Top 10 Best players in world football as of 2013 July

Much is said about the rivalry between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as who is the best player in the world right now.

While they are the two greatest at present, there are many more lurking in the shadows to follow in their paths. Here's a look at arguably the top ten players in world football today.

10. Robert Lewandowski | Borussia Dortmund
The Polish striker is one of the hottest properties in world football at the moment. His four goals against Real Madrid in the Champions League semi final first leg earned Borussia Dortmund a date with domestic rivals Bayern Munich at Wembley on the 20th of May to decide who will become the champions of Europe this season. With ten goals in the tournament this season, it's easy to see why some of the world's biggest clubs have Lewandowski on their radar.

It's not just the Champions League where the striker has shined as his form in the Bundesliga has been fantastic to say the least. He is currently the league's top scorer with 23 goals in 27 appearances which included a run of scoring in 12 consecutive matches during the current campaign. Lewandowski's contract runs out next summer and the striker has stated he has no plans to renew it which suggests that Borussia Dortmund will want to cash in even if it means losing their star player.

A number of top European clubs are reportedly interested in capturing the striker's signature. Among them are Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Manchester United. One thing remains certain, whichever club are successful in signing the Polish striker they will be adding one of the best strikers in the world today to their team.

9. Gareth Bale | Tottenham Hotspur

A couple of years ago, Tottenham considered selling Bale after early promise following signing from Southampton, he'd failed to live up to his potential. Now, the Welsh winger is considered the best player in the Premier League. He received the PFA Players Player of the Year award for the second time in his career as well as the PFA Young Player of the Year for his staggering performances for the London club this season. With constant speculation surrounding his future, it may not be long before we see Bale lining up for Barcelona or Real Madrid.

There has been speculation linking the Welshman to both Spanish clubs in the past, particularly since he was named the PFA Player of the Year in 2011. No doubt Tottenham's key player, Bale has scored 24 goals in 40 appearances in all competitions this season and 19 of these have been in the Premier League meaning there's still an outside chance he could win the golden boot at the end of the current campaign.

Following the departures of Luka Modric to Real Madrid and Rafael van der Vaart to Hamburg, many people questioned whether Tottenham still had the credentials to challenge for a Champions League spot this season. With that Bale has really stepped up his game and has had his best campaign yet. With his side two points behind rivals Arsenal in the battle for fourth place, we could yet see Bale give more full backs nightmares when the Champions League commences in September, as Maicon and Inter Milan will remember.

8. Zlatan Ibrahimovic | Paris St. Germain
He may have had more clubs than Tiger Woods, but the Big Swede's record of winning trophies at every side he's played with makes him one of the most valuable players in the world right now. He looks set to win Ligue 1 with current club Paris St. Germain this season and is the top scorer in the league with 27 goals. Since joining Ajax in 2001, the striker has won the Eredivisie twice, the Serie A four times (three with Inter Milan, one with A.C. Milan) and La Liga once with Barcelona.

Ibrahimovic boasts a fantastic strike rate, scoring on a ratio of one every two games as well as being somewhat of a creative genius, providing more than 100 assists throughout his career thus far. While he is often criticised for his work rate during matches, he regularly pulls off a moment of brilliance even on a bad day. His goals against France at the European Championship and against England in a friendly last year exemplify the striker's superior technique and finishing.

When Ibrahimovic joined PSG last summer he became the most expensive player in combined transfer fees of all time. A total of €180 million has been paid for the striker throughout his career. However it seems like money well spent by the French club as the forward's goals have been key to the Paris side's domestic success this season.

7. Franck Ribery | Bayern Munich

Possibly the best French player of his generation, Franck Ribery has been instrumental in helping Bayern Munich surge to the Bundesliga title and also the final of the Champions League at Wembley later this month. Known for his pace, energy, skill and accurate passing, the French winger has no doubt been one of the best players in the world over the last few years.

He doesn't grab the headlines like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, but if Bayern are to lift the giant Champions League trophy come the 20th of May then they have a lot to thank Ribery for. He proved his class during his side's 7-0 aggregate win over Barcelona in the semi final of the competition. The likes of Andres Iniesta and Xavi could only watch as the Frenchman broke away at speed to create endless opportunities for his teammates which ultimately helped the German side earn a place in the final against domestic rivals Borussia Dortmund.

You know you're something special when the legendary Zinedine Zidane considers you to be the ''jewel of French football.'' Having scored more than 50 goals for Bayern as well as providing over 100 assists in six years with the newly crowned Bundesliga champions, it's not hard to see why.

