The benchmark: it’s hard to think an individual player’s club season that has been as perfect as Leo Messi’s in 2010-11
10. Mesut Ozil
Real Madrid and Germany
Age 22
Position Attacking midfield/forward
“Ozil,” Jose Mourinho argued, “is unique.” And certainly in the Portuguese’s team. In a counter-attacking system with more rigorously defined positions than their rivals in Barcelona, Ozil is the one who lords it between the lines. With slick passing and sleek movement, it is the German who releases so many counter-attacks. Hardly surprisingly, his 17 assists were the highest number in the Spanish league after Leo Messi’s. As Xabi Alonso says, “he understands the game, sees things, combines… unlocking teams.” Even more impressively, Ozil’s level of performance never lowered – regardless of the competition.
Ability 17
Club form 16
International form 1/2
Total 80
9. Wesley Sneijder
Inter and Netherlands
Age 27
Position Attacking midfielder
Like many players who excelled in South Africa last summer, Sneijder suffered an understandable dip last season. And that was compounded by the instability at Inter. Nevertheless, his rate of productivity in terms of assists and goals stayed constant. And if he didn’t quite have the influence at the very elite level he did last season – which has effectively seen him drop out of the world’s top quarter of players – he remained effortlessly capable of knitting together Inter’s midfield and attack. One of the world’s premium-level playmakers.
Ability 18
Club form 15
International form 3/5
Total 80
8. Alexis Sanchez
Udinese and Chile
Age 22
Position Forward/winger
After Leo Messi, probably the most audaciously devastating attacking player in the world. Because, just like Messi, Sanchez’s ability offers something genuinely, elusively different. And the prospect of them combining in attack for Barcelona is frightening.
At Udinese, Sanchez already took his game to unique new levels. As the Italian league’s most influential player, the Chilean’s sensational streak between January and March essentially ensured his side broke the Champions League barrier. And he then took that form into the Copa America with some formidable displays and finishes. In an attack that perfectly suits his exact style of game, it’s going to be interesting to what levels the integration will take his game to.
Ability 18
Club form 16
International form 7/10
Total 81
7. David Villa
Barcelona and Spain
Age 29
Position Forward
By his own personal standards, a relatively poor season. And yet Villa still scored 18 goals in 34 games as well as the clincher in the Champions League final to claim the first major club medals of his career. Despite his own drop in goalscoring form, Villa’s resolve, link-up play and fluidity actually enhanced Barcelona. Also scored a series of winning goals in Spain’s Euro 2012 qualification campaign.
Ability 18
Club form 15
International form 4/5
Total 82
6. Samuel Eto’o
Inter and Cameroon
Age 30
Position Striker
His devastating early-season form – including some heroic displays in the Champions League – mean Eto’o arguably took Villa’s place as the world’s number-one number-nine. Indeed, as Barcelona endured a bit of bumpy patch around spring, it was even debated whether they would better served by their old centre-forward. Because, although Inter endured a chaotic season, one of the few constants was Eto’o’s form. And it was only his 21 goals and nine assists in 35 games that kept them so high.
Ability 17
Club form 16
International form n/a
Total xx
5. Carlos Tevez
Manchester City and Argentina
Age 27
Position Forward
Having so often come across as an unfinished product in the past, Tevez took his game to a new level over the past season. Operating as both a playmaker and a finisher, his form ensured no major European club was as dependent on one single player as Manchester City. Having scored a third of the club’s league goals and directly contributed a massive 16 points, Tevez was the difference between the Champions League delivery and another season in the wilderness. That is why he’s worth the trouble.
Ability 17
Club form 18
International form 6/10
Total 82
4. Andres Iniesta
Barcelona and Spain
Age 27
Position Attacking midfielder/forward
Quite simply, the best attacking midfielder in the world at the moment. Combining a portion of Xavi’s passing with an element of Messi’s elusive dribbling, Iniesta is a perfect link between the two. His ingenuity can unlock the tightest of defences.
