25 Luca Toni – Prolific goalscoring in Serie A has earned the big Italy striker a move to Bayern Munich.

24 Diego Milito – An Argentina striker who plays alongside his brother, Gabriel, a defender, at Real Zaragoza. Apparently a target for Liverpool.

23 Javier Mascherano - Made little impression at West Ham United but the Argentina midfield player has become a great force at Liverpool.

22 Jens Lehmann - Not the most popular player among neutrals but his strong presence in the Arsenal goal has made him a favourite with Arsene Wenger.

21 Torsten Frings – The Werder Bremen midfield player’s all-round midfield skills have earned him almost 70 caps for German.

20 Joe Cole – Has made the England left midfield slot his own after proving himself at Chelsea.

19 Joaquin – The pacy Spain right winger spent six years with Real Betis before moving to Valencia last summer

18 Adriano – The Inter Milan striker has endured a disappointing two years, typified by a poor showing for Brazil at last year’s World Cup finals.

17 Robin Van Persie – Injury ended the Holland striker’s season in January just when he was coming into top form with Arsenal.

16 Kolo Toure – The Ivory Coast player lacks inches for a central defender but is always a first-choice for Arsenal.

15 Franck Ribery – Highly promising displays for France at last year’s World Cup encouraged Bayern Munich to sign the midfield player from Marseilles this summer.

14 Marco Materazzi – The former Everton defender has enjoyed success with Italy and Inter Milan over the past 12 months.

13 William Gallas – The versatility of the France defender was missed by Chelsea last season after his move to Arsenal.

12 Andres Iniesta – The Spain central midfield player has been at Barcelona since the age of 12.

11 Gianluca Zambrotta – A key performer in Italy’s World Cup triumph last year, the right back moved from Juventus to Barcelona after that tournament.

10 Xavi – The midfield player, 27, has spent his whole career with Barcelona and has won nearly 50 caps for Spain.

9 Xabi Alonso – Liverpool fans breathed a sigh of relief recently when the Spain midfield player with the fine passing range signed a new contract

8 Paolo Maldini – Made his Italian league debut in January 1985 but the AC Milan defender was still around to help them beat Liverpool in the Champions League final.

7 Ricardo Carvalho – Chelsea suffer when the Portugal central defender’s partnership with John Terry is broken up by injury or suspension.

6 Nemanja Vidic – After an unsteady start the powerful Serbia defender became a first-choice member of Manchester United’s defence last season.

5 Deco – The Brazil-born Portugal midfield player has been a key player for Barcelona since joining them after helping Porto become European champions in 2004.

4 Fabio Cannavaro – The Italy centre back is the Fifa World Player of the Year and European Player of the Year and has just helped Real Madrid to the Spanish title.

3 Rio Ferdinand – The England central defender’s pace and interceptions contributed to Manchester United’s Premier League triumph last season.

2 Juan Roman Riquelme – Now on loan at Boca Juniors from Villarreal, the creative midfield player was one of Argentina’s best players at last year’s World Cup.

1 Ryan Giggs – Has just won his ninth league title medal with Manchester United having switched from dashing winger to astute midfield player.