Number 1 Countdown !

Top 10 Footballers Countdown !!

Lionel Messi !!

• Profile
• Name: Lionel Andres Messi
• Born: 24th June 1987(age 28) in Rosario, Argentina 
• Height: 5 ft 7 Inches
• Position: Striker
• Current Team: Barcelona 
• National Team: Argentina 
• Number; 10

Lionel Messi is an Argentine professional footballer, who plays striker for Spanish club Barcelona and for national team Argentina. He is often classed as the best footballer in the world at present and of all time. He has won many awards, the biggest in football which prove he his worthy of his reputation. 

As a young child he was diagnosed with a growth disorder, at the age of 13 he moved from Argentina to Spain to join Barcelona Football Club whom had agreed to pay for his medication and treatment. 

He soared through the Barcelona academy and made his firs professional debut at a young age of 17 in the year 2004. With in the next three year he established himself as a fantastic football player and team mate, he became an asset to the team and even finished as a finalist in the Ballon d' Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards in 2007. In the season of 2008-2009 he also helped Barcelona reach there first, treble in Spanish football. Also by the age of 22 he won his first Ballon d' Or and FIFA's World Player of the year award.

Three more successful seasons followed for Messi where he picked up four consecutive Ballon d' Or's. In 2012 he set the record for the most goals scored in La Liga in a single season and became Barcelona's top goal scorer. In the 2014-2015 season he broke the all time scoring record in the champions league and led Barcelona to their second treble, making history for the club.

On January 6th 2016 he scored the first goal into the New Year for the club which was followed by another and then he assisted two more in a 4-1 win at the Camp Nou against Espanyol. Later that week he went on to win his fifth Ballon d' Or breaking records. On February 3rd he scored his 500th career goal in a 7-1 victory against Valencia FC. 

Playing for his international team he has represented his country six times playing in major tournaments. In 2005 he played for Argentina in the World Youth Championship which they won and Messi finished as top goal scorer. and best player of the tournament. 

Lionel Messi is known for his style of play and his skill. He has great ball control, fast moving and has great upper body strength and a powerful left foot, most defenders are on edge when Lionel Messi is on the ball and looking at his scoring record they have good reason to be.   

It’s without a doubt that Lionel Messi deserves his reputation as the world’s greatest football and his achievements and records prove that, he is the only player in the history of the game to have won five Ballon d’ Or’s, five FIFA world Player of the Year awards and the first player in Europe to win three Golden Shoes awards. 

Lionel Messi is the worlds greatest footballer.

Number 2 Countdown !

Top 10 Footballers Countdown !!

Number 2...

Cristiano Ronaldo!!

• Profile
• Name: Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro (know as Cristiano Ronaldo or Ronaldo)
• Born: 5th February 1985 (age 31) in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal
• Height: 6ft 1 Inch
• Position: Striker
• Current Team: Real Madrid
• National Team: Portugal
• Number: 7

Cristiano Ronaldo is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays for Spanish club, Real Madrid and national team Portugal. He plays as a forward striker and he serves as team captain for his national team, Portugal. 

Ronaldo began his career playing for Sporting CP in August 2002. He then signed for English club Manchester United the following year 2003 for £12.2 Million. 

In 2009 he became the world most expensive player when he was signed to Real Madrid for £80 Million.

When Ronaldo signed for Manchester United in 2003 he was the most expensive teenager to be bought in English football history. He received the Number 7 shirt which had previously been worn by United legends, George Best and David Beckham. On November 1st 2003 he scored his first goal for United with a free kick in a 3-0 victory against Portsmouth. 

In 2007 Ronaldo scored his first and second UEFA Champions League goal in one game against Roma, this lead to a 7-1 victory. He scored the only goal against Manchester City on May 5th 2007 leading United to their first league title win in 4 years. Ronaldo extended his contract twice at his time playing at Manchester United as he felt Sir Alex Ferguson was his sporting father and that his time playing for United was key in his Football Career. Playing for Manchester United he helped win many trophies including: English Premier League 2006-2007, 2007-2008 & 2008-2009, the FA Cup 2003-2004,  the Football League Cup 2005-2006 & 2008-2009 & UEFA Champions League 2007-2008.

