Players considered World Class who you don't think are World Class

[LawCharltonBest]

Think I started a thread like this a few years ago but it's a completely different group now.

It struck me when Ferguson wrote that he was one of the few who never saw Gerrard as a world class player.

Who is your World Class Player who you don't think is World Class?

I would say Neymar - but I don't think many people consider him World Class any more anyway.

 

[SilentWitness]

Hazard.

 

[Jericho]

There was a short time where Jorginho was considered by many to be world class and I just never saw it in him.

 

[Gehrman]

Think I started a thread like this a few years ago but it's a completely different group now.

It struck me when Ferguson wrote that he was one of the few who never saw Gerrard as a world class player.

Who is your World Class Player who you don't think is World Class?

I would say Neymar - but I don't think many people consider him World Class any more anyway.

I think Fergie has many contradicting quotes about players because i believe he's complented him on several occasions and said he would absolutely bring him if it was ever possible.

https://www.skysports.com/football/news/2299150/fergies-gerrard-admiration

But anyway. I don’t have a good shout atm.

 

[simonhch]

I’d find it much easier to list players I consider world class that weren’t recognised as such.

That said, I think David Alaba for one, has always been revered as world class but he never quite got there for me because I was never entirely sure what position was his best. I think he’d have been a world class LB, but is just a very good Cb, which is where he seems to want to play. As a midfielder, his previous position of choice, I thought he was just okay.

 

[poleglass red]

I think Fergie has many contradicting quotes about players because i believe he's complented him on several occasions and said he would absolutely bring him if it was ever possible.

https://www.skysports.com/football/news/2299150/fergies-gerrard-admiration

But anyway. I don’t have a good shout atm.

He sent Gary Nev to tap him up about joining us

 

[FrankDrebin]

Davids

 

[Gehrman]

Hazard.

World class imo. Should have been the heir to Giggs. He messed up a few times for belgium though. A bit like Neymar he was a bit too full of himself saying he believed he could reach Ronaldo's lvl but not Messi's.

 

[Belisarius]

Luke Shaw

You don't hear it often anymore, but a couple of years ago many were calling him world class. I like Luke and think he's a good player. But, I never thought he was world class.

 

[Scandi Red]

Hazard.

You don't think that Hazard was world class even in his best season(s)?

 

[Gehrman]

Unpopular opinion but i think Carrick is somewhat overrated by the fans. Im sure some would call him world class and he had 1 season where he was the best midfielder in league but he had too many games where he was invisible in the bad way or outright stinkers.

 

[diarm]

Lukaku is the one for me.

I had rows with a few of my mates who were convinced he was world class.

They all pointed to his time in Italy and his international record and said I was just bitter because he didn't work out at United. But I was the same when we were signing him and always thought he was a flat track bully without the strength of character for the big occasion.

I will say to the OP, I never thought Gerrard or Neymar were world class either.

 

[Scandi Red]

Luke Shaw

You don't hear it often anymore, but a couple of years ago many were calling him world class. I like Luke and think he's a good player. But, I never thought he was world class.

It's a definition problem. In order to not discriminate against defenders for instance, many people claim that it's enough to be top 3 in your position. In which case, Shaw has had prolonged periods of being world class. But I agree that it sounds a bit odd.

 

[Loon]

I think it's more because in the admittedly few games I watched him he was largely invisible, but I know Totti is very highly thought of here...

 

[FrankDrebin]

Unpopular opinion but i think Carrick is somewhat overrated by the fans. Im sure some would call him world class and he had 1 season where he was the best midfielder in league but he had too games where he was invisible in the bad way or outright stinkers.

I class Carrick as a very sound technical midfielder but not world class.
I remember it took him a year to get back into form after the 09 final.

 

[diarm]

I think it's more because in the admittedly few games I watched him he was largely invisible, but I know Totti is very highly thought of here...

