Who won the EPL. ? Carragher can't get in to England team when Rio & terry is fit & apparently he is behinf ledly king in the pecking order. Either Vidic or Rio should have been there. Carragher's inclusion was a joke.

Sameera Malinda, Colombo, Sri Lanka

Carragher deserves to be in the top 20 players, time after time he performs to the highest standard and there is no better last man at the back in football. how has tevez made it so far up the list and players like Giggs and Cannavaro not! im a liverpool fan and i admit ferdinand deserves to be up there but not vidic! i think xabi alonso deserved to be up on the list! also Ballack and schevchenko were awful last season they should have been further down the list albeit they deserve to be there!

Tom, Manchester,

Carragher would never score a ridiculous own goal against Portsmouth - end of.

Just because Rio Ferdinand is tall like Sol Campbell, it doesn't mean he's the ideal defender.

Nobody has complained about Cannavaro being excluded, yet Rio?

Give me a break - it's probably the band-wagon from Manchester, deluded into thinking Rio is some kind of God. He isn't. Manchester United paid over £20,000,000 for Rio, yet Liverpool pay NOTHING for Carragher.

End of. Liverpool have the best defender. United keep the ball away from their defenders, so it's no real test. We saw the truth when they were smashed to bits by AC Milan.

:)

Pinocchio, Liverpool, England

I presume that you are talking the 06-07 season.

Rio Ferdinand's playing this year was nothing, compared to Carragher's. Carragher played a great season this year, shutting down the likes of immense powerhouses such as Barcelona and Chelsea. Manchester United has a total of 16 shut-outs for the 06-07 season. Liverpool has 18. Man U didn't even play the powerhouses in Champion's League. AS Roma, Benfica, Celtic, Lille, and then got knocked out by AC Milan. Presumably, Man U had much easier teams in the Champions League and seemed to give up goals each match. Rio Ferdinand being your supposed defense superstar, was there for each of those games. Jamie Carragher, however, on the way to the final, helped keep shutouts for one or more games per tie against Barcelona, PSV, and Chelsea.

Who's better? Ferdinand or Carragher?

Dex, Shanghai,

Hi!
Hm, seems to me as you are all underestimating Carragher, that man, together with Gerrard, is the only reason why Liverpool is considered as one of the best English clubs. Without them, they would probably have fought for survival year after year.

A few players are left out, which should have been included: Carvalho, Grosso, Gallas, Vidic/ Ferdinand, and Milito. But come on, everyone, Giggs? No, no, no! The man is over the top. Did you see the FA-final, or the semifinals in CL? Name one club who would like to buy him! The same counts for Neville and Scholes.

Crespo? Of course, a fantastic player! Shevchenko? Sure, before this year, a plural would have rated him as the best forward in the world! Eto'o? No, by all means. Deco should have been there, and how about Marek Jankulovski and Tomas Rosizcky? Two Czech players who are above most others in their positions. And, lastly, if anyone ever have watched Norwegian Tippeliga, you would includ Alanzinho or Nannskog, from Stabak

knut erik, oslo, norway

Vidic????
You have got to be kidding........

Jiri, Sydney,

No giggs!!!haha well the author conveniently forgot 2 mention one of the best left wingers of all time.It was his prominence along the left flank that played a huge role in uniteds league victory.And those ppl who werent surprised at giggs's ommission are bound to be arsenal fans still recovering from the 99 fa semi final.and that means u mr berbard

Red Devil, Chennai, India

How can you argue about Jamie Carragher being better than Vidic or Ferdinand? Without Carragher, Liverpool would never have made it to the Champions League final or kept the second highest number of cleansheets in the Premiership. The list was based on players who a team can be built around, and with Carragher the rock in the centre of defence, he should be even higher up the list. The best centre-half in the world should be at least in the top ten, whilst Ferdinand and Vidic should have been omitted from the top 50.

Greg Powles, Llanelli, Wales

Fabregas? The boy who was pushed out of Barcelona's youth academy by a team that could not accomadate him due to Iniesta and Xavi - best in that typoe of role in the world? He wasn't even second best at Barcalona!

But you're right about Riquelme, a prodigious talent that he was sadly too lazy to fulfil, thus his languishing in the South American leagues. Anyone watching Spanish football this year would also realise that Deco has been, without a doubt, the biggest under-achiever of the year and that Cannavaro has repeatedly been carried by the gifted Sergio Ramos. Can't explain Ferdinand's omission though.