In the season of 2009-2010 Ronaldo signed to Real Madrid for a record breaking £80 Million. He made his first debut in La Liga on 29th of August against Deportivo La Coruna which he scored Madrid's 2nd goal in the game from the penalty spot.
Ronaldo scored his first two Champions League goals for the club both by free kicks against Zurich.
At the start of the 2011-2012 season, Ronaldo scored his 100th goal for Real Madrid and the Camp Nou during the Clasico. During his time at Real Madrid he helped the club to achieve many trophies so far, including: La Liga 2011-2012, Copa Del Ray 2010-2011 & 2013-2014, Supercopa De Espana 2012, UEFA Champions League 2013-2014, UEFA Super Cup 2014 and UEFA Club World Cup 2014.

Cristiano Ronaldo has won many honors though out his career, picking them up along the years playing for different teams and for his country:

In 2008 at the age of 23 Ronaldo had already won his first Bollon d'Or and he won FIFA World Player of the Year. He then went on to win the FIFA Ballon d'Or again in 2013 & 2014. By September 2015 he had scored his 500th senior career goal for club and country.

In 2015 he was ranked as the best Portuguese all time player by the Portuguese Football Federation. Ronaldo is also the first European player to win 4 golden shoe awards. Playing for previous team Manchester United and current team Real Madrid, Ronaldo has won three Premier Leagues, one La Liga, one FA Cup, two Football League Cups, two Copas del Rey, two UEFA Champions Leagues, one UEFA Super Cup and two FIFA Club World Cups. 

Ronaldo has been classed as the worlds best footballer on many occasions, my point of view is there are two and Cristiano Ronaldo is one of them. He has proved to us through out his career that he deserves his reputation as one of the best footballers in the world and of all time.

   

Number 3 Countdown!

Top 10 Footballers Countdown !!

Number 3...

Zlatan Ibrahimović!!

• Profile
• Zlatan Ibrahimović
• Born: 3rd October 1981 (age 34) in Malmo, Sweden 
• Height: 6ft 5 inches
• Position: Forward
• Current Team: Paris Saint - Germain
• Number: 10

Zlatan Ibrahimović is a professional Swedish striker who currently plays for French club, Paris Saint Germain and the Sweden National Team which he is captain for. 

In his early career he started off playing for Malmo FF in the 1990's, after which he signed for Ajax, where he gained his reputation for being a remarkable player. 

Ibrahimović moved from Ajax to Juventus for €16 million. He was quickly inserted in to the first team and scored sixteen goals. On 14 November 2005, he was awarded the Guldbollen, a prize awarded to the best Swedish footballer of the year. 

On 10th of August 2006, Ibrahimović signed a 4 year contract with Internazionale (Inter Milan). Ibrahimović scored his Serie A debut on September 9th 2006 against Fiorentina. In his first season at the club, Ibrahimović top scored for Inter in Serie A with 15 goals, as the team won the Scudettowith a record 97 points.

He ended the 2008 - 2009 season as top goal scorer with 25 goals, helping Inter to another league title. He was also named both "Footballer of the Year" and "Foreign Footballer of the Year" for the second consecutive season. His goal against Bologna was voted "Goal of the Year". He scored it with his heel without moving and accurately into the net from a cross by Adriano.

In July 2009 Ibrahimović signed a five year contract with Spanish club, Barcalona. He started the 2009–10 season with his competitive debut for Barcelona on 23 August 2009 by assisting on a goal by Lionel Messi, leading them to the Spanish Super Cup. In his third performance for the club he scored his first goal, he then went on to score in his next four games becoming the only player to have scored in his first five league matches.

In 2010 - 2011 Ibrahimović  was loaned out to AC Milan, he scored his first goal for the club in their first Champions League match of the season on September 15 2010 -2011. 

In 2011-2012 he finished the seasons as Serie A top scorer with 28 goals in 32 matches. 

