give that team some time... Goetze is pivotal in peps plan for bayern, once he have the full squad n especially Goetze will get to know what they are actually capable of !!
Originally Posted by Boney
he have did the same to Messi Bojan Cesc n all in past... dont consider it as an actual slap..its just his was of expressingYes , it's his way..and not writing off Bayern just after a Cup clash...Bayern may win the League quite comfortably...can they defend the Champions League ..time will tell
Bayern win Audi Cup
Pep Guardiola's Bayern Munich beat Manuel Pellegrini's Manchester City 2-1 in the final.
Negredo scored first for City.
Later on, Thomas Muller (penalty) and Mario Mandzukic scored for the Bavarians.
BREAKING: Nominations for UEFA best player in Europe.
Leo Messi
Cristiano Ronaldo
Franck Ribery
Bayern and Brazil dominate the new-look €827m Goal 50
Lionel Messi came in first in the sixth annual vote, but his triumph tells only part of the story as a host of debutants also make the full list of 50 global superstars
ANALYSIS
By Kris Voakes
Lionel Messi has been announced as the winner of the Goal 50 for 2012-13, scooping the individual accolade for the third time since its inauguration in the summer of 2008.
Goal's global team of editors picked their best 50 footballers from around the world using a points-based voting system, and it was Messi who claimed the crown without being a European champion, following on from his 2009 and 2011 successes with Barcelona's Champions League winners. His remarkable feat of scoring in consecutive fixtures against every La Liga side added yet another record to his recent list of achievements, with his 91-goal calendar year of 2012 also helping to lift him ahead of the challengers.
But dig deeper and the Goal 50 revealed a great deal more about the best players in 2012-13 - here, we pick through the fascinating trends.
MIDFIELD MASTERS
A total of 42% of the players in the Goal 50 are midfielders by trade
The Goal 50, like any other major individual award in football, generally finds its list dominated by attacking players. However, there was something of a sea change in 2012-13, with midfielders outnumbering forwards in the final list.
This season's half-century counts eight more midfielders among its number than this time last year, overhauling strikers, of whom there are four less than in 2011-12. The most notable drop comes in defence though, with only eight per cent of the 50 making their names in the back line compared to 18% last term.
The vastly differing numbers to previous years could be at least partly explained by the change in approach of some of the world's most effective outfits. With an increased emphasis on a high pressing line has come a greater need to be ever-involved as a midfield player, while defenders have largely been left with more comfortable lives than has previously been the case when teams have been allowed longer on the ball in other areas of the field.
GERMANS AND BRAZILIANS DO IT BEST
Germany & Brazil have the most representatives in the Goal 50 with seven each
The rise of Germany's top two clubs in the Champions League and the success of Brazil at the Confederations Cup has seen a heavy swing towards players of those two nations in the Goal 50 standings.
Bayern Munich's victory over Borussia Dortmund in the European final at Wembley helped to showcase the Bundesliga's finest talents, while the Selecao's triumph at the World Cup curtain-raiser ensured that their players' abilities stayed in the memory when our panel came together. As ever, there is a fair smattering of Spanish players, while Colombia's footballers continue their rise by coming in fourth.
BAYERN BOSS THE RANKINGS
Bayern have nine players in the list - more than twice that of any other club
Bayern's phenomenal treble triumph is reflected by the inclusion of no fewer than nine Roten players in the Goal 50. Dortmund's Mario Gotze has since joined Bayern this summer also, sending the European champions into double figures as they head for 2013-14.
In fact, Franck Ribery's achievement of becoming the first Bundesliga player ever to make it to the podium is backed up by the placings of Thomas Muller and Arjen Robben in fourth and fifth respectively, with skipper Philipp Lahm coming seventh and Bastian Schweinsteiger rounding out five FCB team-mates in the top 11. Not since Barcelona in 2009 has one club dominated so heavily in the upper echelons of the award.
With Bayern having overcome Barca with such ease in the Champions League semi-final, becoming the first German side to win the treble and clinching the Bundesliga by a massive margin, they have clearly won over the Goal panel both individually and collectively.
BUNDESLIGA BOUNCING BACK
The Bundesliga has 13 stars in the 50, more than La Liga and the Premier League combined
After five years of trailing other major European leagues in their representation in the Goal 50, the Bundesliga struck back with a bang in 2012-13.
