UPTOWN TOP RANKING
There is a semi-famous clip from 2018 of Rio Ferdinand talking about the rivalry between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. “It seems like there’s a bit of respect between them, they don’t ever mention each other really, but they are just phenomenal to watch. People try and make comparisons of who’s better, etcetera. JUST ENJOY THEM, MAN!” The internet immediately set about applying Rio’s quote to much more important matters. Aldi v Lidl (seems like there’s a bit of respect between them). Mayo v Ketchup (both phenomenal to watch). This mildly amusing exercise saved the day, mainly because it was an incredibly gracious and incredibly boring bit of punditry. Nobody likes a fence-sitter. Commit Rio!
Ferdinand’s ancient ties to the team he shared with Ronaldo at Old Trafford shouldn’t stop him from speaking his mind. The worst possible answer to the question: “What’s your favourite kind of music?” is: “A little bit of everything.” Bore off! That’s because ranking things is fun. Messi is better than Ronaldo. Gary Lineker > Mark Chapman > Alex Scott > Dan Walker > Jake Humphrey. Everybody has a favourite grandparent at Christmas, we just need to be brave enough to come clean.
Ranking things is not easy, yet Big Website is so good at it, there’s even a section devoted to it. Where else might you enjoy the 15 best tennis scenes in film and all 69 Eurovision winners – ranked! (poor Alexis Petridis). The football pages, of course, have NextGen (on the best future prospects in the game), Football Daily’s Christmas gongs (to be released in the coming days) and the top 100, a rundown of the best male and female footballers each year. The male list launched on Tuesday, starting (naturally) with numbers 100-71. We’ve got Darwin Núñez at 78, Granit Xhaka at 93 and Warren Zaïre-Emery at 99, in case you’re wondering.
No doubt, there will be some consternation but it’s important to remember it is not just our opinion, but that of an esteemed collection of 218 judges from the world of football, ranging from Fatih Terim to Karen Carney to Philippe Auclair to Fabrizio Romano to World Cup winners Philipp Lahm and Lucio. So, have a read, make your own list, wait for the female players list in January or ignore everything we have just told you. We know most of you usually do. And in the coming days even your humble Football Daily will be dishing out its Christmas gongs.
BREAKING NEWS
Nuno Espírito Santo has agreed to bring his brand of exciting attacking football as Nottingham Forest’s manager after the club finally got round to sacking Steve Cooper. Here’s all the latest.
LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE
Join Luke McLaughlin from 6pm GMT for hot Club World Cup MBM coverage of Manchester City 2-0 Urawa Red Diamonds, before Scott Murray guides you through Chelsea 2-1 Newcastle in the Milk Cup at 8pm. Barry Glendenning will also be on deck for Mary Earps’ Spoty win from 7pm too.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I was there when they were doing the [title] parade around Ewood Park. My brother was on the pitch with my dad and I think I was fast asleep in my mam’s arms. It cannot have been that exciting …” – if you didn’t feel old already, here’s Port Vale keeper Connor Ripley on having a Premier League-winning dad, why some stoppers are better than outfield players and facing his family’s beloved Boro in the Rumbelows Cup quarter-finals.
FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS
After Ian Potter’s suggestion of a Video Assistant VAR (yesterday’s Football Daily letters), can I be the first of 1,057 Renault Clio advert fans to suggest that Thierry Henry and Bobby Pires be in charge of the Va-Var-Room?” – James Maltby (and 1,056 others).
As Howard Webb is so confident about VAR’s ability to correct ‘clear and obvious errors’, maybe its remit should be extended to cover ridiculous haircuts, pastel-coloured boots and socks worn at thigh-high levels? Have I missed anything?” – Mick Beeby.
As a veteran from 45 years of rock ‘n’ roll touring, I was heartened by your use of ‘liggers’ (yesterday’s Football Daily), seeing that the term for ‘free access’ which was accessible to all levels in the live music sector in the 1970s and 80s (if you knew the right people or phone number) has now become so hard to use on a casual basis. I used to be able to just walk in backstage at Hammersmith Odeon or Wembley on a ‘Lig’ because I worked there so frequently; my face was so well-known, the fact I didn’t have a pass was not questioned. Nowadays the corporate structures and security paranoia make it a thousand-fold harder. So happy to see the term is not dead, and enlightened to learn it even exists outside of the music industry” – Steve.
Send your letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s winner of our prizeless letter o’ the day is … Steve.
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