Great player to watch - an absolutely fantastic entertainer, but I'd agree with you in that I think he fell short of world class.

Certainly on the list of great Serie A no10's, he's a ways down it for me.

 

[tomaldinho1]

Unpopular opinion but i think Carrick is somewhat overrated by the fans. Im sure some would call him world class and he had 1 season where he was the best midfielder in league but he had too many games where he was invisible in the bad way or outright stinkers.

I think that's probably a popular view. He was elite but never world class. Not sure re having stinkers/being invisible, he just was a good player with an occasional weakness when pressed.

 

[The Corinthian]

Davids

Get out of the thread.

You know, just get out of the forum.

Not having that, mate.

 

[HTG]

Every hyped up Barca talent in the last few years.
Kimmich
Davies
Foden

 

[Scandi Red]

How many seasons must be world class before a player is considered world class? If it's just one, then both Carrick and Rooney qualifies.

 

[SilentWitness]

World class imo. Should have been the heir to Giggs. He messed up a few times for belgium though. A bit like Neymar he was a bit too full of himself saying he believed he could reach Ronaldo's lvl but not Messi's.

You don't think that Hazard was world class even in his best season(s)?

I think he had world class moments but was just that level below it due to multiple facets of his game and career.

I think we all have that one played who we rationally or irrationally think differently to everyone else on and for me it's Hazard. Top player without a doubt but just shy of the very top.

 

[Hound Dog]

I dont think the 99 treble winning side had a single world class player in it bar Stam (Schmeichel was also one, but earlier in his career).

I consider all the other usual suspects to have been close but not genuinely world class.

 

[Vidyoyo]

Is this a genuine debate about people who would get into most top teams in the world, or the silly one where people seem to gatekeep the idea of being World Class as a Balon d'Or winner?

I'd say there's at least 30/40 world-class players at any time if you extrapolate the number of total footballers there are against the possibility they're good enough to move to a title-challenging team.

I dont think the 99 treble winning side had a single world class player in it bar Stam (Schmeichel was also one, but earlier in his career).

I consider all the other usual suspects to have been close but not genuinely world class.

This is what I mean by the silly argument. Those players litucharally won the highest honours available that year. What players were better than Scholes, Giggs, Keane, Beckham, even maybe G Nevs at that juncture in that season?

Blomqvist was admittedly not world class but he had nice hair so in a way he was.

 

[TsuWave]

Hazard

edit - I’ve held this opinion of him for a very long time:

Hazard

maybe a bit harsh, but I always felt like Hazard was the most inconsistent supposed top player around

 

[Son]

This is hard because players are considered world class for a reason.

I define world class as not goats but players at the very biggest clubs and biggest national teams.

Gattuso would be my choice. Won everything and I don’t know what he was good at apart from causing a nuisance.

Saying someone like Hazard or Neymar weren’t world class is just insane

 

[AltiUn]

Vincent Kompany

 

[mu4c_20le]

Enzo

 

[Vidyoyo]

Vincent Kompany

No chance. Compare him against his defensive peers during his prime years and few come out higher (roughly 2014/15) - https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...c/21/the-top-100-footballers-2014-interactive

 

[Ish]

Thomas Muller for me, albeit I can accept being wrong on that one.

 

[troylocker]

There was a short time where Jorginho was considered by many to be world class and I just never saw it in him.

He would be the first name on my list in this category. He lives in a bubble in the middle of the park, tackles a bit, distributes a bit. Never spectacular, never risky.....and he's slow and weak.
Has managed to underperformed his non penalty xG per 90 of 0,02 (!!!) over his career. He has as much goal threat as a goalkeeper.

That 3rd in the B d'or 2021 is one of the strangest things in the awards history, and the midfielder of the year award...He just happened to play and take pens for Chelsea and Italy in a year they won big trophies as the only player who played for both. Had Saka scored that pen, I guess Mount would have nicked the 3rd spot for B d'or and the midfielder of the year awards....

