TOP 5 WORLD BEST FOOTBALL STADIUM

1. Wembley Stadium (London)

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Tenants: the English national football team

Opened: 2007

Capacity: 90,000

Notable fixtures: 2011 and 2013 Champions League final, 2012 Olympic football final

Wembley Stadium is, without doubt, the most iconic stadium in world football.

Reopened in 2007, the new Wembley was built on the site of the previous 1923 Wembley Stadium. Famous as one of the most electric atmospheres in world football, the new design has encompassed everything that was great about the original stadium and has added to that further. The famous Twin Towers may no longer be standing, but in their place is the Wembley Arch.

Holding some of the most prestigious events in European and international football is now commonplace at “The Home of Football.”

2. Allianz Arena (Munich)

Tenants: Bayern Munich, 1860 Munich

Opened: 2005

Capacity: 71,437

Notable fixtures: 2012 Champions League final

The beautifully designed Allianz Arena is home to both Munich-based football teams: Bayern Munich and 1860 Munich. It is the only stadium across the Europe that is able to change colours to reflect which of the two teams are playing—red for Bayern and blue for 1860 Munich.

The stadium has been a huge hit with both sets of fans thanks to the fans being closer to the pitch—something that caused an issue at the previous site, the Olympiastadion, which had a running track around the pitch that made for a rather poor atmosphere.

The relatively new Allianz Arena will surely make a name for itself as one of the greatest stadiums in world football for years to come.

3. Santiago Bernabeu (Madrid)

Tenants: Real Madrid, the Spanish national football team

Opened: 1947

Capacity: 85,454

Notable fixtures: 1957, 1969 and 1980 European Cup finals, 2010 Champions League final, 1982 World Cup final

The Santiago Bernabeu is home to one of Europe's most successful club. With nine European titles to their name, Real Madrid's place in the upper echelons of world football is secure, and there could be no more fitting venue for such a club to play.

Originally opened in 1947, the Santiago Bernabeu has since been renovated twice—in 1982 and 2001—in order to match the ambitions of the Galacticos.

The stadium has been home to many of the world's greatest players over the years, with the likes of Ferenc Puskas, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo and Cristiano Ronaldo all strutting their stuff in the famous ground. The world's most expensive player, Gareth Bale, recently moved to the Santiago Bernabeu, reaffirming Real Madrid as a footballing giant.

4. Camp Nou (Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain)

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Tenants: FC Barcelona

Opened: 1957

Capacity: 98,757

Notable fixtures: 1989 European Cup final, 1999 Champions League final

The Camp Nou is Europe's largest football stadium and is home to one of the great football teams. Barcelona's motto “mes que un club” (more than a club) is iconic throughout the footballing world, and their stadium is a huge part of everything Barcelona stands for. It truly is a special club—so much so that they even have a detailed history of their stadium on the club's website.

The capacity of the Camp Nou once eclipsed 120,000 for the 1982 World Cup finals, but due to changes in laws regarding standing in stadiums, it has now been reduced.

Some of the world's greatest footballers have graced the hollowed turf—most notably Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi—which is just another reason why the Camp Nou is one of the finest stadiums in world football.

5. Juventus Stadium (Turin, Italy)

Tenants: Juventus

Opened: 2011

Capacity: 41,254

Notable fixtures: 2014 Europa League final

Although it's by far the newest stadium on the list and has therefore not had the chance to secure a spot near the top, the Juventus Stadium still sits pretty high because of its incredible atmosphere and wonderful design.

Though just over two years old, the stadium already has two Italian scudettos to its name thanks to Juventus' unbeaten 2011/12 season followed by another impressive league-winning campaign in 2012/13.

TOP 5 WORLD BEST GOALKEEPER

1. Manuel Neuer (29) - Bayern Munich and Germany

It was something of a topsy-turvy evening for the giant German as his Bayern side suffered their first defeat of the season at the Emirates Stadium.

In a display of the extremes felt by all goalkeepers at some point, Neuer showed breath-taking reflexes to keep out Theo Walcott’s header, setting social media aflame, before misjudging a relatively simple delivery into the box to gift Olivier Giroud the opening goal.

But despite this, Neuer remains the world’s best goalkeeper. His reactions are almost feline, his shot-stopping abilities second to none.

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Manuel Neuer's heroics kept Pep Guardiola's side level as they went into half-time at 0-0 against Arsenal

What also impresses in a Bayern side that is completely dominant in the majority of matches, is his concentration. Neuer may be redundant for 90 minutes, then pull off the match-saving block.

