World Football: Ranking the Top 20 Players If EPL Had NFL-Style Draft

With the Premier League preseason starting soon, the discussion of who the best players in the league, whether old or new, is starting to stir up again.

While most fans consider players from the big six teams, both Manchester teams, Tottenham, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool, to be the best, there are also some valuable players in the lower parts of the table as well.

20. Brede Hangeland

Ever since the Norwegian defender came to Craven Cottage in January 2008 from Copenhagen, he has been a stalwart in the Fulham back four.

Originally signed by Roy Hodgson, Hangeland has gone through three managers now and has been one of the best defenders in the Premier League.

The 6-foot-4 defender can also provide a goal-scoring option with his head; he has seven goals with Fulham in his three years.

Hangeland also has 70 caps for Norway.

19. Joe Hart

Hart was finally given his chance to start at goalie for Manchester City, and he impressed many around England with his potential to be England's top keeper for a long time.

The 24-year-old had three loan spells after joining City in 2006 from Shrewsbury Town, with his most successful spell being at Birmingham in the 2009-10 season, in which his performance was enough for Manchester City to have him start over Shay Given to start the 2010-11 season.

18. Stuart Holden

Holden is the latest success story of American players coming from Major League Soccer to the Premier League and making an impact.

After joining Bolton from Houston Dynamo in January 2010, Holden became a rising star in midfield after his start to the 2010-11 season.

The American was named by readers of The Guardian as the Premier League's Best Player in December and was named Bolton's Player of the Year even with him missing the last two months due to a torn ACL.

17. Peter Odemwingie

Odemwingie was one of the biggest surprises of the past season as he scored 15 goals for West Brom as he helped the Baggies secure survival in the Premier League.

The Nigerian international scored a goal in five of the last six games for West Brom as the club surged from the relegation zone to 11th place.

16. Darren Bent

Bent has been a consistent goal scorer no matter where in the Premier League he has been.

Since he started his pro career with Ipswich Town in 2001-02, Bent has found the back of the net more than 10 times in all but two of his 10 years as a pro.

The English forward is now with Aston Villa, who signed him from Sunderland in January 2011.

Bent has also played for Charlton Athletic and Tottenham and has 164 total career club goals.

15. Clint Dempsey

During his time at Fulham, Dempsey has cemented himself as the best American player in Europe.

Dempsey joined Fulham from the New England Revolution in January 2007 and since becoming a full-time first-team starter, he has been a model of consistency at Craven Cottage.

In the 2010-11 season, the Texas native scored the most goals he has in a season in his career with 13 total goals for Fulham as he led them an eighth-place finish and a spot in the Europa League.

14. Robin Van Persie

Van Persie finally became the prolific goal scorer that Arsenal needed this season as he scored 22 goals in all competitions for the Gunners.

The Dutchman has also netted 21 international goals and will most likely be the high goal scorer at the Emirates Stadium next season as well.

13. Javier Hernandez

Chicharito helped prove that Sir Alex Ferguson knows how to find young players and help them succeed with flying colors at Old Trafford.

The young Mexican, only 23 years old, became the favored forward alongside Wayne Rooney halfway through the season, replacing Dimitar Berbatov.

Already this summer, Chicharito has led Mexico to a Gold Cup championship and will look to repeat with Manchester United as Premier League champions next season.

12. Luka Modric

The midfield maestro from Croatia has impressed at Tottenham in three seasons and is now being targeted by Chelsea and Manchester United.

Modric has made 91 appearances for Spurs since joining from Dinamo Zagreb in 2008 and has scored 12 goals in those three seasons.

Modric has also been a part of the Croatian national team since 2006, where he has earned 44 caps and scored seven goals.

11. Luis Suarez

After an amazing four-year spell at Ajax, Suarez completed his move to Liverpool in January to become part of the new era of Kenny Dalglish in charge at Anfield.