6. Radamel Falcao | Atletico Madrid

Known as the king of the Europa League, Radamel Falcao is arguably the deadliest striker in the world at present. Having been listed for the FIFA XI team of 2012, Falcao has continued his great goal-scoring form this season with 32 goals from 36 appearances in all competitions. His goal to games ratio is outstanding particularly since his days with Porto as he won the Europa League with Portuguese side and was the top scorer with 17 goals in 14 games during that campaign.

No less impressive was his triumph in the same competition with current club, Atletico Madrid. Winning the Europa League following a 3-0 over domestic rivals, Athletic Bilbao, Falcao was once again top scorer with 12 goals which earned him his nickname.

Falcao has been often speculated with a move to Chelsea who are still desperate for a prolific striker. The Colombian would certainly add more goals to the London club and is capable of great things, as he showed against The Blues in the Super Cup last year, scoring a hat-trick in a 4-1 win. Possibly the greatest natural striker in the world at the moment and come this summer he could be featuring for one of Europe's top teams.

5. Xavi | Barcelona
The pass master and the key to both Spain and Barcelona's recent success. Xavi is regarded as one of the best midfielders of his generation and maybe even of all time. Xavi is the orchestrator and makes the space which gives Lionel Messi the freedom to score goals at will. He has been selected in the UEFA team of the year five times in a row and has been as influential as always with Barcelona looking set to regain the La Liga title.

A one club man, Xavi has spent his entire career with Barcelona joining the Catalan club's first team in 1998. He has played more than 650 games for the side alongside the likes of Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto'o, Andres Iniesta, Patrick Kluivert and of course Lionel Messi. Xavi was at the peak of his powers when Pep Guardiola was managing the club and used the Spanish midfielder as a playmaker who created opportunities repeatedly for his team.

Xavi also has 120 caps for Spain and remains an integral part of the international team even at the age of 33. It will be a long time before we see another player like Xavi with that kind of vision, stamina and ability to create chances.

4. Robin van Persie | Manchester United

The Dutchman has picked up with Manchester United right where he left off with Arsenal. Last season's Premier League top scorer with 30 goals is on course to retain the golden boot with 25 goals this term. None were more dramatic than his hat-trick against Aston Villa as United won the league for a 20th time and with it, Van Persie won the first Premier League title of his career.

Following a controversial move from North London to Manchester in August last year, the striker scored his first goal at Old Trafford in 3-2 win over Fulham. Van Persie added some much needed class to the United attack and helped the club leapfrog rivals Manchester City at the Premier League's summit.

Struggling with injuries prior to last season, Van Persie has finally realised his full potential and has become in my view the best natural striker in the world. With 29 goals and eight assists in all competitions so far this season, Van Persie despite costing £24 million for a player approacing 30-years-old has been money spent very well by Sir Alex Ferguson.

3. Andres Iniesta | Barcelona

The Spanish national team's key player is arguably the best midfielder in the world today. His goal against the Netherlands in the 2010 World Cup final cemented his place in the history books and at the end of last year he was voted third in the running for the Ballon d'Or, which was ultimately won by teammate Lionel Messi.

Iniesta has been considered as one of the greatest midfielders to ever play for the Catalan club and has been selected for the UEFA Team of the Year and the FIFA World XI the last four years in a row. He looks set to win his sixth La Liga title with Barcelona this season and was also named the player of the tournament in Spain's truimph at the European Championship last year.

His partnership with Xavi in the middle of midfield for club and country has proved formidable and pivotal to the recent success of both Barcelona and Spain. Iniesta will no doubt be a key figure for his country at the World Cup in Brazil next year.

2. Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid

The 28 year old's goal record for Spanish giants Real Madrid is nothing short of phenomenal. Averaging more than a goal a game with 197 strikes in 195 matches. Despite Los Blancos being knocked out of the Champions League semi final by Borussia Dortmund, Ronaldo remains the competition's top scorer this season with 12 goals.

He continues to have an ongoing rivalry with Lionel Messi for world's best player and although it is the Argentine forward that usually comes out on top, the Portuguese winger is certainly not far behind. He received the Ballon d'Or award during his playing days with Manchester United and has been voted Portuguese footballer of the year on the last eight occasions.

Need I mention that Ronaldo is the most expensive player in history following an £80 million from Old Trafford to the Santiago Bernabeu. His 60 league goals for Los Blancos last season helped him to a first La Liga trophy and although Barcelona look set to regain the league title this year, Ronaldo's Real will be hungry for success once again next term.

