thesubstitution:

I don’t think you know anything about football. All right, so you might know some things about football, but whatever you know about football isn’t nearly as important as what I know about football. Knowing more about football than you do, I feel that it’s critical that I let you know who I think were the 25 best players from 2012. So I’ve done a list, chosen from the 80-man shortlist compiled by Backpage Football, because that’s what everyone else is doing. 

What was that you had to say about my list? That’s right, you didn’t say anything.

Some art to take your mind off the list.

1. Lionel Messi

2. Cristiano Ronaldo

3. Andres Iniesta

4. Radamel Falcao

5. Robin van Persie

6. Xavi

7. Andrea Pirlo            

8. Zlatan Ibrahimovic

9. Yaya Toure

10. Bastian Schweinsteiger

11. Gianluigi Buffon

12. Vincent Kompany

13. Luis Suarez

14. Mats Hummels

15. Xabi Alonso

16. Philipp Lahm

17. Neymar            

18. Mario Gomez            

19. Gareth Bale

20. Didier Drogba

21. Sergio Ramos

22. Giorgio Chiellini

23. Daniele De Rossi

24. Arturo Vidal            

25. Edinson Cavani

– Max Grieve

Max Grieve doesn’t care what we think. So he tells us what to think.

afootballreport:

By Max Grieve

In Bilbao, Real Madrid won the title for the first time in four years, whilst at the Camp Nou Lionel Messi equalled, then surpassed, the record for the most goals scored in a European season. The Spanish newspapers would have you believe that only one or the other of these happened, of course.

“El Mejor!” Marca’s front page screams – “The Best”. Mourinho is thrown into the air, one finger raised, and images of a euphoric Ronaldo are splashed below the headlines. In Barcelona, El Mundo Deportivo pays tribute to “Torpedo Messi”, and the little Argentine is seen lifting the ball over Carlos Kameni to score his third – Barcelona’s fourth – to scratch Gerd Müller’s name from the 39-year-old record.

Below the singing Xabi Alonso, below the elated Iker Casillas, below the hoards dancing in the Plaza de Cibeles, a box the same size as the neighbouring advertisement for the new Subaru XV acknowledges that Barcelona have played. Even then, the image accompanying the scoreline is one of a rueful Guardiola. In the smallest type imaginable for the front page of a national newspaper, Marca make a note of Messi’s historic hattrick.

Read More

The oft asked question: who is the best footballer in the world today? 

Spice up the oft asked question: ask it to a footballing legend. Today we’ll hear from Pele.

The Brazilian great-one does not believe that Messi is in the same atmosphere as Neymar when it comes to who is currently the best in the world.

I personally don’t concern myself with either Messi or Neymar more than I need to be, but this amused me. So where does CR7 fit into this or are we only concerned with players from the South American continent? 

Anyhoo, expect third person references in this short little piece from the Associate Press.