Top 15 Players in the world for soccer

[HockeyGenie]

Yes I know what you are all thinking, another list. And I know they must be getting really old but I really like this idea. Hockey and soccer are my two sports so I'm going to give this one a crack. It also seems fitting with the World Cup in the midst.

15. Edinson Cavani - He's ugly as all get out but he is a beast. He is a two footed technical layer that is willing to work his tail off both offensively and defensively to ensure hos teams success. He has been criticized for his lackluster passing though.

14. Xavi - He really fell off the map this year. He didn't have a great year, and he wasn't as influential as he always was in barcas success. Oh, yeah that's right he is 36 years old, an he is still World Class. What this guy is doing at his age is insane. Unheard of. He will most definitely go down as one of the greatest of all time. The best thing about him? He was simple. Pass, move. Pass, move. He isn't going out on the right foot though with how he and his team played in this WC.

13. Thiago Silva - Definition of solid, strength and consistentcy. Part of that stingy PSG D and that Brazillian back three/4 that I consider the best in the world. Only reason he's not higher: he is not the leader that he should be.

12. Joao Moutinho - He's the new Xavi, he is an absolute mastermind with the ball. He led UEFA in assists in WC qualifying. That's a pretty mounting task. Although I think he could be a little better at shooting the ball.

11. Wayne Rooney - Don't like him, but he can play. He is the complete package. He never has had country auccess though. Again England bowed out in Group stages.

10. Arjen Robben - Hate him too, but again his skill is just too much to ignore. He is fast, intelligent, and his positioning is unmatched. The only problem with Robben is his arrogance, he sometimes underestimates things and it puts him in precarious situations.

9. Giorgio Chiellini - Absolute beast, I am fully confident in saying he is the best natural outside back in the world.

8. Andrea Pirlo - Will go down as the best passer of the ball in the history of the game. He isn't showing signs of slowing down at the tender age of 34.

7. Andres Iniesta - Like countryman Xavi, Iniestas stock has certainly fallen. He still is an amzing passer and is in my opinion the most crisp and clean dribbler in the game. His performance at the WC was unacceptable though.

6. Gianluigi Buffon - nothing needs to be said. What he has done and continues to do will never be forgotten. May go down as the greatest GK of all time.

5. Mesut Ozil - If some of you are fans you might be thinking I'm on drugs. Yes, ozil has not had a great year and yes, he has been very inconsistent throughout his whole career but the fact of the matter is when this guys on his game, he is nearly unstoppable.

4. Manuel Neuer - Hands down best GK in the game right now. Unbelievable reactions, great positioning and unrivaled intelligence. Smartest player in the game as well.

3. Franck Ribery - Pacy, explosive and a great dribbler with a creative mind. He is super selfish but it sometimes plays to his teams advantage because he is that good.

2. Ronaldo - He is the best player there never will be. His career has been absolutely tarnished by messi's adjacent one. Everything Ronaldo does, Messi is a small step ahead (even defensively). I will say this though, Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the most athletic human beings on earth. His speed, agility, balance and strength combined with his size and intelligence is unreal. Watch him, tell me I'm wrong.

1. It's easy. It's as clear to me as Crosby in the NHL. His individual ability is INSANE. I have watched played and even coached soccer in my short 18 year life and I can honestly say I've never seen one man beat 11 guys, it's not supposed to happen, soccer is literally impossible to make anything but a team sport, but messi has done all that. And mark my words, if he can do it again, only this time where it matters and where he has failed to do his whole career, believe me he will go in the History Books as the Greatest Player that ever Lived.

[theoneandonly]

Where does Neymar rank for you?

[HockeyGenie]

I am glad you asked 1&only. If I were to extend this list to the top 20 he would be on it. My biggest problem with neymar is how horrid defensively. It wouldn't hurt his teams too much if he wasn't in a key defensive system. Set aside that, and you will find he is probably the most selfish person in the game. I'm going to make an analogy you will understand: hes the ovechkin of world soccer.

[konjo78]

Rooney isn't a top 15 player anymore. But the list is strong. I don't think messi is the best ever but easily best right now...

I do think this is the weakest soccer has been in a very long time.

[HockeyGenie]

Wayne Rooney is the most complete player the game has to offer. He plays in the most demanding position you could possibly play in (hole striker), he probably touches the ball more than anyone in the BPL, he isn't a turnover machine, an he still is more than efficient on Defense, oh and he can finish the ball with the best of them.

No striker, maybe in the exception of Cavani works as hard as he does. The way he makes deep lying checks to the ball back into the midfield. It's no wonder Manchester United's subpar midfield is considered one of the best passing midfields in the world, their striker makes their job effortless.

To have Rooney off this list is a crime, absolutely 110% a top 15 player.

[Aoki11]

The only crime on this forum right now is you having wayne Rooney on this list and not having Neymar, Götze or Van persie on. You say Rooney works hard for his team? When is the last time Rooney went back to defend a corner? You state rooneys position and how well of a passer he is, he had 10 assists this year. In the position he's in he should have a lot more. That deep lying striker is supposed to be an assist and goal machine. Rooney I just an above average player. Ask his country how they feel about him, he sure gives them a ton of wonderful results! Congrats you can play well when your in club uniform, it all comes down to how you play when you rep your country. The real world class players have showed up to this tournament, and they are shining.

Wayne, is no longer the special player he once never was.

[Aoki11]

And konjo I have to stop agreeing with you there, you are incorrect when you say that soccer is no longer what it once was. It's never been close to as good as it is now. Soccer has evolved tactically and technically so mych over the past 2 decades. It's gotten more popular, more competitive and more skilled. It's never been this deep with talent laden players.

It goes that way with any sport. As much as I hate to say it, because my hayday was back in the mid to late 90s, the athletes of today would smoke the athletes of yesterday.

For example: you think babe Ruth could come and hit off a current day MLB pitcher? No. The sport has evolved. More pitches were created and the sport just got better. I would be willing to say if Jerry Rice stepped on a football field, he would have a tough time against an average present day secondary.

Same goes with soccer. Messi would probably be able to walk through defenses of the 80s and 90s. Sports are no longer sports. They are sciences, psychologies. The brain is always going to outwork the brawn nowadays. You don't have to like it that's just how it is.

[Crimson's Ghost]

I don't know a dang thing about Soccer, but if the World Cup is any indication, Soccer has to be in better shape than ever.