On the 18th of July 2012 he Ibrahimović signed a three year contract with Paris Saint - Germain, In the opening 2012–13 UEFA Champions’ League Group A match against Dynamo Kyiv on 18 September 2012, Ibrahimović scored his sixth goal in only his fifth appearance for Paris Saint – Germain through a penalty kick. He then became the first player to have scored for 6 teams in the Champions League. 

With strengths that include, power, strength, skill, control and agility it is no question as to why Ibrahimović is classed as one of the worlds top strikers. He has won many personal awards and achievements that prove how valuable a player he is and why he deserves a place in the top ten footballers. 

Number 4 Countdown!

Top 10 Footballers Countdown !!

Number 4...

Gareth Bale !

• Profile
• Gareth Frank Bale
• 16th of July 1989 (age 26) in Cardiff, Wales
• 6ft
• Position: Winger
• Current Team: Real Madrid
• National Team: Wales
• Number: 11

Gareth Bale is a Welsh professional football player who currently plays for Spanish club Real Madrid and his national team, Wales. Bale is described as a player with great pace, great crossing skills, his tremendous striking from a distance and his on point free kicks. 

Bale's football career started playing for English club, South Hampton where he played left - back. He was then signed by another English club, Tottenham Hotspur were he adopted  more of an offensive position. during his time at Tottenham, Bale became and important part of the team rising to international attention during the 2010 - 2011 UEFA Champions League. In 2011 he was named PFA's Player's Player of the Year and in the UEFA Team of the Year. In 2013 he was named PFA's Player's Player of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year.

On September 1st 2013 Bale transferred to Real Madrid signing a 6 year contract for a fee of £86million which was a record breaking price, topping the original highest Christiano Ronaldo which was £80million in 2009. During his first season at Real Madrid he played an intergral role helping the club to win  the Copa Del Rey and the Champions League, where he scored in both finals.

In May 2006, Bale made his first debut for his National Team, Wales where he was the youngest player at the time to represent the nation. He was the teams top goal scorer, with 7 goals in the qualifying campaign for UEFA Euro Cup 2016. 

Since starting his international career he has earned over 50 caps and scored 19 international goals.

During Bale's football career he has shown that he is an asset to whatever team he is playing for. There is a reason Real Madrid signed such a player for a tremendous amount of money, with his pace and dribbling ability that terrifies other defenders and the potential to become as good a player as Ronaldo or Messi, Gareth Bale deserves his place as one of the best football players.

Number 5 Countdown!

Top 10 Footballers Countdown !!

Number 5...

Andrés Iniesta !

• Profile
• Andrés Iniesta Luján
• Born: May 11th 1984 (age 31) in Fuentealbilla, Spain
• Height: 5 ft 7.5 Inches
• Position: Midfielder
• Current Team: Barcelona
• National Team: Spain
• Number 8

Iniesta is a Spanish professional football player who plays for Spanish football club Barcelona and National team Spain. He serves as the captain for Barcelona, he is a midfielder switching between left mid to a strong center midfielder. He started off progressing through Barcelona youth academy and impressed scouts and managers from a young age, in 2002 he made his first team debut for Barcelona at the age of 18. He began playing more regularly in the first team in 2004 - 2005 and has remained there ever since. He was an integral part of the Barcelona team that won a historic six trophies in 2009, and his 29 trophies make him the most successful Spanish footballer of all time. Iniesta is considered to be one of the best players of his generation and one of the greatest midfielders of all time.

Iniesta played for Spain under 16's, 19's and 21's before making his international debut in 2006, in this year he was selected to play first team in the 2006 World Cup.

He then went on to play in every game of the UEFA Euro Cup 2008 which they went on to win.

Iniesta was also chosen for the 2010 World Cup and was a key member of the Spanish team he scored the winning goal in the final against the Netherlands and was named the Man of the Match, and was also selected in the tournament's All-Star Team.

At Euro 2012, Iniesta steered Spain to their second consecutive continental crown, being chosen as the Best Player of the Tournament and winning three Man of the Match awards.