1. Lionel Messi | Barcelona

Hardly surprising who is number one when you think of all he has achieved in a relatively short career so far. Messi is consistently rated as the best player in the world at present and one of the greatest of all time. There are many reasons why, when Messi plays well Barcelona plays well which often leads to the Catalan club being labelled as a one man team. Yes they do have other great players, but Messi has been the catalyst to the club's success both domestically and in Europe.

A four time Ballon d'Or winner, Messi has received the award on the last four occasions which is a record as well as being selected for the FIFA World XI for the last six years running. The Argentine forward also holds the record for most goals scored in a calendar year with an incredible 91 in all competitions for club and country in 2012. He also became the first player ever to score against every team in La Liga when he netted against Celta Vigo in March earlier this year.

A niggling hamstring injury has kept Messi from reaching the kind of heights of last season, yet he still has 58 goals in all competitions. He was an innocent bystander as Bayern Munich emphatically knocked Barcelona out of the Champions League semi final with a 7-0 aggregate win. Messi however remains the best player in the world and I think it will be a long time before anyone dethrones the Argentine superstar.

Who do you think are the best ten players in the world today?

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'Azzam' - the World's largest & fastest Super-yacht

The Azzam is 590-feet long, 68-feet wide and can travel at a speed of over 30 knots & The hulking superyacht is longer than a football field, larger than the US Navy's Arleigh Burke-class destroyer and more capacious than many popular cruise ships.

With the launch of the gleaming new Azzam, Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich can no longer lay claim to being the owner of the world's largest superyacht.

At 590- feet long, the Azzam is 57-feet longer than Abramovich's mighty Eclipse -- previously the largest yacht on the waves. The hulking superyacht is significantly longer than a football field, larger than the US Navy's Arleigh Burke-class destroyer and more capacious than many popular cruise ships.

Last month, the behemoth eased cautiously out of its shipyard in Bremen, Germany, ushered by a team of powerful tugboats which were dwarfed by its enormous scale. The yacht has been kept under wraps throughout its construction for the past three years.

The identity of the huge boat's owner remains a mystery, but some speculate that it belongs to a powerful Middle Eastern billionaire.

The superyacht took one year to design and three years to build. Lürssen Managing Partner Peter Lürssen says that the Azzam 'represents a milestone in yachting history.'

Just building the yacht cost a staggering $605 million -- a fee which doesn't even begin to take into account the sky-high costs of its annual upkeep. In his book on the Lady Linda superyacht, author G. Bruce Knecht said that, "operating and maintaining a yacht is at least 10% of what the thing cost." By which estimation, just keeping the Azzam on the water could cost as much as $60 million every year.

The project was brought to fruition by Mubarak Saad al Ahbabi, who assembled a triumvirate of yacht-building super stars: the Azzam's engineering was done by premier German shipbuilding company Lürssen, the exterior design was by Nauta Yachts and the interior was composed by Christophe Leoni.

At present, very little is known about the interior detailing of the vessel. A spokesperson for Lürssen said "the yacht is still under construction, and I doubt that we will get permission to shoot her even when she is ready."

The vessel is powered by two gas turbines and two diesel engines, with a total of 94,000 horse power.

Experts suggest that the interior could match or even surpass the opulence of Abramovich's yacht which is equipped with two helipads, two swimming pools, a cinema, a disco and a mini-submarine that can dive to 150-feet to explore the ocean floor. Bullet-proof glass and armor plating lines Abramovich's master bedroom, and the boat has its own missile defence system.

The Azzam is described as having a "sophisticated and luxurious interior in a turn of the century Empire style." Although his primary work is not in yachting, French interior decorator Christophe Leoni says he is "confident that the final yacht is everything and more the owner expects."

TheYachtPhoto's Peter Seyfferth commented: "For a yacht of this size, I think that she looks amazingly elegant and sleek."

As well as its prodigious length, the yacht also travels at a record-breaking pace. With a top speed of over 30 knots (around 34 mph), the Azzam is considered to be the fastest superyacht on the sea.

The Azzam is the latest in a line of vessels to have held the mantle of world's largest yacht. Prior to the Eclipse, the 482-foot Prince Abdulaziz, owned by the Saudi royal family, held the record for 22 years. And before it, the Rising Sun was briefly the record-holder. Built by American businessman Larry Ellison, The Rising Sun came in at 454-feet and cost $200 million.

With many more billionaires around the world eager to inscribe their names into the history books, it is anyone's guess quite how long the Azzam will remain at the top. For now, its mystery owner can revel in the knowledge that his or her boat is at the very pinnacle of the yachting pecking order.

