They are the men who make things happen, the heart and soul of their sides, the tricky men who set loose the forwards, dictate the pace of play, dribble, tackle and spray passes all over the field.

Football’s playmakers are arguably the most important element of any team. In all shapes and sizes, whether the diminutive figures of Arsenal’s Fabregas, Barcelona’s Xavi and Iniesta or Manchester United’s Paul Scholes, dynamic energisers such as Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard, Chelsea’s Frank Lampard, and Juventus’ Diego, languid pass-masters like AC Milan’s Andrea Pirlo, or dribble kings like Bayern’s Franck Ribery, Tottenham Hotspur’s Luka Modric or Real new boy Kaka they are integral to success at the highest level.

Modric is THAT good he gets 2 mentions.

Amended

Lampard on there twice as well.

Replace one with Riquelme.

good, I had a hard time choosing between them.

Riquelme's not in Europe anymore.


I voted Xavi, obviously.

Yeh, with Riquelme not being European that makes it slightly more complicated.

Agree on Xavi.

Aboutrika!

He plays in Asia if i'm correct so we definitely can't have that!

EMP would be the only one to vote for him anwyay

Veron.

Should I replace him with Alonso?

I've run out.

Anderson

Real Madrid fans need to stop ruining the thread by voting for VDV

kas wrote:Real Madrid fans need to stop ruining the thread by voting for VDV

Starting playmaker for the second best (or maybe even best ?) country in the world

Axeslammer wrote:

kas wrote:Real Madrid fans need to stop ruining the thread by voting for VDV

Starting playmaker for the second best (or maybe even best ?) country in the world

No, I rate him...it was a joke about his time at Real Madrid, etc.

Obviously failed

kas wrote:

Axeslammer wrote:

kas wrote:Real Madrid fans need to stop ruining the thread by voting for VDV

Starting playmaker for the second best (or maybe even best ?) country in the world

No, I rate him...it was a joke about his time at Real Madrid, etc.

Obviously failed

If you wanted to get at the donkeys you should have demanded Guti Hasbeen to be included

@ VDV

Xavi is a fair call, especially given the way he's played in the last year. Personally, i think Pirlo is the better player though.

BoBo Vieri 32 wrote: @ VDV

Xavi is a fair call, especially given the way he's played in the last year. Personally, i think Pirlo is the better player though.

I agree and for me it is between Pirlo and Totti. If Riquelme was in Europe it would be a tie between the 3.

BoBo Vieri 32 wrote: @ VDV

Xavi is a fair call, especially given the way he's played in the last year. Personally, i think Pirlo is the better player though.

Year ago Holland - Italy 3-0, should I remind you who the playmaker was?

@kas
just because those idiots at Real do not use him, doesn't mean he'll be very fresh next summer & playmake Holland to the 2010 WC.

De Guzman wrote:

BoBo Vieri 32 wrote: @ VDV

Xavi is a fair call, especially given the way he's played in the last year. Personally, i think Pirlo is the better player though.

Year ago Holland - Italy 3-0, should I remind you who the playmaker was?

Of course it was VDV (though it is slightly easier to pick passes through Materazzi and Barzagli). I'm not saying he's bad. I think he has the potential to be one of the top playmakers in Europe (IMO Inter should sign him), but atm he hasn't proven himself as much relative to some of the others on that list.

It would help if VdV lost some weight first, f*cking fatty!!!!

Whoever signs him (if he leaves) will do a great deal (Arsenal should sign him too). See where your coming from with proof. But imo I've seen enough of him to judge him. Just a different way of looking at it. Thought Horseface was already worldclass at PSV or Van Basten at Ajax. They just needed other opportunities than the Dutch national team to prove it (to some).

VDV's move to Real was ill advised. he should have known he has to be as least twice as good as Raul before he gets his spot (not saying that's wrong). Real had vague plans with him when they signed him & he should have realised that.

Anyway hope all Dutchies stay at Real & are hardly used, so they'llwill be fresh for the WC with something to prove.

If VDVD stays and doesn't get used, i reckon he'd turn up for the WC overweight.

He won't. He wants to play. He was very fit at euro 2008 too.

I'm not 100% convinced by his commitment either. But for big matches he usually turns up & has key contributions.

Xavi, by a country mile.

You all know who I voted for.

Voted for Cesc as well

it's a bit comparing apples with pears though. The deeplying playmaker & the old skool #10 being the extremes.

I can stick 6 of the players to pick from in the same team & take on anybody:


DMF 2 out of Pirlo, Xavi & Cesc
say RM Kaka, ACM VDV, LM Ribery
ST: Arshavin

Is Grandad Pirlo still good enough to be mentioned in these things ? The poor fella can barely move these days