Iniesta won the UEFA Best Player in Europe award in 2012, and was also chosen as the Best Player of the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League. He was runner-up to Lionel Messi for the 2010 FIFA Ballon d'Or and achieved third place in 2012.

In recognition of his outstanding performances with club and country, as well as his individual and team achievements, Iniesta received the Marca Legend Award in 2011. In 2014, he received the Golden Foot Award.

From playing for Barcelona since the age of 18 and staying with the team through out his full career, and still playing for the club to this day is an achievement in itself as Barcelona are one of the biggest clubs in the world. Andreas Iniesta has also won tremendous amounts of awards and medals through out his footballing career and competed in the biggest Cups in football, he is one of the best midfielders in the world and deserves this reputation.

Number 6 Countdown!

Top 10 Footballers Countdown !!

Number 6...

Manuel Neuer !

• Profile
• Name: Manueal Peter Neuer 
• March 27th 1986 (age 29) in Glesenkirchen, Germany
• Height: 6ft 4 inches
• Position: Goalkeeper
• Current team: Bayern Munich
• National Team: Germany
• Number 1

Manuel Neuer is a professional goalkeeper who plays for the German club Bayern Munich and the German National team. He is most known for his unique playing style, his quick rushing off the line, his shot stopping abilities and quick reflexes. He is also known for his great command of his area and his accurate control and distribution of the ball.

Neuer is known by many as the best goal keeper in the world. He helped win the 2014 World Cup with his national team Germany. He also won the golden glove for being the best goal keeper in the competition. In 2014 he was also 3rd behind Lionel Messi and Christiano Ronaldo in the nominations for the FIFA Ballon d'Or award. 

In July 2011 Neuer signed for Bayern Munich signing a five year contract, his move was worth 22 million making him the second most expensive goal keeper behind Buffon. 

FC Bayern Munich fans were not happy about the signing but Neuer proved himself just in his first few months playing for the club he exceeded the Bayern record for the most clean sheets heald with over 1000 minutes played without conceding a goal. He then went on to prove himself to the fans even more on April 25th 2012 he saved two penalty kicks by Ronaldo and KaKa helping Bayern beat Real Madrid and got the club through to the semi finals of the UEFa Champions League. Bayern then went on the final against Chelsea FC where Neuer saved the first penalty and he also scored a penalty for the club, however the team went on the loose the final 4-3 in penalties at there home stadium.

In 2013 Neuer went on to win the World Goalkeeper of the year. He also renewed his contract with the club until 2019.

With his most current stats of 20 games played 33 saves made and 13 clean sheets its clear the Manuel Neuer deserves a spot of the Top 10 Footballers Countdown. His outstanding goal keeping abilities, spectacular saves and continuous clean sheets Neuer is taking the rank of the worlds best goal keeper. 

Number 7 Countdown!

Top 10 footballers Countdown!!

Number 7...

Eden Hazard!

• Profile
• Born: January 7th 1991 (age 25) in La Louviere, Belgium.
•  Height: 5ft 8 inches
• Position: Attacking Midfielder / Winger
• Current Team: Chelsea FC
• National Team: Belgium 
• Number: 10

Eden Hazard is widely known for his creativity, speed and technical ability. In 2005 he moved to France joining first division club Lille. Hazard spent two years in the club's academy and, at the age of 16, made his professional debut in November 2007. He went on to become an integral part of Lille under manager Rudi Garcia, racking up over 190 appearances. In his first full season as a starter, he won the National Union of Professional Footballers Young Player of the Year award. In 2009/2010 seasons he won the award again becoming the first player to have won twice, he was also listed in the team of the year.

After playing fro over eight years at club Lille, Hazard signed for English club Chelsea FC in June 2012. Where in his first season playing for the club they went on to win the UEFA Europa League. Also in his second season playing at Chelsea he won PFA young player of the year. In 2014/2016 Hazard continued there success by helping the club win the League Cup and the English Premier League, this earned him the FWA Player of the Year and the PFA Players, Player of the Year. 

Hazard is a Belgium international; he made his senior international debut in November 2008, aged 17, in a friendly match against Luxembourg.