Benjamin, Manchester,

Darren Mackie is magic!



(and I've had a B cap-so there!)

Darren M, Aberdeen, UK

Ryan Giggs may not be the world's greatest goal scorer but few match his talent for placing the ball at the feet of his team mates in a goal scoring position. He has been doing this ever since he joined ManU and I would like to see statistics which reflect this.

Bernard Thomason, Sydney, Australia

Ryan Giggs doesn't deserve to be in the top 50. He can't cross a ball accurately more than 3 times out of 10, he has no leadership qualities despite being made captain and he's stayed with Man Utd because he'd have been found out on the Continent.

Nigel Davies, Manchester, England

Wow. The readers' top ten without Kaka and Ronaldinho but with Rio Ferdinand, Vidic and Alonso?
No wonder you always overrate the English team.

And FYI, Riquelme is playing for Boca Juniors which he recently lead to Copa Libertadores glory.

Paddy, London, UK

Has Shay Given not been the most consistent Goalkeeper in the premiership for the past 10 years. His performances for the REP OF IRELAND have always been outstanding!!!! Open your eyes Marcotti. Giggs is also a shoe-in.......

O, Southampton, Hampshire

Malouda out, Giggs in; simple. Gabriele said if you had to pick one player to build a team around for one season who would it be. Well, Giggs has another good year left in his system, is still integral to Manchester United's progress as a club AND was the leading assist maker in this year's champions league.

Raskolnikov, Cornwall, United Kingdom

well Mrs Donavan from La La land - your team didn't kill off everyone in the Gold Cup - they just sqeaked past Canada with a Referee's mistake !
They are coming on however and with Beckham on the scene they can only get better - but watch out for Canada next year !
and Smiggsey should have been on that list as well as a few more - ! Your son however is good but not great when compared with Mia Hamm !

Tom Canning, Agassiz B.C., Canada

Obviously everyone here has missed the biggest mistake. Who cares about Giggs? Giggs Smiggs is what I say! I'm outraged that Landon Donavon was left off the list! Obviously no one here has watched the U.S. kill everyone in the Gold Cup lead by Donavon. You just wait, the U.S. will win the next world cup with Donavon leading the way. Also, Freddie Adu should have been second on this list.

Mrs. Donavon, LA, USA

If you think that Carragher is better than Cannavaro you must be on crack. I know who I would rather have in my team.

For what its worh, Giggs wouldn't make my 50 either! ]

Probably the most overrated player ever - has never scored or created enough goals.

Jacob, macclesfield,

How can you put Ibrahimovic ahead of Henrik Larsson? I wouldn't have Ibrahimovic in the top 500, don't mind 50. A place shoulda been found for Giggs, no question and Maldini and of course Cannavaro. Not sure overall of the real merit of compiling such a list, too many ifs/buts/opinions....but Ibrahimovic?? Oh please.......

PHELIM WARREN, DUBLIN , IRELAND

What a load of nonsense! Ballack & Sheva were both terrible last season yet they are included at the expense of the likes of Giggs - if you are going to use Giggs' age as an excuse to omit him then why not apply the same rule to Sheva who will be 30+ next season?

Terry, if you listen to Chelsea fans and Jose, hardly played last season so how can he be in there ahead of Vidic?

Chris Hall, Oxford,

By and large a pretty good job. Henry was too high up the list and no Giggs, or Ferdinand or Vidic, given their potential for next season (this was really their first together) could be an oversight. No, the inclusion of Jamie Carragher is at best baffling. Unlike most other top defenders in the prem, he was regularly bamboozled by Henry, which ranks him barely in the Top Ten defenders in the prem. Is he a mate, Gabriele?

jonathan anthony, London, London

glad ronaldo was in the top twenty (talking about the real ronaldo) but could have been higher than twelve....no giggs is the most ridiculous thing i have ever heard of....mr marcotti would do well to ask himself one question...which footballer playing in the premiership or indeed any footballer in europe (maldini and seedorf excluded) has had more success than giggs...giggs would have been the most famous footballer ever if he had played for england.

robin kyle, london,

This list is a joke, does Marcotti know anything about football or has he intentionaly left out so many players to provoke a reaction like this. Teves? how can a man who took all season to score be in the top 50 in comparison to giggs who this season was Zidane like in his playmaking from the centre of midfield. No vidic cannavaro or ferdinand, but Gary Neville made it, how can that be. No Riquelme, another strange choice to leave one of the most gifted players in european football out, i certainly would not want Marcotti choosing my team. overall there are some great players in the list, but there are a lot missing, and if this list is based on last season and who are currently the best players in the world, WHY is Shevchenko in it?

