- Top Guns - . Review on Top Five Footballers

Football : The beautiful game and played all over the globe. Picking top 5 football players is a task that is “Next to impossible”.

• I have accomplished a next to impossible task and here they are : the top 5 footballers . My choice.

I have picked 5 players past and 5 current players. The 5 current players are picked on the current form. No players from the English League made it to the list.

The Blasts from the Past

Jürgen Klinsmann(Germany)

The “Blond Bomber” from Sttutgart, Klinsmann started his career with the famous Stuttgart club, VfB Sttutgart. He was an attacking player who used his head for scoring goals. A close look at the stats tell that almost 70% of Klinsmann’s goals were headers. When Germany won the World Cup in 1990, Klinsmann was one of the stars for Germany along with Mattheus, Rudi Voeller etc. He has played for various to European clubs including Tottenham Hotspurs in the English League. Curently he is the coach of the German national team, dreaming of a World Cup win.

Frank Rijkaard(Holland)

A shrewd defender for AC Milan and Holland during his playing days and a master tactitian as a manager of Barcelona. Frank Rijkaard started his playing career with Ajax Amsterdam. Rijkaard was in the Holland team along with van Basten and Ruud Gullit. A tough central defender, he had a suspect temperament. (He spat on a German player during the 1990 World Cup). Rijkaard played 5 years with AC Milan, winning the European championship two times. Currently he is the manager of the successful Barcelona team.

Walter Zenga(Italy)

One of the best goal keepers of our times.Zenga has the record of keeping a clean sheet for 517 minutes during the World Cup 1990, till the semi final against Argentina. He was nicknamed *L’Uomo Ragno *i.e Spiderman. He played for Inter in the Italian League. After Inter he played for some other Italian clubs before going to the US to play in the MLS.

Diego Maradona(Argentina)

Diego Armando Maradona, Argentina’s most successful footballer. Born in Buenos Aires, Maradona was spotted by a talent scout at the age of 10. He made his international debut at 16, and soon became a regular in the side. He played the 1982 World Cup, but it was the 1986 World Cup that made his famous and controversial too. He scored 2 goals in a QF match against England, scoring one goal with his hand. That goal went down in history as the “Hand of God”. Later (much later) he confessed that he knew at that time that the goal was illegitimate. Maradona played in the World cups of 1990 and 1994 too. In 1994, he failed a drugs test and was sent home. A sad way to end a successful career.

Gary Lineker- OBE (England)

Gary Lineker is one of England’s more successful players. Started his career with Leicester City, and moved to Barcelona in 1986. Lineker won the Golden Boot at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. He was very successful at Barca, winning the Cup Winners Cup 1989. After Barcelona, Lineker returned to England and played for Spurs. Lineker had a “Mr. Nice guy” image and is one of the few players who have never got a yellow or a red card in their entire career.

The top five current footballers, picked on their current form and their role in taking their teams to victory.

Current Livewires

Adriano(Brasil)

Currently playing for Inter in the Italian Serie A. Adriano is considered to be one of the best finishers in the game today. He may not get many starts for Brasil in international matches but for Inter, Adriano is the champ. This season he has combined brilliantly with Figo and is scoring goals by the dozen.

Andriy Shevchenko(Ukraine)

Adriano’s rival in the Serie A, Sheva (as he is also called) is an awesome striker who plays with a cool head. This superb finisher plays for AC Milan. He was in the Milan side that lost to Liverpool on penalties. It was Shevchenko who missed the last penalty (and that miss still hurts). This year, he is on a mission to wipe away the pain on 2005. Shevchenko played a big part in taking Ukraine to the World Cup finals (Germany 2006).

Ronaldinho(Brasil)

Does he need any introduction at all? Ladies and Gentelmen, put your hands together for the FIFA player of the year, the Samba King from Brasil, Ronaldinho.

From the streets of Rio to Nou Camp, it has been an eventful and memorable journey for Ronaldinho. Ronaldinho sometimes appears lazy on the field, but once he gets the football at his feet, its sheer magic. He can create passes for his team mates with ease. That’s not all, Ronaldinho too is a classy finisher. Plus he can take free kicks as well. How can one forget the free kick against England in the World Cup 2002. David Seaman had no clue to that one. It simply curled over his head into the goal. Ronaldinho plays for Barcelona in the Spanish club championships. Ronaldinho has cast a spell on the Spanish spectators too. In a recent match against arch rivals Real Madrid, he was applauded by the Real fans.

Samuel Eto’o(Cameroon)

Ronaldinho’s strike partner at Barca. Eto’o is the lead goal scorer in the Spanish league. The African Player of the Year is a former Real Madrid player. They sold him because they felt he didn’t fit into the Real scheme of things. That probably was the best thing to ever happen to Eto’o. At Barca, he’s got capable strike partners (Ronaldinho, Messi) and a formidable midfield/defenders (Deco, Puyol). Cameroon could not make it to the finals of the World Cup 2006, but Eto’o deserves a place in this list on the basis of his performances for Barca.

Michael Ballack(Germany)

The Bayern Munich player is chased by many top European clubs including Manchester United. Ballack is a talented midfielder, who can blow away the opposing team on his day. A consistent goal scorer for both Bayern and Germany, he was one of the best players of the 2002 World cup. He missed the semi final match against Brasil due to suspension, and Germany lost that match. The fact that many top clubs are ready to buy him even before his contract ends, tells about his talent. Ballack is the captain of the German national team.

These men tried hard, but couldn’t make it to the team.

Luis Figo

Thierry Henry

Zinedine Zidane

Frank Lampard

Steven Gerrard

David Trezeguet

Wayne Rooney