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Opinion

The Worst World Class Player: Heat Two

By Eion SmithPosted on Posted in Opinion

Inspired by the 5 Live World Football Phone-In and a comment Tim Vickery made, I’m running this week long series to figure out just who is the worst world class player in the game today. It’s a bit of an odd question as we look to find the worst of the best. Tim said Carlos Tevez but I disagreed and polled others in the FMG family on who are the world class players today.

We got to a list of 66 which we then whittled down to the worst 16 who you, the fine readers of BFTGT, will vote for on Twitter each day this week. There will be four heats with the top two progressing to the semis then the top two from each semi to the final vote with the winner announced Monday 29 January.

Simple enough? Good. Let’s see who is in the second vote:

Thomas Lemar (Monaco/France)

A key cog in the Monaco side that thrilled everyone in France and Europe last season, Lemar is hot property right now. Wanted by Premier League clubs for eye-watering sums of money, it seems France has a new world-class player in its midst.

That being said, can people really call Lemar world class having never even left France yet? That’s something that can be argued against him but he did perform in the Champions League and internationally. All eyes are on him though when he does eventually move.

Isco (Real Madrid/Spain)

An integral part at Real Madrid with Gareth Bale’s continued injury woes, Isco has always been a talent of the highest order but never THE talent.

Much like Cesc Fabregas, Isco is the twelfth man so to speak. The everyman, the player that can do a number of jobs on the pitch but you’d never put him in your strongest XI because of the quality of each position. He’s been constantly linked with the Premier League though and he appears fairly regularly for Spain so his quality is undeniable.

Blaise Matuidi (Juventus/France)

A regular of the France midfield and quality player for PSG, Matuidi has settled fairly nicely into Juventus’ winning machine since his summer move from Ligue 1.

As with many who have made these heats, the argument against Matuidi is that in a free and open selection for midfielders in a world XI, would you really choose him over the likes of Kante, Pogba, Kroos, Modric etc.? It’s a difficult conundrum and one that voters will answer in this heat.

Thiago Silva (PSG/Brazil)

A wonderful defender who is quick, strong and brilliant on the ball. He’s the captain in Paris and has been a leader since his arrival in France five or so years ago.

However, there is a reason Thiago Silva isn’t really a regular international for Brazil and can be included in this list: his mentality. When the going gets tough and the pressure mounts, Silva has a tendency to break under it and make cataclysmic mistakes. It’s the reason Dunga wouldn’t select him when he returned to coach Brazil. Something to consider maybe?

To vote, simply choose your option from the tweet below. RT it and tell us if you agree with the players involved in this heat and stay tuned tomorrow for the next heat.

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