Thomas White, Ashford, uk

Anyone who has seen a single ManU match (whether including Giggs or not) surely agrees that Giggs deserves a top ten position.

Test, London,

Marcotti sounds like an avid follower of newspaper headlines and Match of the Day analysis.

What he said about Scholes could be said about anyone, including Kaka. How about 'Paulo Maldini may not have had the same impact at another club.'

I forgot - he also left out Maldini.

The list says less about the footballers than it does about journalistic laziness.

Darragh, Cork City, Ireland

drogba on 22.....in your writeup u prefectly described why is the most complete centreforward in the world...thinking about it , i d rather have him as centreback than carragher

klaus, duesseldorf,

A ridiculous list IMO, I'm no football journalist, but even I could have compiled a better top 50 than this. No Giggs, what on earth have you been watching for the past 15 years?

Simon Rees, Llanelli, Wales

I have the utmost respect for Mr Marcotti for having the balls to even put his name to such a list. I would disagree with some of his opinions but I bet that I (and most of the people who have commented) have not seen as much football (or soccer as they call it here) as he has.

eddie, davis, cal,usa

How about the worst 50 ever to play in the Premiership? That would be loads more fun!

Peter Lye, Wellington, NZ

What a complete load of tosh. Ryan Giggs had a great season - maybe not individual flair on the wing, but his passing and effectiveness during open play along with Scholes are a big reason Man Utd collected the Premiership.

As for basing the list on what could happen next season - thats a flawed arguement to start with (after all look at what happened to Heinze in the last couple of years after having an immense first season)

Vidic has just as big a right to be included (especiallly ahead of Carrra - even though he had a good season)

Ronaldinho has been widely disappointing this season and yet he is No2? Is that based on the season before last - certainly cant be this one!!

Hugo, London,

i have to say i am absolutely diamayed at the omission of Ryan Giggs and also other top defenders like Kolo Toure. after Henry's departure it is inevitible he would become the captain of Arsenal . he was majestic last season and i know he would surely perform next season. this is an absolute outrage.

racheal, London, UK

I think the list is not very accurate at all, but then again, it's an impossible list to do. There is a heavy Premiership and Champions League influence, leaving out players that are not as famous as those included, but better football players. I could name 10 midfielders in the Spanish Liga who are a lot better than Diarra. Silva (who plays for Valencia) and Milito (Zaragoza and Argentinian striker) are much better than many of the strikers listed. And if the omission of Giggs is because of his age, why are Crespo, Juninho, Beckham, Zanetti, Shevchenko, etc... in there? It's the name.
And Tevez being the 8th player in the world is, in my opinion, completely absurd.

Jacobo, Madrid, Spain

Why the outrage? It didnt take more than a quick glance at this list to see that it wasn't worth the paper it was printed on! Get over it, it means absolutely nothing.

Grant, Scarsdale New York , USA

It's good to read that many of the opions posted here recognise the ommision of Deco and Riquelme. These two must be two of the best mid-fielders around, and both, certainly, better than Lampard (and Scholes - I think).

And, just to straighten out a few misconceptions about how good Scholes was last season. In the CL he got sent off in Rome, consequently he didn't play in the 7-1 massacre at Manchester. And, errrrm went missing in Milan.

RJA, Nottingham, England, UK.

I dont understand why people should compalin over the inclusion of jamie Carragher, he is one of the best defenders in europe, noly that he is unedr-appreciated by england, he desrves to be an england regular. maybe the problem is that he is too humble, but not in terms of talent.

kelvin Kachingwe, lusaka, zambia

Gabriele, I'm sorry I can't accept this list. Players like Ronaldo, Rooney, Kaka, Ronaldinho, Drogba, Essien and many more are far to young to be considered great. So strt with the following;
Maldini, Sheringham, Giggs, Van der Sarr, Solkjear, Makalele, Seedorf, Kahn, Hyppia, Scholes, Beckham, Roberto Carlos, Thuram, Vierra, Campbell and that old bloke with the bad haircut at Bolton! Now these are great players Gabriele.

