Top 10 football players in world cup

10. Cesc Fabregas

Nation: Spain
Club team: Arsenal
Comment: The 23-year-old midfielder has been wooed by Barcelona, but Arsenal has rejected offers for its team captain, who is under contract through the 2014-15 season. Fabregas has scored 48 goals in 267 appearances for Arsenal, and was the team’s youngest-ever first-team player. He broke his leg in April, but has been cleared to play in the World Cup. He is a dazzling playmaker who can also score.
9. Samuel Eto’o

Nation: Cameroon
Club team: Inter Milan
Comment: Eto’o led Inter Milan to the UEFA Champions League title and has appeared in two World Cups with Cameroon (1998 and 2002). Eto’o also led Inter Milan to the Italian Serie A title and the Coppa Italia title.
“Eto’o sets a great example. Of course he is a player with a big reputation, and of course he is a forward, but when the team is going through a difficult moment and they need someone to do extra work, he is the first to do it,” Inter coach Jose Mourinho said, according to a UEFA.com story after the Champions League final.
8. Steven Gerrard

Nation: England
Club team: Liverpool
Comment: Gerrard is an attacking midfielder who is the leader of both the English national team and the Liverpool Reds of the English Premier League. He grew up as a Liverpool fan, and his dream came true when he signed with his favorite team at age 17. He scored nine goals in 33 EPL games this season.
He’s known for his long-distance strikes, and he’ll be coupled with EPL rival Frank Lampard in midfield for England.
7. Andres Iniesta

Nation: Spain
Club team: Barcelona
Comment: Iniesta is a playmaking midfielder who has top ballhandling skills and serves as a skilled complement to teammate Xavi Hernandez. Appeared in the 2006 World Cup and 2008 European Championships for Spain. Had four assists in 29 La Liga games th is season.
6. Xavi

Nation: Spain
Club team: Barcelona
Comment: A World Cup crown is the only thing missing from Xavi’s impressive resume. A lifer with Barcelona, Xavi has won five Spanish La Liga titles, two Champions League titles and a UEFA European Championship. The midfielder is regarded for his skilled passing and ability as a playmaker. He had 9 assists in 34 league games this season.

5. Kaka

Nation: Brazil
Club team: Real Madrid
Comment: Kaka was FIFA’s Player of the Year in 2007. There are injury concerns entering the World Cup — he struggled through the club regular season — but he has been cleared to train and compete.
Kaka played for AC Milan in Italy from 2003 until last season. He appeared in 270 games and scored 95 goals for MIlan, and was with the teamn when it won the UEFA Champions League in 2007.
In the summer of 2009, Real Madrid paid Milan more than $87 million for the midfielder. Off the field, Kaka’s philanthropic contributions have earned him the honor of being one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2008 and 2009. In 2004 he became the youngest ambassador against hunger in the United Nations’ World Food Program.
4. Wayne Rooney

Nation: England
Club team: Manchester United
Comment: Rooney is one of the English Premier League’s best, and he is nearly unstoppable in the open field. He is built more like a rugby player than a soccer player, but he uses his size to his full advantage at the forward position. He joined Manchester United in 2004 after a two-year stint with the EPL’s Everton. Since then he’s scored more than 130 goals in more than 280 matches. This season, he was voted the Football Players’ Association and the Football Writers’ Association’s player of the year. He’ll play forward for England in South Africa with Premier League rivals Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard at midfield behind him.
3. Didier Drogba

Nation: Ivory Coast
Club team: Chelsea
Comment: Drogba is a versatile forward with the build of a running back and the speed of a wide receiver, regarded by some as the best striker in the world. He has scored 84 goals in 166 games for Chelsea in the English Premier League, including a league-leading 29 in 2009-10. He also led Chelsea to England’s FA Cup in May.
Drogba broke his arm in an exhibition just prior to the World Cup, and his status is uncertain.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo

Nation: Portugal
Club team: Real Madrid
Comment: Ronaldo is the highest-paid soccer player in the world. Last season he played for EPL powerhouse Manchester United, but in a $132 million deal he transferred to Real Madrid of Spain’s La Liga for the 2009-10 campaign. The Portuguese team captain and midfielder scored 26 goals in 29 La Liga games this season and had 4 assists. He was the FIFA player of the year in 2008.
1. Lionel Messi

Nation: Argentina
Club team: Barcelona
Comment: Messi is the reigning FIFA player of the year, and at 22 has a bright future. He scored 34 goals in 30 La Liga games this season and had nine assists. In 2008-09, he was named UEFA’s Club forward of the year and footballer of the year. He also helped guide Barcelona to the Copa del Rey title, the La Liga title, and the UEFA Champions League title – the first time a Spanish club has completed the triple.