Nearly three years after his debut, Hazard scored his first international goal against Kazakhstan in October 2011. He has since earned over 60 caps, and was a member of the Belgian squad which reached the quarter-finals of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Eden Hazard is a talented player adapting both a mid-fielding and attacking position when needed he creates great opportunity for his team and creates problems for his opponents. As well as making great decisions whilst on the ball he also creates goal opportunities for himself by scoring over 30 goals during his time at Chelsea FC. Eden Hazard is a brilliant example of a mid-fielder with fantastic footballing qualities and helping Chelsea go on to win in the Premier League and also for himself winning a tremendous amount of awards. 

Number 8 Countdown!

Top 10 Footballers Countdown!!

Number 8...

Sergio Ramos!

• Profile
• Name: Sergio Ramos Gracia
• Born: 30 March 1986 (age 29) in Camas, Spain
• Height: 6 Ft
• Position: Defender
• Current Team: Real Madrid
• National Team: Spain
• Number: 4

Sergio Ramos is a central defender who plays for Spanish football club Real Madrid and also his national football team Spain.

Ramos started his career playing for Sevilla FC during his youth career and then went on to play for Real Madrid. He became the top goal scorer from a defensive position and won 10 honors for the latter. He made his first appearance for the Spanish national team at the age of 18, he has competed in 3 World Cups and two European Championships. Playing at the age of 18 we became the youngest player to have won over 100 caps.

In the summer of 2005 Ramos was bought by Real Madrid for $27 million which was a record price for a Spanish teenager. At this point in his career he was given the number 4 shirt for the team. Later on in his first year he scored his first goal for the club on December 6th 2005. Ramos played central back at the start of his career occasionally adopting a defensive midfielder role and also playing right back. Playing as a defender didn't stop him from scoring goals, during his first 4 seasons Ramos scored over 20 goals for the club. Ramos was named in both FIFA and UEFA's team of the year 2008 and also finished 21st in the European player of the year 2008.

Sergio Ramos was allocated as on of Real Madrid's 4 captains in the season of 2009-2010.

Many remember Ramos for his accidental slip of the winners trophy from the Copa Del Ray final against Barcelona, Real taking a 1-0 victory and celebrating on the bus Ramos lost hold of the cup and it resulted in a dented trophy that fell under the bus. He also holds a club record for having the most red cards, with 18 red cards in total.

During the season of 2011 - 2012 Ramos extended his contract with Real Madrid until the year 2017. During this season Ramos suffered an injury and on return from his injury during the 2012 Champions League he missed his penalty during the second leg of the semi finals against FC Bayern Munich. Madrid then went on to loose.

In 2014 - 2015 Ramos scored in both the semi-final and the final of the 2014 FIFA Club World Cup in Morocco as Real Madrid won the tournament, and was voted the player of the tournament.

Recently this season Ramos extended his contract with Real Madrid for another 5 years securing his place in the club until 2020. Ramos was also made captain after the exit of Casillas.

At the 2010 World Cup, playing for his national team Spain he started every game, helping them team keep five clean sheets and reach the final, which they won 1–0 against the Netherlands.

As a defender Sergio Ramos holds many achievements. He plays for one of the best football clubs in the world and also one of the best countries in the world. With a tremendous record for scoring as a defender and his over all stats Sergio Ramos undoubtedly deserves a spot on the best footballers countdown.   

Number 9 Countdown!

Top 10 Footballers Countdown!!

Number 9...

Luis Suarez !

• Profile
• Name: Luis Alberto Suarez
• Born: 24 January 1987 (age 28) in Salto, Uraguay
•  Height 5ft 11 inches
• Position: Striker
• Current Team: Barcelona 
• National Team: Uraguay
• Number: 9

Luis Suarez is a Uraguayan professional footballer who plays for Barcelona and his national team Uraguay as a striker. 

In July 2004 Suarez made the move from English club Liverpool to Spanish club Barcelona for a fee of around £75 million. Just before Suarez made the transfer to Barcelona he won the European Golden Shoe award during his last season at Liverpool. In October 2015 he scored his 300th senior career goal for club and county. Some people around the globe Suarez is classed as one of the best strikers in the world.

