FIFA again chose between Messi and Ronaldo. The best football players and coaches of the year named
Read about the winners and laureates of the outgoing year according to FIFA in our news review.
Lifetime contract. Barcelona is ready to do anything for Messi
An offer for Leo, sensations in Athens and Yerevan and other events of Sunday - in the football digest of the day.
The International Football Federation, together with the International Federation of Professional Footballers' Associations (FIFPro), named the composition of the symbolic team for 2019.
The largest representation in it was given to Real Madrid players - four. The team also included two players from Liverpool, Barcelona and Juventus. One represents Paris Saint-Germain.
Composition of the symbolic team based on the results of 2019:
goalkeeper Alison Becker("Liverpool")
defenders Virgil van Dijk("Liverpool"), Mathijs de Ligt("Juventus") Marcelo, Sergio Ramos(both Real Madrid)
midfielders Eden Hazard, Luka Modric(both are Real Madrid), Frankie de Jong("Barcelona")
forwards Kylian Mbappe(“PSG”), (“Barcelona”), (“Juventus”).
The Manchester United midfielder has acquired a guard dog, The Sun reports.
French footballer I bought myself a Rottweiler from a company that breeds and raises guard animals. Pogba spent almost €18 thousand on the dog. The reason for this decision was the aggressive attitude towards him on the part of some fans of the club, as well as the inscription “Pogba Out”, which recently appeared next to the entrance to the team’s base.
Previously, Pogba's teammates, defender Phil Jones and striker Marcus Rashford, purchased dogs from the same company. As the company noted, animals will not behave aggressively in everyday life until they receive the appropriate command.
Pogba got scared of the fans and bought a guard dog. Is he paranoid?
The pet cost Paul 15 thousand pounds.
Former defender Spartak Roman Shishkin, currently playing for Torpedo Moscow, shared his opinion about the situation in his former club. Spartak suffered three defeats in a row in the RPL. In the 10th round, the Muscovites lost away to Ufa with a score of 0:1. Before this, the Muscovites lost to Ural (1:2) and Zenit (0:1).
“What is happening now at Spartak happened year after year, even in my time. Everyone is probably used to this by now. You can win the derby - and everything will be forgiven, and then lose to the conditional "Ufa" - and the coach is asked to resign.
It was like this at Spartak for a long time, with the exception of the championship year with Carrera. What is the reason? If someone knew, the problem would have been fixed long ago,” Match TV quoted Shishkin as saying.
Fiorentina midfielder Franck Ribery set new record Italian Series A. The 36-year-old Frenchman scored his first goal in the Italian Championship in the fourth round match with Atalanta. Ribery became the oldest foreigner to score a debut goal in Serie A. The Frenchman scored at the age of 36 years and 168 days.
Ribery scored Fiorentina's second goal in the 66th minute, but Atalanta managed to come back in the remaining time. As a result, the meeting ended with a score of 2:2.
The start of the season is not going well for Fiorentina. The Florentines scored only two points in four rounds, as a result of which they are at the bottom of the standings.
The French winger joined the Italian club in the summer of 2019 as a free agent. Before that, he played for Bayern for a long time.
“Porto” beat “Santa Clara” in the match of the 6th round of the Portuguese championship. The meeting took place at the Dragao stadium in Porto. The final score of the match is 2:0. The first goal of the match was scored in the 15th minute. Its author was forward Ze Luis. The former Spartak Moscow striker hit the visitors' goal after Pereira's pass to Danil. In the 41st minute, the hosts consolidated their advantage - visiting defender Cesar hit his team's goal. This goal was the last of the game.
“Porto” is equal to the leading “Benfica” in terms of points scored - 15 each. The Lisbon team is ahead of the “dragons” due to the better difference in goals scored and goals conceded.
Ze Luis scored his 6th goal in 6 matches in the championship. Together with Pizzi (Benfica), he leads the Portuguese championship scoring race.
Dynamo Moscow published a statement on its official website about the future of head coach Dmitry Khokhlov in the team.
"In connection with a large number rumors, speculation and unconfirmed information around the club, we consider it necessary to officially declare that until the winter break in the national championship it will continue to work with the team.
In the summer, we began a global restructuring of the team and were well aware that creating a new, combat-ready team would take time, would be fraught with risks and the need to quickly cope with systemic tasks. We entrusted the leadership of the team to the coaching staff of Dmitry Khokhlov and consider it right in the current circumstances to give the opportunity to correct the current situation, taking into account the significantly updated composition.
