Please list your top five Soccer players in the World

[flyingillini]

I would like to know your lists.

[pavyracer]

Kaka
Messi
Ronaldo
Torres
Arshavin

[KingRevolver]

Your list is good but I'd take out Torres or Ashavin and put in Gianluigi Buffon. Best goalkeeper in the world, IMO!

[jayc88]

messi
kaka
ronaldo
torres
lampard

[flyingillini]

Kaka!

[raydog]

i live in america...whats this soccer thing you are referring too?

[flyingillini]

I live in America and I think it is one of the most exciting sports to watch, Sir.

[RogueJuror]

Fernandinho (Shakhtar Donetsk)
el apache Carlitos Tevez
topo gigio Juan Roman Riquelme
coraçao de leão Washington (Sao Paulo)
Juninho (Botafogo)

[RogueJuror]

nvm i thought it was fav not top

[lakerboy]

All-time

Pele
Maradona
Cruyff
Beckenbauer
Zidane

Now

Ronaldo
Gerrard
Iniesta
Messi
Ribery

[headgames]

Marcos Senna, the Villareal and Spain defensive midfielder, would be in my top 5 players. He has the ability to completely boss midfields at club and international level and, in my opinion, was the best player during Euro 2008.

Nearing the end of his illustrious career now, I would say Alessandro Nesta is an incredible defender. Obviously Paolo Maldini and Baresi were perhaps the bigger names at Milan but you only need see that he has been in UEFA's team of the year four times, appeared in three world cups (he had incredibly bad fortune with injuries at each, missing the final in 2002) and was pursued for a recall to the national squad for Euro 2008 even though he had retired from international football two years prior.

So they would be the more stable, reliable picks as non-flair players and the other places would be open and interchangable based upon the effectiveness over the coming few years. Ronaldo, Messi, Kaka and others have an abundance of skill and can be incredibly effective in changing matches with just a freekick or a killer pass. Over the next few years, the ones which go on to make the biggest impression to win things will probably go down as the greats of their generation - just don't move to Manchester City in pursuit of money and ruin your reputation completely like Robinho.

[RogueJuror]

Good post headgames. Nesta's 99-00 season was magical with Lazio. I'm more of a fan of 'workers' and not of those so call stars. Makalele was another good one.

[headgames]

Agree completely. Makélélé had an incredible gift and it wasn't to set up goals or do anything fancy, just to work tirelessly reading the opponents game through midfield, covering his defenders and always playing the most simple pass available. It's one of those positions that's never appreciated in highlights, but a world class player in this position can literally be the difference between winning and losing. I remember a German in Euro '96 called Dieter Eilts, possibly one of the most destructive players I had ever seen and I thought it was wonderful to see that the art of tackling, hard-work and playing your role in the team was allowed to flourish in an ever-increasing world of celebrity footballers, $1000 haircuts and ridiculously coloured boots.

[crisp]

Your list is good but I'd take out Torres or Ashavin and put in Gianluigi Buffon. Best goalkeeper in the world, IMO!

great job by bufoon in the confederations cup.

[gym rat]

Beckham
Galaxy
Beckham
Galaxy
Beckham

[KingRevolver]

@ Beckham

[jayc88]

Beckham
Galaxy
Beckham
Galaxy
Beckham

post of the day

[aneurysm00]

Gerrard
Torres
Messi
Xavi
Essien

[crisp]

beckham is a primadona just like ronaldinho.

[aneurysm00]

Agree completely. Makélélé had an incredible gift and it wasn't to set up goals or do anything fancy, just to work tirelessly reading the opponents game through midfield, covering his defenders and always playing the most simple pass available. It's one of those positions that's never appreciated in highlights, but a world class player in this position can literally be the difference between winning and losing. I remember a German in Euro '96 called Dieter Eilts, possibly one of the most destructive players I had ever seen and I thought it was wonderful to see that the art of tackling, hard-work and playing your role in the team was allowed to flourish in an ever-increasing world of celebrity footballers, $1000 haircuts and ridiculously coloured boots.

That Euro 96 German team was class despite the jingoistic press in England painting them as antagonists as usual.
Sammer, Moller, Babbel - terrific players.

[RogueJuror]

ronaldinho was great in gremio and paris st germain

[Fishhead]

GOD, i can only name three................ugh

[DeeWizzle]

The guy who scores the goal that makes me money
The guy who misses the the goal that makes me money
The goalie that allows the goal that makes me money
The goalie that saves the goal that makes me money
And anyone else that makes me money

[TurkzZ]

No order:

Iniesta
Xavi
Messi
Gerrard
Ronaldo

[PAPSMEAR]

Got only one...not sure of his name...not even what sure what team he plays for...but he was the guy that dished out that cracking full frontal don't argue headbutt in the last World Cup...loved it

Who was that masked crusader?

[headgames]

That was Zinedine Zidane (France) who has now retired. The person who assaulted Zidane in the head using their chest was Marco Materazzi (Italy).

[TurkzZ]

Riquelme
Veron
Forlan
Aguero
Luis Adriano

for some fantastic players with smaller reps

[Wilforth]

Now

Messi

Kaka
C. Ronaldo
Robinho
Rio Ferdinand