And, after injury disrupted his previous two seasons, this was undeniably his best and most complete for Barcelona. Yet there was still something of a contradiction to it. Although it didn’t have the clear highs of moments like the last-minute strike against Chelsea or the winner in a World Cup, Iniesta was much more consistently effective than ever before. That clear line was reflected in the trajectory of his best passes the season: the glorious through balls against Real Madrid in both the 5-0 win and Champions League second leg.
Indeed, to a degree, it could be argued that Iniesta was the difference between winning the Champions League in 2009 and 2011 and missing out in between. Without him, they struggled to break down Inter’s barricade. With him, they lifted their game to the next level again.
Ability 18
Club form 16
International form 3/5
Total 82
3. Cristiano Ronaldo
Real Madrid and Portugal
Age 26
Position Forward
As the foremost athlete in the world game, Ronaldo again proved himself a simple force of nature. His sheer power – in terms of running, shooting, heading and simple presence – produced an incredible haul of 53 goals that should really brook no argument.
Except one remains. Other than the Copa del Rey final, none of Ronaldo’s goals came in Real’s biggest games last season. In that sense, they were almost all for nought. The team didn’t fully prosper from the individual’s performances.
And that leads into another theory about Ronaldo. As Jonathan Wilson has argued, his utter individualism can make him a liability in the biggest games. Rather than seek the most sensible option or pass, he will almost always go for glory regardless of the difficulty of the shot. To a certain degree, of course, Ronaldo’s goals only brought a minimum amount of trophies because he’s unlucky to be living at the same time as a unique and unprecedented Barcelona team. But then extraordinary require extraordinary achievements.
Ability 19
Club form 18
International form 4/5
Total 91
2. Xavi
Barcelona and Spain
Age 31
Position Central midfield
The player who has most come to define an era – for club and country. And, of course, Xavi kept that momentum going this season. The 31-year-old played over a thousand more passes this season than any other player in Europe this season, with 3,354. But the key point is that almost every one of them has had end product: and that’s Barca’s current position as the best team in the world.
As Michael Cox concluded on Zonal Marking, the consistency of his performances over the past three years simply beggar belief. It’s arguable that no player in history has kept up such a high level across all competitions for quite so long.
Ability 18
Club form 19
International form 4/5
Total 91
1. Leo Messi
Barcelona and Argentina
Age 23
Position Forward
The question, of course, is no longer whether he’s the best of his time. It’s whether he’s the best of all time.
To give that a little context, it is worth asking whether there has ever been an individual player’s club season as perfect as Messi’s in 2010-11.
As part of his remarkable haul of 51 goals, the Argentine scored game-changing goals in 14 separate league matches as well as the key strikes in the Champions League last 16, semi-final and final.
In short, he had a disproportionate influence on Barca’s victory in their two major competitions: the league and European Cup.
And even when Messi wasn’t scoring, he was utterly dominating games. Take, for example, the era-defining 5-0 win over Real. Messi provided two glorious through-balls to turn the Clasico from a match into a massacre. And they both contributed to his total assist haul of 22 – a European record last season.
By the end of the season, of course, there were the customary complaints that Messi couldn’t adapt his form for Argentina. But, just like the World Cup last year, he still utterly excelled in two of the four Copa America games – even if he didn’t score. Argentina’s inherent problems should no longer detract from Messi’s innate excellence.
Because, before that, the Champions League final was a fitting piece de resistance. In the first half alone, Messi nutmegged three different United players – including his relentlessly persistent marker, Park Ji-Sung. And, before he went and won the game, there was a point where he had waltzed through another three defenders at the edge of the box only to be faced with Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand directly in front of him. Messi paused, poised himself… then prodded the ball aside for Pedro to shoot. It was a level of control just beyond United.
Of course, it was also a control beyond most players in the world. Or, indeed, in history.
Ability 20
Club form 20
International form 7/10
Total 94