Top 10 Soccer Players in the World: Champions League Final Edition
By Mike Cardillo
The 2014-15 Champions League final kicks off June 6 in Berlin between Barcelona and Bayern Munich. It serves as the defacto end of the European club season. Everyone loves lists, so let’s make another highly arbitrary one …
Just missed out: Neymar, Barcelona; Gareth Bale, Real Madrid; Zlatan Ibrahimovic, PSG; Alexandre Lacazette, Lyon; John Terry, Chelsea; Cesc Fabregas, Chelsea; Giorgio Chiellini, Juventus; Manuel Neuer, Bayern Munich; Philipp Lahm, Bayern Munich; Thomas Müller, Bayern Munich; Ivan Rakitic, Barcelona; Ricardo Rodriguez, Wolfsburg; Sergio Agüero, Manchester City.
Note on defenders: Club soccer in 2015 bears little resemblance to 1992 Serie A, hence there isn’t a nominal defender on this Top 10 list.
10. Carlos Tevez, Juventus — Call this a vote for recency bias, but Juventus is in the Champions League final. Alvaro Morata stepped up and provided key goals vs. Real Madrid, but it was Tevez who dragged the Italians through the early rounds of the season making sure Juventus avoided another early exit along with another Scudetto-winning Serie A campaign.
9. Kevin De Bruyne, VfL Wolfsburg — The young Belgian midfielder is no stranger to Americans via the 2014 World Cup Round of 16. A casualty of Chelsea’s roster largess, De Bruyne found a home in Germany with Wolfsburg and helped the club reach the Champions League proper next season. He’s finished with 15 goals and 25 assists across all competitions, as Wolfsburg claimed the German Cup over the weekend.
8. Arjen Robben, Bayern Munich– For all the talent in the Bayern orchestra, the fragile Dutchman is still its supreme solo artist and what sets the German club above the pack. Bayern struggled down the stretch with Robben, the Bundesliga’s highest-rated player, on the sideline. That is just as good an argument as any toward his inclusion on the list.
7. James Rodriguez, Real Madrid — Does a season with 17 goals and 15 assists across all competitions feel underrated? Maybe? A year ago Rodriguez felt like a pure, post-World Cup luxury signing for Real Madrid, but the Colombian lived up to billing and his play — plus angry fans — might force the team to offload Gareth Bale this summer.
6. Paul Pogba, Juventus — If the 22-year-old Frenchman leads the Old Lady to glory vs. Barcelona there will be nothing left to accomplish in Northern Italy. Every elite European club will try to acquire the one Manchester United let get away. Saturday’s final in Berlin will greatly impact the personal Pogba #narrative. Should Juventus pull off the upset, Pogba’s name will skyrocket into the conversation of world’s best — if it hasn’t already. If Juventus loses meekly, there will be the usual chorus of fickle critics, saying Pogba is overrated.
5. Alexis Sanchez, Arsenal — At first glance this probably feels a little too high for Sanchez, but consider he’s been very good in Serie A, La Liga and the Premier League — something few players can claim on a resume. For the 2014-15 season in the EPL, there wasn’t one player as singularly valuable to his club as Sanchez, who showed his value lining up in wide positions or direct in front of goal on his way to 16 EPL goals and eight assists. Arsenal did win the FA Cup this season and Sanchez scored so maybe this doesn’t need as much justification. Can he carry his club form into the Copa America this month and carry Chile to a title on home soil?
4. Luis Suarez, Barcelona — Is Suarez a villain? Is he impossible to root for unless he’s on your team? Is he damn irresistible with the ball at his foot? The answer is probably yes to all three. The controversial Uruguayan still managed 24 goals and 17 assists after his suspension that dragged until October, giving Barcelona another way to bludgeon opponents by playing direct through him, as Real Madrid saw in the final Clasico of the season.
3. Eden Hazard, Chelsea — The no-frills Belgian is the Premier League’s best. Consistency is the standout attribute of Hazard. If you can get 14 EPL goals from a midfielder, it’s a huge bonus. If you can get them from a skilled dribbler who finished eighth in minutes played in the brutally physical league, you have a genuine star.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid — The Portuguese star scored 63 goals over the course of the season. 63. Sixty-three. And it was rendered an afterthought since Real Madrid finished the year without a trophy … all because of …
1. Lionel Messi, Barcelona — What more is there to say about Messi that hasn’t already been said or written? The second half performance vs. Bayern in Champions League semifinals is as close as we’ll see to a player entering the hallowed territory of “God Mode” in real life. Is that hyperbole or exaggeration?
Ask Jerome Boateng’s ankles.
Previously: Top 10 during the 2014 World Cup
Previously: Top 10 prior to the Champions League knockout stages.