A serial champion for both club and country - the pinnacle being Germany’s World Cup win last year - Neuer has also redefined the one position on a football field it is almost impossible to redefine with his ‘sweeper-keeper’ style.

The fact Neuer was the only keeper to make the long-list for the Ballon d’Or this week is also testament to the esteem in which he is held by the footballing fraternity. 

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The Germany goalkeeper tops our list after continuing to produce stunning performance for club and country

2. Thibaut Courtois (23) - Chelsea and Belgium

It is unfortunate that a serious knee injury has stalled the development of Courtois for a few months but the 23-year-old remains one of the finest stoppers in the world today.

Chelsea were very shrewd in loaning the Belgian out to Atletico Madrid to allow more regular first-team football, plus exposure to important matches in the Champions League and title run-ins.

Having established himself as a central pillar in Atletico’s recent success both at home and abroad, Courtois returned to Stamford Bridge with nous and ability well beyond his young years.

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Thibaut Courtois is sidelined with a serious knee injury but he remains one of the finest goalkeepers

3. David de Gea (24) - Manchester United and Spain

The relief felt at Old Trafford when De Gea made the decision to stay with Manchester United in the summer, rebuffing the advances of Real Madrid to sign a four-year contract, proved just how vital he is to them.

Still only 24, De Gea has risen quickly in the pantheon of keepers and you only have to watch a compilation of his improbable saves and blocks to see why.

Without doubt the long-term Spain No 1 - and probably Real Madrid’s eventually as well - De Gea often single-handedly won United points last season and with doubt over his future removed, he has continued in that rich vein of form this term.

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David de Gea made a shock U-turn to remain at Manchester United and he has continued to impress

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Still only 24, De Gea, pictured in the 3-0 victory over Everton, has risen quickly in the pantheon of keepers 

4. Joe Hart (28) - Manchester City and England

England’s undisputed No 1 will again have the hopes of a nation on those broad shoulders at the European Championship next summer.

Before then, it’s the day-to-day business of keeping Manchester City at the top of the table in the Premier League and making that long-awaited breakthrough in the Champions League with his top class shot-stopping skills.

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Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart is England's undisputed No 1 with his top-class shot-stopping skills

5. Hugo Lloris (28) - Tottenham Hotspur and France

The Frenchman was Manchester United’s go-to signing had David de Gea decided to leave in the summer and there would have been few complaints from the Old Trafford faithful.

But Lloris remains at Spurs, bringing his impressive array of reflex saves and command of the penalty area to bear as Mauricio Pochettino’s team continue to try and break into the top four.

Captain of his national team, Lloris will be integral to French hopes of winning the European Championship in their own backyard next summer.

TOP 5 BEST FOOTBALL LEAGUE

1. English Premier League

Goals Per Game: 1.33

Red Cards Per Game: 0.06

Continental Wins: 26

Point Differential: 31

Based on the criteria laid out to determine the best statistical league in the world, the English Premier League has it all.

The EPL ranked fifth overall in goals per game, second in discipline, second in continental victories and fourth in point differential. 

In all but one of those categories, the EPL triumphed over La Liga and the Bundesliga. 

Domestically, the English are helped by a league with an enormous amount of parity as the gap between first and last is only 31 points. 

If you dig deeper, 11 clubs are separated by six points at the bottom of the table, which means table fluctuation is normal in England. 

Continentally, the English clubs packed a big punch with six clubs qualifying for the knockout rounds of the Champions League and Europa League. 

The 26 wins spread across seven clubs presented us with the best wins-per-team average in Europe at 3.71, which was 0.21 higher than the Bundesliga and 0.43 more than La Liga. 

 2. Bundesliga

Goals Per Game: 1.59

Red Cards Per Game: 0.11

Continental Wins: 21

Point Differential: 33

The difference between second and third was marginal, but the Bundesliga did beat out La Liga on a few statistics. 

Right away, the first stat that the Bundesliga has a strong advantage in is goals per game, a number that is not held down by the bottom half of the table in Germany.

All but three clubs in Germany have scored over 20 goals this season. The three teams that have failed to score that many are all in the relegation zone. 

At the European level, the Germans may have two fewer wins than the Spanish, but they also have one less team in the two continental competitions. 

Both Bayern Munich and Eintracht Frankfurt contributed five wins in Europe while Borussia Dortmund handed the Germans four wins and three each were delivered by Bayer Leverkusen and Schalke. Despite being eliminated in the Europa League, Freiburg brought home an European win as well. 

