Only weeks ago, we all gave you guys what we deemed to be our favourite boots of the previous calendar year, and we’re doing the exactly the same for undoubtedly the most important aspect of the football game: the players themselves! While we do admit that the big two titans – Messi and Ronaldo – are the names that first spring to mind when ‘best player’ is mentioned, we’ll try to do what we do best and provide some variety. Let’s unveil Soccer Reviews’ favourite player(s) of the year:
Ben Perkins – Miroslav Klose
Whilst everyone is throwing out the name Robin Van Persie for the year of 2011 for setting the Premier League alight, I am going to stick my neck out on the line by nominating Miroslav Klose as my player of the year. Before you stop reading this due to it being ridiculous, listen to my reasoning. Although not a victim of the ‘German Plague’, which is simply playing well for country but not being able to carry over that form to club level, the striker built his reputation playing for nation rather than club like most people. He erupted onto the scene in the 2002 World Cup after making the difficult choice of playing for Germany rather than his native Poland, and has since become the second highest goalscorer in World Cup history, only behind Ronaldo. In regards to club, until 2011, he’s played only for three German clubs; Kaiserslautern, Werder Bremen, and Bayern Munich. While scoring some 167 goals in all competitions is pretty amazing, he’s been much more prolific while playing for Die Manschaaft, second all-time leading goal scorer with needing only five goals more to draw level with the legendary Gerd Muller.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3C8tw2DMUWQ
Despite some outstanding performances for Germany in the 2010 World Cup, in his last season with Munich, he only made a handful of appearances due to his falling down the pecking order coupled with injuries. People began writing him off saying his best was well behind him, and in an effort to respond to those critics, he sought a move abroad. He signed a deal with Lazio this past summer, with some questioning his going to the Serie A rather than ‘challenging’ himself by going to the Premier League, but hasn’t looked back since! As Goal.com said in their justifying his place in the Serie A Team of the Season, ‘His ability to pop up with crucial goals was never more evident than in victories over Roma, Cesena and Fiorentina, with his movement often proving far too much for opposition defences to live with over 90 minutes.’ With 10 goals in 17 appearances, not to mention the substantial tally of assists he’s racked up, he’s leading Lazio in a fantastic season for the Rome side. Fans have already dubbed him Emperor Klose for his stellar performances. Simply put, he’s had a renaissance at Lazio that could see him surprisingly feature in the 2012 European Championships, a notion I thought impossible only a year ago.
Honorable Mention to Andrea Pirlo for essentially doing the same thing as Klose (being the center of everything good for the undefeated Juventus)!
Connor Woodford – Mesut Özil
Many of you may know that I adore my midfield players and perhaps one of the players that would not immediately jump to the front of the queue when most people name their player of the year is the young Mesut Özil, but the rising German star has proved to be an integral member of the star-studded Real Madrid side throughout this calendar year. The midfield maestro outshone both Messi and Ronaldo in the 2010 World Cup; earning him a transfer to Madrid where he has validated his worth to the point where his performances have kept the pricey Kaka on the bench (when he wasn’t injured). As an attacking midfielder, the young German brings unparalleled creativity, flair, composure and consistency to the pitch. His movement, vision, dribbling and passing abilities are constantly praised and he also has the ability to bang in the goals in emphatic fashion as we saw in the 2010 World Cup. You can bet your mortgage on Özil dazzling at the upcoming UEFA European Championships in Poland/Ukraine this year!
Mesut Özil is the type of player that makes the hardest of things look so simple whilst you sit and watch in awe. Whilst all of this is good enough to cement his place as my favourite player of the year, what is even more impressing is his assists tally. Since joining Los Blancos, Özil has racked up a whopping total of 39 assists! Simply astounding. Especially when you acknowledge the fact that he finished runner-up to Messi with 17 assists in the La Liga assist chart last season coupled with finishing the same season with the most assists (26) in the whole of Europe. Furthermore, since he has joined Real Madrid, Özil has attempted 3,549 passes and of those: 2,820 were complete – which equates to an admirable 73% success rate! I also view Özil as being a humble, respectful and passionate player – ideals which I strongly admire in a player and this paired with his technical abilities, potential and efficiency garners my vote this year. Danke, Özil.
