FourFourTwo released their Top 100 Players of 2013, and it was chock full of players from the champions of Europe. Bayern Munich landed twelve players on the list, including eleven in the top fifty. However, yours truly believes that there should be at least one more Bayern player on the list, but we'll get on that later.
We should start by acknowledging that there's been a change in the guard at the top of the list. Cristiano Ronaldo has taken over the number one spot from Lionel Messi. It's tough to argue that Messi's 2013 was better than the one put on by Mr. Ronaldo, but I'm sure that everyone, like me, believes that a certain Mr. France should be holding the crown this year.
Top Five
1. Christian Ronaldo
2. Lionel Messi
4. Radamel Falcao
5. Andres Iniesta
Oof. It's like a punch to the gut to see Ribery in third place. Ribery had, by far, the best season of any player, and he was duly rewarded by UEFA with the Best Player in Europe award. Shouldn't winning everything there is to win be counted in a player's greatness? Unfortunately, all of the recent talk is that FIFA extended the voting on the Ballon d'Or just so Ronaldo can win it. It's a conspiracy against Franck. It's sad.
Here's where the Bayern players finished in the rankings:
3. Franck Ribery
7. Philipp Lahm
24. Dante
26. Thomas Müller
28. Manuel Neuer
31. Javi Martinez
34. Arjen Robben
38. Toni Kroos
40. Mario Götze
44. David Alaba
73. Mario Mandzukic
I won't get into the nitty gritty of arguing each and every player's position on this list. Of course, I believe a healthy Holger Badstuber would also be included somewhere. However, I have a gripe to pick with someone. Where is Jerome Boateng? You can't convince me that Boateng doesn't deserve to be included among the world's 100 best payers.
What are your thoughts on the rankings?