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The first part of our countdown of the world's greatest current footballers.

41 - Vagner Love (CSKA Moscow)

The Brazilian's 32 goals in 37 games last season made him almost as prolific on the pitch as he is in the bedroom; the second part of his name is a self-appointed tribute to his amorous reputation. The dreadlocked lothario was the top scorer in last season's UEFA Cup, finding the net 11 times. Vagner Love's pace, movement and finishing make him one of the most deadly strikers in the world, although doubts over his professionalism explain why he has not moved to England or Spain. Brazil coach Dunga is not a fan; the 25-year-old has not played for his country since 2007.

42 - Tuncay Sanli (Middlesbrough / Turkey)

Watching Tuncay toil away in a dismal Middlesbrough side was like seeing a great white shark confined to a duck pond. Nevertheless, the versatile attacker did himself no harm at all, performing brilliantly and without complaint, and coming within a few lucky breaks of keeping Boro up. He scored a succession of spectacular goals including a magnificent overhead kick against Aston Villa. He will be a worthy acquisition for whoever picks him up now. Tuncay also captains Turkey and was a standout performer in their thrilling Euro 2008 campaign, although World Cup qualifying is not going well.

43 - Xabi Alonso (Liverpool / Spain)

How good are Spain at the moment? So good that Xabi Alonso struggles to get a game for them. The Liverpool midfielder would surely walk into any other national team, boasting a combination of slick passing, superb reading of the game and a physical edge that is a positive consequence of his time in the Premier League. There is a touch of Paul Scholes about Alonso, so pure a striker of the ball is he, while his penchant for shots from the halfway line owes more to David Beckham. Last summer Rafa Benitez was shopping him around, but now he faces a fierce fight to keep him.

44 - Alessandro Del Piero (Juventus)

It says something about the current state of Italian football that we still rate Del Piero and Filippo Inzaghi as the fourth and fifth-best players in the country. Del Piero is now 34, and you cannot help but marvel at his continued brilliance as he prepares for his 17th season with Juventus. He shows no sign of slowing down, having broken the 20-goal mark for the last four seasons; he remains one of the most creative, intelligent and hard-working players in the game. And if that were not enough, he is mates with The Rolling Stones and Oasis.

45 Juan Roman Riquelme (Boca Juniors)

Many fans in Europe might have forgotten about the brilliant Argentinian, but Riquelme continues to excel in his homeland, even if he quit international football in March after falling out with Diego Maradona. The decision caused the impossible to happen - the fans of Boca Juniors sided with him ahead of 'El Diego'. The elegant playmaker only knows one pace at which to play the game - his - and his critics say you have to build a team around him. But when you have a player of his ability, why wouldn't you do exactly that? Villarreal did, and they nearly won the Champions League.

46 Julio Cesar (Internazionale / Brazil)

When Gianluigi Buffon says you are the best goalkeeper in the world, you know you must be doing something right. An outstanding season for Inter turned the 'Buffon v Julio Cesar' head-to-head from a laughable mismatch into a genuine debate (we still rate the Italian more highly). He has finally exploded the myth that Brazilian keepers are eccentrics who crack under pressure. Almost single-handedly saved Inter from a real drubbing at the hands of Manchester United in the Champions League, and has now supplanted Heurelho Gomes as Brazilian first-choice between the sticks.

47 - Darijo Srna (Shakhtar Donetsk / Croatia)

Depressingly few people on these shores noticed, but Srna captained Shakhtar Donetsk to UEFA Cup glory in May. It was validation for Srna, who has long been the subject of interest from clubs west of the Ukrainian mining town, but has stayed loyal. The Croatian has often caught the eye in international football, where he usually plays on the right side of midfield. He is a superb free-kick and corner taker, while his pace and stamina make him a formidable defender. Has played at three major international tournaments and is tipped to become his country's next captain.