The transfer window closed recently, some newcomers have been at Dynamo for less than a month. They were purchased under the vision of the current coaching staff. It takes time, patience and calm for the players to adapt to each other, coaching requirements, and new conditions. The club does not intend to go to extremes, nor does it intend to negotiate with other specialists, whose names are now being so actively discussed.
After the match with Sochi, everyone had a lot of negative emotions. Today we once again calmly and in detail discussed current issues with Dmitry Valerievich. Yes, at the moment neither the quality of the game nor the place in standings cannot satisfy either the fans or coaching staff, nor the Dynamo management. This is obvious. We admit that during the preparation of the team, mistakes were made, which, among other things, led to weak intermediate results. The work of the sports staff also needs strengthening.
The situation can be corrected; there are all possibilities for this. But only through common efforts. With trust in each other and faith in your own strengths. We have a difficult series of away matches ahead in the national championship and cup. We are convinced that Dynamo’s loyal fans will continue to support the team at a difficult time and will be by its side. The immediate results will be in many ways indicative and decisive for the choice of vector for the further development of the club,” the blue and white team said in a statement.
Popular football portal "FourFourTwo» formed a hundred the best football players of all times. “Sokker.ru” introduces readers to an interesting rating.
Places 100 to 91:
100. Gheorghe Hagi (Romania)
99. Mario Coluna (Portugal)
98. Mario Kempes (Argentina)
97. Neymar (Brazil)
96. Obdulio Varela (Uruguay)
95. Jalma Santos (Brazil)
94. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden)
93. Philipp Lahm (Germany)
92. Sandor Kocsis (Hungary)
91. Sepp Mayer (Germany)
Getting into the top 100 players in the history of the Game is a huge honor, so if someone's position seems unfairly low to you, remember how many thousands of players remained outside the top 100. Therefore, we take the “FourFourTwo” rating as a given, because we can argue on this topic ad infinitum, especially when it comes to the distribution of positions at the very top. In the top ten from the end we see “Carpathian Maradona” Hadji and Swedish star for all times Ibrahimovic. There are four world champions here: Brazilian Jalma Santos, German Philipp Lahm, Uruguayan Obdulio Varela and Argentinean Mario Kempes. The great German goalkeeper Mayer, the Hungarian goalscorer Kocsis, the Benfica legend Coluna are here, as is Neymar, who has the best years of his career ahead of him.
Places 90 to 81:
90. Roberto Carlos (Brazil)
89. Hristo Stoichkov (Bulgaria)
88. Allan Simonsen (Denmark)
87. Javier Zanetti (Argentina)
86. Gabriel Batistuta (Argentina)
85. Uwe Seeler (Germany)
84. Giacinto Facchetti (Italy)
83. Ryan Giggs (Wales)
82. Hugo Sanchez (Mexico)
81. Dragan Dzajic (Yugoslavia)
Of the world champions, only Roberto Carlos is here, but we see two Golden Ball winners - Stoichkov and Simonsen. Giggs and Batistuta don’t need additional introductions; Hugo Sanchez’s goals for Atlético and Real Madrid will tell the story. We note the presence of two legends of Inter Milan from different eras - Facchetti and Zanetti. Uwe Seeler, nicknamed “Furious”, was the brightest German player in the interval between the first two world championships. Well, Dragan Dzhajic in general is perhaps the greatest Serbian player in history.
Places 80 to 71:
80. Thierry Henry (France)
79. Gigi Riva (Italy)
78. Juste Fontaine (France)
77. Frank Rijkaard (Netherlands)
76. Dennis Lowe (Scotland)
75. Cafu (Brazil)
74. Josef Masopust (Czechoslovakia)
73. Omar Sivori (Argentina)
72. Jose Andrade (Uruguay)
71. John Charles (Wales)
Masopust, Sivori and Low won the Ballon d'Or in the first half of the 60s, with only Lev Yashin wedged between them. Jose Andrade, Cafu and Henry are world champions. John Charles is one of the top 20 Welsh heroes in the history of Wales, and Juste Fontaine holds the record for the most goals scored in a single World Cup (13 goals scored, 1958 World Cup). Riva and Rijkaard were each stars in their era, and Gigi spent almost his entire career at Cagliari, he is the main symbol of this club.
