Gareth Bale Juan Mata Luis Suarez Robin Van Persie Opinions? 2/3 months ago it would be been a non-question for me. I'd have given it to RVP hands down on the basis his goals fired United to the title, but in more recent weeks the goals have dried up and Vidic/De Gea have been more integral to United's success than RVP has. We naturally focus on the here and now but it shouldn't forgotten what a difference/impact RVP made early on. RVP's link up play ripped Chelsea and City to shreds, and he changed the game against Southampton, the turning point for United (had they lost that then with 2 defeats from 3 games it would have been over. This is a very hard year, Bale has pretty much carried Spurs over the last 4/5 months and made AVB look a better manager than he actually is. The shift from the wing to the centre has given Bale more freedom and away from home in particular Bale is able to brutally expose the gaps that midfields leave behind and his attitude is first class. I was there when Arsenal walloped Spurs at the Emirates and despite being down to 10 men and 4-1 down he never stopped persevering. Bale is supremely talented and when you even hear Zinedine Zidane talk of how impressed he has been by Bale it's hard to refute any claim he has. Mata has gone about his business more quietly, he's not a prolific goalscorer like the others but as any Chelsea fan will tell you he carried us from around November-Now. His performance against Spurs was as good an individual performance I've seen from any player this season, it encapsulated what a wonderful footballer he is. We would not even be in contention for top 4 or possibly even top 6) now but for him. Mata has done in it the big games, his vision for a through ball is unsurpassed and to my mind he is on another level to his Spanish counterparts Cazorla and Silva. Love him or loathe him the guy is simply world class. A player that anyone would pay to watch, we are judging him purely as a footballer and his impact in games is undeniable. He has goals against all of City, Chelsea, Spurs, Arsenal and Everton this season. It could be argued he stands out more because the players that surround him are not at the same level as Spurs, Chelsea or United as with the other candidates but when the chips are down he has come to the fore more often than not. A massive shame we have to divide them, but given only 3 have been consistent it comes down to Bale, Mata and Suarez for me. My personal choice would be: 1. Suarez 2. Mata 3. Bale RVP will no doubt win it though, once the United-propaganda from Newscorp goes into full throttle
Bale is so good, that you've put him in twice, Drogs! Without a doubt, the winner has to be Bale. He's been absolute quality all season. Not many midfielders score the number and types of goals that he has scored for us, this season. He is, also, without doubt, the one player who absolutely sets the stadium alight whenever he gets the ball. People rise out of their seats, and the expectation is electric. For pure and unadulterated entertainment, alone, Bale deserves the honour.
This is a difficult one for me in the sense I havent seen all of their games, so its more about reputation! I think Bale has been quite spectacular and probably just shades it! Having said that Mata has been so influential for us! If there was any justice they'd call it a tie!
Oops! My bad! Apologies, Drogs. Okay, then, DL has been so impressed with Bale that he's nominated him twice!
Are those the actual nominations? I'd have thought Cazorla might've just snuck in over Mata. It's got to be between Suarez, Bale and RVP though, I think your bias is leading you to put Mata as 2nd. As I said, I believe it's got to be RVP/Bale/Suarez and at the end of the day it comes down to what you prefer. Suarez is the prettiest footballer and arguably the most exciting. RVP has the most footballing technique and at the end of the day is the best player in the league, whether you think he's had the best season or not. Then there's Bale, the comparisons to Messi and Ronaldo are premature but there's a reason those comparisons are being made and that's because he creates exceptional moments in games. I'm not talking about goals like RVP scored against City or some of the finishes Suarez makes which show great skill but I'm talking about the truly exceptional, that even people that aren't really in to football are impressed by. So it's down to what you prefer and with RVP stopping scoring it's near enough a dead heat, in my opinion, I'd say Bale maybe has a toenail infront but then again I would say that.
After giving Giggs player of the year based on a career and shagging his brothers wife for nine years I wondered if maybe the little bow-legged ginger nonce Scholes who couldn't stop a pig in a passage was shagging someone in his family other than his wife as that would surely beat Bale, Mata & Suarez hands down.
That was OTT in retrospect, Mata's had a better season but I do think Cazorla's a little unfortunate not to be a nomination.
ha ha fair dos. I agree Cazorla has been good this season but not near Mata imo! Just more experienced
