Nope.The national league in Brazil really is lacking world class players right now.The one player you could make a case for is Adriano IMO because he's in-form again and playing great(actually I think he should probably be on that list).

Also, Seedorf is so underrated its crazy.

Yeah SIGH I've changed my mind about Seedorf. I thought he had played way less in recent years being on and off, but that's not the case at all it turns out.
And he really has shown some nice things this season so far. At all parts of the game. The game tonight was definitely a nice reminder of how good he still can be.

So he is in, and someone who had played way LESS than I thought is out. I think it was definitely a mistake to include him in the first place. Maybe I was fooled by sweet memories of his many thundering shots on goal, who knows. But Hamit Altintop it is who is out!

edit: Don't think there will be an update today btw. I have some write ups half done but the Altintop disaster sparked a lot change in the order. I really want to get the list just right now, so I won't have to keep going back. Eh I suppose I should really just "lock it" and throw away the key...

Isn't there that one guy in a northern african country ( I think Egypt) who is supposed to be very good? I think he's called Aboutreika or something (no clue about the spelling)

Seedorf didn't look real good here. Made a lot of really nice plays, but also had at least 2-3 pretty bad giveaways. Just thought there was a lot of good and bad with him today, don't know if that's typical or not.

Ah the good old Seedorf discussion.
It's has been going on for around 6/7 years here now. Whether he should play for the national squad or not.
We haven't come to a conclusion yet. He is very hard to rate in general. Has some awesome skills and specific qualities but also some defensive leaks.

The guy is a legend but I don't think he should be in the list. Or hmm... **** it I dunnow

GTF. List them then.

its a joke from the fantasy draft thread

its a joke on a lot of posts that cashy makes in this thread

Riquelme by chance?

fatshaft, any time someone picked a player in the winning eleven draft, cashy would invariably say "ZOMG HORRIBLE PICK, I CAN NAME 50 PLAYERS BETTER!" We still love ya cashy, but it was funny during the draft,

Hence my post earleir that I hadn't expected Cashy in here until #50 on the list as he wouldn't know what to say

Or Adriano



@Bjorn: Oh and Seedorf played an awful game, 2 weeks ago he showed that he'll still got it but last night he didn't play well at all.

200-195
194-193
192-189

The list so far:

200: Alberto Zapater - Genoa - Spain
199: Nikola Zigic - Valencia - Serbia
198: Sergio Ramos - Real Madrid - Spain
197: Lucio - Inter - Brazil
196: John Obi Mikel - Chelsea - Nigeria
195: Sergio Busquets - Barcelona - Spain
194: Philippe Mexes - Roma -France
193: Anatolij Tymoshchuk - Bayern München - Ukraine
192: Theo Walcott - Arsenal - England
191: Aaron Ramsey - Arsenal - Wales
190: Pepe - Real Madrid - Portugal
189: Sergei Semak - Rubin Kazan - Russia

A quick one before the Champions League games (already) start.

More later.

188 - Alberto Aquilani - Liverpool - Italy

188:

Alberto Aquilani - Liverpool - Italy

Midfielder




Injury problems throughout his career and barely having played yet this season is what keeps him this low.

But he has more than enough ability I feel to still make the list.

Aquilani is a very complete midfielder who while not as good defensively as defensive midfielders per se still is quite good and certainly better than most of the midfielders categorized, like he himself usually is, as attacking.
He is just disciplined when it comes to that part of the game and without being a strong tackler or anything does a good job of defending his zone.

I think for Liverpool, health permitting and possbily Rafa Benitez staying permitting, that there is a good chance, like his predecessor Xabi Alonso did and like other players under Benitez have, that he will make great improvements physically and then we could see a really strong two way player deserving of a far far higher ranking. But again, health permitting!

As okay as he is when it comes to the defensive part of the game, he is still way behind in those areas if you again compare him to someone like Alonso. But there are some things he does on a similar level and some things he does even better.

First of all he is a good passer. In the short passing game he is generally secure and makes good decisions and he is able to execute deeper more direct passes as well.