Places 70 to 61:
70. Paul Breitner (Germany)
69. Dennis Bergkamp (Netherlands)
68. Sandro Mazzola (Italy)
67. Florian Albert (Hungary)
66. Teofilo Cubillas (Peru)
65. Jimmy Johnston (Scotland)
64. Johan Neeskens (Netherlands)
63. Gordon Banks (England)
62. Dixie Dean (England)
61. Peter Schmeichel (Denmark)
Three Britons at once: the iconic Celtic player Jimmy Johnston, great goalkeeper and world champion Banks, as well as early 20th century hero Dixie Dean. The Dutch Bergkamp and Neeskens worked magic, although they never became world champions, Johan even scored in one of his finals, but Paul Breitner responded in kind and eventually celebrated the victory as part of the West German team. Mazzola is another Inter legend and an idol of the next generations, Florian Albert can boast of the Ballon d'Or, and Theo Cubillas best player in the history of Peru. You probably already recognized Peter Schmeichel: the famous goalkeeper of Manchester United and accomplice of the “Danish Fairy Tale 1992”.
Places 60 to 51:
60. Kevin Keegan (England)
59. Andres Iniesta (Spain)
58. Adolfo Pedernera (Argentina)
57. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (Germany)
56. Daniel Passarella (Argentina)
55. Dino Zoff (Italy)
54. Gunnar Nordahl (Sweden)
53. Gaetano Scirea (Italy)
52. Roberto Baggio (Italy)
51. Jairzinho (Brazil)
There are three Italians at once - the winners of the 1982 World Cup Zoff and Scirea, as well as Roberto Baggio, who missed the decisive penalty in 1994 and was left with silver. But Andres Iniesta scored the only goal in the 2010 World Cup final, for which he has since been applauded in all stadiums in Spain. Jairzinho and Passarella are also world champions, but Karl-Heinz Rummenigge did not win the world championship with Germany, but he has two Golden Balls to his name, like Kevin Keegan. Nordahl rocked Serie A in the mid-20th century, where he played for Milan and Roma, but the Argentine Pedernera is the most mysterious figure in this top ten. It is known that his name was Genius, Maestro and Football Napoleon, but still Adolfo’s career took place in South America in the 30s, 40s and 50s of the last century, so there is not much evidence of his greatness preserved.
Places 50 to 41:
50. Xavi (Spain)
49. Nilton Santos (Brazil)
48. Mikael Laudrup (Denmark)
47. Roberto Rivellino (Brazil)
46. Juan Alberto Schiaffino (Uruguay)
45. Oleg Blokhin (USSR/Ukraine)
44. Didi (Brazil)
43. Fritz Walter (Germany)
42. Matthias Sindelar (Austria)
41. Gianluigi Buffon (Italy)
This ten has a diverse composition. There are a lot of world champions here too. different countries and different eras, and the famous scorer of Dynamo Kyiv, winner of the Golden Ball Oleg Blokhin, and the Austrian Sindelar with tragic fate, and Buffon, still performing at high level, and the iconic German captain Fritz Walter, who was in Soviet captivity during World War II. And also the ex-coach of Moscow “Spartak” Mikael Laudrup and Didi, who did not give in to Di Stefano and Puskas at Real, who did not want to share the glory.
Places 40 to 31:
40. Kenny Dalglish (Scotland)
39. Nandor Hidegkuti (Hungary)
38. Gianni Rivera (Italy)
37. Ruud Gullit (Netherlands)
36. Paco Gento (Spain)
35. Luis Suarez Miramontes (Spain)
34. Stanley Matthews (England)
33. Gunter Netzer (Germany)
32. Paolo Rossi (Italy)
31. Jose Manuel Moreno (Argentina)
There is not a single active player in this top ten, although all these names are well-known to this day. For example, Paco Gento is the record holder for the number of European Cups; the Spaniard won this trophy six times. Paolo Rossi scored in the World Cup final and won the Golden Ball, and Nandor Hidegkuti was part of the Hungarian Golden Squad. A special place here goes to Sir Stanley Matthews, who played football until he was 50, was a model gentleman and won the first ever Ballon d'Or for European Footballer of the Year. A few years later, this award went to Luis Suarez Miramontes, who at the time of the award was playing for Barcelona, and then moved to Inter, where he spent nine years.
Places 30 to 21:
30. Lothar Matthäus (Germany)
29. Raymond Kopa (France)
28. Socrates (Brazil)
27. Bobby Moore (England)
26. Valentino Mazzola (Italy)
25. Carlos Alberto (Brazil)
24. Ronaldinho (Brazil)
23. Eusebio (Portugal)
22. Lev Yashin (USSR/Russia)
21. Romario (Brazil)
We note the high position of Lev Ivanovich Yashin: he is the only goalkeeper to win the Golden Ball in 22nd place in the ranking. There are four Brazilians in the top ten with him, and Romario is higher than Ronaldinho, Carlos Alberto and Socrates. Why, Shorty even bypassed Eusebio, who, symbolically, took the next place with his friend Yashin. Bobby Moore and Lottar Matthäus are the captains of their teams at the victorious world championships and cult football players of their countries. Special attention should be paid to Valentino Mazzola, who is seriously ahead of his son. Valentino and Sandro are the only father and son to be in the top 100 strongest football players of all time. A unique achievement.
