rio ferdinand takes on the ultimate football question of all time on his FB account :

" WORLD CLASS;

What equates to being world class??

Sir Alex Ferguson named 4 players from his time at MUFC as being 'world class' (where was mine among a few other names boss!!)

How does he judge a player to be world class?

Performing in the big games

Consistency

A high level of ability in all areas of the game

Great goalscorer

Great saves

Great tackler

Influential leader

Match winning contributor

That list could go on and on with many different areas to judge upon!

There is no common rule that serves up the criteria.

It's a great debate to have amongst friends - we've all done it!

Ronaldo, Pele, Maradona, Cruyff, Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo are all obviously world class players from different eras. They dominated games, leagues, tournaments with their skill, desire, goals & ruthlessness many a time....The one thing the guys all had was that no matter what situation they were in they found a way....to score, to drag their team forward, to prove their worth even when considered the best.

Above are some of the traits that a player needs to be considered world class...so what does a midfielder, a defender or a keeper need to be considered....

Can a midfielder run games consistently, can they score important goals, assists,carry the team, control games,be responsible, do they have the personality to take the ball in any situation at any time....

Can a defender dominate all types of strikers, can he influence others to perform better, are they vocal, a leader, do they have consistency, perform in big games, are they brave, can they play/pass...

Can a keeper make game changing saves, are they consistent, are they leaders, personality...

These are some of the things you would have to consider when calling someone world class.

Do you have to have performed well at major tournaments internationally as well as for your clubs?

What about a player like David Beckham....the best crosser of a ball I have ever seen or played with but dribbling & beating players were not part of his make up - does that rule him out of the world class debate??

Pirlo, a phenomenal passer of the ball, dictator of games but not a great tackler – so is he not a contender??

Do you have to be one of the best paid players in the world?

Samuel Eto'o held that title whilst in Russia, was he??

But more seriously, I do believe that a world class player must be someone who could walk into any team in the world & improve them. Of course the Ronaldos, Peles, Maradonas, Cruyffs, Messis & Cristiano Ronaldos would all do that no problem...

Ronaldinho was undoubtedly the best player in the world for a couple of years; the same would be said of Zidane, but no one before Messi & Cristiano Ronaldo has year in year out for the length of time they have
(7 to 8 years) been THE BEST...does that make them the greatest?

Anyway, the debate goes on...

Who is WORLD CLASS ?!?!?!

What is WORLD CLASS!?!?!?! "

a great debatable football topic by one of EPL great defenders.

come on guys , share your best arguments on this and also try to show us your list of world class players of all time and your greatest football player of all time from your perspectives .

Great topic from Ferdinand.

Its hard. Unless its the case of legends. There is no boundary and Sir. Alex has his own idea of World class, we all have.

We can only share the obvious cases.

Not to mention, entertainment SHould play a big part of it too.

Great thread @Enjoyneer_RED +1

There is a difference between a world-class player and a world-class striker, defender, etc. A world-class player is someone who has sufficient skills in all aspects of the game, while a world-class ____ (Fill in the gap) is someone who has mastered his position. Keep in mind that if someone is a world-class player doesn't mean he can't be a world-class striker at the same time (They're not mutually exclusive).

Examples of each:

World Class players: Karim Benzema- can finish the play, can feed his team-mates, and he can hold on to the ball. He's not the best striker today so he's not a world-class striker.

World-class in his position: Neymar, Diego Costa, Thiago Silva.

Elite: Ronaldo, Messi, Rooney just to name a few.

Based off of what I just mentioned, I would not include David Beckham in my list either. He may have been a world-class midfielder but he just wasn't elite I guess.

1- Elite status
2- World-class player
3-World-class in their position

If that makes any sense.

NOT David Beckham

I feel bad for David. Sadly, his modeling career over-shadowed his legacy. I wouldn't say that he's an all-time great but man it sucks for such talent to be recognized as a model more than a footballer.

@Enjoyneer
to me being world class equates to a player who makes a great difference, no matter what. Pirlo was world class. now he's a legend.

@Enjoyneer +1
Excellent Topic, I hope we can all discuss here and forget the Diego Costa incident.

Well @Madridista I agree with your idea and your way of dividing the term world Class.

Rooney is a world class player not an elite, how can you match him with Ronaldo and Messi.
Moreover, Ronaldo and Messi shouldn't even be in this discussion alongside Neuer.

The players who I think should join in World Class is Coquelin, Casemiro and Mahrez.

Ronaldo and Messi should be on a level above "elite". "Elite" should be players who are some of the best of their generation, such as Ibrahimovic, Lahm, and Iniesta. Ronaldo and Messi should be on another level named "gods". Honestly, no one in history comes even close to the dominance these two have been showing for the last 8-9 seasons. This is unheard of, and I don't think any of us here really feels the impact of their dominance until they both retire. 10 years later, we can come back to this thread and see how monstrous the duo has been in football's magnificent history.