Where he is definitely is better than someone like Alonso though is in the final third playing in tighter space.
He can make quality runs in and around the penalty area both with and without the ball and has some play making ability there too. Unlike some of the previously ranked players who to some extent are restricted to only being able to do this further back in midfield.
He is of course also well known for having a good shoot from outside.

I think all in all this reads like a player with enough quality to pass many players yet to come. But again and again bad health really hurts him. Hopefully it will less in the future. Both Liverpool and the Italian national team could of course really use him.

I think Seedorf played good. Definitely not bad. Could that impression have something to do with seeing all the things he isn't anymore? I dunno, but I think I've viewed him a lot like that in recent years. It's easy to do.

I thought he played well last nigh and not cause of the occasional trickery with Dinho (the clown) but more how well I thought he contributed to both the defending and attacking. Pirlo seemed to come under a lot of pressure quickly when Milan got the ball and from deep he wasn't really effective yesterday, Seedorf however, even sometimes under great pressure from Las, did really well I thought and was the only player really able to connect with Pato coming out of defense. I think if it hadn't been for that Milan wouldn't have had all that much in this game.

I thought Seedorf played a good 1st half and a bad 2nd half, but the reason I said he's underrated is not because of this game.
I watch Milan play a lot and he's always creating good chances and controlling the flow of the games.

200-195
194-193
192-189
188

The list so far:

200: Alberto Zapater - Genoa - Spain
199: Nikola Zigic - Valencia - Serbia
198: Sergio Ramos - Real Madrid - Spain
197: Lucio - Inter - Brazil
196: John Obi Mikel - Chelsea - Nigeria
195: Sergio Busquets - Barcelona - Spain
194: Philippe Mexes - Roma -France
193: Anatolij Tymoshchuk - Bayern München - Ukraine
192: Theo Walcott - Arsenal - England
191: Aaron Ramsey - Arsenal - Wales
190: Pepe - Real Madrid - Portugal
189: Sergei Semak - Rubin Kazan - Russia
188: Alberto Aquilani - Liverpool - Italy

Ok this installment has the first Sevilla player. Jared sees those players a lot more than I do but hopefully it's not completely off (the ranking or the words)! If both are very wrong it's simply cause he is very very biased obv!

187-185

187:

Clarence Seedorf - Milan - Holland

Midfielder



Now at 33 years of age, few if any active players have achieved more in their careers than Seedorf.

He has won the Champions League title an incredible four times with three different teams (Ajax, Real Madrid and twice with Milan) and league titles in Holland, Spain and Italy.

For his national team it's been a far more bumpy ride but that's a whole other story...

Throughout his long career Seedorf has been a technical superb midfielder, one that could be used in any role there almost, able to make fine passes, short, long or cross and with his great ball control beat guys with his dribbling skills or participate in sweet combinations with skilled teammates.

These days due to age what he has lost is some pace. That in itself is very negative for any player.

He has probably lost some stamina too, though he certainly still works quite hard in most games.
But if we're talking game after game then it could be argued that he hasn't really been able to perform at a high level consistently in recent years. There are longer between the really good games you could say, and the bad ones make more appearances than they used to.

I'm not sure how much truth there is to it exactly, but I've certainly heard more than one Milan fan over the years suggest that Seedorf saved his best for the Champions League games while often being quite mediocre in Serie A.

What Seedorf has added though, and with him being part of (and at times contributing to) an aging struggling Milan team, the deciding factor in him still making this list, IS some real "veteran savvy".
He just plays smart and reads the game very well I think, relies on that more, now that his body isn't quite able to do what it once was.

You could say that there is at least one of Seedorf's midfield teammates who maybe it would do some good if he could somehow learn from that.

186:

Diego Capel - Sevilla - Spain

Winger



Diego Capel is a very explosive winger. He has great acceleration, only knows one way, that is of course forward, and with the always impressive high energy that he brings to seemingly every game, can be an absolute terror for opposition defenders with his constant harassment.

