Wednesday night at Soldier Field in Chicago, it’s the MLS All-Stars versus Real Madrid, and unfortunately, the brightest star of them all, Cristiano Ronaldo, will not be there. CR7 had a July 31 court date in Spain that he absolutely could not escape, so he never made the trip to Chicago. Real Manager Zinedine Zidane said at MLS All-Star Media Day that CR7 will be back with the team come Aug 5.
Ronaldo is yet to play in a preseason friendly for Los Blancos this summer, as he’s been on delayed holiday following an extended tour of international duty with Portugal. He’s not the only galactico who won’t be around on the shores of Lake Michigan tonight.
James Rodriguez, one of the biggest stars of the 2014 World Cup and owner of the 13th richest player contract in history is now out on loan to Bayern Munich for the season. Backup striker Alvaro Morata became the richest signing in Chelsea history a couple weeks ago. However, there’s still plenty of star power remaining in this game, on both sides.
Let’s look at a top ten, for argument’s sake. This is highly debatable and very subjective, and it’s based on a combination of career accomplishment and individual brand awareness.
1st. Gareth Bale, Real Madrid, Wales
From 2013 to 2016 he reigned as the world’s most expensive player, as Tottenham Hotspur sold him to Real for £85.3 million that summer. The Welsh international is being written about in the transfer market again this summer, with numerous stories linking him to Manchester United. It’s almost certainly not going to happen, but hey, people have papers to sell so they need to write something.
(UPDATE: Bale limps off training yesterday, now putting his status in doubt for this event)
2. Karim Benzema, Real Madrid, France
At least two thirds of the attacking line Zinedine Zidane likes to call “the BBC” (Benzema, Bale Cristiano) will be here. Benzema is a dangerous and deadly finisher who is extremely fun to watch.
3. Sergio Ramos, Real Madrid, Spain
Fourth highest paid member of Los Blancos is considered one of the greatest defenders in the entire world. He’s such a big deal that tomorrow night, a gallery event loosely connected to MLS All-Star week centers around three artists creating works for him.
4. Luka Modric, Real Madrid, Croatia
Modri?, Madrid’s third highest paid player, is widely considered to be one of the best midfielders in the world. In 2015, he became the first Croatian player ever to be included in the FIFA World XI.
5. Bastian Schweinsteiger, Chicago Fire, Germany
Captained the reigning world champions, Germany in the 2014 World Cup. He’s right up there with Der Kaiser Franz Beckenbauer in the pantheon of Deutschland fussball history. Since his arrival at the Chicago Fire, the team has done a total 180.
6. Tim Howard, Colorado Rapids, USA
Camelot existed for “one brief shining moment” and that phrase also describes the period in which Howard was the greatest goalkeeper in the world (2014 World Cup). Of course, Howard has been among the best in the world for a very long time at his position.
7. David Villa, NYCFC, Spain
Front-runner for the MLS MVP award this season is also the first Spanish player to ever reach 50 international goals. He retired from international competition after the 2014 World Cup with 59 in 97 matches, making him Spain’s all-time top goalscorer as well as the country’s top scorer in the World Cup, with nine goals
8. Toni Kroos, Real Madrid, Germany
The midfielder is one of Real’s five highest paid, and arguably five best players. Before coming to the Bernabeu he played for another one of the world’s largest and most successful clubs- Bayern Munich.
9. Clint Dempsey, Seattle Sounders, USA
He’s only just the captain of the United States National Team, and soon to inevitably become the all-time leading scorer as well. Many publications have ranked him the greatest player in USMNT history.
10. Kaka, Orlando City SC, Brazil
Currently the highest paid player in the MLS, with total earnings of $7,167,500, and a $6.6 million base salary, he balled for Madrid from 2009-13.
Simply put there’s always going to be omissions, and disagreements about who should go where when you do these kind of lists, so please have at it in the comments section.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes regularly to WGN CLTV.
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