tenpoless
No 6-pack, just 2Pac
Puyol
Raul, De Rossi, Del Piero, Casillas, Gerrard, Lampard
If we have Cristiano and Messi in this conversation, there's no doubt they are in. Then Benzema and Lewandowski probably deserve it for their Ballon d'Or seasons in which they carried their teams to league + UCL (Lewy never got the trophy but was dead certain to get it in cancelled), even if their international career was underwhelming and I personally find Lewandowski a tad bit overrated as he was never able to be that world class leader for Poland, despite numerous occasions and relatively decent team around him. Suarez perhaps deserves the label too, even if he didn't sniff Ballon d'Or and was probably the least talented of the unreal MSN trio. Rooney, RVP, Eto'o, Aguero, Drogba, Falcao, Griezmann are all elite, but just a hair below the world class bracket. Jury still out on Mbappe but I'm pretty sure he'll end up with at least one Ballon d'Or to his name, he already was a star for the successful World Cup campaign and will rack up plenty of trophies, including UCL, with Madrid, so I think he'll be widely accepted world class caliber very soon.A lot will depend on the definition of WC, and how long a period someone needs to be performing at that level to be called WC
If we use top 3 players in their position, Ibra may not make it - Ronaldo, Benz, Messi, Aguero, Lewandowski, Suarez, Van Persie, Rooney, etc. were better than him at various points in time and I dont think he truly sneaked into top 3 at any moment, but if we use this definition, which strikers would you even have as WC, and how many would you truly choose over Ibra?
One to follow that Mbappe fellow. Might be world class one day.If we have Cristiano and Messi in this conversation, there's no doubt they are in. Then Benzema and Lewandowski probably deserve it for their Ballon d'Or seasons in which they carried their teams to league + UCL (Lewy never got the trophy but was dead certain to get it in cancelled), even if their international career was underwhelming and I personally find Lewandowski a tad bit overrated as he was never able to be that world class leader for Poland, despite numerous occasions and relatively decent team around him. Suarez perhaps deserves the label too, even if he didn't sniff Ballon d'Or and was probably the least talented of the unreal MSN trio. Rooney, RVP, Eto'o, Aguero, Drogba, Falcao, Griezmann are all elite, but just a hair below the world class bracket. Jury still out on Mbappe but I'm pretty sure he'll end up with at least one Ballon d'Or to his name, he already was a star for the successful World Cup campaign and will rack up plenty of trophies, including UCL, with Madrid, so I think he'll be widely accepted world class caliber very soon.
Young Owen was electric.Owen
I wonder how you got to the conclusion there can be only one world class player at a certain time after reading my post in which I named five world class strikers that played at the same timeOne to follow that Mbappe fellow. Might be world class one day.
Is your criteria that there can be no simultaneous world class players? Only one at a certain time?
You've never seen him throw an apple core into a binOwen
It wasn’t a question, sparky. Calm down.Do you mean the guy who played 24 seasons in Serie A for the same club (age 16-40), who Captained Roma 500+ times, who scored Serie A goals in 22 seasons in a row (double digits 13 times), 5 times Italy player of the year between 2000-2007 despite winning only one scudetto (When the likes of Zidane, Del Piero, Maldini, Zlatan, Nedved, Kaka, Cannavaro, Pirlo, Rui Costa, Crespo, Batistuta etc. also played and peaked in the same period) and world champion Totti?
That guy?
Yeah, why would he be highly thought of?
He loved scoring in friendlies and has 0 cl goalsSomebody just put Pele. I dare ya…
He clarified that was attacking players who could create something out of nothing. Anyway. Get outSir Alex once said in his biography that he considers Giggs, Cantona, Scholes and Ronaldo to be world class.
I would only say Ronaldo is the only real world class player.
He loved scoring in friendlies and has 0 cl goals
In my opinion he was very underrated, and genuinely world class.Wonder how folk rated Michael Ballack? I'm not completely sold on him being viewed as World Class. Though I'm not dead set against the idea that he was.
He's up there. No one is arguing he's the best CM of all time but he'd likely be in the conversation for his generation of players. Top player.Wonder how folk rated Michael Ballack? I'm not completely sold on him being viewed as World Class. Though I'm not dead set against the idea that he was. Same goes for Deco too really.
