definition of a world class player.

not new the the 606 but always read from the shadows, but not in an odd way, so be at ease with that knowledge of a quiet 606 reader.

So, introductions successful i will continue to my article.


I would like to know what makes a world class player, so many fans dub their clubs "superstar players" world class but surely not everyone of these players can be truly what they are made out to be.

i have heard a few methods to really weed out these players that are truly above and beyond the elite of world football and become something much more in the sense that they will live on in history as their names are hailed from fans alike around the world.

method number 1)

every position you pick the 5 best players of that position and you will have your world class shortlist of that position i;e GK, RB, CB etc.

pros:
you will find out the most valued players around the world for that position on an opinion based decision from fans. not from biased pundits and journalists.

will give you a shortlist of 55 players which is a reasonable number of players that can be dubbed world class. A number which i agree with. Not everybody will.

Cons:

everyone has a different opinion, for example i believe B.sagna and P.zabaleta would be in the top 5 best RBs in the world, not everybody (if any) will agree with me. So this would make it difficult to find a consistant and repetitive result.

some may also believe 55 players maybe well short or to many for them to be classed as superstars.

these days there are numerous decisions, this method is purely based on a 4-4-2 formation which is outdated in todays modern game, i can count fifteen different positions and im sure there can be more if somebody put the time in and thought about it.


Method 2)

players with more than key attributes for their given position, for example a LB say leighton baines ability to defend and attack, or a striker with an eye for a key pass rather than the glory of a goal.

Pros:

this method can really cancel out pretty average players from the best but this Pro is linked with a con so bare with me, I am a spurs fan and really rated darren bent (one of the few) at the time he was at the lane, but from this method its clear he is not in the world class bracket, relies on pace and a strikers instinct to do what he does best, score goals.

not many players stand out in this essence of the game, someone with the attributes to become the full player of a position. now i will say this makes more sense in my head than on paper but i'm hoping there will be guys who understand where i am coming from (again not in a weird way).

cons:

back to D.bent, key attributes for a striker for me is pace power and finishing, bent has these in abundance and scores a lot of goals. he was spurs' top goal scorer 2 years running (i believe) yet was never really accepted there. i link this with D.ba, i am not Demba's biggest fan but he silences me more often than not with goals goals goals. goals define a striker yet i do not see what they offer elsewhere so can they be dubbed world class?
they score a lot of goals more than L.suarez yet i would say suarez is world class.

last method)

total football is something i strongly agree with to become world class, i often argue with my west ham brother, if i can do it on a sunday league game then i do not want to praise it at premier league level (C.C) yet someone with key attributes all around their game but still play simple effective football i truly believe are world class.

Pros:

someone with the ability to do 2,3 possibly 4 positions on a football pitch deserves more credit than someone who sticks to 1 position, it defines them as a FOOTBALLER and not labelled as a RB, LW etc.

Again there are very few with this ability to do more than one set of key skills which makes the shortlist very small or "short" you might say...

cons:

this has the problem of escalating very quickly from sense to madness, with this method a lot would say S.gerrard fits the bill, great attacker, can shoot, cross, pass, tackle, run, head, good at dead ball situations, play in a number of positions and to me he is to me world class.
D.james played for portsmouth in goal one half then was a striker the next, this is the extremities i was talking about.

some would say a goalkeeper obviously has no chance of being a total footballer, but they have a skill set which is different to this debate.

messi and ronaldo are the best players in the world for me, they are woeful at defending again this is just my opinion, what do i know about defending im a spurs fan im deluded yes yes ive heard it before to all opposing fans.

after writing this article i have realised to be dubbed world class is a great achievement yet there are those who just do not deserve it. i'd love to know how you define a world class player, and if you agree with these methods.

cheers guys.
multiboard?