Ah...felt good to get that out there.

 

[AltiUn]

No chance. Compare him against his defensive peers during his prime years and few come out higher (roughly 2014/15) - https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...c/21/the-top-100-footballers-2014-interactive

I expect the only player you'd put in his bracket is Lindelof.

 

[Irwin99]

Wow some hot takes in here

I loved having Ibra here but whenever i used to watch him play in the champions league, particularly for Inter and Barca, i just didn't really see it. Loved his time at United though.

Carrick was outstanding between 11-14 but he really wasn't at the level of Keane (98-02) or Scholes (06-08) in their prime.

 

[Vidyoyo]

I expect the only player you'd put in his bracket is Lindelof.

He would admittedly be in there yes

 

[devaneios]

This is what I mean by the silly argument. Those players litucharally won the highest honours available that year. What players were better than Scholes, Giggs, Keane, Beckham, even maybe G Nevs at that juncture in that season?

That is a silly argument indeed. Were Chelsea 2012 or 2021, or Liverpool 2005, or many other examples full of world class players?

Responding your other question:

Rivaldo, Shevchenko, Zidane, Figo, Rui Costa, Batistuta, Veron, Nedved, Raul. All of them were better(some of them WAY better) than their United counterparts.

 

[troylocker]

I dont think the 99 treble winning side had a single world class player in it bar Stam (Schmeichel was also one, but earlier in his career).

I consider all the other usual suspects to have been close but not genuinely world class.

You don't think Becks was WC?
Won the UEFA best player in Europe award that season and averaged 10 goals and 20 assists a season from his right midfield position between 97-00. Won everything in club football. No?

 

[Gehrman]

I dont think the 99 treble winning side had a single world class player in it bar Stam (Schmeichel was also one, but earlier in his career).

I consider all the other usual suspects to have been close but not genuinely world class.

Strange example. Giggs, Keane and Beckham not world class?

 

[Vidyoyo]

That is a silly argument indeed. Were Chelsea 2012 or 2021, or Liverpool 2005, or many other examples full of world class players?

Responding your other question:

Rivaldo, Shevchenko, Zidane, Figo, Rui Costa, Batistuta, Veron, Nedved, Raul. All of them were better(some of them WAY better) than their United counterparts.

My point isn't that those players weren't equally fantastic but rather that there's a lot of gatekeeping when it comes to what counts as 'world-class'. A good number of United's treble-winning team would have got into any team in the world at that point and they proved it with their qualities both domestically and in Europe that season. I think anything else is adhering to the notion that being world-class is reserved for players who are basically in line for a Balon d'Or, which I reject as it's my fundamental belief those two categories should remain distinct. One is like the TOP TOP bracket and the other is just the TOP bracket. I think you could have 20/30/40 players at any point who can fit into the world class demographic.

And yeah I'd put a few players from Chelsea/Liverpool in there:

Liverpool 2005: Xabi Alonso and Gerrard
Chelsea 2012: Essien, Lampard, Cech, Ashley Cole
Chelsea: 2021: Rudiger, Kante

I should also point out that you listed a lot of forwards and you'll notice I didn't include any from United. I don't think any of Yorke, Cole, Sheringham, or Ole were world-class, to be honest.

 

[kaku06]

Victor Osimhen
Ruben Dias

 

[Neon_Neon]

Harry Kane

 

[giorno]

I think it's more because in the admittedly few games I watched him he was largely invisible, but I know Totti is very highly thought of here...

Great player to watch - an absolutely fantastic entertainer, but I'd agree with you in that I think he fell short of world class.

Certainly on the list of great Serie A no10's, he's a ways down it for me.

I dont think the 99 treble winning side had a single world class player in it bar Stam (Schmeichel was also one, but earlier in his career).

I consider all the other usual suspects to have been close but not genuinely world class.

Thomas Muller for me, albeit I can accept being wrong on that one.

Please, never talk about football again