Danny Sursock – Mario Balotelli
In football, there are the entertainers and there are the performers, and then there is Mario Balotelli, the guy who drives around with £10,000 because he can. Super Mario is the man who stopped bullying at a local school, threw darts at a teammate and set his house on fire all throughout the course of just one year. But the Italian striker is also a player with an explosive presence on the pitch that can turn the tide of a match in a split second. Already, Mario has found the net 8 times this season despite having every move of his criticized by the scrutinizing eyes of the public. His flamboyant personality has made him a social pariah in England, yet it has failed to affect his game. He remains one of the top strikers in the Premier League today, despite being just 21 years of age and a common enemy for most football fans around the globe.
However, it isn’t his skill that makes him player of the year in my book, simply because there are others that surpass him in this category. It is instead his constant presence in the media, be it for good or bad deeds, that makes him such a dominant name in football today. Messi and Ronaldo are arguably the two best players in the world today, however, when their impact on the sport is examined, we do not look at one year but rather at a larger period of 5, 6 or 7 years. If we look at 2011 alone, what name comes to mind? Mario Balotelli. It was his actions that we read about month after month and his deranged acts that made the sport amusing once again. The Italian superstar’s consistently humorous conduct made him a favourite among the press (even if they won’t admit it) throughout the year. Mario Balotelli was the man who stole the limelight in 2011 and never gave it back and as a result, is going down in my books as 2011′s player of the year.
Isaac Abraham – Robin Van Persie
The Dutchman has been in scintillating form in the first half of the season, scoring an astonishing 20 goals in 23 appearances. Van Persie had been disappointing in season’s prior to this one, largely due to a a large number of injuries, but this season, after becoming the focal point of Arsenal, he’s fast become one of, if not the in form striker. Most people believed that Arsenal would shrivel without the influence of Cesc Fabregas, but the departure of the Spaniard has had a Nani-like affect on Arsenal. Nani benefited from the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, a player that had for a long time overshadowed his compatriot. The same thing has happened to Van Persie. Now that Fabregas has gone, Arsenal have relied a lot more on him and he has most certainly delivered.
James Batchelor- Sergio Aguero
It is not very often a player from overseas makes such an impact right after being transferred. That is exactly what Sergio Aguero has done for Manchester City. He is any manager’s dream transfer and has been a vital part of Manchester City’s fantastic form this season. His much anticipated debut for Manchester City silenced all the critics as he came out swinging scoring twice and since then has added 11 more goals to be the third leading scorer in the Premier League. If he isn’t scoring goals he’s laying them on for teammates; Sergio has 4 assists, only 4 behind his teammate David Silva who is leading the assist tally in the division. It is very rare to see a player do so well right off the blocks for a new club in a new league, and that is why I have chosen Sergio Aguero as my player of the year. I can’t wait to see what he has in store for us in the second half of the season!.
There you have it, the Soccer Reviews Staff’s respective Players of the Year, however, we want to hear from you. Who do you think 2011′s best player was? Leave a comment below stating your choice and why you selected that player!
i like the variety of the players you guys have selected not being all Messie,Ronaldo or Xavi. But my player of 2011 would have to be Luis Suarez and call me crazy but i think Daniel Sturridge would have to be a contender for EPL player of 2011.
good choices none of them are as overrated as the 3 la liga players
At the person above.
I don’t think that the players above are overated. Not at all. I hate Ronaldo’s gutts but even he is still a good player. I think that people become to biased and don’t look at what is being done elsewhere. I think that if we are going to chose the World’s best player, then we should look at all of the leagues around the world. My player of the year would be Ronaldihno. To me he has really matured as a player and doesn’t use his skill when it isn’t necessary. He is now a composed midfield player who uses his footwork to get out of trouble instead of in trouble. He has also made a great impact on the National team fro Brazil. I think that because of that he is going to be a good mentor for the younger players and help them to a successful last world cup.
I have to agree with Danny. Mario Balotelli may not be as experienced as all the other options, but he has matured a lot this season, more than any other player I can think of at the moment. Mario showed everyone his extremely explosive potential against Manchester United earlier this season. And of course turned it into a great story for the media with is “Why is it always me?” shirt and the fact that his house caught on fire only hours before the match. Gotta love Mario
Gareth Bale
Jordon?
Balotelli is definitely skilled, but you can’t give someone the title of best player simply because they’ve matured. And particularly in his case, considering how immature he was to start, it’s not as if he’s now mature – he’s just less immature.
And I find it irresponsible to give a player this distinction simply because he’s in the media so often. If that was the case, Ronaldo would have won, with Suarez and Tevez as the two contenders.
Van Persie deserves at least a nomination this year.