Very good points.

But just two Sevilla center backs? I really like three there but no they didn't make it (quite a few Sevilla players have though)... There are just so many central defenders around that level but without anything really extraordinary about them...something I made a must from that position. It's close in a lot of cases though.

But you may very well be right about Pepe. I think part of it with someone like Pepe is also how I just refuse to accept something that doesn't really make sense.
Because I do think that he quite possibly is the most gifted central defender when it comes to athleticism and technical ability, at least the combination he has there, why does he have to suck then? I refuse to accept it almost. And absolutely it raises an interesting point on how much those two things matter to a central defender compared to other things they have to do well.
But it should at least be something, when you're that gifted in those areas, which lays an excellent foundation for the rest of the game to come along. And come along at a very high level.

Correction: On the Navas play I was talking about it was Marcelo but the point remains.

As far as Sevilla CBs they all are solid but not really spectacular. It's tough to sort those guys out. Escude for example is great but you won't see him on any lists like this maybe not even a top 200 defenders. IMO that's great for a club like Sevilla that while certainly not a small club can't just splash money around. We don't have a lot of info on this like in American sports with a salary cap but I would expect solid but not spectacular center backs to be great value.

Ramsey inclusion almost gave me a boner.

That is excellent news TSC.

But boo I just noticed a terrible error in the Ramsey write up that I didn't get to fix (on here at least). It's supposed to say :

Not whatever else it said. And with that, time for some sleep.

Bjorn is the ****ing man.

Modric top 10, amirite?

not sure i'd have ramsey in there ahead of the likes of tymoshchuk or zapater . . .

i should add that there's some great players in there already and i'm looking forward to seeing the rest

any americans in the top 200? im guessing no as i dont see any on the bubble either.

I know the Goons will disagree with me but I have no idea how foetus Walcott and Ramsay make it in. Ramsay isn't a first team regular and Walcott is erratic.

arsenal yo, arsenal

I'm with you. I thought it was odd, so I went back and checked the criteria, and Bjorn said it was based on current form. Walcott has played 2 games this season, and has been a spot player his entire career. I know he's only 20, but I don't see how he's a top-200 on current, or past form.

I don't think it'd be too difficult to find a couple players from that shortlist to replace them, guys who are actual contributing first-teamers.

Yeah, pretty much...

Neville is old and past it now. The modern day winger will skin him alive. Been a great servant and a very good performer. Maybe 5 years ago but in 2009 he is not top 50.

Torries only 35? I certainly cant think of 34 players better than him. Carragher at 32 is the most comical thing Ive seen this year. Again, another defender who is past it, told the majority of Liverpool fans last season he was getting to old and slow, making too many rash decisions and its showing this year, had numerous come back and apologise to me.

30, Terry, again, still performing reasonably well but another center back who is aging and showing, slowed down somewhat and stopped performing against the better strikers.

Cesc is above fat Frank, everyday of the week.

Messi 9th? Has to be in the top 3 minimum

Ronaldinho 2nd? LMAO. Another aging player living of his reputation of old.

Apologys, I see that top 50 list is now 2 years old but alot of my comments still stant I think.... Cant be bothered looking through the rest of the list

I have some serious doubts about the inclusion of Semak because of his lacklustre year in Paris. He was a very, very average ligue 1 player, and that was supposedly in the prime of his career. I think that Russian players in general are overrated, and benefit tremendously from playing in Russia.

do you realise Marcotti's 50 is from 2007?

Nice job Bjorn, but you really shouldn't have included that awful top 50 list as some people seem to mistake it as current or even as your own.