Who is the World's Best? Candidate 1

This is an 10-part series on my picks for the world's best players. Each candidate gets his own respective section. This is not necessarily in any particular order, just my picks for the best 10 in the world. It's not done by position or country, but based on pure skill. First in the series is Manchester United's Portuguese winger Cristiano Ronaldo:

After a 42-goal season, most say Ronaldo is a shoe-in for the FIFA Player of the Year Award. He has been Manchester United’s most importance player this year, leading them to a double: EPL title and a UEFA Champions League title, while being the leading scorer in both competitions. Cristiano, with his blinding speed and quickness, is becoming one of Europe’s deadliest goalscorers. His step-overs and scissors make him one of the most feared one-on-one players in the world. By scoring headers, screamers, and even cheeky back heels, Ronaldo’s 07/08 season is best remembered for his ability to score goals in different ways, showing great versatility for a winger. At Manchester United, a team that prides itself in counter attacking football, Ronaldo is allowed to freely run at defenders on the break; as a result to this freedom, he scored 43 goals under Ferguson’s guidance and tactics. With space, Ronaldo is the best one-on-one player in the world.

Although Ronaldo’s goalscoring, skills, and athletic ability make him the favorite to win FIFA World Player of the Year, one must wonder if his below-par performances in important games still leave the best player in the world title in the air. His lack of participation and initiative in the Portugal-Germany game and Man Utd-Barcelona series are a couple of examples. Sure, he did score the goal vs. Chelsea in the final of the CL, but he was totally non-existent for the remaining 100 minutes after he scored the game’s opening goal. In addition to his frequent disappearing acts, Ronaldo, at times, tends to play more for the crowd than for his team’s cause. Though he possesses great skill, he is also known for overusing flicks, tricks, and other fancy plays, and when Ronaldo begins to be too clever, he looses the ball often (Man Utd vs. Villareal on CL Match Day 1 or Man Utd vs. Chelsea in 08/09 EPL). Back from his summer ankle surgery, Ronaldo hopes to prove his doubters wrong and show his dominance once again this season. The question still remains: Can Cristiano do it against the best in England and in Europe?