Source and Read more news around the world: CNN

Five things you didn't know About British Royal babies

Amid all the excitement and wall-to-wall media coverage about the eagerly-awaited new addition to the royal family, you may think you know all you could ever want to about royal babies. But did you know...

A government minister used to be present at royal births, to make sure the baby was not switched

The practice is believed to have begun in 1688, when dozens of officials watched Mary of Modena, wife of James II, give birth to a son, to scotch rumors that Mary was not really pregnant and that the baby was to be smuggled into the room in a bedpan.

The tradition continued well into the 20th century. The last royal birth to be witnessed by a government minister was that of Queen Elizabeth II's cousin, Princess Alexandra in 1936, and the practice was only officially halted shortly before the birth of Prince Charles in 1948.

Royal husbands have not always attended the birth of their children
Queen Elizabeth II may not have had to contend with ministerial interference in her birth plan, but she also didn't have her husband there for support; while she gave birth to Prince Charles, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh was busy playing squash.



Prince Charles was on hand when Diana had Prince William, but William himself may not be there for his own child's birth -- expected any day now -- if he's at work as a search-and-rescue pilot when the big moment arrives.

If for any reason William can't get to the hospital on time, the Duchess of Cambridge is reported to have asked her mother, Carole Middleton, to be there to support her.

Queen Victoria was the first royal to use anesthesia in childbirth

The long-reigning monarch and mother-of-nine was given chloroform for pain relief during the births of her eighth and ninth children, Prince Leopold (born in 1853) and Princess Beatrice (born in 1857).

Her decision to opt for an anesthetic is credited with popularizing the use of painkillers during childbirth among the well-to-do of the time.

John Snow, the doctor who administered the drug, is better known as one of the founding fathers of epidemiology, after he traced a deadly outbreak of cholera to a Soho water pump.

Prince William was the first heir to the throne to be born in hospital
William was born in the private Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, on June 21, 1982. His brother was born at the same hospital two years later, and William's new son or daughter is also expected to come into the world there.

While that might seem the normal way of things, in fact it was something of a break with tradition -- until then, all heirs to the throne had been born at home (or at one of the royal family's homes at least).

Prince Charles was born at Buckingham Palace; Elizabeth II herself was born in the Mayfair home of her grandfather in 1926 -- though at the time she was not expected to become queen as her uncle, and not her father, was next in line to the throne.

Titled royal babies do not have surnames
Members of the royal family are famously burdened with plenty of names -- Prince William was christened William Arthur Philip Louis, and his father is Charles Philip Arthur George -- but many (those titled His or Her Royal Highness) do not have a surname.

Prince William and Prince Harry have used "Wales" at school and during their military careers, but this comes from their father's official title as Prince of Wales. William and Kate may continue to use this for their new baby.

As descendants of Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh, they could also use Windsor, or Mountbatten-Windsor -- both of which are relatively new inventions, adopted during World War I to disguise the family's German origins.

Alternatively, the royal parents-to-be could even opt to found their own dynasty, using "Cambridge" as a surname.

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J.K. Rowling facts

Here is a look at the life of J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter book series.

Personal:
Birth date: July 31, 1965

Birth place: Gloucestershire, England

Birth name: Joanne Rowling

Father: Peter Rowling, aircraft factory manager

Mother: Anne (Volant) Rowling, lab technician

Marriages: Neil Murray (December 26, 2001-present); Jorge Arantes (1992-1995, divorced)

Children: with Murray: Mackenzie Jean, January 23, 2005; David Gordon, March 24, 2003; with Arantes: Jessica, July 27, 1993

Education: University of Exeter, B.A. in French and the Classics, 1986; Moray House School of Education at The University of Edinburgh, 1995-1996, received a postgraduate certificate in modern languages.

Other Facts:
Born Joanne Rowling (pronounced roll-ing), she has said that her publishers wanted another initial so she gave herself the middle name Kathleen, after her paternal grandmother.

J.K. Rowling is now one of the richest women in the United Kingdom.

The Harry Potter movies were nominated for 12 Academy Awards.

Timeline:
1971 - Writes her first book, "Rabbit," at age six.

1987 - Works as a human rights researcher for Amnesty International.

1990 - Comes up with the idea for Harry Potter on a train ride from Manchester to London.

1991-1993 - Teaches English in Portugal.

1994 - On public assistance and living in Edinburgh, Scotland, she writes "Harry Potter and the Philosophers' Stone" in coffeehouses while her daughter naps.

July 1997 - "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" (UK title) first printing.

September 1998 - "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" (U.S. title) first printing.

