ESPN.com released its Top 50 Players of the 2010 World Cup yesterday and there were no surprises. While reading the players synopses and scouting reports we thought about how these players’ skills could be utilized in THE GAME and how new nodes could be built around their talents.
Transcribing ESPN.com’s rankings and comments, our analyses of the Top 10 football players in this year’s World Cup and their proposed roles in THE GAME can be found in red font.
1. Lionel Messi
Country: Argentina
Club Team: Barcelona
Position: Forward
Age: 22 
NATIONAL TEAM: 41 appearances, 13 goals
WORLD CUP 2006: 3 app, 1 goal
Lionel Messi is the best pound-for-pound soccer player in the world, and perhaps of all time. At 22, Messi has won just about everything there is to win, both individually and in club soccer. Missing is any sort of hardware with Argentina, aside from an Olympic gold medal. Messi's game relies on its unpredictability and magnificent control of the ball, which seldom demurs to anything Messi asks it to do. Listed at a charitable 5-foot-7, he's even a good header. While transcendent with his club, Barcelona, in the last few years (his 17 goals this season are tied for the most in Spain), the knock on Messi has been that he doesn't match that dominance for Argentina. For the most part, this is blamed on Argentina manager Diego Maradona's refusal to deploy him in his natural position -- on the right, allowing him to cut in -- and posting him behind a deep striker instead. Maradona, one of the best of all time as a player, has named Messi his successor as Argentina's soccer savior, a label that has proved disastrous for all others so designated previously by Maradona.
Scouting thumbnail: Technical genius with a low center of gravity and pace who can break down any defense off the dribble and conjure something out of nothing (similar to a basketball point guard or B who, if eligible to do so, has the option of ball distribution responsibilities when he has broken into the second level of the defense). Struggles when used as a striker and prefers playing out wide and cutting in on his left foot (Messi would be best suited on the wide right wing as a SC/TWB and/or a transition player who can blend into another node that requires his skill set; such as a football forward on the right wing passing off to or transitioning into a QB/SC, the main signal caller and ball distributer for wing modules).
2. Cristiano Ronaldo
Country: Portugal
Club Team: Real Madrid
Position: Midfielder
Age: 25 
NATIONAL TEAM: 68 appearances, 22 goals
WORLD CUP 2006: 6 app, 1 goal
"Buy that kid," Manchester United players told manager Alex Ferguson after an 18-year old Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, whose middle name allegedly honors Ronald Reagan, had torched Man U in a friendly in the summer of 2003. Ferguson obliged his players' wishes, shelling out some $20 million and handing Ronaldo the No. 7 jersey, previously worn by legends George Best, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona and David Beckham. Ronaldo responded by outdoing all of the aforementioned in a six-year romp during which he scored 118 goals and won three Premier League titles, one Champions League and one Club World Cup, swiping 42 individual prizes, including the 2008 FIFA World Footballer of the Year, along the way. Last summer, Ferguson sold him to Real Madrid for a record $132 million. Ronaldo has become a lethal dribbler, superlative header and long-distance shooter and one of the better free-kick takers on the planet and will anchor an aging Portugal looking to shine one last time.
Scouting thumbnail: Explosive, pacy and an astonishingly prolific goal scorer for a winger (with his speed and explosiveness, Ronaldo would be a nice fit on the wings as a football attacker and/or the main playmaker in a wing module). Specializes in long-range free kicks and shows the ability to shoot from anywhere (Ronaldo’s strong accurate leg could also be utilized for long internodal passes in transition zones).
3. Wayne Rooney
Country: England
Club Team: Manchester United
Position: Forward
Age: 24 
NATIONAL TEAM: 57 appearances, 25 goals
WORLD CUP 2006: 4 app, 0 goals
When Wayne Rooney broke through internationally at just 17 years of age and took his place next to then-England striker Michael Owen, a British journalist referred to them as "the baby-faced assassin and the assassin-faced baby," with Rooney accounting for the less flattering of the descriptions. An England side without him has become unimaginable, as the Liverpool-born Rooney developed into a world-class striker in a country starved for them. The highly athletic Rooney has reinvented his position, swerving all over the attacking half of the field to drop back into midfield when needed or provide the final tap on a goal. With former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo now in Spain, Rooney has carried the scoring load for Man U, leading the Premier League with 23 goals. Rooney sports a tattoo that says, "Just Enough Education To Perform." While this may be generous, his on-field intelligence is off the charts. One half of another British power couple, Rooney and his wife Colleen have taken England by storm, he as a soccer player and she as a fitness guru/fashion commentator of some sort.