With 26 per cent of the entrants coming from the German championship, they account for more than La Liga and the Premier League combined despite the Spanish and English leagues coming in second and third in the rankings. The presence of both Bayern and Dortmund in the Champions League final clearly helped to build such a statistic, but the Roten's league and cup form throughout the year made the German dominance all the more emphatic.
Brazil's fourth-placed finish owed much to the success of the Selecao at the Confederations Cup with the gathering momentum which resulted in a 3-0 final victory over Spain helping to showcase the very best of the samba stars before the Goal 50 cut-off date.
SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO NOW?
Nearly half the stars on this year's list transferred to another club in 2012-13
Modern football's rapid shift away from the days of one-club men continues apace despite our winner Lionel Messi typifying the former way of things.
A sensational 20 of the 50 players were transferred during the course of the 2012-13 campaign, meaning 40 per cent of those listed have at some point dealt with the upheaval involved with a switch in clubs. However, no such player made the top seven, with only Thiago Silva and Robin van Persie reaching the top 10 after transferring.
The stats suggest that while some of the world's best players have benefitted from the breath of fresh air that a new club has provided, to be at the very top of the pile takes consistency as well as considerable ability. In total the players on the list have commanded €827 million in transfer fees.
ABOUTRIKA'S WINNING KNACK
Aboutrika has won 24 senior honours in his career, more than anyone else in the Goal 50
In a list boasting over 400 senior honours it may come as a surprise to many that the most decorated player among the Goal 50 is Egyptian Mohamed Aboutrika.
The Al Ahly star, who was on loan to Baniyas during 2012-13, has racked up a fantastic 24 medals during his playing career. That tally includes the Gulf Champions League, which he won with his temporary club in May, scoring a vital goal in the second leg of the final. More predictable names sit just behind Aboutrika in the honours list, with Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi having racked up countless awards with Barcelona.
This tally of medals shows that to be considered as one of the best in the world by the Goal 50 panel, players must be winners at the very highest level, but at the same time thought is clearly given to individual additions too when it comes to separating one champion from another.
NEW FACES GALORE
A total of 28 new faces appear on this year's Goal 50 - only three have made the list every time
While Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Andres Iniesta remain permanent fixtures in the history of the Goal 50, there was a massive influx of new players in the list in 2012-13.
The award's reputation for recognising achievements from all over the world over the course of a season has been bolstered by the inclusion of 28 names who have never previously made the top 50. Of those, three of the highest-placed players were winners at the Confederations Cup with Brazil - Fred, Dante and Paulinho, who is the leading newcomer at 12th in the ranking.
So the Goal 50 again proves to take all factors into account. Messi, Ronaldo et al continue to rule the roost on the whole, but there is also great reward for players who have not had the consistency over a period of years. There is no discrimination against new names here!
SILVER LEADS TO GOLD
Dante won a total of five medals in 2012-13, and only nine of the 50 finished empty-handed
While the Goal 50 is an individual award, there is obviously a huge pull towards players who have been part of a successful team during the season, and only 18 per cent of those in our half-century ended 2012-13 potless.
Dante led the way with a total of five trophies last season, adding a Confederations Cup triumph with Brazil to his four titles with Bayern Munich (including the DFL Supercup). His Bayern team-mates flood the Goal 50 having all been part of the quadruple-winning squad, while Paulinho - now of Tottenham - lifted the Paulista championship and the Club World Cup prior to his success with the Selecao in the summer.
'A cradle for great players' - Neymar and brilliant Brazil back where they belong
The recent Confederations Cup win and the former Santos star's switch to Barcelona have helped to thrust football in Brazil back into the forefront of the game's consciousness
COMMENT
By Kris Voakes
Only six months ago, Brazilian football was considered something of a laughing stock, yet the inclusion of seven Canarinha players in the 2012-13 Goal 50 and the return of the hunger which sums up the nation’s history in the sport suggests the Selecao swagger is well and truly back.
Being hosts and five-time champions of the world, the globe’s most successful nation should really have been regarded as huge favourites for the 2014 World Cup from the moment they were announced as hosts. But the fact it took such an overwhelming climax to the 2012-13 season before they were even taken seriously as contenders says much for the state in which the game in Brazil found itself.
A calamitous defeat to the Netherlands at the last World Cup, the failure to win more than a single game at the Copa America in Argentina and underwhelming results in equally underwhelming friendly matches had seen Brazil slip to an all-time low of 22nd in the Fifa World Rankings. More importantly, the poor run of form had also seen the back of both Dunga and Mano Menezes from the role of national team coach.
