23 Feb 2018 11:31:26
Big debate that i always see online is "how many world class players are there in the Premier League? "

The term world class is too broad though. So my question would be, how many players in the Premier League have a genuine claim to be the best in world in their respective position?

For me that is Kane (CF), Salah (RF), De Bruyne (CM), Silva (CM), Kante (CM), Azpilicueta (RB), Alderweireld (CB) and De Gea (GK) .

Would that be fair? I think so. Therefore i find it totally baffling when people try and say there are no world class players in the Premier League. I'll go out on a limb and say all 8 of those players (as an individual signing) would start in any team in world football, even if the formation has to be shuffled a bit. If you supplement that 8 man team with Alaba (LB), Godin (CB), and Neymar (LF) you are not far off the best 11 a side team in the world. Who else gets in that team on current form? Is Ronaldo better than Kane? Is Messi better than Salah? Is Buffon better than De Gea? I wouldn't disagree with anyone who says they all get in ahead of the Premier League trio, but i also wouldn't disagree with anyone who says they don't. Aside from those 3 who all finished top 4 in the Balon D'or alongside Neymar though, I'm not sure anyone else in world football can even make a legitimate claim.

I think we are now entering an era where the Premier League doesn't just have the best managers; I think it actually has a lot of the best players too. The only real worry is that Kane and De Gea are both targets for Real Madrid, and Alderweireld wants out of Spurs as well. We may all jokingly say we want United and Spurs to lose their best players (myself included), but don't we all want the very best players to be in our league, deep down? Salah will probably be around for a while yet, but he is already looking at Real Madrid too!

Either way, on this seasons form i think a lot of the the best players in the world are currently playing in the Premier League. Long may it continue!

1.) 23 Feb 2018
23 Feb 2018 11:46:22
I also think this league has the best players, by far. I would agree with the players you've listed sis but I'd also add Hazard and Firmino to them. There's plenty of fantastic players and a good amount of world class players in this league which is what (for me) makes it the most exciting league in the world.

2.) 23 Feb 2018
23 Feb 2018 13:00:37
I think regardless of what players are world class or not in our league we have the most entertaining league in the world at least.

3.) 23 Feb 2018
23 Feb 2018 13:01:44
I would add Hazard and Aguero to that list MK.

4.) 23 Feb 2018
23 Feb 2018 13:02:35
No Aguero and Ozil (criminally underrated) MK?

5.) 23 Feb 2018
23 Feb 2018 13:11:14
Ozil is a great player but I wouldn't class him as world class.

6.) 23 Feb 2018
23 Feb 2018 13:26:01
Really Salah? I drool when i watch him play🤤🤤🤤, maybe its just a personal preference then.

7.) 23 Feb 2018
23 Feb 2018 13:36:10
I wouldn't say kane is world class as i think the term is used very easily (not by you MK but in general) to describe players who yes are of a good standard but not world class imo
World class to me depicts a player who stands out from his peers
who is among the very very best in whatever he or she does
Neuer for example has been world class for years
Messi and Ronaldo are the obvious ones
Suarez (cant stand the fella)
Marcelo
Modric
De Gea

if your talking directly about strikers yes Kanes numbers are verv very impressive

but so was Alan shearer's and I would love anyone to tell me he was world class
For me world class is something that truly divides you from the best ala Pele Maradona Zidane Buffon Baresi Maldini Best etc THE LIST IS ENDLESS but imo Kane does not currently fit world class for me just my opinion lads.

8.) 23 Feb 2018
23 Feb 2018 13:46:49
Each to their own scholes mate, I think he's brilliant and all, but world class I just can't see it personally.

9.) 23 Feb 2018
23 Feb 2018 13:51:05
It would be a contradiction to include Hazard when i later stated Neymar is the best LF in the world. Same for Aguero/ Firmino and Ozil after I cited Kane and Silva as the best in their respective roles.

I do agree that those 4 are world class by the way, but i was only talking about players with a legit claim to being the best in the world in their positions. The term world class gets deliberately misinterpreted by a lot of people so i thought I'd avoid it all together 😂.

10.) 23 Feb 2018
23 Feb 2018 14:04:07
World class IMO = the top 23 players that would make up a squad. i. e 3 keepers and two players for every position. So for me playing a 433:

GK-De Gea, Neuer, Olblak
LB-Marcelo, Alaba
CB-Kompany, Varane, Godin, Chiellini.
RB-Kimmich, Walker
CDM-Kante, Vidal
CM-De Bruyne, Silva, Modric, Naingollan,
LF-Ronaldo, Hazard
RF-Messi, Salah
CF-Kane, Aguero

It’s all opinions of course, but to me that’s damn near the best 23 man squad your going to get currently and I count 10 players from the PL there, 4 from the bundesliga, 7 La Liga and 2 Serie A. I genuinely do think the best quality players we have in this league is higher than other leagues.