I think that he especially excels when play is direct where as if the game is slower, for whatever reason, with more touches, he loses some of his tremendous value compared to when the game is fast paced and of course especially compared to games where there are plenty of transition opportunities. The more of those for Capel, the better! He is really good in those situations.

In some ways of course the above is true for most players who thrives on pace but the really good ones of those I'll argue offer more to their teams and can vary their game more.
Be constructive in their actions further back in midfield. Just vary their play! Their whereabouts. Their passing. Their movement. Their play off teammates. Set a different tempo...

Capel it's my impression is just 100 percent dynamite winger who ideally should always get the ball when he can run effectively at someone or even better, really fast into space, like a Sevilla bull seing red, but of course that's not always possible and I'm not sure if other wing type of players (and I'm talking really really good ones much higher up including a certain teammate) don't offer more there.
Capel I don't feel have that many other dimensions to his game than run, dribble, cross the ball!
And that's actually fine when you do it all well like Capel does. I even think he can defend some too! But to get even higher up I think he needs to add even more to his game.

That he is seeing increased competition from talented teammate Diego Perotti I suspect could have to do with this as well. I'm actually not sure of Perotti, he doesn't have many games yet, but could he be a more well rounded player? Doing certain things better than Capel?

Yeah it's a tough world this but there is good news too! Capel is still only 21 and can only get better.

That is until of course, he gets old and slow... But that shouldn't happen for a while!

185:

Yossi Benayoun - Liverpool - Israel

Attacking midfielder



Good at comforting John Terry?

With Benayoun it's relative simple. With his good technical ability he is good at creating goalscoring chances.
He can pass a decisive ball and he can make a decisive run.

Elsewhere than in the final third his value goes significantly down and he really isn't able to contribute much. Not even with the ball, unless surrounded by very good players, like good wingers or good fullbacks coming forward, and definitely not without the ball.
I do think he has improved his workrate quite a bit but he is still a bad defensive player that makes Liverpool worse there when he plays.
That can be helped when he is sort of put out on the wing himself where he doesn't have to "fill as much" but then he will often spend a lot of time too far away from where he is really good, like when deep in his own half having to make up a lot of ground, and then can't contribute much either.

Ideally he would always play just behind a striker and with good technical players near him but at Liverpool that's the preferred spot of someone who is better.
Still when him and Gerrard do both play they can produce very good things, but the team mostly will be worse defensively. It is of course up to the coach what he prefers. Literally, one way or the other.

Björn you really have a talent to find great pictures

SOMOS GRANDES

I think you are spot on with your Capel writeup. Reminds me of Clark's (I think, maybe Evan? One was the responder one the respondee) response that a rhino is one dimensional but that dimension is being a big, badass rhino. Capel virtually never dominates a game like the guy on the other side, but he is incredibly dangerous with his forward runs with the ball and crosses. I honestly think he might crack the top 10 when it comes to the guys you would least like to see with the ball coming at you on a counterattack. He was the #1 guy I had in mind when we had the draft because I don't think he's too well known.

The obvious question mark with him is that he doesn't score, but with Sevilla keeping two of Luis Fabiano, Kanoute and Negredo up top that's fine since he's fantastic at setting it up. The only thing that worries me is that I feel like Capel's eliteness window isn't very long. He definitely doesn't play a style that will still be effective into his mid 30s. I could see him decline even in his mid 20s.

As for Perotti, he is pretty great as well though we obviously need a bigger sample. His game seems to me to be more similar to someone like Jose Antonio Reyes or the when he was at Sevilla or the current RW. He is much more well rounded and can dominate by making runs, great passes and the odd goal.

I'm really excited about both of these guys. I think the competition there will bring the best out of them and there are enough competitions that both should be pretty happy. Even if one of them moves on Sevilla should be solid on the left for years to come.

I don't think there has ever been an issue with his work rate. There certainly wasn't at West Ham - for a guy of his size he got up for headers well and tackled well - the main problem was that he drifted off the wing to come inside and left his own full back exposed.

Just to add to the Ramsey debate. Obviously got massive potential etc etc, but its pretty easy to come on as a sub when teams are already well beaten/demoralised and basically just want the game to end. And before anyone says he started against so and so, im just making a general point that he hasnt played an important role in any of Arsenal's recent success (if you can call it that).