June 2, 1999 - The second book in the series, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," is released in the United States. It was published in the United Kingdom on July 2, 1998.

September 9, 1999 - The third book, "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," is published in the United States. It was released in the UK on July 8, 1999.

1999 - Scholastic, the American publisher of the Harry Potter series, is sued by Nancy Stouffer on grounds of trademark infringement. Stouffer claims elements from the Harry Potter series were taken from her 1984 book "The Legend of Rah and the Muggles."

July 8, 2000 - "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," the fourth book in the series is published simultaneously in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and Australia.

March 2, 2001 - Is awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE) by H.R.H. Prince Charles.

March 2001 - Rowling releases "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" and "Quidditch Through the Ages," two books that appear in the Harry Potter series. The proceeds of more than £17 million are donated to the charity Comic Relief.

November 2001 - The first film, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," opens.

2002 - Tops a British survey as the richest woman in Britain, having made more than £48 million in 2001.

2002 - The 1999 lawsuit against Scholastic is dismissed when the judge rules that Nancy Stouffer "perpetrated a fraud" on the court.

June 21, 2003 - "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," the fifth book in the series is published.

2004 - Forbes estimates Rowling's worth at $1 billion, making her the first billion-dollar author.

July 16, 2005 - The sixth book, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," is released.

September 6, 2005 - Unveiling of J.K. Rowling's official portrait for the National Portrait Gallery of London.

July 21, 2007 - The seventh and final book, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," is released and sells 8.3 million copies in the United States in its first 24 hours.

October 2007 - Along with Warner Brothers, sues publishing house RDR Books for copyright infringement regarding the Harry Potter brand. RDR is planning to release an encyclopedia of the seven Harry Potter books. Rowling is planning her own book of the same nature with the proceeds to go to charity.

June 5, 2008 - Delivers the commencement address at Harvard University and also receives an honorary degree.

September 8, 2008 - Wins lawsuit against RDR Books' Steven Jan Vander Ark, the author of a lexicon of the world of Harry Potter. The judgment blocks publication and awards damages of $6,750.

September 20, 2008 - Announces she donated £1 million to the Labour Party.

January 16, 2009 - Vander Ark's rewritten and renamed book, "The Lexicon: An Unauthorized Guide to Harry Potter Fiction and Related Materials," is released. This book is supposed to be a complete reference work for all seven Harry Potter novels.

February 2009 - French President Nicolas Sarkozy presents the Legion of Honor award to Rowling.

June 2009 - Rowling and her British publisher, Bloomsbury, are named in a lawsuit filed in London when relatives for the estate of writer Adrian Jacobs, who died in 1997, claim Rowling plagiarized her fourth book "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" and other material from Jacobs' 1987 book "The Adventures of Willy the Wizard."

2010 - Donates £10 million for a research clinic at The University of Edinburgh. The Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic is named after Rowling's mother, who died in 1990 from complications related to multiple sclerosis.

June 18, 2010 - Grand opening of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.

July 2010 - The heirs of Adrian Jacobs extend the lawsuit to include Scholastic, the American publishers of "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire."

October 1, 2010 - In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Rowling says she hasn't ruled out adding a few new titles to the Harry Potter book series.

November 19, 2010 - The movie "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1" opens in the UK and the United States. Rowling is listed as a producer.

January 2011 - A federal judge in New York dismisses the U.S. plagiarism case filed by the relatives of Adrian Jacobs.

June 23, 2011 - Via YouTube Rowling announces a new project, a website, Pottermore.com, that will be an "online reading experience like no other." - part digital interactive playground and part e-store where the entire series will be available as e-books for the first time.

July 15, 2011 - The final movie in the series, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2," opens in the United States and the UK. Rowling is credited as a producer.

July 2011 - The British plagiarism lawsuit filed by the relatives of Adrian Jacobs ends after the claimants fail to pay the mandated security amount.

November 24, 2011 - Testifies before the Leveson Inquiryregarding journalistic standards in the UK. In her testimony she reviews parts of her 33 page statement given November 2, where she states that some members of the British journalism community engage in, "...behaviour that is illegal, and I think unjustifiably intrusive."

April 16, 2012 - Pottermore.com goes live. Rowling announces she's writing a Harry Potter encyclopedia with the proceeds to be donated to charity.

May 8, 2012 - Rowling is granted the Freedom of the City of London, one of the oldest traditional ceremonies.

September 27, 2012 - Releases new book, "The Casual Vacancy," her first novel specifically geared toward adults.

Source & Read more: CNN