I love the way you’ve worded this. I only wish I’d done the same.Wonder how folk rated Michael Ballack? I'm not completely sold on him being viewed as World Class. Though I'm not dead set against the idea that he was. Same goes for Deco too really.
Deco was really great but something that anyhow stains his legacy (at least among Barca fans that I know) is that the team started looking and playing a lot better after Guardiola, to surprise of many, very quickly decided to sell him to Chelsea.Wonder how folk rated Michael Ballack? I'm not completely sold on him being viewed as World Class. Though I'm not dead set against the idea that he was. Same goes for Deco too really.
In my opinion he was very underrated, and genuinely world class.
Among the best midfielders of his generation, and not often enough credited.
He's up there. No one is arguing he's the best CM of all time but he'd likely be in the conversation for his generation of players. Top player.
Cheers guys. Yeah, definitely a quality player but he's a bit borderline for me. Also, @Loon, this thread is a very touchy, subjective one clearlyI love the way you’ve worded this. I only wish I’d done the same.
Yeah not necessarily his fault, but I can see why this would work against him.Deco was really great but something that anyhow stains his legacy (at least among Barca fans that I know) is that the team started looking and playing a lot better after Guardiola, to surprise of many, very quickly decided to sell him to Chelsea.
It's unfair though. Deco had come to the end of his cycle with the rest of the core Dinho team. Between his peak of 26 -30, He'd not have been out of place in the Pep Era team...Yeah not necessarily his fault, but I can see why this would work against him.
Sacrilege!!!Rui Costa, anyone? Not the most productive of players, but technically excellent and one of those 90's players who just seemed sexier than what we had at home, even if that wasn't necessarily the case.
100%Cheers guys. Yeah, definitely a quality player but he's a bit borderline for me. Also, @Loon, this thread is a very touchy, subjective one clearly
It is quite unfair I agree. Funnily enough, I remember little of Deco from his Chelsea times and I was already watching Premier League week in week out then. He didn't really set the world alight there, did he?Yeah not necessarily his fault, but I can see why this would work against him.
Agreed to some extent. As a kid in the 90's, I loved him. Watching all those brilliant exotic players from a far away land on Channel 4.Sacrilege!!!
What makes you say Totti wasn’t world class? It’s not like he didn’t have end product to go with his entertainment, he won a Serie A and there were seasons he scored 20+ goals in the league(with penalties)...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.
He was already past his best and a little overweight but was still a classy player. Had his moments.It is quite unfair I agree. Funnily enough, I remember little of Deco from his Chelsea times and I was already watching Premier League week in week out then. He didn't really set the world alight there, did he?
Same applies to Ronaldinho btw, who was even younger when Pep decided to move him for the benefit of the team. He's undisputed world class though for the aesthetics and global impact on the fanbase alone (not to mention that brief period in which he was truly the best in the world without any discussion)
I said the same but then I thought about it, the entire premise of the thread is airing crazy takesThis thread is great, some crazy people in this world.
Yeah definitely, the thread is just living up to its name.I said the same but then I thought about it, the entire premise of the thread is airing crazy takes
'players considered world class but you don't think are world class' is the biggest hot take magnet I've ever seen.
I’m maybe being harsh and winning the World Cup probably did nudge him into world class territory.What makes you say Totti wasn’t world class? It’s not like he didn’t have end product to go with his entertainment, he won a Serie A and there were seasons he scored 20+ goals in the league(with penalties)...
He would be right up there on the list of great 10’s in Serie A with maybe only a handful I’ll put above him, Maradona, Zico, Baggio, Rui Costa and Zidane overall but he didn't have a better Serie A career.
On the last point Tottis career overlaps with Rui Costa, Totti made his first team appearance in 1992/1993, by 97/98 he had scored 13 goals in a single Serie A season not playing as a striker, Tottis prime culminated with a strong period for Italian football both with the teams who were reaching CL finals consistently, in Juventus and Milan but also Italy actually winning trophies such as the World Cup and reaching the Euro 2000 final for example.I’m maybe being harsh and winning the World Cup probably did nudge him into world class territory.
I just never felt he performed at the same level in Europe or internationally that he did for Roma.
There’s an argument that he was carrying a weaker team, but there’s also an argument that the Serie A he started in wasn’t anywhere near as strong as the Serie A Maradona, Baggio and Rui Costa played in.