Someone brought up Jack Rodwell earlier, who has arguably more potential, but has definitely proved more already having to play pretty much twice a week in an awful Everton side at the minute.

Also i only skimmed through that bubble list but if the Diarra who has been left out is Lassana then thats a massive mistake imo. Obviously not gonna be a perfect list though i understand.

I haven't seen that much of Rodwell but I'm pretty confident that he isn't right now or has much of a chance to become the type of very special player I talk about in the Ramsey write up.

He has ability and great potential to become other things. Say all round midfielder or defender but I don't the see the uniqueness that I see with Ramsey.

And of course there are a lot of good players named Diarra

edit: and hopefully some more players very late tonight or very early tomorrow if you will.

200-195
194-193
192-189
188
187-185

The list so far:

200: Alberto Zapater - Genoa - Spain
199: Nikola Zigic - Valencia - Serbia
198: Sergio Ramos - Real Madrid - Spain
197: Lucio - Inter - Brazil
196: John Obi Mikel - Chelsea - Nigeria
195: Sergio Busquets - Barcelona - Spain
194: Philippe Mexes - Roma -France
193: Anatolij Tymoshchuk - Bayern München - Ukraine
192: Theo Walcott - Arsenal - England
191: Aaron Ramsey - Arsenal - Wales
190: Pepe - Real Madrid - Portugal
189: Sergei Semak - Rubin Kazan - Russia
188: Alberto Aquilani - Liverpool - Italy
187: Clarence Seedorf - Milan - Holland
186: Diego Capel - Sevilla - Spain
185: Yossi Benayoun - Liverpool - Israel

And it continues here:

184-182 (BLOG FORMAT)

and here (TWOPLUSTWO FORMAT):

184:

Riccardo Montolivo - Fiorentina - Italy

Midfielder



Montolivo was difficult to place. In some ways his performances when playing at the highest level for quite a few years now have been rather disappointing. That includes when given the chance for the national team and when asked to play a leading role for Fiorentina in Europe.

On the other hand he is such a complete player that a place among the 200 best would seem rather obvious.
He is a good technical player with a very nice range of passing and he has good ball control too.
He also works hard and defends well.

Still if it had not been for some very good performances this year, in Europe too, the disappointments of previous years, despite all that nice completeness, would have kept him off the list.

With a reputation of being a complete enigma, my theory is just that Montolivo early was asked to do too much. Not that I really blame the club for asking a lot from someone, for some years, seen as their best player. Who else would they ask?

But Montolivo consistently just wasn't able to be an attacking midfielder, with serious playmaker duties, as well as carry his weight defensively.
At times it just became too much I think and Montolivo had some collapsing performances where he basically failed on all fronts. He didn't contribute well to attack, awful sometimes in fact, and he wasn't able to carry out his defensive duties either...

This season however I'm more seeing a Montolivo with some much simpler tasks and it has really helped his performances.
The emergence of talented players in front of him like Vargas (moving him further forward has been a great move) and of course Jovetic, plus the clever signing of Marchionni, has relieved him of a lot of attacking duties.

He doesn't have to always be the one trying to make something happen anymore. With attempted passes or runs.
Now a lot of the time he can just concentrate on more simple distribution to the people around him and they too can make something happen. In fact they're more likely to!

As a result we're now seeing Montolivo less often in the final third where he has struggled with less space. Because Fiorentina now have players who can do great things even there. In the tightest of spots.
Montolivo then from further back can start counter attacks or seek out people with a deep ball, under not so much pressure and much more comfortable. OR just do something simple.
He isn't the best attacking player on the team anymore and he isn't forced to pretend that he is.

This has of course also done wonders for his defensive performances where it's been a lot easier to maintain good position when not having to play catch up from failed attacking duties.

Could it be argued then that Montolivo really has made the list cause of great teammates who've made him look better?