Places 20 to 11:
20. Paolo Maldini (Italy)
19. Bobby Charlton (England)
18. Giuseppe Meazza (Italy)
17. Gerd Müller (Germany)
16. Zico (Brazil)
15. Franco Baresi (Italy)
14. George Best (Northern Ireland)
13. Marco van Basten (Netherlands)
12. Michel Platini (France)
11. Garrincha (Brazil)
Everyone is a world football star, although it is clear that it is impossible to create an “all-time” ranking based on objective indicators, because such indicators do not exist. How can we compare, say, Giuseppe Meazza and Paolo Maldini? It turns out that the basis is a certain historical “media rating”: the names of the big stars of the past still ring loudly, although decades have passed. Thanks to this, Garrincha and Muller, Charlton and van Basten, Best and Maldini, Meazza and Platini, Zico and Baresi can be located in neighboring positions. But who is cooler than them and who got No. 1, the end is near!
Places 10 to 1:
10. Ronaldo (Brazil)
9. Ferenc Puskás (Hungary)
8. Zinedine Zidane (France)
7. Franz Beckenbauer (Germany)
6. Alfredo Di Stefano (Argentina)
5. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
4. Johan Cruyff (Netherlands)
3. Pele (Brazil)
2. Lionel Messi (Argentina)
1. Diego Maradona (Argentina)
Led by two Argentines, the King of Football Pele has dropped to third place, and Cristiano Ronaldo is only fifth. Eight of the top ten players, besides Pelé and Beckenbauer, played for Real Madrid or Barcelona in their careers. This is how “FourFourTwo” got a hundred. How do you like it?
Now one player can receive the “Golden Ball”, and the second in parallel the prize for the player of the year from FIFA. “Sokker.ru” is upset that the prestige of football’s most famous individual award could be killed. But there is a plus - you personally have the right to vote.
There are two awards again, as was the case before the prizes were combined. But then no one really took FIFA’s choice into account. People didn't remember whether Romario won or not, but everyone knew that Wea or Stoichkov had the Ballon d'Or. This prize from journalists was much more prestigious, but then Blatter came, played on the greed of the French and bought the right to present the prize from them, changed the rules, the time has begun for Ronaldo against Messi. Now the paths have diverged, but will it get better? Let's figure it out to determine who will retain the prestige and world recognition?
Pros of the Ballon d'Or
The original meaning has been returned. The prize was intended as a reward from specialists. They took it already, but deeper. Journalists chose the player of the year. And they will choose, because the French did not make a deal with FIFA and could not sell the rights for another couple of years. But At the same time, the main flaw of the overall “Golden Ball” of recent years was removed. Football players and national team coaches voted for the nominally strongest players. Or they named their all-time favorite player. I would like to believe that the winner of the 2016 Ballon d'Or will be chosen based on comparisons and not preferences.
Amateur voices and mistakes were excluded. Many complained that they voted for some and others received points. And why do you need the opinion of the coach of the Djibouti national team, who has been a fan of Barcelona or Real for ten years and does not understand that it is necessary to choose the best in a year? Now there are fewer “ballots”, and only journalists vote. There will be no more mistakes and confusion. And this is important because all recent surveys have included inconsistencies. Not productive, the margins of the winners were large, but the integrity of the election system was discredited a couple of times.
Determined by football analysts. Of course, everyone has favorite players, or at least those whom you sympathize with. But journalists watch so much of the same different football, that they have long been accustomed to assessing quality rather than relying on emotions. It’s hard to surprise a football journalist, but he’s not head over heels in love with just one player’s game.. Consequently, if Messi and Ronaldo have been voting for many years with their hearts and emotions, then journalists from different countries will now choose using logic.
Pros of "Best FIFA Player"
Your voice is important to Infantino! Gianni, although he became the leader of football hell, was always distinguished by his ability to win over the public. He makes a nice Lucifer. That's why FIFA President approved the idea of involving fans in voting– now you choose the best player of the year. Of course, you are not given the right to do this alone, but it just made it more fun!
