The Guardian – GAME OF THE PEOPLE

IT WAS almost inevitable that Paris Saint-Germain’s Lionel Messi, in his World Cup crowning, would be ranked as the world’s top player once more. The Guardian top 100, which has grown in credibility year-by-year, has named the Argentinian skipper at number one for the fifth time in the past decade, leaving behind his old rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, who is languishing below mid-table at number 51 in his new AL-Nassr shirt.

While there can be little dispute over the position of Messi in the modern game’s pantheon, what is clear is football’s top names are long in the tooth and still dominating their profession. A grand total of 13 of the top 20 are over 30 years of age, and overall, 32% are in this age bracket across the 100. Only 3% are under 20. Is there something a little worrying about this statistic, one wonders?

Astonishingly, there are more Moroccans in the 100 than Spanish, Italian or Dutch players, a reflection of the performance of the Africans in the World Cup. Brazil (14) provides the highest number of nationals, with France (12) and Argentina (11) not far behind. England (9) and Germany (8) are next in line.

Unsurprisingly, the Premier is the top league, contributing 44% of the overall total. In 2021, the figure was 42%, so the English league continues to grow its influence in securing the top players. The big five leagues dominate, providing 94% of the total.

As in 2021, Manchester City have more players represented than any other club – their 12 matching their total for the previous year. Their highest placing is Erling Haaland in fourth, while resurgent Kevin De Bruyne is in sixth. The rest of the Etihad dozen are way behind. Liverpool are the next best represented Premier side, with Mo Salah (down seven places on 2021) the highest in tenth.

Real Madrid have 11 players, including the born-again Karim Benzema in third place, a remarkable achievement, and veteran Luka Modric in fifth position. Real have become a club for Indian Summers with these two players among the oldest in the listings.

The top 100 also gives an insight into the rise and fall of certain clubs; Chelsea, for example, have just five players included, a 50% drop on 2021, while Barcelona have five, which admittedly is more than last year but still shows how they have fallen from their past highs. With Barca likely to win La Liga in 2022-23, next season’s list should see more from the Catalans. Juventus have just two players in the 100, while Paris Saint-Germain, with four, have seen their number halve and more. Arsenal, by contrast, have trebled their representation to three and if they continue their pursuit of the Premier title, will surely have more plaudits in the 2023 rankings.

The Guardian top 100 this year shows us that football is at a transition stage as the most celebrated players move towards the end of their careers. Ronaldo has already stepped off the podium as he enjoys the first laps of honour as he winds down, others will undoubtedly follow in the next couple of years. We have witnessed something of a golden era of star footballers and the next generation has to have space to come through. With such a high proportion of top players in the big five leagues, the strength of the other European leagues will diminish further unless there is some way to implement financial democracy across the continent.

The Premier League’s presence in the 100 went up slightly, but interestingly, there were 11 clubs compared to nine in 2021. This may indicate more clubs have the resources to scoop-up the top talent, or simply that the elite bracket is easing up a little. Whatever the reason, the polarisation of European football is reflected in the Guardian’s list.

THE Guardian top 100 players is always an interesting end-of-year exercise and almost always reflects the shape of the past 12 months. But this year’s top 20 has a very disconcerting look about it – of the 20, seven are over 30 years of age and the first three are well into their fourth decade.

It is not so much that Lewandowski, Messi and Ronaldo have a combined age of 100, but the concern has to be that these outstanding players are at the top at an advanced stage of their careers and are not being challenged by up-and-coming younger talent.

Admittedly, the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are exceptional players whose careers are only just running down now. They’re supremely skilful, very fit and still scoring goals. Robert Lewandowski is an incredibly consistent goal-scorer and is enjoying a late career flourish. He is also the centre forward of the European and German champions. The year 2020 belonged to Bayern Munich and Lewandowski.

Where are the heirs to these iconic players? Kevin De Bruyne is in fourth position, but he is 29, he’s not going to get any better. Liverpool’s Sadio Mane and Mo Salah are both 28 and players like Romelu Lukaku and Harry Kane are 27. In other words, these are players in their prime, we are seeing, or have seen, the best of them. Kylian Mbappe (22), who was the great hope to assume the role of the world’s number one, dropped in the Guardian list this year, but the big newcomer is the Norwegian Erland Haaland of Borussia Dortmund, who is just 20 and has leapt from 53^rd to number six.

In total, 27% of the top 100 are over 30 years of age, with the evergreen Zlatan Ibrahimovic, at 39, the oldest of them all. He’s scoring and AC Milan are riding high at the top of Serie A. Zlatan’s influence is huge in Milan, but even the great Swedish maverick cannot thwart father time and he has become a little injury prone. But to still being among the games best demonstrates just how unique Ibra is. As for the rest of the list, 27% are under 25 and 46% are in their prime years of 25-29.

Liverpool and Bayern Munich are the leading clubs, contributing 12% and 11% respectively to the top 100 and Real Madrid have eight players in the list. Germany is the top nationality, followed by Brazil, France and England. Interestingly, the highest-placed English player is a defender, Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Barcelona have just six representatives in the list, highlighting the club’s diminishing influence. In 2019, they had eight, in 2018 nine. Tottenham have also declined, their 2020 presence is just two players (Harry Kane and Son) four fewer than in 2019.

Unsurprisingly, the top five European leagues account for 98% of the top 100, with the Premier League providing 35 players. The Premier League is followed by La Liga (20), Serie A (19) and the Bundesliga (15).

Will the three old-stagers be at the top in 2021? You wouldn’t bet against it, but sooner or later, younger guns will surely be trying to claim their places on the podium.

@GameofthePeople
Photo: PA Images