48 - Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich / Germany)

We're not supposed to give away the identity of the players higher up the list, but here is a remarkable fact: Schweinsteiger is the only German in the top 50. The country that gave us Beckenbauer, Mueller, Klinsmann and Matthaeus has nobody better than the Bayern midfielder. It would be a cause for concern, except: a) It's Germany, and b) They still do better than England at every international tournament. The 24-year-old Schweinsteiger is skilful, powerful and versatile. He needs to take leadership of Bayern more often to prove he is truly world-class.

49 Filippo Inzaghi (Milan)

Picture Inzaghi and you probably conjure an image of a man with his hands pressed together in a praying motion, on the brink of tears after being caught several yards offside. You ought to picture a man wheeling away after scoring the 300th goal of his career. Loved and hated in equal measure, Inzaghi remains one of the most potent strikers in Europe, even at 35. What does he do except score goals? Nothing. Does it matter? Not a bit. He revelled in David Beckham's supply line, inspiring Milan's late-season surge with a run of 11 Serie A goals in eight matches.

50 Robinho (Manchester City / Brazil)

The £32 million man did just enough in his debut season at Eastlands to earn his place in the top 50. Robinho secured immediate legend status by snubbing Chelsea and then scoring on his debut - against the Blues. Inconsistency and rumours of a bust-up with Mark Hughes blighted his season as City stuttered to a mid-table finish, although a return of 14 goals in 30 Premier League games is not to be sniffed at. He might be averse to tracking back, but nobody can question the 25-year-old's lavish talent and the fact he is also a key player for his country.

HOW IT WORKS

We have selected the best players in the world and will be counting down from 50 to one throughout the summer. Every day until Friday, August 7 we will reveal the next player on the list, along with the reasons why we rate him.

HOW WE MADE THE LIST

The list, obviously, is subjective. All the number-crunching in the world will not tell you whether Gianluigi Buffon is better than Samuel Eto'o. Their functions are so different it is like trying to decide whether you prefer an orange or a tin opener.

We basically picked the team using the playground system. If all the players in the world were lined up and you had to pick them to play a match, in what order would a 'team captain' select them?

Our fictional playground captains are not trying to build an actual team, they are just picking the best player available. So there is no effort to balance players from every position.

In our estimation, good attackers win more matches than good defenders. They are the ones who command the big transfer fees, they are the ones who people pay to watch, and they are the ones who win the individual awards.

So we make no apology that the list is weighted in favour of attacking midfielders and strikers. No matter how much you admire Jamie Carragher's contribution to Liverpool, you would never say he was a better or more important player than Steven Gerrard or Fernando Torres. The list reflects this.

Form is crucial. There are players who missed out on a top-50 place who might have been in the top 10 last year, but have seen their stock fall either through injury or poor form. There is no doubt Ronaldinho is a stunningly talented player, but we could not say - on current form - he is one of the 50 best in the world.

Age is irrelevant. Players are judged entirely on their current ability, not their potential. A 35-year-old is not marked down because he is at the end of his career, and an 18-year-old does not get extra credit because of the player he is expected to become. Only one thing matters - how good is the player now?

THE PLAYERS WHO MISSED OUT

Whittling the world's best players down to a final list of 50 required us to make some tough decisions. All of the following players came close to making the cut but, for one reason or another, were discarded:

Emmanuel Adebayor, David Beckham, Dimitar Berbatov, Antonio Cassano, Gael Clichy, Ashley Cole, Patrice Evra, Ryan Giggs, Gonzalo Higuain, Vedad Ibisevic, Philipp Lahm, Ezequiel Lavezzi, Lucio, Diego Milito, Joao Moutinho, Andrea Pirlo, Sergio Ramos, Ronaldinho, Marcos Senna, Wesley Sneijder, Dejan Stankovic, John Terry, Carlos Tevez, Francesco Totti, Rafael van der Vaart, Ruud van Nistelrooy.

Alex Chick / Eurosport