Interesting election system. So now there are four different categories voting. Coaches, captains of national teams, journalists from all over the world in the amount of about two hundred and fans. It's funny if the journalists are the same as in the case of the Ballon d'Or elections, but the point here is different. The influence of each category is the same – 25%. In other words, if trolls around the world vote Paul Pogba first in the fans' vote, and journalists vote him thirtieth, he won't be first. The votes will be converted into proportions and the percentages will be added up. It is possible to balance inadequate votes, and similarly protect against the always possible hacker attack or purchased “bots”.
The ability to put on a show. Everyone knows the address of the FIFA website, all the media in the world will write about voting - you go and choose yourself. You will become part of the show! Then in January the stars will be invited to the ceremony and prizes will be handed out. What can journalists do with the Ballon d'Or? They don’t have the opportunity to organize an expensive show, and those who lose won’t go to it. There will be a winner and a prize - it’s boring, the spectacle factor is lost, it’s unlikely that all the best players in the world will come to Paris in early December. And why?
Cons of the Ballon d'Or
The status of the jury has changed. When the Ballon d'Or was first established, journalists watched more football, than fans, there were no broadcasts, and reporters went to important matches of the Champions Cup, had access to live action throughout Europe, unlike fans. They were guides in an age without the Internet. That is, everyone was looking forward to the announcement of the winner, like a gift under the Christmas tree - did they help you understand who was the coolest of the year? Over time, this trump card was lost. Why should you trust journalists who are included in the France Football list?
Chauvinism and elitism. This is just a suspicion for now, of course. But it cannot be ruled out that the decision not to make a discount for FIFA in the negotiations is connected with France’s desire to see Griezmann, rather than Ronaldo, as the player of the year, who lost the finals to Cristiano’s teams. Of course, since the commission is international, it is difficult to “push through” Antoine’s candidacy. But there is another disadvantage when experts vote - they want to show off. That is, there will be years when they will vote in spite of the glory hunters and the conditional Messi and Ronaldo will be pushed aside. Is this fair? Not always. Moreover, there have already been cases when the publication did everything to prevent a particular player from receiving a prize.
Poor idea development. “France Football” should have chosen the moment for parting better; it turned out to be spontaneous in the middle of the year, since they simply did not agree on a contract extension. And now there is a risk that the Ballon d'Or and its prestige will be buried. Likely, A clever idea with fan votes will appeal to fans from all over the world. In addition, FIFA selects the best female player, the national team of the year - and with the help of professional football players, best trainers for women and men, a prize for fair play is given. As soon as journalists vote demonstrably unfairly once and give out the Golden Ball for the wrong reasons, people will say that the prize means nothing.
Cons of "FIFA Best Player"
Club lobbying. On December 2, we will be given three finalists. Do you think Ronaldo, Bale and Griezmann will definitely be there? Why not Cristiano, Lionel and Suarez, for example? Or Neymar in general, because it’s difficult to predict the logic of four categories of voters at once. Consequently, every time journalists forget a weak football player promoted by agents, he can simultaneously receive the “Best FIFA Player” prize. Not by voices, but because “it’s necessary.” FIFA, unfortunately, is a corrupt company, who knows how they will count there? They will show you the percentages and that's it. Take my word for it!
50% of the votes belong to the players and coaches. Let's say it like it is - football players and coaches are not always intellectuals. This is if it's soft. Moreover, they don’t always watch football, even if it sounds paradoxical. Even if they are paid millions for it, like Carragher or Shearer. Alan recently stated that Aguero is the only world-class player in the Premier League. De Bruyne, De Gea, Coutinho, Sanchez, Ozil, Hazard, Payet, it turns out that they are amateurs, where are they at the world level this year? And FIFA retained half of all votes from football players and coaches, who will again choose between Messi and Ronaldo. Journalists and fans will try to influence, but will they be able to?
Biased gloryhunters. Just for fun, the France Football website launched a fan vote. And it turned out to be an embarrassment. Riyad Mahrez was in the lead - the Arab world came and voted, followed by Ronaldo and Messi. It doesn’t matter that the Algerian is not the strongest player on the planet or year. I don’t care that Cristiano and Lionel have their own weaknesses this year. Gloryhunters came and voted. If they publish the results of the FIFA fan poll, you will see that the ethnic Turkish Ozil, thanks to the incredible activity of Turkish football fans online, may have more votes than Griezmann. Well, or Mahrez will be the player of the year. After all, don’t forget that according to a Russian poll, Akinfeev turned out to be the most popular in the country, 14% of respondents sympathized with him. Democracy is an insidious thing if it ends up in stupid hands.