Scouting thumbnail: Complete striker who can play anywhere across the front three (Rooney’s power and playmaking ability are best suited for any node or transition module that requires an aggressive power forward in an attacking style of offense). Powerful build and aggressive attitude poses problems for any defense. Can score any type of goal and has improved his finishing skills.
Country: Brazil
Club Team: Real Madrid
Position: Midfielder
Age: 27 
NATIONAL TEAM: 73 appearances, 26 goals
WORLD CUP 2002, 2006: 6 app, 1 goal
Kaka belongs to Jesus. The T-shirts he has shown underneath his jersey say so. An oxymoronic principled soccer player, Kaka also happens to be the rare Brazilian star who comes from an upper-middle-class background. Money couldn't tear him away from Milan and its fans. Kaka said he wasn't interested in the heaps of money offered him by Manchester City and Real Madrid. So long as Milan would have him, he would be staying. Milan needed his transfer fee to stay afloat though, so after Kaka won everything there is to win for club and self, Milan sold him to Real Madrid for about $95 million in June. So now Kaka also belongs to Real Madrid. Kaka has become a central figure in manager Dunga's new Brazil, masterminding its lethal counterattacks, which have made a Brazil team not as deep in world-class players as in past years still one of the world's best.
Scouting thumbnail: Knee injuries have sapped some of his speed and he no longer goes on galloping dribbles the entire length of the field. Artistic playmaker who can break down defenses via dribble or pass (Kaka’s ability to dribble across large portions of the field makes him a nice fit for positions that serve as transitional conduits into node positions that have a similar esthetic: basketball point guard, forechecking hockey defenseman/forward, American football kick/punt returner who regularly distributes or laterals the ball to teammates during the return).
Country: Spain
Club Team: Barcelona
Position: Midfielder
Age: 30 
NATIONAL TEAM: 83 appearances, 8 goals
WORLD CUP 2002, 2006: 7 app, 0 goals
Every soccer team needs a Xavi, a savvy midfielder whose organizational skills are the glue that held both Barcelona and Spain together in their respective runs to glory. Along with Andres Iniesta he makes up the superb engine room for club and country, connecting the dots between those around him with his infallible short passes. The natural successor to Pep Guardiola, now Barcelona's manager, Xavi has been a mainstay in Barcelona's lineup since 1998 after joining the club's academy in 1991. With a contract running through 2014, he isn't liable to be leaving the only employer he has ever had anytime soon. His Player of the Tournament award for Spain's EURO 2008 triumph was justified. Perhaps the best illustration of the force that is Xavi was his performance against archrivals Real Madrid in May 2009, when he notched four assists in a 6-2 Barcelona win.
Scouting thumbnail: Intelligent playmaker who combines precise passes and artistic vision in both the final third and from a deep lying position. The pulse of the Spanish team. Superb ability to keep the ball (ideal SC).
Country: Ivory Coast
Club Team: Chelsea
Position: Forward
Age: 31 
NATIONAL TEAM: 65 appearances, 43 goals
WORLD CUP 2006: 2 app, 1 goal
When Chelsea splashed out $37 million for him in 2004, Didier Drogba seemingly came out of nowhere, uncommonly late in arriving on the world scene at 26. Now 31, he nonetheless has become one of the world's foremost strikers, and probably the most athletic one. Both captain and all-time leading scorer of Ivory Coast, he will be relied upon to debunk the stereotype that for all their ability, African teams never perform. This robust striker both takes up and covers a lot of real estate, often requiring several opposing defenders to keep him in check -- although Premier League opponents haven't been too successful at that this season, as Drogba ranks second to Wayne Rooney with 19 goals. Known for his big personality and intense looks, Drogba is spectacular to the eye.
Scouting thumbnail: Talismanic striker and physical specimen whose power makes him practically unplayable when he puts his mind to it. Can score all types of goals and excels as a lone front man (Drogba is best suited as a scoring center forward in nodes that utilize formations that place him on the frontlines; either directly behind, in front of, or within the line).