11.) 23 Feb 2018
23 Feb 2018 14:12:23
Is Salah world class or is he having a very good season? I love him to bits but I think he needs a few seasons under his belt perform at this level. It seems disingenuous for some to be on here saying Kane isn’t but Salah is.

12.) 23 Feb 2018
23 Feb 2018 14:22:58
Hazard and Aguero are within that bracket also.

13.) 23 Feb 2018
23 Feb 2018 15:41:12
Marcelo is woeful, how can people even claim he's a world-class fullback when he can't even defend?

14.) 23 Feb 2018
23 Feb 2018 15:42:55
MK you say you didn't wanna mention them as you mentioned Neymar and you mentioned Kane. But you named 3 CM players in the list? Silva and de bruyne can't both be the best midfielder in the world! If you're naming a 'world 11' then fair enough. But that 11 could have two strikers therefore Aguero and Firmino deserve a mention.

{Ed025's Note - as strikers go TIA bobbys not getting anywhere near even the bench mate..

15.) 23 Feb 2018
23 Feb 2018 15:46:33
good post MK but you asked is Messi better than Salah. does that question have to be answered because i presume its a joke right? . Messi is the greatest player of all time while Salah isn't even our best player (Bobby firmino) .

16.) 23 Feb 2018
23 Feb 2018 16:29:17
Salah is easily our best player, behave!

17.) 23 Feb 2018
23 Feb 2018 16:37:38
Also Messi is not the best of all time either. that's for the new generation, call me crazy but i would take the Brazilian Ronaldo, Maradona before him, even though Pele was way before my time but some of the goals he allegedly scored messi can only dream about!

18.) 23 Feb 2018
23 Feb 2018 16:37:48
Kane shouldn’t be in the same sentence as the rest of them. All the others have got to be knocking on the door of world class.

19.) 23 Feb 2018
23 Feb 2018 16:43:26
DeGea, D. Alves, Godin, Chiellini, Alaba, Busquets, Modric, Silva, Messi, C. Ronaldo, Suarez. They are the best today for me.

20.) 23 Feb 2018
23 Feb 2018 17:29:17
No Roberto or Kirchoff in there MK.? ;)

I think world class is used too easily these days and without proper context.

Is it based on this season, a few seasons, the last few games? That would make a massive difference.

I think a lot of players would get picked on YouTube clips and FIFA or Football Manager ratings, rather than due to them being watched week in week out.

I think my only nailed on from what I watch, whether it be over a few games, a season or 3, would be DDG.

There would be more, but again it depends on the time frame we are talking about.

21.) 23 Feb 2018
23 Feb 2018 17:32:36
I don't think there's any world class players in the Premier League personally.

I think there are only 3 in the world. Ronaldo, Suarez and Messi.

There are very 20 x excellent players. But world class is just another level that none of then have reached.

22.) 23 Feb 2018
23 Feb 2018 17:37:18
Alves, Chiellini, Ronaldo are past it due to age but all 3 are
great players but currently not world class anymore.

Suarez is not the same Suarez anymore due to a knee operation
Busquets? Really mate? He is a terrible defensive midfielder in my opinion.

Mine would be something like:

David de Gea, Cesar Azpilicueta, Diego Godin, Toby Alderweireld, Alex Sandro, N'Golo Kante, Moussa Dembele, Kevin de Bruyne, Lionel Messi, Neymar Jr., Robert Lewandowski

2nd team:

Manuel Neuer, Joshua Kimmich, Vincent Kompany, Mats Hummels, Marcelo, Marco Veratti, Luca Modric, David Silva, Mohamed Salah
Eden Hazard, Harry Kane

3rd team:

Jan Oblak, Kyle Walker, Rafael Varane, Andreas Christensen, David Alaba, Ilkay Gundogan, Koke, Paul Pogba, Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe, Sergio Aguero

Alot of top class players like Niguez, Sane, Eriksen, Coutinho, Alli who will probably end up ''world class''

was really tough thinking of top class defenders.

23.) 23 Feb 2018
23 Feb 2018 17:43:26
LOL, you say that putmaneontheright and then go and say Ronaldo who has been terrible this season and Suarez who is not even half the player he was 6 months ago and i would say 10 other forwards have already passed him! Hilarious in my opinion. You guys play too much football manager or fifa, watch the games!

about another point raised over, Marcelo sure he isn't the best defender but he is the best LB going forward. And there are not many teams who attack these top teams for some reason, look how many teams have actually had a go at Man City this season, its shocking because that is the only way to get something out of them but there are not enough brave managers out there, most think about damage control instead of causing the damage.

24.) 23 Feb 2018
23 Feb 2018 17:56:24
Lovren is world class.

