Early Doors - Your morning briefing blog

The ultimate luxury player

Fri Oct 30 03:35PM

This morning came proof that David Bentley is the ultimate luxury player. Having joined Tottenham for around £15 million last summer, his value has now been reduced to one game per season.

Bentley has been consigned to the scrap heap. Unless, that is, he is playing away against his former club Arsenal.

Last season he scored a brilliant goal at the Emirates, then disappeared off the football radar and was eventually discovered by police, tipsy, at the wheel of his car.

After a half-decent midweek display in the Carling Cup, Bentley is back in the first-team reckoning for one week only.

It is typical Harry Redknapp pragmatism to call on a player for the one week where he gives a toss (something about being wronged by Arsenal who let him go because of concerns over his temperament - funny that).

Early Doors fully expects the one-time heir to David Beckham to put in a sterling performance, then return to osbcurity.

Redknapp said: "He will play tomorrow, he'll go back there and play. He's looking forward to going back to Arsenal again where he started out so it's a big game for him. He scored a great goal last year and I'm sure he'd like to score another good goal tomorrow. He looks in the right frame of mind and he looks very sharp."

Well, nice to know he's prepared to put the work in at training at least one week per year.

- - -

The 23-man shortlist for FIFA World Player has been revealed, and once again it is startlingly lacking in imagination.

Every major star and his Drog feature on the list, whether they deserve it or not.

While David Beckham does not make the cut, it would be no surprise to see him included in a group where being famous - or more precisely highly-rated - counts for more than ability.

Even by his own admission, Gianluigi Buffon had a bit of a nightmare last season. Yet he is included ahead of Julio Cesar of Inter, who has totally outplayed him in this calendar year.

Buffon is just an easy call for somebody looking for a good keeper on account of his longevity and consistency. In fact, he has been shortlisted every year since the nominees were expanded from 10 to 30 (they have since been whittled to 23).

Michael Ballack is another truly baffling inclusion. The German was stripped of his midfield alpha dog status as soon as he joined Chelsea, yet somehow he has made the shortlist in five of the last six years.

Likewise, Carles Puyol could only have been nominated ahead of his Barcelona team-mate Daniel Alves - or even Gerard Pique - by someone whose entire football watching in 2009 consisted of the Champions League final.

And why Thierry Henry, a man reduced to fifth fiddle (Messi, Eto'o/Ibra, Xavi, Iniesta) at Barcelona? If you want a flair player, why not Andrei Arshavin? Or Antonio Cassano? Or Yoann Gourcuff? Or - seriously - Stephen Ireland?

Anyway, Lionel Messi will win, Cristiano Ronaldo will be second and, at a push, ED would tip Zlatan Ibrahimovic for third. There, you can stop paying attention now.

