50 Great Footballers Who Ruled 2012

5. Radamel Falcao (Athletico Madrid)

For any club that has £45 million to spend, then there is no hotter property on the market at the moment than Radamel Falcao. Since signing for Athletico Madrid in August 2011, he has scored 58 goals in only 71 appearances, a scoring record that is virtually unparalleled in Europe at the moment. With Athletico Madrid's victory in the Europa League in 2012, Falcao became the first player in history to win the trophy consecutively with two different clubs, having previously won it with FC Porto in 2011. Falcao scored the most goals for an Athletico Madrid player in their debut season, and in the current season has scored over a goal a game. Falcao continued to set precedents, becoming the first player to score a hattrick in a European Super Cup Final since the reformatting of the competition in 1998, with his complete demolition of the Chelsea defence. It is no wonder that the player has attracted such incredible interest across Europe, and many hope to see this incredible player ply his trade in the Premier League. Unless he doesn't end up playing for your team, in which case you'll wish he'd stayed away. FIFA 13 Rating - 88

4. Andres Iniesta (Barcelona)

Iniesta

There is very little wrong with the way Iniesta plays football, as the ball sticks to his feet until he can find the perfect pass. The relationship he has developed with Xavi at the centre of Barcelona's midfield has worn out every midfield they have encountered and created goal after goal for the ruthless club. In March 2012, Iniesta became the player with the most consecutive matches unbeaten in La Liga, surpassing a record set by Emilio Butragueno. Iniesta was also named the best player of the 2012 Champions League, with stellar performances against AC Milan and Chelsea in Barca's run to the semi-finals. While the season at Barcelona only brought the fortune of the Copa del Rey (but he won't have to wait long for another La Liga medal), his Euro Championship performances were of a tremendous consistency, being both Man of the Match in three of Spain's six matches, including the final, as well as the Player of the Tournament. One of the greatest midfielders in Barcelona's history, he currently bosses the assist chart in La Liga, and will certainly add to that list in their push for the title. FIFA 13 Rating - 90 Read on for our top 3...
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I am a British student currently studying at the University of York, and have a passionate interest in WWE, English football (soccer) and video gaming.