In fact your list is unacceptable because as a journo you're papably to old now!

Stephen Thomas, Mosaow,

This list is the mind of of football journalist who's job it is to help sell papers. The list is like choosing your best 50 art pieces, people will make their own opinions and draw there own conclusions. It's judgement is purely in the eye of the beholder. What a load of cr*p it is.

Brian O'Llock, hereford,

Although currently out injured. Valencia's talented EDU. is a contender for the top sixty best players in the world.

tq, skegness,

As anyone with half a brain can see; the list is utter rubbish and was created purely to provoke controversy. Just take it all with a gigantic pinch of salt and enjoy the discussion.

John, Oxford,

In all fairness and respect, i disagree with anyone suggesting giggs should have made the cut. his time was long over, and about half a seasons worth of brilliance isnt enough to overshadow that fact and for pete's sake why on earth should Maldini be included, life is going foward not backward. another questionable player s vidic. many players have had one good season. for any avid football follower, i am sure you agree a season doesnt tell it all. he can be regarded as a very good up and coming player at best. but it is completely insane to suggest he surpases the likes of jamie carragher, whose towering and mind blowing performances are wildly overlooked by many. you only need to look back at virtually all liverpool games to see one of the most consistent defenders in the game handle his business. Many players have won votes based on single matches. All you need to do is watch the games against barcelona and you will see what i'm sure Marcotti sees and what he produces every game.

T.K, Washington , U.S / DC

I cannot imagine how Frank Lampard is on the list and Ryan Giggs is not in the top ten! How oin earth is John Terry on this list Ricardo Carvalho not? And what on earth is Jamie Carragher doing on a list of the worlds best?
But then Gabriele likes to be controversial doesn't he, pure entertainment the podcast guys, I'll miss it over the summer.

Stephen Thomas, Mosaow,

Not seen anything of Inter Milan this season, but as they won Serie A rather easily and Patrick Viera is currently the France captain I can only assume that he is still playing to the high standard that he did during his time at Arsenal.
Any reproduction of his Arsenal form would comfortably put him into the world's top 50 players.

Barry Russell, South Woodford,

Why is everyone against Carragher, Liverpool was tied 2nd with the best defence in the league. And if Ferdinand and Vidic are so good why was Man U goal against the same. Plus Liverpool didn't have any meaningful league game since before christmas.

Brad, Aurora,

I think on the whole, the list is comprehensive and balance. I dont agree with the names on the list though and importantly, those omitted, but it nonetheless is a good reference material. After all can we ever have a list of two without controversy talk more of 50. Good job.

Joseph Abbah, silver spring, US

Ok, Gabrielle Marcotti may have left out popular choices, even obvious ones.
His article is an idea, a wonderful piece of journalism and initiative.
Don't forget mr Marcotti is having perspective over a huge and ever expanding football World. Just look at the countries in the final four of the past 2 World cups and European Championships to see football's diversity.
I wish there was more perspective on World football.

Pedro Gonçalves, Coimbra, Portugal

I do not know whether Wayne Rooney and his teamnate C Ronaldo were included the Top 50 List if not I will be very surprised. And that include Frank Lampard as well. My other opinion of who should be in the Top 50 List (at least should make the mark) are Kanuote, Ruud V Roy, Paul Scholes, Steven Gerrard and David Beckham.

Paul Yong, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Why should age come over performance.

Obvious examples included on your Readers current list suggest World Class Consistant Performers still reaching the very height of there careers ie Giggs,Paolo Maldini,Carvalho and Cannavaro.

Mike, Bournemouth, Dorset

Its not bloody difficult, bar the opening ten games of last season, Giggs was average (at best, more often the not poor) How he got in the PFA team is beyond me.

Also, i'm a United supporter, so its not like i am biased against Giggs. He has been a legend for the club, but last season was not his best, its that simple. I wouldn't place him in the current top 50 players.

I think the bigger omissions are Rio Ferdinand (given Carragher managed to get in...) and Canavaro, although he might suffer the same fate as Giggs; in that he wasn't even close to his best last season.

Tauren, Greystones, Ireland