How the players are assessed:
It goes without saying, the assessment of the players I use will never be as accurate as seeing them play live. I have however put a few years of research into this and refined it as well as I can by collating all the data and opinions available.
I've used a range of factors, which culminates in an assessment of players that I believe works well. Maybe most importantly, it has an accurate correlation to my opinion of players when using it to evaluate players from the modern era, so I trust my research methods.
The outcomes are not supposed to be definitive, but hopefully an interesting or useful guide for football fans to appreciate the great players in this sport's history. Any feedback is welcome to help improve lists and teams, as ultimately they are always a 'work in progress'.
The evaluation of players is generally based on a players peak over a 4-5 year period. In my opinion, this period is long enough to assess a player's standard, and exhibits a certain level of consistency - it is somewhat of a baseline. However, a long (or short) peak can be an added factor as to how highly I would rate a player, if they show themselves to be adaptable (or not) to different tactical systems, opponents, levels of pressure, their own physical changes, etc.
Some of the main factors of assessing players (some which play into each other) :
With all these factors, I use as many good sources as I can possibly find. They must all be taken in context. They can be weighted differently depending on the standard of competition, which I evaluated as accurately as I could. The competition can be judged by standard of players, success of clubs in continental competitions, etc. There are sometimes anomalies of a lack of correlation with players' factors, which could be down to things such as the personality of a player, sentimentality, bias and propaganda. I take this into consideration where the information is available.
The time difference between players however isn't a factor I consider - it is too nuanced of an argument. Some may favour modern players who are much faster, stronger, fitter; while some may favour older players who dealt with two-footed tackles, terrible pitches, & innovated aspects of the game. The idea of throwing players into different eras and tactical systems wouldn't work well, so I found it best to judge them on what they are/were relevant to the time.
I decided not to assess anyone who comfortably peaked in the 19th Century. This includes the likes of Nick Ross, Walter Arnott, James Cowan, Jimmy Crabtree, Charlie Athersmith, Fred Spiksley, John Goodall, Gilbert Oswald Smith and Nevill Cobbold. If a player has already displayed their ability with several years at the top in the 1890's, they only need a minimum of 3 years at the top in the 20th Century to qualify for a rating, as long as they were still around their peak eg. Ernest Needham
I've used a range of factors, which culminates in an assessment of players that I believe works well. Maybe most importantly, it has an accurate correlation to my opinion of players when using it to evaluate players from the modern era, so I trust my research methods.
The outcomes are not supposed to be definitive, but hopefully an interesting or useful guide for football fans to appreciate the great players in this sport's history. Any feedback is welcome to help improve lists and teams, as ultimately they are always a 'work in progress'.
The evaluation of players is generally based on a players peak over a 4-5 year period. In my opinion, this period is long enough to assess a player's standard, and exhibits a certain level of consistency - it is somewhat of a baseline. However, a long (or short) peak can be an added factor as to how highly I would rate a player, if they show themselves to be adaptable (or not) to different tactical systems, opponents, levels of pressure, their own physical changes, etc.
Some of the main factors of assessing players (some which play into each other) :
- Historical match ratings (eg. Archived newspapers, DBS Calcio)
- Annual or weekly World/League XI's (eg. Kicker Team of the Week/Season, Onze De Onze)
- Individual Award Rankings (eg. Don Balon Award, Balon D'Or)
- Historical statistical based rankings (eg. IFFHS, FBref)
- Reputable/respected opinionated lists/data/nominations (eg. World Soccer, FIFPRO)
- Other reputable opinions (eg. Specialist consultants/researchers, fan forums, articles, ex-players)
- Watching footage (eg. Footballia)
- Trophies won
- My own opinion
- Many other smaller factors
With all these factors, I use as many good sources as I can possibly find. They must all be taken in context. They can be weighted differently depending on the standard of competition, which I evaluated as accurately as I could. The competition can be judged by standard of players, success of clubs in continental competitions, etc. There are sometimes anomalies of a lack of correlation with players' factors, which could be down to things such as the personality of a player, sentimentality, bias and propaganda. I take this into consideration where the information is available.
The time difference between players however isn't a factor I consider - it is too nuanced of an argument. Some may favour modern players who are much faster, stronger, fitter; while some may favour older players who dealt with two-footed tackles, terrible pitches, & innovated aspects of the game. The idea of throwing players into different eras and tactical systems wouldn't work well, so I found it best to judge them on what they are/were relevant to the time.
I decided not to assess anyone who comfortably peaked in the 19th Century. This includes the likes of Nick Ross, Walter Arnott, James Cowan, Jimmy Crabtree, Charlie Athersmith, Fred Spiksley, John Goodall, Gilbert Oswald Smith and Nevill Cobbold. If a player has already displayed their ability with several years at the top in the 1890's, they only need a minimum of 3 years at the top in the 20th Century to qualify for a rating, as long as they were still around their peak eg. Ernest Needham
The Ratings:
I finalised the assessment of each player with a rating to help catergorize and organise them. There are 3 tiers, Platinum, Gold & Silver, with a level of I-V (roman numerals) within each tier, I being the highest. There is a cut off point for each rating, so it is not always the case that there is a big gap between players that are a rating apart.
To give a general idea of the ratings:
Platinum V is the minimum rating as an 'All-Time Great' player
Gold V is the minimum rating as a 'World-Class' player
Silver V is the minimum rating for a 'Good' player (perhaps someone who can be a regular in a top-level league)
However, these definitions are vague and can vary from player to player. They are purely guidelines and can be interpreted differently. The term 'World-Class' for example is typically used more often for players in positions that have a lower standard, but I wanted to keep it more consistent. For example, the best right-back in the world may not always be one of the best players in the world. The standard in certain positions can also shift across decades - there's no rule for the minimum or maximum number of world-class players in a single position at once.
To help give a rough understanding of the ratings, I've listed the 15 ratings in order below, with an example of a modern (where possible) defender, midfielder and forward. The example players are rated according to their peak, not necessarily right now.
Platinum I: Lionel Messi
Platinum II: Diego Maradona
Platinum III: Cristiano Ronaldo
Platinum IV: Zinedine Zidane, Eusebio
Platinum V: Paolo Maldini, Andres Iniesta, Romario
Gold I: Bobby Moore, Luka Modric, Robert Lewandowski
Gold II: Sergio Ramos, Andrea Pirlo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Gold III: Dani Alves, Sergio Busquets, Ruud Van Nistlerooy
Gold IV: Giorgio Chiellini, Rodri, Edinson Cavani
Gold V: Leonardo Bonucci, Arturo Vidal, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Silver I: Marquinhos, Michael Carrick, Lautaro Martinez
Silver II: Alphonso Davies, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Kingsley Coman
Silver III: Ibrahima Konate, Mason Mount, Ollie Watkins
Silver IV: Oleksandr Zinchenko, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Dominic Solanke
Silver V: Lewis Dunk, Tomas Soucek, Michail Antonio
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