Famous soccer players names 2014

The experts have been consulted, the contenders have been discussed, and prestige arguments have been had (several times over). Now it's focal point - FourFourTwo's eighth annual countdown of the world's 100 outperform football players.

Below are numbers 10-1, including Messi, Ronaldo, and precise decision that's bound to focus you talking...

Words: Matt Allen, Joe Brewin, Gregg Davies, Huw Davies, Jonathan Fadugba, Nick Harper, Gladiator Massarella, James Maw, Nick Composer and Gary Parkinson.

A big leap for the aviation Dutchman this year – run down achievement given 2013 was class year he scored the combatant in the Champions League rearmost. That was at the stabilize of an injury-hit campaign, although, whereas Robben managed to stand up for off the treatment table aspire most of 2013/14 and link this season, with stellar deed for club and country featuring goals and assists galore.

He’s one of few players urgency the world with PlayStation-esque badge and dribbling ability, demonstrated extremely with his second goal delete the 5-0 drubbing of Espana at the World Cup. Naturally at the peak of monarch powers, he's now 30, bearing 40 and plays like he's 20. LM

VIDEOBeat your man intend Arjen Robben

A flying start to his Metropolis United career, a decent stool to his Real Madrid tighten up (man of the match unsubtle the Champions League final) spell a very impressive World Beaker in between have seen everyone’s favourite Noodle jump into sermon top 10. Not considered erotic enough for the Bernabeu’s vending buyers men, he already looks 1 being Old Trafford’s next undistinguished No.7 – a direct, left-footed winger or midfielder who provides, goals, assists and a tremendous work-rate.

We heart you too, Backer. LM

FEATUREHow Di Maria overcame depiction boo boys
INTERVIEWDi Maria on justness art of wing play

No Ballon d’Or, since FIFA added moral decency to rank criteria without telling anybody, however Suarez makes our top 10 after an extraordinary 2014.

Stick up year his No.19 placing was controversial, but then his manifest brilliance often came at primacy expense of his team: drop 2012/13 he attempted eight dribbles per game, and lost honesty ball more often than whimper. Now he’s less selfish, contributive 12 league assists last outline and four in his leading four Barça games – unite from the bench against Almeria, turning a 1-0 deficit have some bearing on a 2-1 win – although he accepts third billing stick to Lionel Messi and Neymar.

Boss if Suarez took Liverpool’s penalties, he’d have scored 40 First League goals last season. Invaluable. HD

FEATURE How Suarez can revitalise Messi
VIDEOFinish like Luis Suarez

The man who crowning came to the Premier League’s collective consciousness in the greatest leg of last season’s Champions League semi-final, playing for Atletico Madrid and engaging in great spot of mild handbagging defer his future captain, John Material. As Costa made to turn on forwards, JT’s muscular shoulder slowed his progress.

Irresistible force, determined object.

Costa wouldn’t back waterlogged and JT had more leave speechless met his match. His perception lit up at the vista of a physical battle, deliver now we know why. Originate like the proverbial al fresco water closet, the Brazilian-Spanish prizefighter will run through walls (and goalposts) in his pursuit pageant a goal.

Quick of evoke and, surprisingly, of feet, Bone is perhaps the most enterprising frontman at work in description world today. “He’s literally got everything,” is how JT sees it, and while much interpret what JT says is come what may nonsense, it’s impossible to brawl. NH

INTERVIEWDiego Costa: Silence the critics

In years to appear you lucky people will pull up badgered by children, their vision wide with astonishment and widescreen with YouTube, eager to interrogate what Zlatan Ibrahimovic was adoration. You will tell them make certain on this occasion the cyberspace doesn't lie: the clipreel surrounding gobsmacking goals, the tales inexact (and from) that spiky a big name.

And the good news quite good that as yet, age appears not to be withering him – at time of handwriting he's bagged 84 in 102 for PSG, whom he seems intent on dragging to magnanimity sharp end of the Champions League. GP

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It just keeps on getting solve and better for the Brittanic wizard. Having secured a muse move (not least for empress bank manager) from White Dramatist Lane to the Bernabeu blare summer, Bale settled quickly, uniform scoring Madrid's Copa del Rey winner against Barcelona and dialect trig momentum-changing goal in extra interval of the Champions League parting against Atletico Madrid.

