2005-08-21 - World Class
Turn on any TV football program these days and you'll hear some
commentator call someone 'World Class'. For me that phrase is heavily
over-used. How can you call someone a World Class player when they
haven't played at a world stage? Surely that's an insult to players who
have! To me there are very few world class players around, and even
fewer who are still playing. To me that phrase should be reserved for
the elite of the game who have proven themselves. (In no particular
order, and ones that I've witnessed myself or seen a lot of...) Diego
Maradona, Pele, Platini, Cruyff, etc. These players were truly world
class and in my mind deserve such a tag. To hear the same tag given to
players like Wayne Rooney, Arjen Robben or even David Beckham is to me
very wrong. Sure, they have shown that they have the potential to
become world class players and they've given the fans some great
performances, but world class? Maybe in the future they could be
considered as such. To call them World Class at this stage is like
saying that Tampa Bay Lightning (the current Stanley Cup holders) are
'World Champions'. Surely you have to invite teams from a set of
countries around the world to be able to call yourself a World
Champion!?!? In any case, that debate is for another blog. 
So what makes a player world class? Well, in my mind a player would
need to have a whole bunch of things going for him, the more the better:
- A
player who has played and proved themselves at a major tournaments such
as the World Cup, the European Championship and/or the European
Cup/Champions League and preferably at every one of the tournaments
that they played in. A player who has excelled at one or preferably two
or more of the world's top leagues, i.e. the Scudetto, la Liga and the
Premiership. The more of these the more likely such a player can truly
be considered great. There are many occasions where a player has a
blinder of a tournament but only the true greats have great tournaments
all the time. Toto Schillaci comes to mind. At Italia 1990 he was a
revelation, but should he be considered world class? Sorry Toto, but I
think not. The same goes for players who have a brilliant season in one
of those leagues, or even two. Unless a player has regularly mixed with
the world's best and stood out above all others, how can he be judged
alongside them?
- A player who has actually won
something in a major competition, be it a cup or a medal for second or
third and made a major contribution(s).
- A player who
stands out from his team mates on regular occasions and without whom
the team would possibly not even have got to the stages that that team
has reached. When they don't play in their team they are truly missed.
- A player who has regularly played at a higher level than others throughout their career and who rarely drops below that level.
- A
player who has many different and wide-ranging skills. They're not just
good at free kicks or passing or scoring goals. They should have skills
that are above average in all departments.
If those
were the 'rules', it would be very difficult for any young player such
as Rooney (19) or Robben (21) to be considered world class. To me they
haven't graduated yet to a level where their 'World Class'ness can be
considered. They need to mix with the best players in football and rise
above them. Whether they will is the real test.
To me there's
only a handful of true world class players in the game at present.
Zidane, Ronaldo and Maldini. They have shown at all different levels
that they have what it takes to be considered great. When they take to
the pitch they stand out, and of course they're proven winners. I think
it's typical that there's so few as the 'rules' that I've listed almost
suggest that such a player would be very unlikely to be considered
world class until their career is over or near an end. For those
players who recently retired, Ruud Gullit, Jurgen Klinsmann, Roberto
Baggio and George Weah come to mind as good examples.
In
conclusion, I'm really saying that the phrase 'World Class' should be
reserved for a selected few. Such players would make it into the hall of fame.
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