Country: Spain
Club Team: Barcelona
Position: Midfielder
Age: 25
NATIONAL TEAM: 39 appearances, 6 goals
WORLD CUP 2006: 1 app, 0 goals
There's a reason they call him "El Illusionista" -- "The Illusionist." Andres Iniesta is a whimsical playmaker who transcends position and role to create a steady flow of chances for whoever is lucky enough to be playing in front of him. So multifunctional as to be capable of slotting into just about any midfield or attacking job, Iniesta is the creative counterpart to Xavi's pragmatism in Barcelona's and Spain's golden tandem. Coming up as Ronaldinho's understudy, Catalunya and all of Spain now shudder at the thought of life without Iniesta. Luckily, lithe as he may be, he has an uncanny ability to play through injury.
Scouting thumbnail: Small, technical playmaker with low center of gravity and tremendous ball control and creative vision, regarded by some peers as the best player in the world. Very difficult to dispossess and can also run at defenders and take them off the dribble. Sometimes overpasses when he should take the shot himself (Iniesta would be an ideal SC in a centrally positioned module that takes advantage of his vision and playmaking ability).
8. Fernando Torres
Country: Spain
Club Team: Liverpool
Position: Forward
Age: 25
NATIONAL TEAM: 71 appearances, 23 goals
WORLD CUP 2006: 4 app, 3 goals
Fernando Torres was born to score goals. He was converted from a goalkeeper to a striker at age 7 and scored 55 goals as a 10-year-old, which caught the attention of his beloved Atlético Madrid, which had relaunched its academy after disbanding it a few years earlier (sending superstar Raul into the arms of Real Madrid). The club wouldn't make that mistake a second time. Torres broke into Atlético's starting lineup at 17 and never did stop scoring goals, earning him a transfer to Liverpool in 2007. At 25, Torres, the embodiment of the modern striker, already has 132 competitive league goals under his belt.
Scouting thumbnail: Well-rounded, pacy striker with tremendous technique who draws much support as the best in the world. Likes to play off the shoulder of the last defender and can finish with aplomb with either foot and is also superb in the air. Can sometimes be thrown off his game if defenders dish out the rough treatment and the referees are lax in calling fouls. Similar to Didier Drogba, Torres fits best in an offense that uses a scoring center forward in nodes that utilize smaller speed formation modules and places him directly behind or on the frontline.
Country: England
Club Team: Liverpool
Position: Midfielder
Age: 29
NATIONAL TEAM: 77 appearances, 16 goals
WORLD CUP 2006: 5 app, 2 goals
Dismissed as too slight for professional soccer as a child, Gerrard went on to be voted the second-best Liverpool player of all time by the club's fans and is even a Member of the Order of the British Empire. Several clubs passed on him when he was in his teens, before his hometown Liverpool finally committed to him. Regret it they did not, as Gerrard emerged as a superb attacking midfielder, who also operates as a second striker or as a winger. Gerrard is a nine-year veteran of England, pairing with Frank Lampard to form the best duo of attacking midfielders in the world.
Scouting thumbnail: Complete player who can play virtually anywhere on the field, but excels at club level with his own unique English interpretation of the trequartista role. Combines an explosive long-range shot with aggressive tackling, but struggles at times to shed man markers. As an aggressive defender and attacking midfielder, Gerrard would excel at multiple positions in the defense-offense transition formation module (behind the frontline or as a forward on either wing).
Country: Ghana
Club Team: Chelsea
Position: Midfielder
Age: 27 
NATIONAL TEAM: 74 appearances, 10 goals
WORLD CUP 2006: 3 app, 0 goals
An elite defensive midfielder who doesn't shy away from attacking, Ghana's Michael Essien is one of Africa's finest. With the help of fellow midfielders Sulley Muntari and Stephen Appiah, Essien led Ghana to the second round in Germany in 2006. Beating the Czech Republic 2-0 and the U.S. 2-1, Ghana's surprise run made it the only African country to survive the group stage. Essien, a two-time African Player of the Year, now has four more seasons as a regular at Chelsea under his belt. His versatility, energy and defensive pedigree make him one of the most consistent and reliable players in the world. Out since mid-January with a knee injury, Essien is expected to return by the World Cup but will need to prove he's fit.
Scouting thumbnail: The world's most dominant defensive midfielder. Covers an incredible amount of territory with boundless energy and the ability to contribute box to box. Possesses a powerful long-range shot. A lockdown defender with a powerful shot, Essien would excel as a defenseman in the defense-offense transition module; behind the line or in defensive modules that utilize a roaming defender behind a first line of defense.
See the rest of the ESPN.com Top 50 Players of the World Cup here.