Who is cooler and more prestigious?
An amazing case, we broke even - we summed up the pros and cons and see that the score is a draw. We immediately note that if Infantino in his FIFA top three gets the same result as the journalists in the 2016 Ballon d'Or, he will seize the initiative at the expense of the budget. If there are two prizes that will be given out in the same way, then the one with the gala performance will win. And the editors of France Football are to blame for the humiliation of the prize. After all, the Ballon d'Or is their legacy. They sold it to Blatter for millions of euros, but did not think about the consequences. The prize should have been given away for three years, not six. And when Sneijder, Iniesta, Ribery - heroes of specific years - were tested, it was necessary to take away the Ballon d'Or, create a big scandal, and win over the people to their side. And sell it to UEFA, emphasizing that prestige is more important than money. That is, the reward was spoiled by greed, roughly speaking. And only then the stupidity of those who chose the same ones.
Now French journalists have been forced to take on greater responsibility. For example, if Ronaldo takes the “Best FIFA Player” (and he will), and Griezmann takes the “Golden Ball”, then it is not a fact that everyone will go over to the side of journalists. It's a difficult year to choose. It’s easy to find fault with absolutely all candidates. Ronaldo won titles? And Messi was hammering goals while Cristiano was being worked on. Griezmann - well done? And Bale also looked good, like Suarez with the Golden Boot. What is it, even Ramos and Pepe are important for the titles of Real Madrid and Portugal, why is Ronaldo singled out on the basis of titles when he himself played worse than he can? It was such a year - there is no one who deserved it much more than the rest. That is, the trio of Ronaldo, Griezmann and Bale will find their fans, just like the trio of Griezmann, Ronaldo, Messi, for example.
We get an important conclusion - FIFA and France Football jointly destroyed the once most prestigious, important individual award football world. There is no longer a prize that has helped dozens of football players gain international recognition. So, the people will choose. Over time, only one of these prizes will achieve cult status, you'll see. In the meantime, you can vote yourself. If your favorite wins, if you guess all three, you'll know you're involved. And then the argument will begin: who is more objective, more prestigious, more interesting, “Golden Ball” or “Best FIFA Player”? Messi and Ronaldo fans killed Gabriel Ano's idea, and the poll organizers actively helped in this. A division has occurred, it’s time to choose who you trust more? Only journalists or the FIFA coalition - national team captains, coaches, journalists and fans? And in general, who will you vote for? Name your top three!
Famous British magazine FourFourTwo published his list of the hundred best football players of 2016. Russian players It’s not on it, but that doesn’t make the list any less interesting.
Top 10 players of 2016
1. (Real Madrid, Portugal team)
Everyone's intrigue football ratings in recent years it actually comes down to which of the two surnames will be given first place and which will be given second place. And at the end of 2016 FourFourTwo gave gold to European champion and winner Cristiano Ronaldo. The publication emphasizes that despite the opinion of many fans that the Portuguese is gradually losing ground in world football, they are still quite strong.
2. (“Barcelona”, Argentina national team)
In the past year, Leo Messi took second place in the ranking. The Argentine was reminded of his failure in the Copa America final, but they still note the progress of the already star football player. The publication writes that his free kick technique has improved, but more importantly, Messi has finally turned into a real strategist, able to correctly determine when it is better to try to score himself and when to assist his partners.
3. (Barcelona, Uruguay team)
Following Messi is his loyal partner Luis Suarez, another member of the famous attacking trident. And, as noted FourFourTwo, it is thanks to him that we can consider that Cristiano and Leo no longer have a monopoly in big football. In addition, Suarez is very hardworking and not greedy, which makes him even greater.
Barcelona - Arsenal. 2:1. Luis Suarez
4. (“Atlético”, French national team)
It would seem that Neymar should follow Messi and Suarez, but European vice-champion Antoine Griezmann stepped in front of the Brazilian. FourFourTwo notes that the Frenchman became a world-class star, and even though in 2016, Cristiano and his two teams stole the victory from Griezmann, first in the Champions League, and then in , the year from one of the leaders and top scorer Euro 2016 still turned out to be truly outstanding.
Atlético - Barcelona. 1:0. Antoine Griezmann
5. (Barcelona, Brazil team)
Giving Neymar 5th place in his ranking, FourFourTwo writes that in Barcelona the player had two tasks: to find his place among other superstars, and also to prepare for the role of Messi’s heir, because sooner or later he will definitely be needed. The editors believe that the Brazilian has coped with the first task and is on his way to solving the second. In addition, his progress over the past year is noted, as well as the fact that Neymar has truly found and realized his place in the team. If necessary, he is able to help in defense and at the same time will not be greedy in attack. Well, and on top of everything else, in 2016, Neymar, as you know, also became an Olympic champion.
