EDIT ::BTW, DEADLINE FOR POLL IS FRIDAY AUGUST 9th (Canadian time). I shall calculate results the morning I wake up on Friday (if I can). I will post results immediately after.

I want to have a little poll. Who do you guys think is the third best player in the world, CR and Leo put aside? I'll tally the results at the very end, if enough people participate. You don't HAVE to give a reason as to why you pick who you pick, but just throw the name out there. Here are some suggestions in case you guys are running thin on ideas. :)

Andres Iniesta (Barcelona)
Xavi Hernandez (Barcelona)
Franck Ribery (Bayern)
Thomas Muller (Bayern)
Manuel Neuer (Bayern)
Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern)
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (PSG)
Thiago Silva (PSG)
Edinson Cavani (PSG)
Robin van Persie (United)
Wayne Rooney (United)
Radamel Falcao (Monaco)
Luis Suarez (Liverpool)
Gareth Bale (Tottenham)
Juan Mata (Chelsea)
Mesut Ozil (Real Madrid)
Andrea Pirlo (Juventus)
Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus)

You don't have to pick from the above list. They were just ideas. Just throw a name out there who you believe is the 3rd best player in the world.

@V - Not even in my top 10. Can you believe it! Neymar's performance in the Confed has earned him 4th. If he didn't play then he would not have been in my the top 10 either..

Sure, cristiano scored alot of goals but when his team needed him most he disappeared!

For me, everyone in my top 10 list has been better than cristiano this year.

Iniesta

okay I am sorry but I don't understand why does bale get so many votes; Is it because of the Madrid bid? Yeah the guy is amazing, probably top 5 in the world but is he really better than the best performer(not by far) in a team that won the treble? ( Ribery)

^Well you can put it this way. Ribery without a doubt is extremely talented, but you've got to remember that every single Bayern player that started played amazingly this season. Now imagine if Bale was the Bayern LW and Ribery was the was the Tottenham LW, how good would Bale have looked with Bayern last season? There isn't a real answer to that but we at least know Ribery wouldn't look as good as with Tottenham. People tend to forget that a team's form can change how good a player is. Bale IS Tottenham though. Bale has proven countless time that he can rise to the occasion as the only hero for Tottenham, meanwhile Bayern have got Robben, Schweini, Neuer and Ribery and even more players to rise to the occasion if one fails, leading the rest to a good form along the way.

Of course though, this is only my opinion.

@Wolfie: What about Ibra? Without a doubt one of the best strikers in the world but he's playing in the bloody Ligue 1. He (and PSG) had no competition last season! Ronaldo though consistently performed throughout the whole season even when Real Madrid were split up because of fights with Mourinho.

@Wolfie

Oh, so 55 goals in 55 appearances doesn't prove that he's had a good season? When was the last time a winger scored 50 goals in 3 consecutive seasons? When was the last time a PLAYER (other than Messi, who is one of the greatest ever) scored 50 goals consecutively in 3 seasons? Certainly none in the past 2 decades.

When his team needed him most, he SHOWED UP. He scored twice against United to lead us past them. He scored 6 goals against Barcelona this season, and helped us win the SuperCopa. He gave us that crucial goal in the 4-1 loss to Dortmund, which almost inspired us to beat them 3-0. He's scored goals for us all season long, and worked his ass off when we needed him most.

Did you guys know something? When Madrid beat Levante 2-1 away this season, Ronaldo had gotten an elbow to his eye and was bleeding so much he could only see through one eye. The score was 0-0. Officials and staff told him to sit the game out, because it would be dangerous for him to continue playing. But he refused. He would only allow himself to be substituted after he scored a goal and gave us the 1-0 lead. He then allowed himself to be substituted, knowing that he had given his team a foundation to work from, and that it would hopefully give them enough inspiration to win the game. Such dedication towards football and his team is rare indeed.

If you people still hate on Ronaldo, you guys have a sad life. He used to dive a lot with United, I'll never deny that, but he's cut it down so much with Madrid in the past 2 seasons. He rarely ever dives now. He's also improved his passing game so much that he notches up double digits for assists every season, and is the person who's made the second-most goalscoring chances in Madrid (only behind Ozil). He doesn't dribble himself into stupid situations anymore.

He plays smart. He creates chances. He scores goals. He leads the team. He donates money and blood to those who need it more than him. He helps charity. He works relentlessly day in, day out. He's even acknowledged that he made stupid decisions in the past, and said that he regrets his past arrogance. He does SO much, and yet still receives hate for what he's done in the past. If you STILL hate the man, tell me what more he can do to prove you wrong.

@V, Ibra should be higher for sure. Maybe even 2nd.. One of the best seasons for him. The French Ligue 1 though.. not very strong.

The four goals he scored against England were amazing. Did you know he gave that Jersey to Welbeck after the match! I wonder what it's worth. o_o

@Dyna, Yeah, 55 goals and ZERO trophies. Amazing!

