If Messi and Cristiano didn't exist, who would be the best player in the world?

[Still Ballin]

2008: Torres
2009: Xavi
2010: Sneijder/Xavi/Iniesta
2011: Xavi
2012: Xavi
2013: Ribery/Iniesta
2014: Suarez
2015: Suarez
2016: Suarez
2017: ... Suarez? Maybe Neymar takes over, lets see

 

[BarcaOG]

lol @ james

I'm Colombian and I like James (when he plays for the NT). He's good, no doubt, but hardly in the top 5--maybe not even in the top 10.

 

[barcafan161]

Suarez

 

[Total-Football]

neymar is the third best player in the world.. wont mind at all if suarez was chosen

 

[Neymessi]

Suarez is someone who needs a force behind him to convert chances into goals. Not a one man army type like neymar or messi. I will go with neymar.

 

[TornAndFrayed]

Neymar easily. .
It takes more than goal scoring to be the best.

 

[footyfan]

Suarez is someone who needs a force behind him to convert chances into goals. Not a one man army type like neymar

.

 

[Neymessi]

.

Brilliant point made

Have you ever thought that maybe,just maybe, its ok if the other guy has an opinion different from you?

 

[BBZ8800]

If Zlatan would be aged 25, then Zlatan is my pick.

Without Messi, Barca wouldn't be built around Messi, and Barca's team could be built around Zlatan. So, Zlatan wouldn't fail here.
And teams built around younger Zlatan usually win all domestic championships.

About Champions league, Messi "messed up" a history in the last 10-15 years.
Without Messi and Cr7, if younger Zlatan played in Barca/Real for 5-8 years, he could win 2-3-4 CLs in that universe easily, imo.

On the other hand, Ney and Suarez would also be different players in that universe.

But my pick is Zlatan, since younger Zlatan is the only guy (except Messi and Cr7) who can turn matches into a one man show and decide them all by himself and who has a high leadership ability.

If someone will reply that Zlatan was poor in biggest matches, well he played for Juve, Inter and Psg for majority of his career.
What if he played for Barca for 10 years, and if we had, for example Neymar-Zlatan or Ronaldinho-Zlatan attack for 10 years (with Xavi-Iniesta behind them and a random expensive RW in our team)
I am quite sure that Zlatan wouldn't be a guy with poor stats in key CL matches in that universe.

 

[dakt]

Iniesta.

 

[Zincubus]

Just curious who people think really would be the best in a world without Leo or Cristiano

Easy . Luis Suarez by a mile

Iniesta.

Maybe a few years ago .... not now though -- he still has his ' moments'

If Zlatan would be aged 25, then Zlatan is my pick.

Without Messi, Barca wouldn't be built around Messi, and Barca's team could be built around Zlatan. So, Zlatan wouldn't fail here.
And teams built around younger Zlatan usually win all domestic championships.

About Champions league, Messi "messed up" a history in the last 10-15 years.
Without Messi and Cr7, if younger Zlatan played in Barca/Real for 5-8 years, he could win 2-3-4 CLs in that universe easily, imo.

On the other hand, Ney and Suarez would also be different players in that universe.

But my pick is Zlatan, since younger Zlatan is the only guy (except Messi and Cr7) who can turn matches into a one man show and decide them all by himself and who has a high leadership ability.

If someone will reply that Zlatan was poor in biggest matches, well he played for Juve, Inter and Psg for majority of his career.
What if he played for Barca for 10 years, and if we had, for example Neymar-Zlatan or Ronaldinho-Zlatan attack for 10 years (with Xavi-Iniesta behind them and a random expensive RW in our team)
I am quite sure that Zlatan wouldn't be a guy with poor stats in key CL matches in that universe.

Zlatan is my favourite player actually still playing and he would have been the best player a few times over the last decade or so HAD Messi and CRonaldo not been around .

 

[KingMessi]

Suarez is someone who needs a force behind him to convert chances into goals. Not a one man army type like neymar or messi. I will go with neymar.

He had a force behind him at Liverpool?

 

[Neymessi]

He had a force behind him at Liverpool?

Does cr7 still have the dribbling ability and free kick accuracy he had at manu? Things change. He isn't the creator he used to be.

Don't want to sound like a suarez hater but knowing the forum quickly I will be branded one at this rate. Suarez is a great great player but can't have the overall influence in a game like messi or neymar.

 

[KingMessi]

But I feel like that logic is flawed because Suarez hasn't had to be the sole creator since he came here so of course he's not going to show those traits as often anymore.

 

[Messi+Eto]

Does cr7 still have the dribbling ability and free kick accuracy he had at manu? Things change. He isn't the creator he used to be.

Don't want to sound like a suarez hater but knowing the forum quickly I will be branded one at this rate. Suarez is a great great player but can't have the overall influence in a game like messi or neymar.

Couldn't have said it any better. Sums up the whole argument.