FDJ has played as CB and DMF but he's a natural number 6 and one of the best ball carriers in world football. Rest of the aforementioned are world class at something. What is Barella world class at?
The way you approached it and assumed, is pretty much dissecting into different attributes, and to qualify as a world class player you need to be world class at one of them.
What you missed out is the impact to the game and the team as the player, sometimes having a world class attribute helps doing it, but knowing what you have and use them to have a world class impact is what makes a world class player in my book.
For Valverde, it depends which team we are talking about, if they both play for Inter or Barca, Valverde 100% will be benched, for Real Madrid, maybe not.
Put it like this way I would rather have Barella on this team than Rodri/Kross/Valverde, but having prime Modric on this team would be better than having Barella. This is why I don't like comparing players directly, it depends on a lot of things besides the player himself.
Also just look back at the Atletico game, he was balling hard in the midfield all by himself with the other 2 disappeared, especially the home game, that is really what I have to say actually. If that isn't world class I don't know what is.
P.S. guess I got more to say after all, also remember the goal he scored to retire Pique, I don't see a lot "WC" midfielders have that movement, touch and shoot all together, Bellingham maybe, but like other pointed out, he isn't even playing as a midfielder anymore.
I mean Brozovic or Icardi would be a better interesting argument if they ever were WC or not, cause they are so borderline, imho they didn't make it, but were so close getting there. (Even Brozovic actually got the third for ballon d'or if I haven't mistaken, and he bossed the midfield against Real at home too)
To me Barella is not the case, it is quite obvious cause he can change the team and the game on a high level, hence WC player.
10 years of FIF