Before joining the Merseyside club, Suarez was most known for his handball at the 2010 World Cup against Ghana instead of his 111 goals he scored for Ajax, with a career-high 49 in all competitions in the 2009-10 season for the Amsterdam club.

10. Frank Lampard

Even at 33 years of age, Lampard is still one of the best midfielders in the Premier League and on a Chelsea club that has been getting old in the past few years, Lampard is still playing like he is younger than he is.

Lamps joined Chelsea from West Ham in 2001 and has made over 500 appearances for the club in all competitions.

He has scored 170 goals, and what is more impressive is his 108 assists during that time.

A true midfield maestro, the England international has also achieved 86 caps for his country.

9. Rafael Van Der Vaart

Van der Vaart moved to Tottenham in a shock last-minute move from Real Madrid last August and was an instant success at White Hart Lane.

The Dutchman scored 15 goals for Spurs and alongside Gareth Bale, gave the London club a well-needed boost of speed and skill in the midfield.

8. Dirk Kuyt

Kuyt is one of the more overlooked stars in the Premier League.

With stars like Luis Suarez, Steven Gerrard and Andy Carroll highlighting the Liverpool attack, Kuyt is the man who sets up most of the attack.

Since joining the club from Feyenoord in 2006, Kuyt has scored 66 goals in all competitions, as well as 22 goals for the Netherlands.

7. David Silva

After joining Manchester City last summer, David Silva showed why City paid 24 million pounds for the Spaniard.

Silva has shown the depth of Spanish soccer as he barely even played for Spain in the 2010 World Cup and was one of the best players in the Premier League this season.

While he did not score many goals for his club, only six in 53 appearances, he did provide 15 assists from the wing this season.

6. Wayne Rooney

Wayne Rooney is one of the best forwards in the world and he proves that year after year.

The England international has gone through his tough times at Old Trafford, but he always comes through with the goals.

Along with racking up over 100 league goals for Manchester United, Rooney has also scored 26 goals for England since he began his international career in 2003.

5. Samir Nasri

Nasri has sprung into the spotlight of the Premier League at Arsenal after his impressive form last season.

After two disappointing seasons at the Emirates Stadium after joining the club from Marseille, the Frenchman finally came into his own in the Premier League this season.

The midfielder performed so well last season that Manchester United are looking at a possible move for Nasri to replace Paul Scholes in the midfield.

4. Nemanja Vidic

The Player of the Season in the Premier League and best defender in the league, Vidic is a rock in the defense at Manchester United.

In the past few years, where he has seen a few different central defense partners in Rio Ferdinand, Jonny Evans and Chris Smalling, Vidic has been a central figure in front of the United goal.

With 233 total appearances in six years at Old Trafford, Vidic is well on his way to becoming one of better United defenders of all time.

3. Gareth Bale

Although he has been at Tottenham since 2007, Gareth Bale has not become one of the top players in the world until this past season.

Bale impressed with his strong start to the Premier League season and his performances in the Champions League against Inter, when he scored his first hat trick at the San Siro in group play. 

The Welsh international saw his form taper towards the end of the season, but the praise from managers and players around the continent flowed in for the 21-year-old, who is a future superstar, if he is not considered one already.

2. Jack Wilshere

Speaking of future superstars, Jack Wilshere is worthy of that label.

Only 19 years old, the midfielder has broken into the first team at Arsenal and with Cesc Fabregas ready to exit the Emirates Stadium, Wilshere will be the star in the midfield for a while.

Wilshere has already garnered recognition from England manager Fabio Capello, as he has made four appearances for the Three Lions in 2011 already.

1. Carlos Tevez

Tevez has been one of the most consistent forwards in the world for the past four years.

Playing for both clubs in Manchester, Tevez has gained a reputation of threatening to leave clubs because of family reasons, only to retract that a week or two later and have a spectacular season for his club.

This season, Tevez led the star-studded Manchester City attack with 20 league goals, and that effort helped City gain entrance into the UEFA Champions League.