Best player OUTSIDE Barcelona and Real Madrid?

[Bus-Conductor]

This surprises me, to be honest. I mean Robben was phenomenal (still handy), but you always seem more into team playing technicians, and to me Robben has always very much been an individualist, more likely to shoot than pass to a better placed team-mate.

Mine is Augero. If he wasn't so injury-prone, would probably be at Real by now.

I did say in terms of forwards and a couple of years ago.

I think, as foward players go, there was this 3-4 year spell when, outside Barca/RM Robben was the only other player of that ilk. He was winning games single handedly and working his arse off too. Heynckes got him playing like never before and under Heynckes I'd have taken Robben over Ronaldo just because he worked so hard without the ball as well as producing shitloads of goals and assists.

I think best is so subjective. Best what?

Marchisio, Gundogen, Gabi and Thiago Motta (again perhaps a year past his best) are or have been some wonderful footballing busy ****s that spring to mind.

Godin, Bernat, Banatia, Alaba, Lahm(again past best), Chialini (again pb), Liechsteiner, Juanfran some great defenders in various ways.

I think injuries have started to take their toll on Aguero but as forwards go, a year or two ago I would agree with you, a fabulous little striker, half bull half ballerina.

Pogba can be imperious but can also be a bit frustrating occasionally.

Then there are and have been a plethora of cm's, creatives, fowards or AM's outside of Barca and RM who have all been great, people not on the above list like Mkhitaryan, Gotze (pre Bayern), Vidal etc etc


One of the reasons I hate these "best" discussions is its invariably only forwards or creatives that are considered, and another is that I always forget a shitload of players when I'm compiling my list.

 

[danielneeds]

I did say in terms of forwards and a couple of years ago.

I think, as foward players go, there was this 3-4 year spell when, outside Barca/RM Robben was the only other player of that ilk. He was winning games single handedly and working his arse off too. Heynckes got him playing like never before and under Heynckes I'd have taken Robben over Ronaldo just because he worked so hard without the ball as well as producing shitloads of goals and assists.

I think best is so subjective. Best what?

Marchisio, Gundogen, Gabi and Thiago Motta (again perhaps a year past his best) are or have been some wonderful footballing busy ****s that spring to mind.

Godin, Bernat, Banatia, Alaba, Lahm(again past best), Chialini (again pb), Liechsteiner, Juanfran some great defenders in various ways.

I think injuries have started to take their toll on Aguero but as forwards go, a year or two ago I would agree with you, a fabulous little striker, half bull half ballerina.

Pogba can be imperious but can also be a bit frustrating occasionally.

Then there are and have been a plethora of cm's, creatives, fowards or AM's outside of Barca and RM who have all been great, people not on the above list like Mkhitaryan, Gotze (pre Bayern), Vidal etc etc


One of the reasons I hate these "best" discussions is its invariably only forwards or creatives that are considered, and another is that I always forget a shitload of players when I'm compiling my list.

Of course that's not even mentioning goalkeepers, and Neuer can have a real claim to being the most important player in world football over the last 5 or so years.

 

[kaz Hirai]

Eric lamela

 

[GeneralBurk]

Quite interesting 4 of those are ex bars and RM players.

Ibro for me, seriously underrated as the best player of his generation. Wins the league wherever he goes. That record will never be beaten.

Most overrated for me. Only succeeded in below par leagues in utterly dominant teams.

A very good player but he has never been at the truly elite level.

 

[Mullers]

I am going with T.A as defenders dont often get recognition. T.A has only made one or two errors in two seasons.

 

[JerryGarcia]

I am going with T.A as defenders dont often get recognition. T.A has only made one or two errors in two seasons.

Good call and it shows how good he's been for you to rate him amongst the best in the world as I remember you (fairly enough) weren't 100% sure of him when his signing was announced. If only Ledders was still able to play a decent number of games because along with Vertonghen and Wimmer we'd be fully stacked with world beaters.

Actually, who is the better CB out of King and Toby? I feel dirty asking that and it's probably best for another thread but Toby has shown many of the same qualities that King had and he's probably been better in an attacking sense too.

 

[Lufti]

I think best is so subjective. Best what?

I am going with T.A as defenders dont often get recognition. T.A has only made one or two errors in two seasons.

I specifically said in the OP to avoid defenders and goalkeepers because you can't compare their contributions to those of more forward thinking players.

 

[Bus-Conductor]

That's me and @Mullers for you. We're the Butch Cassidy and Sundance kid of thread etiquette.

 

[richard_gleeson]

Ibrahimovic is a genius, one of the greatest ever, but aguero is better right now

 

[AW?]

Wayne Wooney?

 

[Mullers]

Good call and it shows how good he's been for you to rate him amongst the best in the world as I remember you (fairly enough) weren't 100% sure of him when his signing was announced. If only Ledders was still able to play a decent number of games because along with Vertonghen and Wimmer we'd be fully stacked with world beaters.

Actually, who is the better CB out of King and Toby? I feel dirty asking that and it's probably best for another thread but Toby has shown many of the same qualities that King had and he's probably been better in an attacking sense too.

That is an understatement to the max, I said we may as well have kept Fazio!
At the moment I would say King, when someone like Henry says that King was the best defender that he played against, that means a lot.

 

[nailsy]

I've just put on the Barcelona/Betis game and mentioned to my son that Messi is the best player in the world. He's just set me straight, "No Dad, that's Harry Kane!". Can we close the thread now?

 

[Da_One]

Pirlo still not retired!

 

[nailsy]

Pirlo still not retired!

He's been pretty average in MLS hasn't he?

 

[TH1239]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Antoine Griezmann. For me, he's the one player in world football outside of Madrid and Barca, that I would want in our squad right now. Devastating match-winner who can score with both feet. Has pace, dribbling, vision, movement and works hard off the ball.

Outside of not signing Suarez in the winter of 2011, I think missing out on Griezmann (who many people here wanted) when he was at Sociedad and we had the Bale money was the second biggest missed signing of the last 15 years or so at Spurs.

 

[GeneralBurk]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Antoine Griezmann. For me, he's the one player in world football outside of Madrid and Barca, that I would want in our squad right now. Devastating match-winner who can score with both feet. Has pace, dribbling, vision, movement and works hard off the ball.

Outside of not signing Suarez in the winter of 2011, I think missing out on Griezmann (who many people here wanted) when he was at Sociedad and we had the Bale money was the second biggest missed signing of the last 15 years or so at Spurs.

Technically he is in Madrid.