LONDON (AP) ― Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo emerged from the shadow of Lionel Messi to top this week’s Associated Press Global Soccer Rankings.
The Portuguese forward’s hat trick against Sevilla was not enough to prevent Barcelona returning to the top of the AP’s team rankings, with the Spanish league leader scoring six.
Soeren-Mikael Hansen of Denmark’s Politiken newspaper said the hat trick was a message to Ronaldo’s old team.
“Even though Barcelona performed best as a team, Cristiano Ronaldo must take the top spot individually,” said Hansen. “Scoring three goals sent a serious warning to United.”
Ronaldo, who faces Manchester United in the Champions League on Wednesday, received 183 points out of a possible 200 in the poll of 20 global soccer journalists.
A Barcelona player was in second position, but it was midfielder Andres Iniesta and not Messi. Iniesta earned 101 points for his dominant performance in the 6-1 victory over Getafe.
Messi was fourth with 87 points, finishing behind Tottenham’s Gareth Bale, who scored both goals in the 2-1 English Premier League victory over Newcastle on Sunday. Bale was just three points behind Iniesta.
“Gareth Bale is becoming more and more important for Tottenham,” said panelist Aurelio Capaldi of broadcaster RAI Sport. “His double against Newcastle was decisive for Spurs and the Welshman has become one of the symbols of the Premier League. He often looks unstoppable and is the man every top club is dreaming to have on the left side.”
Son Heung-min of Hamburg became the first South Korean player to feature in the AP top 10 since it launched last year, earning seventh place after the 20-year-old scored twice in his team’s 4-1 Bundesliga win over second-placed Borussia Dortmund.
“Linked with several Premier League clubs during the January transfer window, Son’s performance against reigning champions Borussia Dortmund underlined why the South Korean is such a sought after talent,” said German soccer writer James Thorogood.
“The 20-year-old scored twice, but it was his pace and industry that proved to be a constant thorn in the side of Dortmund’s defenders, setting him apart in a stunning team outing.”
Another 20-year-old playing in Germany, Austrian David Alaba, was fifth with 84 points after scoring twice in Bayern Munich’s 4-0 victory over Schalke that propelled the Bavarian team 15 points clear at the top.
“Alaba’s emergence in arguably the most talented Bayern squad of recent years has been nothing short of spectacular,” said Thorogood.
