UPTOWN TOP RANK
There’s a semi-famous clip from 2018 where Rio Ferdinand talks about the rivalry between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. “It seems like there’s a bit of respect between them, they never really mention each other, but they’re just phenomenal to watch. People try to make comparisons of who is better and so on. JUST ENJOY IT, MAN!” The internet immediately started applying Rio’s quote to much more important issues. Aldi vs Lidl (seems like there is 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 friendly and incredibly boring bit of punditry. No one likes a fence sitter. Bet Rio!
Ferdinand’s age-old ties to the team he shared with Ronaldo at Old Trafford should not stop him from speaking his mind. The worst possible answer to the question, “What is your favorite kind of music?” is: “A little bit of everything.” To bore! That’s because arranging things is fun. Messi is better than Ronaldo. Gary Lineker > Mark Chapman > Alex Scott > Dan Walker > Jake Humphrey. Everyone has a favorite grandparent at Christmas, we just have to be brave enough to be honest.
Ranking things isn’t easy, but Big Website is so good at it that there’s even a section dedicated to it. Where else can 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 (which will be released in the coming days) and the Top 100, a round-up of the best male and female footballers each year. The men’s list was launched on Tuesday and starts (of course) with numbers 100-71. We have Darwin Núñez at 78, Granit Xhaka at 93 and Warren Zaire-Emery at 99, in case you’re wondering.
There will undoubtedly be some consternation, but it is important to remember that it is not just our opinion, but that of an esteemed collection of 218 judges from the football world, ranging from Fatih Terim to Karen Carney to Philippe Auclair to Fabrizio Romano to World Cup winners Philipp Lahm and Lucio. So give it a read, make your own list, wait for January’s list of female players, or ignore everything we just told you. We know most of you do that most of the time. And in the coming days, even your modest Voetbaldagblad will hand out its Christmas gong.
BREAKING NEWS
Nuno Espírito Santo has agreed to bring his brand of exciting attacking football as manager of Nottingham Forest after the club finally managed to sack Steve Cooper. Here you will find the latest news.
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 leads 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.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I was there when they were working on the Nobody likes a fence sitter – ranking things in football is fun! parade around Ewood Park. My brother was in the field with my father and I think I was fast asleep in my mother’s arms. It couldn’t have been that exciting…’ – if you weren’t feeling old yet, here’s Port Vale keeper Connor Ripley on having a Premier League-winning father, why some stoppers are better than fielders and opposite the beloved His family’s Boro in the Rumbelows Quarter-finals cup.
FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS
Following Ian Potter’s suggestion of a video assistant VAR (yesterday’s Football Daily letters), can I be the first of the 1,057 Renault Clio ad fans to suggest that Thierry Henry and Bobby Pires are in charge of the Va- Var room? – James Maltby (and 1,056 others).
Since Howard Webb has so much confidence in VAR’s ability to correct ‘clear and obvious errors’, perhaps his remit should be extended to ridiculous haircuts, pastel boots and socks worn at thigh height? Did I miss something?” – Mick Beeby.
As a veteran of 45 years of rock ‘n’ roll touring, I was encouraged by your use of ‘girders’ (yesterday’s Football Daily) as the term for ‘free entry’ has been accessible to all levels of the live music sector in the years seventies and eighties (if you knew the right people or the right phone number) it has now become so difficult to use on an informal basis. I used to be able to just pop into backstage at Hammersmith Odeon or Wembley on a ‘Lig’ because I worked there so often; my face was so familiar that there was no doubt that I had no ID. Today, corporate structures and security paranoia make it a thousandfold more difficult. I’m so happy to see that the term isn’t dead, and enlightened to hear that 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.
THE PROGRESS OF A PILGRIM?
Stoke are close to appointing Plymouth manager Steven Schumacher. The Potters are 19th in the Championship. The Pilgrims are 16th. It’s a strange move for him, right? Why would he switch jobs at the upwardly mobile Pilgrims, whom he guided to a famous promotion last season, to manage a team to the soundtrack of flatulent groans at Bet365 Stadium? [Football Daily puts on its glasses and adopts geography teacher mode.] Schumacher comes from Kirkby, on the outskirts of Liverpool. Google Maps tells us that a journey home from Plymouth takes 5 hours and 16 minutes [and some – Football Daily Ed]. And Stanley Matthews Way? An hour on the M6. Oh, and money. Unless Plymouth has a club helicopter like Peter Coates, expect Schumacher to soon be clutching a red and white scarf as he waxes lyrical about those mythical Tuesday nights in Stoke.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING
Roll up, roll up for the Football Weekly Christmas mailbag pod. And Women’s Football Weekly has also landed its final pod of 2023.
RECOMMENDED WATCH
Your man David Squires takes out his highlighter and a copy of the Radio Times to take us through the festive TV programme, including an infamous episode of Maupay Unwise and more.
NEWS, BITS AND BOBS
Afghanistan’s male players have urged FIFA to investigate match-fixing allegations against the president of the country’s football federation, confirming their boycott will continue until Mohammad Yousef Kargar is ousted.
Mary Earps is clearly the favorite to become the Sports Personality of the Year later. If she wins, let’s hope she celebrates as much as she did when she saved that World Cup penalty.
Sutton United, bottom of League Two, have marched Matt Gray through the door with Do One. “Matt will forever hold a huge place in Sutton history as the manager who took us to the Football League,” a club statement said.
♫ With the lights out it’s less dangerous ♫ here we are now, entertain us ♫ I feel stupid and contagious ♫ here we are now, entertain us ♫. Sean Dyche hopes Everton are on their way to finding the ‘nirvana’ of winning culture.
And Wayne Rooney thinks being hit with a big Nokia many years ago has made him relaxed about opponents celebrating excessive goals like Leicester did against their sorry Birmingham side. “There is emotion in the game and the players are celebrating. I had a mobile phone thrown at me at Anfield so players have their reasons,” he calmed down.
DO YOU WANT MORE?
Jonathan Wilson breaks down the last 16 matches of the Big Cup so you don’t have to.
Manchester City’s 25-year journey from York to the Club World Cup. Will break away from Pep’s plucky starters.
Here’s Nick Ames on how the 2025 Club World Cup renewal is likely to deliver meaningful football for Saudi clubs against Europe’s best.
And since we dropped the link yesterday, here are the latest WSL talking points.
MEMORY LONG
Of all the iconic football/Christmas images, this remains a standout. Andy Gray, photographed by the legendary Bob Thomas, “circa 1980” is here.