6. (Real Madrid, Wales team)
There was a moment in Gareth Bale's career when it seemed that he was about to leave - it was a rather sad story of a serious conflict in the Madrid camp. But it seems that all the troubles are behind us, and the footballer continues to progress. The publication notes his outstanding physical characteristics and desire to control the game. And, of course, how much he did for, which became one of the brightest teams at Euro 2016. And if Neymar can replace Messi in the future, it is Bale who is called a potential successor to Ronaldo.
Russia - Wales. 0:3. Gareth Bale
7. (“Bayern”, Polish national team)
The most difficult thing for Robert Lewandowski in 2016 was to improve his performance in 2015, which was an incredibly successful year for the Pole. As a result, the magazine gave the footballer 7th place, and at the same time recalled the words of , who believes that in the game Lewandowski should rely not so much on tactical literacy, but on his killer instinct.
8. (Manchester City, Belgium national team)
The publication believes that Kevin de Bruyne has finally become a real star, and gives him 8th place in the ranking. It is noted that he once did not give him the opportunity to prove himself simply because the football player was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now the Belgian has truly revealed himself, partly because he was finally in the right place at the right time.
Manchester United - Manchester City. 0:1. Kevin De Bruyne
9. (Manchester City, Argentina national team)
FourFourTwo believes that for Sergio Aguero, 2016 has become a year of professional growth. The magazine writes that the footballer has good statistics, and the combination of brilliant mental work and performance skills makes him increasingly dangerous for his opponents.
10. (“Bayern”, German national team)
Manuel Neuer became the only goalkeeper included in the top ten according to the publication. FourFourTwo reminds that the German’s game led to a great evolution of goalkeeping skills and forced all goalkeepers in the world to look up to him. Also noted is the crazy “superhuman” concentration that Neuer has, and, of course, his great contribution to the game, including at Euro 2016.
Who else was in the top 100 football players of the year
11. Thomas Müller (Bayern, Germany)
12. Luka Modric (Real Madrid, Croatian national team)
13. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia, Gabon national team)
14. Paul Pogba (Juventus/Manchester United, French national team)
15. Gonzalo Higuain (Napoli/Juventus, Argentina)
16. Jerome Boateng (Bayern, Germany)
17. Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal, Chile)
18. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Paris Saint-Germain/Manchester United, Sweden)
19. Andres Iniesta (Barcelona, Spain national team)
20. Mesut Ozil (Arsenal, Germany)
21. Diego Godin (Atlético Madrid, Uruguay national team)
22. Sergio Busquets (Barcelona, Spain national team)
23. Toni Kroos (Real Madrid, Germany)
24. Philipp Lahm (Bayern)
25. Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus, Italy)
26. Ivan Rakitic (Barcelona, Croatian national team)
27. Eden Hazard (Chelsea, Belgium national team)
28. David Alaba (Bayern, Austrian national team)
29. Gerard Pique (Barcelona, Spain national team)
30. N'Golo Kante (Leicester/Chelsea, France)
31. David de Gea (Manchester United, Spain national team)
32. David Silva (Manchester City, Spain national team)
33. Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham, Belgium)
34. Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus, Italy)
35. Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid, Spain national team)
36. Arturo Vidal (Bayern, Chile)
37. Riyad Mahrez (Leicester, Algeria)
38. Jan Oblak (Atlético Madrid, Slovenian national team)
39. Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus, Italy)
40. Dimitri Payet (“ West Ham", French team)
41. Diego Costa (Chelsea, Spain national team)
42. Karim Benzema (Real Madrid, France)
43. Edinson Cavani (Paris Saint-Germain, Uruguay)
44. Douglas Costa (Bayern, Brazil)
45. Pepe (Real Madrid, Portugal national team)
46. Thiago Alcantara (Bayern, Spain)
47. Paulo Dybala (Juventus, Argentina national team)
48. Raphael Guerreiro (Lorient/Borussia, Portugal national team)
49. Koke (Atlético Madrid, Spain team)
50. Mats Hummels (Borussia/Bayern, Germany)
51. Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool, Brazil)
52. Angel Di Maria (Paris Saint-Germain, Argentina national team)
53. Javier Mascherano (Barcelona, Argentina national team)
54. James Rodriguez (Real Madrid, Colombia national team)