25.) 23 Feb 2018
23 Feb 2018 18:06:07
De Gea, De Bryune, Aguero, Kante, Hazard and Sanchez

These are the world class players currently playing on the premier league.
Ozil is too inconsistent.,

26.) 23 Feb 2018
23 Feb 2018 19:34:47
I think the term "world class" has become far too exclusive these days to say there are only 8 world class players on the planet is ridiculous. I think you look at the stars of international teams.
Kane is world class, he has smashed all the goal scoring records, of course the lad is world class.
I would go so far as to say we have a few world class players.
Virgil van djike, mo salah, sadio mane and Firmino. And I think players like Ben Woodburn, Joe gomez, trent Alexander Arnold and dom solanke are future world class players.

To be more definite I'll say the top 5% of the professional players. Not the 0.0001%, that's just daft. You might as well say there are no world class players, it's is only slightly more ridiculous than 0.0001%.

27.) 23 Feb 2018
23 Feb 2018 19:47:02
ED2, where did that list go of the world class squad we made together?

{Ed033's Note - i can dig out the threads and post them on a single page somewhere over the weekend hopefully

28.) 23 Feb 2018
23 Feb 2018 21:53:56
Messi is only the BOAT to those who were born between 1995 and 2000.

29.) 23 Feb 2018
23 Feb 2018 23:02:09
Darn tootin' Supersalah. World class is the best of what's available at the time and if you asked your typical league1 or 2 manager I'm pretty sure they would all say each team in the premier league has several world class players with several of those teams being made up entirely of world class players. It's all relative to your level. Are the top 100 tennis players in the world not all world class? I would argue with anyone that said they weren't. To suggest that out of the thousands of footballers and hundreds of teams in the world only a handful would get into 99% of the teams is ridiculous.

We just get spoilt by watching a selection of the very best week in, week out. If everyone is special, no one is.

30.) 23 Feb 2018
23 Feb 2018 23:09:26
Supersalah, i 100% agree with you. saying that there are only a handfull of world class players in the world is ridicoulous imo. I would say players like Koulibaly, Alex Sandro, Dybala, Hamsik, Mertens, Modric, Vidal, Thiago, Boateng amongst others are all World class players?

31.) 24 Feb 2018
23 Feb 2018 23:33:01
Thanks ed033 happy digging!

32.) 24 Feb 2018
24 Feb 2018 01:39:12
Agreed wellred and stoupid. The term world class has to be relevant to something other than old Roy of the rovers. Players like Messi and Ronaldo, in the past Pele, cruyff Eusebio even gazza and Maradona are beyond world class, these people are special. The Premier league is littered with World class, it is one of the elite league in the world. If not in this league and others like it then where?

Harry kane scores worldies all the time, he is world class. Maybe a good way to define world class players would be to say anyone shortlisted for the balon d'or. Then many people would argue that Firmino is wc.

33.) 24 Feb 2018
24 Feb 2018 08:32:34
Good point supersalah, in the last Balon d'or Coutinho and Saido Mane were among the top 30, 2 months later Salah beat Mane and Aubameyang for the best African player of 2017 with quite the margin as well, so will we see Salah in the top 30 Balon d'or next season? 99.99% certain he will be there. I get the point about doing it for more seasons but that just annoys me, its like he didn't have 3.5 brilliant seasons previous to this one, he was ruining Tottenham and Chelsea for Basel, he was sensational at Fiorentina, and was arguably Roma's best and most important player, didn't score as much because he played a lot further down the pitch for Roma, more of a creator role unlike here at Liverpool. just listen to all the Roma players say how the are struggling now because they sold Salah, maybe an excuse, but he was marked by up to 3 players in Italy too and freed up huge spaces for Dzeko, Shaarawy, Florenzi etc. In my opinion people who call Cristiano Ronaldo world class still have no right to talk about what players are top or not because they simply know what they speak of. Ronaldo runs 5 meters each game and 50% of his goals in the last 2 seasons are penalties. Greatest of all time my backside.

34.) 24 Feb 2018
24 Feb 2018 17:24:29
I agree nostradamus, I haven't seen Ronaldo play since the euros. There is no doubt he was world class of course but I can't really comment. In his day he was more than world class, he was a genius.

35.) 27 Feb 2018
27 Feb 2018 08:48:23
That's a joke. Ronaldo. at this current moment has scored 11 in 7 games.

You telling me he isn't a world class player because of a bad 6 months spell AFTER WINNING 5 BALLON DORS? scoring basically 40 a season for the past 6 years like Messi.

Ronaldo and Messi have dominated the world's best trophy award unlike any other. There is also no other player who can even get remotely close to hearing either to it. Ronaldo slows then Messi takes it. Simple.

Suarez is still the best striker in the world. It is as simple as that. Kanes good but not world class and has never been in suarezs league.