r/footballscouting

I remember when I was a kid I used to watch fifa 17/18/19 videos and I quickly noticed that Vertonghen and Anderweireld were the same person. Same nationality, same stats (which is crazier), same ovr and quite similar face. I thought they were brothers. How were they IRL? Were they literally the same type of player? The one I remember the most is Vertonghen cause of a longer career and he was a good, expert and solid defender.

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I created a website that lets you compare anything on a pair comparison mode.

This helps you to identify your top 5 very easily in a playable way.

So which are your all time top5 James Bond movies? Rather the new ones or the classics? Personally I prefer the Craig ones.

Share your top 5 with me and I comment it.

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Tommy

\*Very long so be prepared to read a lot

This might be controversial but I've never really bought the idea that KDB is a top 5 midfielder ever.

Obviously he's an all-time great and one of the most devastating midfielders I've seen. I'm not trying to downplay him. My issue is more about what you value in a midfielder.

For me, one of the most important things for a central midfielder is press resistance. You're playing in the most congested area of the pitch, so being able to receive the ball under pressure, turn, carry, manipulate defenders and still make the right decision is huge.

KDB is good under pressure, but I don't think he's on the level of Xavi, Iniesta or Modrić in central areas. Those guys could receive the ball with someone on them, use little touches/body movements to escape and basically use the pressure against the opposition.

And that's why I make a distinction between a midfielder who creates and one who controls.

KDB is probably one of the best midfield creators ever, but his greatest work often comes in the final third/right half-space/wider areas. His crossing, cutbacks, through balls and shooting are ridiculous, but I'm going to give more weight to what a midfielder does from the centre when ranking central midfielders.

That's also why I think the Beckham comparison is interesting. I'm not saying KDB = Beckham because KDB is obviously more complete, but both have a lot of their biggest damage coming from wider areas where they have more space and time to look up and execute. Xavi, Iniesta and Modrić spent much more of their careers being responsible for buildup, progression and controlling the game from the middle.

The role reversal is interesting too.

If you put KDB in the main Xavi/Iniesta/Modrić type role — constantly receiving from the CBs, escaping pressure, controlling tempo and dictating possession — obviously he'd still be good, but I think you'd see a noticeable drop-off compared to those guys.

I don't think you'd see the same drop-off if you put Xavi, Iniesta or Modrić into KDB's role. Give them more freedom higher up, let them find pockets, combine around the box and focus more on chance creation and I still think they'd be elite.

That's a big reason I rate them higher. Their games are more transferable. They could control and create at an elite level.

Same thing with creativity. KDB has elite vision, but I don't think he's as naturally imaginative as Zidane or Iniesta. Those guys could do things with little touches, flicks, spins, disguised passes, body feints and changes of direction that you just don't expect. KDB's creativity is more direct — he sees the space and destroys you with the cross, through ball, cutback or shot. Still incredible, just a different type of creativity.

And I actually think shooting is KDB's best attribute. The power and accuracy he gets from both feet is ridiculous.

On passing, KDB is obviously elite, especially in the final third, but I don't think his overall range/variety is as crazy as people make out. Pogba is a good example. He could hit diagonals with either foot, switch play from deep, clip balls over the defence, play driven vertical passes, disguise passes, find runners with lofted balls etc. KDB is more consistent and efficient, but Pogba arguably had a bigger variety of passes in his locker.

The international argument isn't massive for me, but it does matter a little. KDB has been good for Belgium, but I don't think he's ever had that defining international tournament. 2018 was more Hazard's Belgium for me. Compare that to Xavi with Spain, Iniesta being Euro 2012 Player of the Tournament, Zidane in 2006 or Modrić in 2018.

And I think Pep's City is worth mentioning too. The system was basically perfect for maximising KDB's strengths. That's not a criticism, but I think it's fair to ask how he'd look if he had to be the main guy controlling buildup and tempo against a constant press for 90 minutes.

So overall, I think KDB is one of the greatest midfield creators ever, but not one of the five greatest central midfielders ever.

If you value goals, assists, final-third creation and devastating moments most, I can understand putting him extremely high.

But if you value press resistance, buildup, progression, controlling tempo, manipulating pressure and being able to influence the game from all areas of midfield, I don't see how he's comfortably above Xavi, Iniesta, Modrić or Zidane.

Then you've still got Matthäus, Busquets, Pirlo, Vieira, Seedorf, Gullit, Scholes, etc.

Personally I'd have KDB somewhere around top 10-15 midfielders ever, and in the PL I'd have a proper debate between KDB, Scholes, Lampard, Gerrard, Vieira and others before saying he's automatically #1.

Not saying KDB isn't an all-time great. I just don't think being one of the most devastating midfielders is automatically the same as being one of the greatest midfielders.

Interested to hear what people think though.

Not because they were bad, but because injuries, poor transfer or bad timing stopped them from reaching their full potential.

For me, it’s Eden Hazard. At his peak, he was one of the most exciting players in the world, but injuries completely changed the trajectory of his career.

Who’s your pick, and why?

**Goalkeeper**: Gianluigi Buffon
**Left-Back:** Paolo Maldini
**Center-Back:** Franz Beckenbauer
**Center-Back:** Franco Baresi
**Right-Back:** Cafu
**Central Midfielder:** Zinedine Zidane
**Creative Midfielder:** Diego Maradona
**Central Attacking Midfielder:** Pelé
**Left-Wing:** Cristiano Ronaldo
**Striker:** R9
**Right-Wing:** Lionel Messi