I think that had he done very well with his previous huge responsibility that it would have been something worthy of a much higher placing. But he just isn't that good.
I do think however that in this current role that he is showing enough good things to earn a spot around this mark.
WITH a chance to get higher if it continues. He is better technically than some players still to come and pretty good defensively too, a little worse than some. A little better than others!

Last but not least a random thing about him which I didn't know but found interesting (liked even) when I read it on Wikipedia:

How about that?


183:

Kolo Toure - Manchester City - Côte d'Ivoire

Defender



Kolo Toure is someone who in his career has been called everything from terrible to excellent.

All the while during that I've always thought he was very good, but certainly at times last season doubts crept in while at times watching what looked like a quite shaky Arsenal defense.

However like I talked about in the introduction to this list I do believe such things very easily can have to do with the overall defensive balance of the team, which for Arsenal last year lead by central midfielders with some way to go still, certainly wasn't great.

In previous seasons even when still inexperienced at what was a new position, on more balanced teams, Toure has looked just great though, with the prime example being Arsenal's incredible 03-04 unbeaten title winning season where he was a key player in defense on a very well balanced team.
Another example was Arsenal's 2006 Champions League run where they reached the final and along the way managed an impressive 10 consecutive clean sheets!
It's special times like those when central defenders receive a lot of praise and Toure was no exception, getting recognition as one of the best in the world at his position.

Since then those kind of words and Kolo Toure in the same sentence have become much more rare.

I think he is basically the same player though. Maybe even slightly stronger now than then and of course more experienced.
He still has great athletic ability. Can win headers and save his team with great tackles.

And with secure ball control, he can still make those impressive runs forward.

He is neither as great as he may have looked when Arsenal's been good or as bad as he may have looked when they've struggled. More likely he is just somewhere in between.

With a decent start this season for his new team Manchster City, I say he is the 183rd best player in the world, is what he is!


182:

Yuri Zhirkov - Chelsea - Russia

Fullback/Winger




Unfortunately as I write this Zhirkov hasn't had any chance to really do anything for his new team Chelsea.

This is something that hasn't helped his ranking.

For the Russian national team and from the occasional look at him for CSKA in Europe though, he has shown himself to be an extremely skilled technical player who with consistent raids down the left wing could terrorize defenses and create goal scoring chances for his team.

This could be done with dribbling, crossing or just by being talented enough to be a key part in often breathtaking combinations with skilled teammates.

Overall I thought Zhirkov was a peculiar signing by Chelsea. On the one hand their leftback depth behind Ashley Cole is a little suspect but on the other hand he seems way too good to be just that, a back up.

Zhirkov is also to an extreme degree an all out attacking back who is below par defensively and really much more someone resembling a winger.
So you could say then, that's what they did, they bought him as a winger?

But Chelsea currently doesn't really play with wingers.

In their midfield diamond there is the left central midfielder spot. Where both Malouda and Frank Lampard can do very well while it's a little unclear to me what exactly Zhirkov could do.
It does involve not insignificant defensive duties, nothing new for someone sometimes playing fullback of course, but with a lot of action for that position more central, I wonder what he could do there. He is not exactly a player you'd feel confident in winning physical midfield battles or even holding his own there.

Another option which we could be seeing, once among others Didier Drogba, is off to the African Nations Cup, would be just Nicolas Anelka up front and an extra midfielder then playing instead of Drogba.
That would make room for Lampard in a central midfield attacking role and Zhirkov could play as the left-wing fighting/rotating the spot "just" with Malouda (interestingly with a new 4 year extension) as his main competition.
And of course this could be an option whenever one of Anelka/Drogba wouldn't be available.

All in all it's definitely premature to call Zhirkov the next Alexey Smertin at the club. Smertin who barely played in 3 years at the club. Arguably Zhirkov is a lot better anyway, but it does look like things won't be easy and it definitely hasn't been a great start for him.

Bump in order to get Bjorn to stop slacking and get the next entry in.

1. Dylan
2. Dylan
3. Dylan
4. Dylan
5. Dylan

Soon. Very soon. I might skip writeups or shorten them in at least some cases if I ever want to finish this though.