Suárez began his career as a youth player for Nacional in 2003. He signed for Groningen in the Netherlands in 2006 and transferred to Ajax in 2007. In 2010 he helped Ajax win the KNVB Cup while becoming the league's top scorer with 35 goals in 33 games. He was also named Dutch Footballer of the Year, scoring 49 goals in all competitions.

 In January 2011, Suárez transferred to English Premier League club Liverpool for £22.8 million. In February 2012, Suárez won the Football League Cup with the club. In April 2014, he was named the PFA Players' Player of the Year and the FWA Footballer of the Year. As the Premier League's top scorer with 31 goals he won the Premier League Golden Boot, and shared the European Golden Shoe with Cristiano Ronaldo. In his first season at Barcelona, Suárez starred alongside Lionel Messi and Neymar and helped the club win the continental treble of La Liga, Copa del Rey and the UEFA Champions League.

Most football fans remember Suarez for biting his opponents over the years, his most previous victim was Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini at the 2014 World Cup causing him to be banned during his first season with Barcelona, meaning he was banned from all football activities, he was also banned from entering any stadium.

However this didn't stop his performance when he came back into the game. With an attack including Messi, Neymar and Suarez, Barcelona were on top form. In 2015/16 Suárez opened the season by scoring and assisting on a goal in Barcelona's 5–4 extra-time victory over Sevilla in the 2015 UEFA Super Cup, on 11 August 2015.  The next day, he was named one of the three finalists for the 2015 UEFA Best Player in Europe Award.

It's clear the Luis Suarez is undoubtedly a great striker, playing for one of the best clubs in the world and having so many great achievements through out his footballing career despite some mistakes he has made he hasn't let his performance go. Suarez is a prime example of what qualities a striker should have although there is still room for a lot of improvements Luis Suarez still deserved his spot in the top 10 footballers countdown.  

Number 10 Countdown!

Top 10 Footballers Countdown!!

Number 10...

Alexis Sanchez !

• Profile: 
• Alexis Alejandro Sanchez 
• Born: 19th December 1988 (age 27), in Tocopilla, Chile
• Height: 5ft 6.5inches
• Played position: Winger / Forward
• Current team played for: Arsenal
• National team: Chile
• Number 17

Sanchez is a Chilean who plays for English Premier League, Arsenal and also his national team Chile as a forward / winger.

Sanchez played at 4 different clubs, 2 of which he played on loan. In 2011 he signed for Barcelona for 25 million, this made him the most expensive transfer in Chilean football history. Sanchez then signed for Arsenal in July 2014 for 35 million. 

Sanchez has been a full international for Chile since 2006 and has earned 91 caps, making him the team's second-most capped player of all time. With 31 goals, he is their joint-third top scorer of all time. He played in two Fifa World Cups 2010 & 2014 as well as the 2011 and 2015 Copa America tournaments, winning the latter.

His full career so far has been unbelievable but for this entry we are going to focus on his career at Arsenal.

Sánchez's first competitive appearance was against Manchester City in the Community Shield, on 10 August, playing in the first half and helping Arsenal to a 3–0 win. On 16 August, he made his Premier League debut against Crystal Palace, assisting Laurent Koscielny's equalizer in a 2–1 home win. He then scored his first goal for Arsenal on 27 August, slotting the ball past Beşiktaş goalkeeper Zengin in stoppage time of the first half to secure a 1–0 aggregate victory and a spot in the group stage of the 2014–15 Champions League. 

Since his first goal for the club Sanchez has made 70 appearances for the club scoring 34 goals in total since 2014 to this current time.

Alexis Sanchez is a fantastic player and is well deserved of the 10th spot in my Top 10 footballers countdown, he has been apart of fantastic clubs and been a part of some great wins in his career such as wining La Liga and the Fifa world cup during his time at Barcelona and being a part of winning the FA Cup whilst playing for his current team Arsenal. I think you will agree that these achievements are by far out standing for such a short career.