Pro Soccer Talk asked each of our writers to submit a list of the 50 top players heading to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, which would then be combined to make our Top 100 players for the tournament. The rationale was to be pretty broad, with neither limitation nor minimums placed on number of representatives per country or position. After the submitted lists, players were given weighted points for their position on individual lists. A bonus was given if a player was named by each of our writers.
Surely there will be some awful omissions, players placed higher or lower than expected and a bevy of other issues with the list… but that’s why we do lists. There’s much to be discussed. Are there really 51 players better than No. 52? Are English and American players being overvalued (probably and maybe)?
In the meantime, we promise not to make you click “next” 100 times. Just check back every day for the next 25 until we arrive at Friday’s thrilling finale.
MORE: Pro Soccer Talk’s Top 100 World Cup Players: 100-76 | 75-51 | 50-26 | 25-1
75-71
75. Joao Moutinho, Portugal
74. Vasilis Torosidis, Greece
73. Jackson Martinez, Colombia
72. Solomon Kalou, Ivory Coast
71. Stephan Lichsteiner, Switzerland
Analysis: Kalou has been dynamite for Lille since transferring from Chelsea in 2012, while Torosidis is criminally underappreciated. When you see the “70s” next to these players names, it puts into focus the intensity of the World Cup.
70-61
70. Blaise Matuidi, France
69. Thibault Courtois, Belgium
68. Asamoah Gyan, Ghana
67. Gokhan Inler, Switzerland
66. Oribe Peralta, Mexico
65. Michael Bradley, United States
64. Mario Mandzukic, Croatia
63. Miralem Pjanic, Bosnia and Herzegovina
62. Samuel Eto’o, Cameroon
61. Sergio Busquets, Spain
Analysis: Is Bradley getting supreme treatment from an American web site? Maybe, but you could say Peralta gets a North American bump as well. Pjanic could really boost his stock this summer, while Eto’o may be getting a respectful nod. Can he defy his age and critics?
60-51
60. Mario Gotze, Germany
59. Dirk Kuyt, Netherlands
58. Mile Jedinak, Australia
57. James Rodriguez, Colombia
56. Kevin Prince-Boateng, Ghana
55. David Silva, Spain
54. Paul Pogba, France
53. Gerard Pique, Spain
52. Marco Reus, Germany
51. Gonzalo Higuain, Argentina
Analysis: Higuain’s hat trick against South Korea in 2010 remains one of the more memorable performances of the tournament, while Jedinak will lead the Socceroos after giving Crystal Palace an MVP performance in the Premier League. Klaassen is a freak show, while the 22-year-old Rodriguez remains one to watch.