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The world of soccer has been graced over the years with truly outstanding talents like Pele, Maradona, George Best and Johann Cruyff, players who were clearly the best in the world at their peak. Is Christiano Ronaldo the best player in the world at the moment? His performances for Manchester United in the past two seasons would bring many to the conclusion that there is no better player around at the moment, taking into account his goal-scoring prowess coupled with a style of football that is sheer entertainment. The criteria for determining the best footballer differs from person to person with some focusing on achievement while others will base their conclusion solely on ability. Ronaldo clearly has the whole package and has already demonstrated an ability that made a major contribution to the success of his club.

Ronaldo has of course been criticized for his tendency to lose sight of the fact that he is a team player and his leaning toward individual skills that are overdone in the eyes of some. There is a limit to the number of step-overs you can use in one move. His teammates would probably appreciate a ball that is delivered more quickly into the danger areas while his fans at Manchester United are possibly happier watching him attempt to mesmerize the opposition with his tricky footballing skills. It is clear that Alex Ferguson has succeeded in finding the balance with Ronaldo and now has him operating as a key team player as opposed to a talented individual. Talented as he might be, Ronaldo is not necessarily the best player in the modern game. Around Europe and within the English Premiership, you will find a host of players who are as good, if not better than Ronaldo, albeit with a different style to their play.

Players like Ronaldinho, Messi, Kaka, Henry and Fernando Torres are all candidates for the title of best player in the world. Ronaldo has results in his favor at the moment with his club winning both the English Premiership title and the Champions League last season. My personal choice for best player at the moment would be Fernando Torres, a superb player who is direct and a supreme goalscorer. Ronaldo is probably favored by many because of his capacity to hold the ball and the trickiness in his play. Torres is more of a team player and the kind that any manager would welcome. Appropriately, he was the man to score Spain's winning goal at Euro 2008 with a superbly taken goal that demonstrates the kind of ability he possesses.

Finding the best player in the world is always about preference and while many would opt for Christiano Ronaldo, others would choose a different player who appeals more to their personal idea of what makes a great player. The greatest players of the past 50 years have all differed as to style of play and position on the field. Puskas, Pele and Maradona all played in the same general position on the field, while Johann Cruyff and George Best played wide on the left. Jimmy Johnstone was a wizard with the ball on the right wing and Franz Beckenbaur was a central defender cum midfielder who strolled through the game with panache. Most generations offer a handful of players who can genuinely be called "great" and of the current group, Ronaldo is definitely one of them. Is he the greatest player of the present generation? Some say yes. Some say no.

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