rd best out of everyone to have played world cup football. I mean, never mind that Geoff Hurst scored more goals in a final than either Ronaldo or Messi have in all their world cup games combined.
 
sledger

sledger

Spanish_Vicente
In that case Ronaldo, Messi, Figo, and Ronaldinho probably shouldn't be in that list at all imo. Or at least, they should be significantly lower down, as you allude to.

Oliver Khan criminal underrated here as well. Don't remember seeing a goalkeeper have so much impact on a team's success as he did for Germany in 2002 from all the World Cups that have happened in my lifetime.
 
wpdavid

wpdavid

Hall of Fame Member
wpdavid said:
We'll have to be pretty quick, as I think their top 20 will be announced tomorrow

The World Cup's top 100 footballers of all time ? interactive | Football | theguardian.com

All pretty subjective of course, but who do we reckon will be in the top 20?

A few obvious candidates - Moore, Beckenbauer, Pele, Garrincha, Jairzinho, Madadonna & Cruyff.
Also Eusebio, Matthaus, Zidane and Muller.
Fontaine, Hidgekuti will probably be there. And Riva.

Who else?
Click to expand...
Can't believe I forgot the Brazilian Ronaldo.
 
P

Pothas

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Yeah he is a certainty.

Bobby Charlton as well I would have thought.

Klose? I mean there is just no way he should be in the top 20 but surely with his goal record he would make the top 100?
 
P

Pothas

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Never won a World Cup and he is just no that good really. Scoring loads against Saudi Arabia not really enough to make it into a top 20.
 
Uppercut

Uppercut

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I think Germany will end up starting him a few times in Brazil too. Would rather have him up front than Gotze.
 
wpdavid

wpdavid

Hall of Fame Member
wpdavid said:
We'll have to be pretty quick, as I think their top 20 will be announced tomorrow

The World Cup's top 100 footballers of all time ? interactive | Football | theguardian.com

All pretty subjective of course, but who do we reckon will be in the top 20?

A few obvious candidates - Moore, Beckenbauer, Pele, Garrincha, Jairzinho, Madadonna & Cruyff.
Also Eusebio, Matthaus, Zidane and Muller.
Fontaine, Hidgekuti will probably be there. And Riva.

Who else?
Click to expand...
OK, my final stab at this before I bore everyone silly.

As already said, the Brazilian Ronaldo.

And dead right about Bobby Charlton, who I should never have forgotten.

Platini will probably be there, although his best performances came in the Euros.

I'd like to see Socrates in there.

And maybe Zoff, Rossi and Tardelli.

Probably someone from Spain last time out - maybe Iniesta


I think that's 22, so take out Hidgekuti.and Riva.
Marc makes a good case for Klose, but I'll stick with gut instinct.
And there will probably be an Italian from the 1930s or a Uruguayn from decades ago that I've never heard of.
 
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fredfertang

fredfertang

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
I appreciate that John Barnes is a bit of a legend around these parts but to describe him as that generally is a bit much
 
Magrat Garlick

Magrat Garlick

Rather Mad Witch
Giuseppe Meazza will be in you'd think. Italy's best of the pre-WWII teams, and has a major stadium named after him which should jog the journos' memories.

I don't think 3 players from Italy 82 will be there.

Guardian may be too anti-English to pick Bobby Moore, but deserves a spot on the top 100 at least.

Lahm should be waaay higher than 95, especially when Cafu is 25.
 
flibbertyjibber

flibbertyjibber

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Zoff, Maldini and Rossi.

Charlton and Moore.

Pele, Ronaldo, Garrincha and Jairzinho

Eusebio.

Beckenbauer, Matthaus and Muller.

Zidane, Fontaine and Desailly.

Maradona.

Cruyff and Bergkamp

Some random bloke from an early world cup who is obvious and I missed them off.

Only said Bergkamp as he isn't on the list and his goal in 98 is one of the greatest ever in the finals.

Seems too many up to date ones really. Be interesting to see who they are though.
 
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