Top 20 Defenders

1. Giorgio Chiellini- nightmare for forwards. holds down the Juventus and Team Italy back lines
2. Mats Hummels- Borussia Dortmund defender known for good foot skills and tackling abilities
3. Dani Alves- great speed, Barcelona's additional attacker as well. another great brazilian
4. Sergio Ramos-how can't you like him? long hair/short hair doesn't matter! he's been at the backlines of Madrid for several years now and is in his prime
5. Vidic- highly touted ManU defender that makes attackers switch feet and positions, creates bad angled shots
6. Thiago Silva- Brazilian international and PSG backliner who comes with a pricey tag. that being said, he's worth every penny
7. Vincent Kompany- Man City's top defender and captain who led City to their first Barclay's championship berth
8. Gerard Pique- Barcelona's best center back, often injured, and he's dating Shakira...he should be number 1 on this list based off that alone
9. Philipp Lahm- he's a stud. quick feet and a powerful strike complement any offense
10. Maicon- City's defender formerly of Inter Milan prestige who has great ability clearing trash from the scoring zone
11. Patrice Evra- like Alves, ManU's extra attacker and captain comes with great skill and vision
12. Ashley Cole- may be 30 now, but he can virtually play any position from his skill alone
13. Thomas Vermaelen- Arsenal's captain and best defender
14. Jan Vertoghen- now a Spur this year, brings his skills to a weak Tottenham backline
15. Daniel Agger- He's simply too good for Liverpool at this time, theres not much else to work with after him
16. David Luiz- another fantastic Brazilian defender, great box ability off of corner kicks with his huge mop of hair
17. Jordi Alba- still young, but Alba comes to an injury depleted Barca backline with great speed and talent. can score too
18. John Terry- hide your wife. Big John Terry comes with much controversy and an aging sense of wit. may be slower now but that doesn't stop him from being a big part in Chelsea's success
19. Gregory van der Wiel- Dutch international who plays like Ashley Cole, virtually same game
20. Pepe- he may be a red card magnet, but plays damn hard when he plays smart

Close misses- Holger Badstuber, Carles Puyol, Fabio Coentrao, Marcelo, Gael Clichy

Top 20 Midfielders

1. Xavi-he completes more passes by himself during a game than some teams do overall; the man is pure class
2. Andres Iniesta-Xavi's complement. Sets up and creates space for Messi & co.
3. Eden Hazard-the 21 year old Belgian sensation has lit up the Ligue 1 and brings his advanced skill set to Stamford Bridge this year
4. Cesc Fabregas-Arsenal, Barcelona, and Spainish stud who can both light up the scoreboard and the assist chart at will
5. Mesut Ozil-the underrated middie whose blinding crosses usually end up on Ronaldo's foot for a secured goal
6. Wesley Sneijder-heavily talented Dutchman on an average Milan team. he makes others around him shine, while showcasing his dead ball abilities
7. Santi Cazorla-new Arsenal signing this year, basically a younger carbon copy of the typical Spanish midfielder
8. David Silva-another Spanish prototype midfielder, lighting up the competition during City's championship run last year
9. Bastian Schweinsteiger-can't say a bad thing about this guy, he's talented and is the straw that keeps together Bayern Munich 
10. Andrea Pirlo- Italian maestro. the coordinator and collected finisher for both Juve and team Italy
11. Arjen Robben-can play both middie and attack, has tremendous speed and has a wicked left-footed shot for a guy lacking a decent hairline
12. Juan Mata-underrated Chelsea swingman who continues the Spanish lineage in the midfield
13. Luka Modric-former Spur now turned Madrid midfielder. heavily talented with great ball control
14. Steven Gerrard-Liverpool FC's most tenured player and captain who remains the reason why fans stay loyal
15. Yaya Toure- quick, great vision and finishing
16. Kaka-this living legend may only be a shadow of his former self at Milan, but boggles this blogger's mind why Jose doesn't utilize him more often 
17. Shinji Kagawa- initially struggling to fit ManU's style, but was a top scoring threat last season for champion Dortmund
18. Xabi Alonso-completes Madrid's midfield with style and grace, also a good defensive dropback
19. Daniele de Rossi- came into the international spotlight with his play in Euro 2012, plays alongside Francesco Totti in Roma's staunch midfield
20. Gareth Bale- damn quick, this Welsh international is a huge fan-favorite for Tottenham

Notable runner-ups: Mikel Arteta. Landon Donovan, Michael Bradley, Sergi Busquets, Franck Ribery, Javier Pastore

Top 20 Forwards

(Cristiano Ronaldo may be considered a midfielder, however plays more of a winger/attack role)

1. Lionel Messi-proven scorer and leader, trophies and titles show everything
2. Cristiano Ronaldo-he's flashy and efficient. raw talent alone proves his status
3. Radamel Falcao-speed, size, finishing. possibly the complete package
4. Edison Cavani-stone-cold scorer with a natural knack for finding the net
5. Robin van Persie-top scorer in Prem League last year. still finding the net easily with ManU
6. Neymar-like Ronaldo, flashy and wows crowds to their feet with raw ability
7. Aguero-City's most prolific scorer, another Argentinian prodigy like Messi
8. Rooney-King Rooney, the most trusted striker for ManU and England
9. Eto'o-may have left mainstream football, but still the same great scorer of old
10. Ibrahimovic-his record of scoring speaks for itself, natural scorer with great size and strength
11. Lewandowski-Borussia Dortmund's leader and best scoring option
12. David Villa-may be aging, but still is Spain's all time leading scorer for a reason. great skill from range
13. Fernando Torres-definitely lost a step, but still is a dangerous threat since finding form
14. Lukas Podolski-prolific scoring record for Germany, Koln, and brings his talent to a deprived Arsenal
15. Carlos Tevez-hot headed Argentinian reborn since his departure, scoring like ManU days
16. Didier Drogba-left for China, still producing at alarming rates after guiding Chelsea for years
17. Mario Gomez-size and strength of a giant, Munich's leader on the pitch
18. Karim Benzema-Madrid's second best option after CR7 is a clinical finisher in the box
19. Clint Dempsey-best American scoring threat in England, USA's top finisher
20. Pablo Osvaldo-little known to fans, AS Roma's top scorer since taking Totti's position

Notable Runners up: Hulk, Soldado, Llorente, Klose, Huntelaar