One of the most outrageously talented attackers in the world, Angel Di Maria added Jose Mourinho’s rigour to his rampaging runs
20. Luka Modric
Tottenham Hotspur and Croatia
Age 25
Position Attacking midfielder
While Gareth Bale broke all kind of new ground against Inter Milan and Rafael van der Vaart single-footedly provided a series of pre-Christmas victories with his goals, there was an element of a backlash with Luka Modric. Against those kinds of eye-catching feats, the Croatian’s stats were anything but: a mere three goals and two assists in 32 games.
But this is one clear case where stats don’t tell the full story. As a deep-lying playmaker, Modric was rarely in the position to finish off Tottenham attacks. But he almost always started them. It was the Croatian that created sufficient space for others to do special things, the Croatian that maintained momentum. Indeed, unlike both Bale and Van der Vaart, it was Modric that kept it going right through the season. His world-class vision took Tottenham to the heights of the Champions League quarter-finals. And it’s that kind of stage where he deserves to stay.
Ability 16
Club form 16
International form 2/3
Total 78
19. Gerard Pique
Barcelona and Spain
Age 24
Position Central defender
A vital link in so many Barcelona victories. Aside from underappreciated defensive qualities – best illustrated by a Paul McGrath-esque tackle on Angel Di Maria in the Champions League semi-final – it’s Pique’s passing ability that provides Barcelona with the platform to build so many attacks. Although not as positionally sound as his more experienced partner, Carlos Puyol, Pique’s superior technique adds another layer to his game that marks him out as the more complete all-round defender.
Ability 16
Club form 16
International form 3/5
Total 78
18. Wayne Rooney
Manchester United and England
Age 25
Position Forward
Almost back to his best. After a torrid 2010, Rooney has so far enjoyed a thrilling 2011. Indeed, it’s no exaggeration to describe him as the most important player to Manchester United’s successful title run-in. Despite his dismal start to last season, he still contributed 11 goals and 11 assists in 27 games – that’s the third best rate of productivity in the Premier League. As well as that, he scored six-game changing goals – directly providing United with 10 points.
Most notably, there was the season-changing hat-trick at West Ham and the brilliant bicycle kick against Manchester City.
But, even more importantly, Rooney transferred that form to the European stage. By scoring the opening goal in the quarters against Chelsea, setting up Javier Hernandez’s ice-breaker at Schalke and then equalising in the final, Rooney effectively picked up at exactly the stage where he bowed out of the 2009-10 season.
When he went off injured in that last-eight game against Bayern Munich, he was justifiably being talked about as exerting the same kind of influence as Cristiano Ronaldo and Leo Messi. Because, after so many years effectively serving the former’s ego with selfless work at Old Trafford, Rooney was finally repeating the kind of awesome displays he produced in his early days at Everton.
And if he can continue to have such a meaningful impact on the Champions League’s latter stages, then there is no reason why he can’t approach that elite again. Both industrious and inspirational, Rooney is finally bringing it all back together again.
Ability 17
Club form 15
International form 3/5
Total 78
17. Dani Alves
Barcelona and Brazil
Age 28
Position Right-back
One of the keys to understanding the overwhelming nature of this Barcelona team is to view them as one of the most perfectly integrated systems football has seen. For all of their individual brilliance, each player performs a very specific role in the team on which every other player relies. In that sense, every position is as important as each other. The particular abilities of certain players, however, can see them elevate their role to an indispensable level.
And, other than Leo Messi and Xavi, this is best exemplified by Alves. Indeed, it is partly down to the Brazilian that the former looks just so fantastic. Due to Alves’s sensational stamina, he effectively plays two positions at once – right-back and right-wing. This often overwhelms the left side of opposition teams, freeing space inside for Messi to wreak further havoc. What’s more, his athletic overlaps allow all manner of angles in the team’s passing moves. And it goes without saying he kept up that level this season.
Although he’s a much better defender than he is often given credit for – illustrated by winning a number of one-on-one battles in key games last year – that perception wasn’t helped by a poor Copa America.
And there remains doubt as to whether he would be as dynamic outside this Barcelona team. But, the fact is, Pep Guardiola’s side are an optimum outfit. Its exact cohesion enhances every player – including Messi.
And while Alves’s incredible stamina is still needed by Guardiola, he’s destined to be one of the world’s best.
Ability 17
Club form 17
International form 5/10
Total 78
16. Arjen Robben
Bayern Munich and Netherlands
Age 27
Position Forward/winger
Robben has endured something of a drop-back from his sensational 2010, when his effect on the Bundesliga, Champions League and World Cup undeniably put him in the globe’s top 10. Part of that dip is down to injury, part of it down to the internal problems at Bayern Munich.
