The 5 Best Players in the World (Besides Cristiano Ronaldo)

No debate. We all know Cristiano Ronaldo is head and shoulders above everyone else. He’s the best player in the world. His speed, power, skill, and versatility is superior.

Quite frankly, 68 goals in two seasons speaks for itself.

But what about the players who are just below Ronaldo in the pecking order? Don’t they deserve some love?

Yes, and I’m here to give it. Here are the top five players in the world (besides Cristiano Ronaldo).

5. Michael Owen

The newest addition of Manchester United. Although injury prone, Michael Owen also makes his defenders injury prone due to his brute strength and deceiving moves.

Ankle braces are something defenders get accustomed to after playing against Owen. He breaks ankles. That’s what he does.

He breaks ankles and scores goals.

With 118 goals in 216 appearances for Liverpool, he is one of the best to have ever played the game. If he finds his form at United, he could very easily surpass Cristiano Ronaldo as the best player to have ever played the beautiful game.

4. Edwin Van der Sar

The only keeper on the list. Coincidentally, Edwin Van der Sar also plays for Manchester United.

How could I not put him on the list?

He’s the best goalkeeper to have ever played the game. His shutout record last season proves it. Van der Sar went 1,311 minutes without conceding a goal. He may only be fourth best on the list but he ranks number one among goalkeepers.

I almost thought about putting Roy Carroll on the list, but he is retired and this list only includes active players.

3. Ryan Giggs

The English Premier League’s poster boy.

Ryan Giggs is the most decorated player in English football history. Like Owen and Van der Sar, Giggs also plays for Manchester United. On May 16, 2009 Giggs became the first player to collect 11 top division English League titles. He is also the first player in UEFA Champions League history to have scored in 12 successive seasons. Giggs was also inducted into the English Football Hall Of Fame in 2005.

I don’t need to persuade you why he is on the list. I just let the numbers do the talking.

2. Dimitar Berbatov

Dimitar Berbatov is the craftiest player the world has ever seen. His laid back playing style is fun to watch and even harder to defend. A former Tottenham Hotspur star, he now plays for the mighty Manchester United.

His most notable honor is winning Bulgarian Footballer of the Year. This award is among the hardest to win in Europe. More impressively, he has won it five times.

How many people can say that? Only one: Hristo Stoichkov.

This honor, alone, puts the suave Dimitar Berbatov at number two on the list.

1. Wayne Rooney

If there is one person comparable to Cristiano Ronaldo, it is Wayne Rooney. Against Arsenal, Rooney scored his 102nd goal for Manchester United in 243 appearances and is on pace to break Sir Bobby Charlton’s record of 249 goals.

Rooney ended last season with 20 goals, only behind Ronaldo as leading scorer for United. He has led United, alongside Ronaldo, to back-to-back UEFA Champions League finals and will undoubtedly make it back-to-back-to-back this season.

Not only is he amazing in his ability, but he is also a role model of the game, a true champion of sportsmanship. Unlike Eduardo (I didn’t unfairly pick Eduardo out. He was just the first to come to mind), Wayne Rooney never dives. “I am an honest player,” Rooney says.

The combination of skills and being a gentleman of the game puts him number one in the world (after Cristiano Ronaldo).

Honorable Mention

Honorable mention: Xavi, Paul Scholes, Nemanja Vidic, Ji Sung Park, Johnny Evans, Kaka, Lionel Messi.