I get what you guys are saying, but get this: I'm not equating Rooney to Messi nor Ronaldo. Of course these guys are above and beyond. I was just suggesting that Wayne has impeccable Football IQ, quality passes, and a great shooting form. No one can outmatch him aside from Messi or Ronaldo.

Here's an Idea. How about you name me a player who can do it all, carry his team, AND not get his fair share of media attention? You won't.

When I put him in "Elite" section, it's just a way for me to show how the closest player to them (In my opinion) is miles behind.

@ dynastian & madridista

i know this may upset you guys a little bit but hear my out first, i dont think c.ronaldo is a world class player !

for me judging a player to be world class is based on one thing: INFLUENCE . ronaldo in the next couple of games with madrid will break Raul's record and become real madrid highest goal scorer of all time , but do you think by doing so will he become real madrid greatest player ever and a better player than raul , i think NOT .

ronaldo lacks influence ,and most importantly on big games . we dont get to see him making the difference by himself. unlike players like raul and messi where they can score a goal from one dead ball or tear defenses apart and get their teams back to a difficult game again .

to sum up , ronaldo career with madrid will be remembered by his amazing accomplishment of scoring more than 320 goals in only 7 seasons and winning that few nos of trophies , while raul career with madrid will be remembered by his influential goals , MAGIC ,6 la liga titles and 3 champions league .

that is why i dont think ronaldo with madrid is a world class player , maybe world class with united :D

Well.. SAF stated and sort of defined a level of World class but we shouldn't pretend like everything he says is the golden truth. For me he is missing some world class stars that had less media relevance or weren't the referent players for the team like defenders and keepers.

This is a picture that was posted long ago on another thread and I thought was almost perfect to describe the different levels of football players.

ps.

A world class player is one who changes the team, the game and tournament by the way he plays. Decides outcomes by himself and leaves a legacy to which every player in that certain position (players cant be compared any other way) would look after and try to follow.

Ronaldo, Maldini and Best should without any doubt join the GOAT tire.

Maldini is the greatest defender of all time. WTF is wrong with you if you didnt put him in the GOAT tire. Defenders for me are getting the least recognition in the world of football. All you have are Strikers and Midfielders. Maldini should join, if you disagree go and f*** yourself.

Ronaldo has already been claimed as the greatest Portuguese player in history, agree or disagree, its official. For Eusebio to be in the GOAT tire, No doubt Ronaldo should also join. No to mention, the first man ever to score so many, that he is also considered illegal to score specific types of goals by most fans.

George, cause he is George best. Is there anything else to say about him, he had amazing dribbling and close ball control, he was the best at dummies, they were inch perfect. He is without a doubt one of the only 3 players that are naturally gifted.

But than again, Not seeing Zlatan in the entire list is already preposterous . Kaka should also be in the Demi God tire or even higher, sadly thanks to his injuries he has been completely forgotten, but back in Milan, he was a fricking Monster, but a gentle and classy type haha.

@tuanis ye pretty relevant picture. Really well described in the photo, but I'd put Bergkamp 1 or 2 tiers up - it's just my opinion. I don't know though, you could argue with so many players, 'cause the list is full of just amazing players... lol

To put Cristiano Ronaldo outside of that "GOAT" tier makes me laugh. Let's hear it from the greatest ever football manager:

"In my 26 years at Manchester United I only coached 4 truly world-class players: Cantona, Giggs, Ronaldo and Scholes. And of the four, Cristiano was like an ornament on top of the Christmas Tree. Cristiano Ronaldo is the best player I have ever coached, and one of the greatest players in history."

@Tuanis: neat stuff! But there are a few missing IMO

@Lilywhite: aggree! Looking at him now, both him and Messi have performed insansely and consistently in the last 8 years. I would put both in the GOAT tier. Those 2 will go down in history like one of the greatest of all time, and they already are!

Ronaldo has been, by far, a better player than Raul for Real. Only the legendary Di Stefano will be forever remembered as the 'greatest' Madridista ever. C. Ronaldo is easily second-best to ADS. Anyone who claims Ronaldo has not been better or more influential than Raul throughout the course of their careers has, quite frankly, not watched any Real Madrid matches at all.

You know who is not one of greatest players at Manchester and Madrid ?

David Beckham .

@tuanis

Why people hate John Terry so much that they can't recognize this guy is arguably greatest defender England and EPL ever had .

Did anyone noticed I wasn't the one who made the list? I only posted it to make a reference to the different "levels" of a football player... Lets not discuss that list, that is not the point of the thread at all.

You are right , my mistake . David Beckham is not world class that is all we need to know . With all respect to Sir Alex but i think he woke up on a wrong side of the bed because the way Beckham used to bend became trademark for hundreds of years on !

I agree with Marcus about Terry. He is the best EPL defender I have ever seen (never got to watch Tony Adams or the men of his time).

Another not world class player Peter Schmiechel ? Seriously Sir Alex ? Really ? Him not world class ... were Scholes leg breaking tackles world class then ?

Giggs more world class than Beckham , but Madrid came with offer to Beckham go figure ...