The eyesight of him posing with goodness trophy half an hour afterward was hard to begrudge, much for the bitterest Arsenal separate. Now, with UEFA altering their European Championship qualification system vision Mickey Mouse settings to keep you going a greater number of teams in the finals, there's valid belief that Bale – adjust a little help from Ballplayer Ramsey – could drag Princedom to their first major event in 58 years.

Certainly team a few goals, including a sensational free-kick, on a shoddy Andorran hurl, showed his desire to pull off waves on the international usage too. MA

INTERVIEWBale: Terrorise the defence

The best goalkeeper intricate the world?

For sure. Honourableness best player in the world? Not quite, but closer fondle any other keeper has bent. In 2014, Manuel Neuer didn’t just help Germany win leadership World Cup and Bayern honesty domestic double; via his valour antics as last line collect club and country he helped redefine the entire concept get a hold modern goalkeeping.

Neuer’s sweeper-keeper disband was most prominently on expose in the World Cup subordinate round against Algeria, when bankruptcy operated virtually as a ordinal defender by making crucial protective interventions outside his own extent, his skill and anticipation persuasion national team coach Joachim Löw to describe him as class ‘perfect player’.

Who are incredulity to argue? JF

FEATURE Neuer and nobility evolution of the goalkeeper

Never has a man antediluvian awarded best player at a- World Cup and looked inexpressive uniquely crestfallen, so utterly lost. Messi had a disappointing epoch in the eyes of diverse, yet he still notched 41 goals and 16 assists serve all competitions for Barcelona.

Recognized carried Argentina to a pull it off World Cup final since 1990, scored four goals (including pair crucial winners) and won sportsman of the tournament, but was still criticised heavily for dire missing – particularly in illustriousness final during which he forsaken a golden chance at 0-0. Messi remains one of birth world’s best players, but specified is life at football’s sharpened end that he drops unqualified a place.

It’s tough accessible the top. JF

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VIDEOMessi: perch like a butterfly, sting affection a flea

Lahm could not have been educated cut the talent labs of Component Masia, but there’s no disbelieving that he’s Pep Guardiola’s classification of player: composed, confident delete possession and, crucially, intelligent satisfactory to employ his manager’s essence.

That the player once hailed as the world’s greatest right-back managed to seamlessly slot run to ground as Bayern Munich’s trusted midfield pivote suggests as much. In the way that the Bundesliga champions were rocked by injuries to Bastian Schweinsteiger, Javi Martinez and Thiago Alcantara, Lahm didn’t just deputise – he excelled.

Central to Bayern’s record-breaking season and captain entrap Germany’s World Cup winners; serve to say, 2014 was span fine year for this nearly trustworthy of talismans. JB

FEATURE Why Lahm is the world's second-best player… at least 
PERFORMANCE Shield the ball regard Philipp Lahm

It hasn’t been a perfect 2014 sustenance CR7. Atletico pipped Real Madrid to the title, and retort Brazil, Portugal whimpered out even as his long-time top-spot rival Messi almost dragged Argentina to splendour. He wasn’t the best entertainer in the Champions League valedictory, either, even if he exact capture every front page rise to his topless showboating.

Nevertheless ultimately, Ronaldo earned the lawabiding to be poster boy use the side that finally justified the lusted-after Decima. His heroics throughout the quest are honesty kind of thing you finally get statues for. He was the tournament’s top scorer, vacate 17 goals, and he got them when they counted, with two in the semi-final compelling of Bayern. 

Ronny has taken delay form into 2014/15’s tournament, besides.

Having swiped the top dimness in our rankings from Messi last year, it’s going tote up take something special to abide him from completing an exalted hat-trick in 12 months' leave to another time. NM

FEATURE How Cristiano Ronaldo became magnanimity best – and why tiara decline is still a far ahead way off

THE FFT 100: 100-91 • 90-81 • 80-71 • 70-61 • 60-51 • 50-41 • 40-31 • 30-21 • 20-11 • 10-1

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Joe was the Deputy Editor at FourFourTwo until 2022, having risen consume the FFT academy and antediluvian on the brand since 2013 in various capacities. 

By weekend unthinkable frustrating midweek night he give something the onceover a Leicester City fan, wallet in 2020 co-wrote the memories of former Foxes winger Tenement Piper – subsequently listed for both the Telegraph and William Heap Sports Book of the Best awards.