55. Miralem Pjanic (Roma/Juventus, Bosnia and Herzegovina national team)
56. Alexandre Lacazette (Lyon, France)
57. Raheem Sterling (Manchester City, England)
58. Joshua Kimmich (Bayern, Germany)
59. Raphael Varane (Real Madrid, France)
60. Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Borussia/Manchester United, Armenian national team)
61. Xabi Alonso (Bayern)
62. Thiago Silva (Paris Saint-Germain, Brazil team)
63. Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea, Belgium national team)
64. Marek Hamsik (Napoli, Slovakia national team)
65. Julian Weigl (Borussia, German national team)
66. Arjen Robben (Bayern, Netherlands)
67. Franck Ribery (Bayern)
68. Radja Nainggolan (Roma, Belgium national team)
69. Renato Sanches (Benfica/Bayern, Portugal)
70. Marco Reus (Borussia, Germany)
71. Mauro Icardi (Inter, Argentina national team)
72. Harry Kane (Tottenham, England)
73. Claudio Marchisio (Juventus, Italy)
74. Roberto Firmino (Liverpool, Brazil national team)
75. Bamidele Alli (Tottenham, England)
76. Marcelo (Real Madrid, Brazil national team)
77. Samuel Umtiti (Lyon/Barcelona, France)
78. Kevin Gameiro (Sevilla/Atlético Madrid, France)
79. Ilkay Gundogan (Borussia/Manchester City, Germany)
80. Carlos Bacca (Milan, Colombia national team)
81. Hugo Lloris (Tottenham, France)
82. Jamie Vardy (Leicester City, England)
83. Keylor Navas (Real Madrid, Costa Rica)
84. Javier Hernandez (Leverkusen, Mexico)
85. Andrea Barzagli (Juventus, Italy)
86. Santi Cazorla (Arsenal, Spain)
87. Filipe Luis (Atlético Madrid, Brazil national team)
88. Adrien Rabiot (Paris Saint-Germain, French team)
89. Kalido Koulibaly (Napoli, Senegal national team)
90. Romelu Lukaku (Everton, Belgium)
91. Julian Brandt (Bayer Leverkusen, German youth team)
92. Juan Mata (Manchester United, Spain national team)
93. Jonas (Benfica, Brazil national team)
94. Ever Banega (Sevilla/Inter, Argentina)
95. Mohamed Salah (Roma, Egypt)
96. Joao Mario (Sporting/Inter, Portugal national team)
97. Hakim Ziyech (Twente/Ajax, Moroccan national team)
98. Blaise Matuidi (Paris Saint-Germain, French team)
99. Petr Cech (Arsenal, Czech national team)
100. Ousmane Dembele (Rennes/Borussia, France)
And everyone found out that according to the new version football simulator Messi and Ronaldo are equal.
20 best football players in the world according to FIFA 19. Part one
10. Toni Kroos (Real Madrid)
The German midfielder is getting faster and faster from game to game and he already has a very playable card. Pros: excellent passes and five stars on the off leg.
9. David de Gea (Manchester United)
8. Luis Suarez (Barcelona)
Over the course of the year, the Uruguayan super-striker lost one point in the overall rating and - more importantly - one star in feint skills. This could significantly reduce his popularity in the game.
7. Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid)
The best defender in the game, Spaniard Sergio Ramos, has not changed much over the year: he has become a little slower, but noticeably more reliable in defense.
6. Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
One of the two Belgians in the top ten, who did not have a very smooth season for Chelsea, but was good at the World Championship. The card hasn't changed much over the year.
5. Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)
Perhaps the best attacking midfielder in the world is deservedly in the top five best players in the world according to . And over the year, almost all the indicators on his card have improved.
4. Luka Modric (Real Madrid)
Probably the best player of 2018 received a noticeable upgrade over the year - plus 2 points in the overall rating. Also, the virtual Modric has improved over the year in all respects except defensive play.
3. Neymar (PSG)
So far always third in the confrontation with Ronaldo and Messi, both in the real world and in FIFA. At the same time, in the game Neymar has 5 stars on feints and a weak leg - a very rare combination that only a few other virtual football players have.
2. Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Messi had one of the most controversial seasons of his career, but still received an overall rating upgrade from EA Sports, equaling Ronaldo. Another dramatic change: Messiah is a center forward, which will greatly increase his popularity in the game.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
Still the best and most expensive (not counting the “legends”) football player in FIFA is the Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo. Moving to a new league and to a new position will in no way affect the status of this player. In , as in previous games, everyone will dream about Ronaldo.