Comments1 - 30 of 36
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King is a twatgland
From doilookbothered on Fri Oct 30 03:38PM
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I think Iniesta should win. He was Barca's best player in last years Champs League. Not that im doubting Messi's contribution. Iniesta was Man of the Match in the final and scored the injury time winner a stamford bridge to get them into the final. He has played every position going for Barca in La Liga. His form for Spain is remarkable considering he plays on the right of the midfield diamond.
From jay8my on Fri Oct 30 03:57PM
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everybody know messi is the man...
From olangcina on Fri Oct 30 04:07PM
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If Messi won, i wouldn't complain. IMHO Iniesta is more deserving. But its close.
From jay8my on Fri Oct 30 04:19PM
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#1 - King is NOT a twatgland. He's just a tw.at. Full-stop!
From pegez on Fri Oct 30 04:24PM
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i think torres is the person should get the award in this year...
From dioz009 on Fri Oct 30 04:24PM
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iniesta?, er no
From pegez on Fri Oct 30 04:26PM
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Iniesta....er yeah!! Won Euro 2008, Champs League 09' LaLiga 09' Qualified for the WC easily with Spain. You prob dont even know who he is!!
From jay8my on Fri Oct 30 04:38PM
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Iniesta controls the midfield without that Messi wouldnt get the ball. Him for me
From gareth.surman on Fri Oct 30 04:48PM
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i dont give a s****t who wins, as long as its NOT Christiano Ronaldo - please.
From sley.isaac on Fri Oct 30 05:24PM
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If you don't understand why Ballack is there, you don't understand football.
From michelangeloindeed on Fri Oct 30 05:40PM
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The moment 40 yard piledrivers stop becoming brilliant goals is the moment football dies. Get a clue #9.
From jakethomas366 on Fri Oct 30 05:42PM
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#13, Ballack is possibly the worst midfield enforcer-type player you could put on there. He has been average since joining Chelski, and IMO there are many people more deserving than him.
From jakethomas366 on Fri Oct 30 05:44PM
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Messi only looks half as good because of Iniesta and Xavi...
i agree that Iniesta is deserving...
but Messi wasn't deserving of second last year yet he still got it? so expect him to win by a landslide..
1. Messi 2. Ronaldo 3. Iniesta
4 and 5 should be Xavi and maybe Eto'o or Zlatan.
From wa.irvine on Fri Oct 30 05:57PM
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and i agree in that Vidic should be there ahead of Terry, who had a poor season and didn't win a thing anyway..
These players should be there with those in brackets omitted, keeping the defender:midfielder:striker ratio intact.
Vidic (Terry), Julio Cesar (Buffon), Arshavin (Ballack), Dzeko (Rooney), Alves (Puyol), Forlan (Henry)..
From wa.irvine on Fri Oct 30 06:02PM
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if you think balack should be on this list you obviously dont understand football
From gunners2583 on Fri Oct 30 06:20PM
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vidic ahea of terry
1 messi 2 ronaldo 3 iniesta 4 ibrahimovic 5 cassilas
xavi ribery rooney eto just dont cut it
From d.walterakpana on Fri Oct 30 06:32PM
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messi ronaldo iniesta ibrahimovic cassilas
xavi torres ribery eto might prove me wrong though
From d.walterakpana on Fri Oct 30 06:37PM
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i would give it to Grafite or Dzeko.....
From laszlofiam on Fri Oct 30 06:45PM
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1st ronaldo 2nd messi 3rd iniesta
From minimalas on Fri Oct 30 07:28PM
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Lionel Messi is the only 'real' footballer on any list. He has to win because he deserves to. Don't rate anyone else. He is the natural heir to those who went before. Viva Messi!
From flakjacket80 on Fri Oct 30 07:47PM
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iniesta, easily. i dont think i've ever seen the boy give the ball away.
From james.gardner1981 on Fri Oct 30 08:14PM
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#13 If you think Ballack deserves to be included you not only don't understand football, but watch it through blue tinted glasses!
From dean557 on Fri Oct 30 08:45PM
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Stephen "won't play for" Ireland should be on the list, but his ridiculous attitude towards playing for his homeland must count against him. He's one of the best players in the EPL but grannygate still hovers over his head!
From hiberno_knin on Fri Oct 30 09:03PM
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Arshavin truly deserves to be in the top 10. FIFA does suck.
From ranendra.prada on Fri Oct 30 10:18PM
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Yes, us who do not think Ballack should be on the list do understand football...maybe 4 or 5 years ago but in the last 3 years, he has shown no pace, no imagination, lack of creativity, has been decent in the air but his passing and shot accuracy has not been anything but mediocre...not to mention he has not shown a knack for scoring big goals, or scoring at all for that matter..a dissapointment since he has come to the Bridge...
From bocephus1234 on Fri Oct 30 10:41PM
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The list is all BS ...Platini and FIFA are bias against England so gives a @#$%..No player in the world is better than Gerrard and that is a fact...
From bocephus1234 on Fri Oct 30 10:42PM
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#3 Good shout Jay Iniesta is brilliant. #26-Shame about Ireland; I have followed City for 40 years and am proud of the way he plays- I hope we don't let him go, but if I was Irish I would be dissapointed in his attitude towards representing his country.
From catmasher2 on Fri Oct 30 10:46PM
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bocephus
do you want a list?
messi, Ineista, Xabi,Henry,Eto, ect ect i would be up all night to write the list who is better than Gerrard
From epc4umidlands on Sat Oct 31 12:05AM
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OK #30, neither eto, henry, xabi or even messi for that matter posseses the all-round ability of stevie G...can any of them (apart from iniesta on different levels) match gerrard's tackling, passing (xavi and iniesta yes) and shooting from halfways down the field and score?? When was the last time messi, eto, henry managed to score anything close to rival gerrards long-range efforts...those players can't be better than gerrard in the sense that they are not as complete a footballer as him, lacking different qualities at the same time as him...even tho messi and eto and henry are world-class no doubt, when in their respective positions...im sure if gerrard had to randomly play as a stiker for one game only, he'd be able to play alright...rather than say, if eto or messi had to play in the midfield for one game...they wouldnt quite be so effective to would they?...
From driaan86 on Sat Oct 31 07:42AM
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