But Robben still contributed 12 goals and eight assists in 14 Bundesliga appearances – an incredible return. Now entering his prime – injury permitting – he remains one of the world’s most wondrous talents.
Ability 17
Club form 15
International form 2/3
Total 79
15. Pedro Rodriguez
Barcelona and Spain
Age 24
Position Winger/forward
Often overlooked as the least glamorous of all Barcelona’s stars, his positional discipline is hugely important. Pedro’s width counters the tendencies of Messi and David Villa to drift inside. Quite simply, his innate understanding of Guardiola’s approach allows him to do his job to a more productive level than an arguably more talented player would.
And that’s productivity in more than one sense. Pedro scored 18 goals and contributed eight assists in 45 league and Champions League appearances last season. More importantly, many of them come at key moments. Pedro complements his application with an extraordinary capacity for scoring in big games. Last season saw him hit two against Real Madrid as well as the opener in the Champions League final.
This list is all about a player applying his ability to maximum effect. Pedro epitomises that.
Ability 16
Club form 16
International form 2/3
Total 79
14. Giuseppe Rossi
Villarreal and Italy
Age 24
Position Forward
The best player outside Spain’s big two. To the point that he was Barcelona’s second choice after Alexis Sanchez.
Along the way to breaking Diego Forlan’s scoring record at Villarreal, Rossie provided 18 goals and five assists in 35 games to return the club to the Champions League. And, in the European competition’s lesser celebrated sister, Rossi scored 11 goals in 13 games as Villarreal reached the semi-finals. He has also taken his form to the Italian, signalling his new role as one of the country’s principal striker with a goal against Germany.
Much of all that was down to his class and his movement. As Borja Valero said, “he makes it easy for us”.
The more difficult part for Rossi now is truly dominating the Champions League. But he has at least proven he has the quality to do so.
Ability 16
Club form 16
International form 3/5
Total 78
13. Angel Di Maria
Real Madrid and Argentina
Age 23
Position Winger/forward
One of the most gifted and unpredictable natural talents in football, Di Maria illustrated an admirable selflessness by immediately adapting to Jose Mourinho’s more disciplined framework. But, as opposition teams often became preoccupied with Cristiano Ronaldo, the Argentine offered a devastating counterpoint. It is telling that he was fouled for more penalties than any other player in Spain last season. As Diego Maradona said about him, “one on one, he’s devastating”. Di Maria is becoming an increasingly indispensable member of the Real team, which is saying something given its total emphasis on Ronaldo.
Ability 18
Club form 16
International form 6/10
Total 80
12. Nemanja Vidic
Manchester United and Serbia
Age 29
Position Central defender
The anomaly to this position is that last season saw Manchester United’s worst defensive record since Vidic joined the club. But the reality of that is the record would have been worse had it not been for the Serbian’s heroics. With central partner Rio Ferdinand often injured and Patrice Evra off form, Vidic was often left to tie loosely-arranged defences together. Indeed his importance was perfectly illustrated in the run to the Champions League final, which was built on United’s backline. Even in the final, Vidic defended manfully against Messi and co. But with Ferguson unable to play defensive midfielders of sufficient durability, it was inevitable that Barca would expose them. Otherwise, Vidic’s aggression and imposing physique overcame a lot of errors elsewhere.
He can still be susceptible to speed on turn as well as prone to moments of irrationality. It is striking how he seems to have a “brain freeze” every April – this season’s coming in the first against West Ham at Upton Park. But, mercifully for United, it only lasted one game. And Vidic was impressive for many more.
Ability 16
Club form 17
International form 3/5
Total 80
11. Sergio Busquets
Barcelona and Spain
Age 23
Position Defensive midfielder/central defender
Before the Champions League final in Wembley, Wayne Rooney was given one very specific defensive instruction: stop Sergio Busquets.
As Xavi has said, the defensive midfielder is “fundamental”. As Vicente Del Bosque has said, “he is the first to get the team moving”. And, as Busquets has repeatedly proved, he is the base of all of Barcelona’s brilliance. By stopping so many attacks with his tenacity, theatrics and tentacle-like legs, he then moves the ball on with metronomic passing. It is telling that the 23-year-old played the fourth highest number of passes in the Spanish league last year, and had Europe’s second best completion rate after Xavi. “When he plays,” Del Bosque went on to say, “the football is more fluid.”
Busquets’s positional sense also solved a lot of problems for Barcelona last year. His willingness to drop back into central defence allowed Alves to venture as far forward as possible while his ability to stay there for an entire game meant Carlos Puyol’s continued absences may not have been as damaging as they ought.
You can fault his behaviour on the pitch, but not his brilliance. The most dynamic defensive midfielder in the world.
Ability 16
Club form 17
International form 3/5
Total 80