http://www.goal.com/en/news/2466/goalcom-50/2009/07/13/1374306/goalcom-50-landon-donovan-39 There's the link to Andrea Canales' summary of Landon Donovan's 08-09 season, which ranks him 39th on the Goal 50 list. This is a huge honor for him, and well deserved after leading the MLS in scoring in the 08 season, reasserting himself as the best field player the US has ever had in the Confederations Cup, and leading the National Team in scoring. He's one behind Giuseppe Rossi, but ahead of the likes of Robinho, Luis Fabiano, and John Terry. Not to say that he's better than those players, he just had a better year according to this list. I'm wondering if Onyewu is going to show up in the top 50.
I also found it surprising that he was on this list. Its not a measure of who the top 50 players are, just who had the best year. Even with that in mind, its still very surprising. Donovan was brilliant in MLS despite playing for a horrendous team that lacked talent and was a dysfunctional mess. Despite his individual performance, the Galaxy were still among the worst teams in MLS. He did well in the few opportunities he got in Bayern's friendlies, but his hopes there got undercut when Klinsmann (who brought him in) got fired and the new coach saw him as a fourth striker and preferred a younger prospect. When Donovan got back to the Galaxy, he was again a superior player on an improved, but inferior team. And we all know about his Confederations Cup performance. I think it might be a bit overblown to have him at 39, but he definitely did a lot to get on this list.
Mismiovic finished 32 Kaka was 33. And Onyewu shouldn't be nowhere on the list this would be an insult to the great Footballers that have been added to the list, except for few.