"when his team needed him most" vs BVB 2nd leg semi final. Where was cristiano then? 3rd yeah in a row now he's not been able to stand up get the team over the line. He's a good player, not great.

Great players win BIG GAMES!!

"

Ibrahimovic!

@Wolfie

I really have NOTHING left to say to you anymore. You're a hater, so screw off. And btw, Ronaldo helped Madrid win the Supercopa this season, which is, in fact, a TROPHY. Something your team hasn't won last season.

@Dyna, "Screw off" LOL

I'm no hater. I'm just being real and voicing my opinions. That's what this forum is for.

You seem like you are incapable of seeing things from other people's perspective other that your own!

Now you attack my team.. Seriously, you need to grow up and learn to have a debate without insulting someone.

^But you're not really giving an opinion, you're just being prejudice. You need a whole team to win a trophy and Real Madrid isn't (even though many think it) are not Cristiano Ronaldo FC. The team was split apart with fights and they had one bad season. Yet still, they almost made it to the finals of the CL, got 2nd place in the La Liga, and almost won the Copa Del Rey if it wasn't for the heroic efforts of Chelsea's very own Courtois (hehe >:D). And a huge part of that is because of Ronaldo's efforts. Ronaldo's performance this season has been remarkable and you're ignoring that fact based on his past antics, which he rarely does anymore. Come on man, just think this one through :/

@Wolfie

You are incredibly ironic. You say that I am incapable of seeing things from other people's perspective, but all you say about Real Madrid is how much you hate them and how you think Ronaldo is a terrible player. You think you're not attacking MY team? You expect me to just sit here because I'm the only Real Madrid fan in this forum besides Ironfist? YOU are the one incapably of having a debate, as all you do is repeat the same points of how Ronaldo dives and how he can't win anything over and over again, even though multiple people prove you wrong.

I agree with Vendetta.

Iniesta . He is like Zidane.

1.Messi
2.Ribery
3.Ronaldo

@WayneRooney

Come on, mate. You too? I think we should all respect Ronaldo and Messi equally. :/

@Wolfie, what drug are you on? Have you actually watched Ronaldo play? He's been Real Madrid's crucial player for the past few seasons. I think YOU are the one incapable of seeing things from other people's perspective.

Putting Neymar as 4th already loses your credibility. I assume you only
watched him at Confed. A Great Player is someone who not only play well
in big matches, he also needs to play consistently. He hasn't played all
that great with Santos in the recent years, and we really need to see
him play in europe. Based on his potential, he can even reach 3rd,
but saying he is 4th right now is pushing it.

By your logic, none of the players you mentioned has been always played well against big teams. (Even Messi). I think most people on this forum agrees that best players don't perform best all the time. Most can Agree that Ronaldo is one of the most consistent player in football today.

Keep in mind that I never liked Ronaldo's style of player or his
antics (dive) on the pitch. Things like those shouldn't cloud your judgement
from a footballing perspective.

"Sure, cristiano scored alot of goals but when his team needed him most he disappeared!" Haha, sure, he didn't play all that great against dortmund, but keep in mind that Ronaldo had just been healed from injury during that match. There are many other moments where Ronaldo performed great against big teams. Honestly, I can swap ronaldo with any good player and it's going to be the same argument.

Even Messi hasn't always produced well against big teams when Barcelona/Argentina needed him. Apart from him being injured, 2 seasons ago, he wasn't able to produce a goal against chelsea when they needed him, lost to Real Madrid and cost them La Liga. Or The fact that Messi wasn't able to produce any goals for World cup or Copa America. Before people go crazy over me critisizing me about messi, yes, he is the best player in the world. I just used him as an example for the sake of this argument.

I think both Messi and Ronaldo had their best individual performance last season (2012-2013). Messi score against AC-Milan when Barcelona needed him, or made a difference against PSG. Ronaldo scored to beat Barcelona at the Copa de ley semi finals, and scored against Manchester United to move to the next round.

Okay, now on topic. My 3rd best player is Ribery or Iniesta. It's hard to decide. I think Ribery is more consistent but Iniesta has one of those magical moments. Or maybe even Suarez if he doesn't get banned all the time.

@Dynasty98 i did this list on previous season
but for me it would be
1.Messi
2.Ronaldo
3.Iniesta

@WayneRooney

OH, yea that's fine. For previous season, I would adapt your's to actually

1. Ribery
2. Messi
3. Schweinsteiger/Muller/Ronaldo :)

Is it for this season or just overall? I think my vote has to go to Ribery if it is for the season but for Casillas if it is just overall.

And just to add my two cents here... People should stop arguing who are the top 2, that is the worst and most boring discussion. And also, why on earth would anyone put Ronaldo or Messi out of the top 2?!?!