Can we really define the term ‘world class’?: Featuring United and Arsenal stars

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When gathered around a table in the corner of your local talking football, a phrase that will inevitably crop up is ‘world class.’ Ah, world class. The term we strongly advise should be applied with caution yet still finds itself branded on player after player. A term that we all believe we use with shared understanding of its meaning and boundaries, yet in reality these two words continue to be interpreted in a variety of different ways. What does world class actually mean? How do we define it? Can it be defined?

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There’s no better example of this problematic term in practice than in the case of Wayne Rooney. A man whose capacity for the sublime is matched only by his tendency to go missing, Mr Rooney has found himself at the centre of the world class row at pubs nationwide. Some claim he’s capable of world class moments thus making him a world class talent. Others argue that the Manchester United man has spent far too much of his career out of form to be seriously regarded as world class. Yet, in a discussion where there’s no real consensus over what we mean by world class, how can we ever reach anything close to what feels like right answer? Heck, if one person’s idea of what constitutes world class contrasts wildly with another’s, how can we even begin to have a meaningful discussion on the matter?

In an attempt to resolve this age-old issue, let us consider some potential world class criteria.

Why don’t we keep things simple and decree that world class can only describe players who have appeared in FIFA’s most recent world 11? This way, there’d be neither confusion nor debate, and we’d all know where we stand regarding the term and its definition. On the surface, this feels quite reasonable. Names like Messi, Ronaldo and Neuer are hardly contentious choices after all. Yet this particular suggestion feels over-simplified and unfair. With only one position in goal up for grabs, does this mean that De Gea is excluded from the world class club? Joe Hart? Does the absence of Suarez and Ibrahimovi? mean that they’re just not quite up to that level? Digging deeper, should the players who vote for the world’s best team enjoy absolute power of opinion? If so, why?

Clearly, the world 11 method isn’t satisfactory. FIFA probably shouldn’t be trusted anyway. How about we widen the definition? What if world class was to describe the top five players in each position? That way, the guys unlucky enough to not make the FIFA cut will receive the plaudits they deserve. Let’s do a test run. Your world class midfielders in no particular order: Iniesta, Pogba, Ozil, Silva, Vidal. Again, it feels reasonable. But again this measurement has some glaring drawbacks. How useful are traditional positions in the current footballing climate? Can Messi and Ronaldo be categorised as strikers? And where do the likes of Ozil fit into such rigid categories while he produces his finest form as part of a front three? On the pitch, positions and formations are becoming increasingly fluid making it more difficult than ever to place players conveniently into boxes.

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Scrap that then. Let’s try something different and say any player who performs especially well on a world stage can be considered world class. So, what’s the world stage? Any top-flight competition played on an international level? Or is this far too generous? If Adam Lallana was to earn multiple man of the match awards on route to guiding Liverpool to the Europa League final – would this reasonably suffice? Or must a player perform well against the Barcelona’s and Munich’s of the world to earn the title? Must a player perform well across competitions to be seriously considered as a world class talent?

The more you attempt to unpick the world class conundrum the more complex it becomes. The term’s lack of clear definition has rendered it almost useless and a phrase thrown around back and forth with no real meaning or analytical value.

Do you have a suitable definition? Can world class be a useful term? Get in touch. All suggestions welcome.

Featured Image: All Rights Reserved by Alex Hannam