SEVEN SAMBA STARS
Brazilians in the Goal 50
8 Thiago Silva
12 Paulinho
13 Fred
14 Neymar
18 Dante
38 Willian
46 Fernandinho
But the last few months have seen something of a sea change, culminating in Confederations Cup glory and seven selections in the Goal 50.
Beyond the national game, there has also been a notable number of Brazilians gaining club honours, with Thiago Silva, Paulinho and Fernandinho all league champions in recent times and Dante and Luiz Gustavo both treble winners with Bayern Munich. Come the summer, they showed on the world stage that winning can be just as addictive and just as habitual as underperforming had become for Brazil in recent years.
The response of the players themselves has been unequivocal. To them, Brazil belongs among the giants of the game.
“We are not behind anyone else,” claimed Fred, scorer of five goals at the Confederations Cup and ranked at 13 in the Goal 50.
“We’ve always been a school, a cradle for great players. Every day you have a new player in Brazil, which is amazing. It’s not a surprise that the big European clubs come here to look for our talent.
“This nomination for the Goal 50 shows that, and the Confederations Cup win and the control of Brazilian clubs in the Copa Libertadores also make a point.”
His words were echoed by Anzhi Makhachkala star Willian, who has struggled to make a long-term impact on the national side but came in 38th in the Goal 50 and remains one of Europe’s top attackers.
“Brazil has always had top players and every moment there’s a new prospect appearing somewhere. The Selecao also did superbly at the Confederations Cup and the team has been improving recently,” Willian told Goal. “I’m sure we will keep on forging great players."
"Brazil has always been a school, a cradle for great players. It's no surprise that the big European clubs come here to look for talent"
- Fred
And that ability to continually provide footballers with great class and technical ability means that Brazil have so much to offer to the game just months after it was considered that the Canarinha would be heading for a home World Cup to play the part of passengers.
Almost everywhere you look, champion clubs had a Brazilian influence somewhere in their ranks during 2012-13. Paris Saint-Germain had Thiago Silva, Alex, Lucas and Maxwell among their number on the way to Ligue 1 glory, Manchester United won the Premier League with Rafael and Anderson, Barcelona clinched La Liga with Dani Alves and Adriano, while Dante, Luiz Gustavo and Rafinha were German and European champions with Bayern Munich. Even Russian champions CSKA Moscow boasted Mario Fernandes in their successful side.
Then, of course, there was the first ever Copa Libertadores triumph for Atletico Mineiro in July to add to Sao Paulo’s maiden Copa Sudamericana crown at the end of 2012. For anyone looking hard enough, there was plenty of evidence of a Brazilian resurgence long before the Confederations Cup win.
And to top it all off, there is now a centrepiece too. Many Brazilians claimed in the early part of the Confeds that the national team still missed an experienced playmaker, yet by the time the tournament was over most had been convinced that Neymar is ready to come through on his endless potential.
Footballing royalty Pele has even gone as far as to proclaim that the 21-year-old can become better than Lionel Messi.
"I love Messi, I love the player," Pele told Goal. "But Neymar has really gone up the last two years. He can use both feet well and get up in the air. I think Neymar has the capabilities to play better than Messi."
Neymar's €57 million switch to Messi's Barcelona means he will now face the full spotlight of world football as he attempts to elevate himself to the very top of the game, and judging by the way he thrived on the attention around Brazil in June, he is more than ready to please. The return of the Canarinha was always going to need the presence of a great No.10 and it appears as though they may well have one in Neymar.
Yet for now, the job remains half done at both national and club level. Any player slacking off over the next 10 months will be guaranteed fierce competition such is the depth of quality available to Luiz Felipe Scolari. Meanwhile, a failure to mount a serious challenge at the World Cup finals will no doubt be used as a stick with which to beat Brazil once more.
But the signs are good. Neymar’s switch to Barcelona speaks of exciting times to come, while the World Cup and all of its knock-on effects could yet make this another golden era. Collectively and individually, Brazilian football is rebuilding to a position of real strength. The swagger of the samba boys is most definitely back.
15 August, 2013. 12:15 am IST. Italy vs Argentina. Live on Star Cricket and Star Cricket HD.
15 August, 2013. 12:25 am IST. England vs Scotland. Live on ESPN HD and Star Sports.
Thanks hitman
welcome Giggs.
Greatest Indian 11
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