The point differential also played in favor of the Germans despite having two fewer teams in their domestic league.

If you were to take away the bottom two in Spain from the table, the Germans would still have a better point differential, albeit by just one point. 

3.La Liga

Goals Per Game: 1.45 

Red Cards Per Game: 0.12

Continental Wins: 23 

Point Differential: 39

Spain has long been known for being a two or three-club league, which is a factor that may have hurt them a little bit as the difference between the top three leagues was minimal.

The point differential from Atletico Madrid to Real Betis in the league table is 39, while the gap between first and fourth place is 14. 

Scoring goals is no issue for the top three clubs in the league, who average between 2.5 and 2.7 goals per game, but there is a problem when it comes to scoring at the bottom of the table, which explains the league average of 1.45 goals per game. 

The one positive that the top three of Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Real Madrid bring to the table here is their continental wins, which total 14 between the trio. 

Valencia and Sevilla also won their group titles in the Europa League, making La Liga a big-time threat in the knockout rounds of both competitions, a quality that helped them earn this third-place ranking.

4 Ukrainian Premier League

Goals Per Game: 1.26

Red Cards Per Game: 0.04

Continental Wins: 12

Point Differential: 33 

You may be surprised at first when seeing the Ukrainian Premier League this high on the list, but after a deep look, they do have a strong and enjoyable domestic league based on the stats. 

The average of 1.26 goals per game played was right in the middle of the pack when judging the 10 leagues on the list, but what really stuck out was the discipline of all 16 clubs in the Eastern European league. 

Only 11 red cards have been handed out this season in Ukraine, which is the lowest amount across all leagues that were evaluated.

Another thing that stands out about Ukrainian football is that their teams do put up a good showing in Europe as represented by their 12 wins on the continental level this season.

While Shakhtar Donetsk did not star in the UEFA Champions League, Chornomorets Odesa, Dynamo Kyiv and Dnipro all finished second in their respective groups in the UEFA Europa League.

All four of those clubs will enter the Europa League knockout stage in February with a good chance to advance far in the tournament. 

5.Eredivise

Goals Per Game:  1.71

Red Cards Per Game: 0.13

Continental Wins: 7

Point Differential: 22

Believe it or not, the Dutch top flight came in first in two statistical categories: goals per game and point differential. 

While the Dutch certainly have an entertainment factor to their domestic football, they also have some volatility in it too as they had the second-highest red cards per game of the 10 leagues on the list. 

The one major downfall of the Dutch league is that it fails to translate on the European level as they have just two teams left in continental competition in Ajax and AZ, both of whom are in the Europa League. 

Had the Dutch teams been able to handle their own in Europe, they may have sneaked into the top three, or even higher. 

TOP 5 WORLD BEST MIDFIELDER

1. Andres Iniesta (Barcelona, Spain)

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The epitome of class, Andres Iniesta has won it all and been an integral part of both Barcelona and Spain’s success in recent times. Barca fans affectionately call him “El Cerebro” (The Brain), which perfectly sums up the manner in which Iniesta plays the game. He possesses incredible vision for the game, and when he has this and fantastic dribbling and passing ability it makes him one of the most dangerous players in the world. He has excelled next to his partner in crime, Xavi Hernandez, who appears to be in decline but Iniesta certainly has a few years left in him.

The 30-year-old was recently included in the FIFA FIFPRO World XI for the 6th consecutive year, despite it not being a terrific year for Iniesta and Barcelona. With six La Liga titles, two Copa Del Rey trophies, three Champions League titles and a World Cup and two UEFA European trophies for Spain, Iniesta’s greatness cannot be disputed.

2. Yaya Toure (Manchester City, Ivory Coast)

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Although he has not been as commanding this season, on his day Yaya Toure is completely unstoppable. His size, strength and speed give him all the physical attributes he needs, but he is also highly intelligent and an excellent passer with a thunderous shot. Often after breaking up a play you will see Toure storm through the centre of the pitch like a runaway freight train, casting aside any player that tries to dispossess him. A terrifying sight for any team, he can then pick the right pass or take it on himself with a thumping shot that no keeper can stop. Few players dominate the middle of the park like Yaya Toure; he is the driving force behind a star studded City team.

3. Paul Pogba (Juventus, France)

Given how good he is already, it's a scary thought for midfielders around the world that the 22-year-old still has so much scope for improvement. Pogba has everything the modern midfielder, and indeed the modern player, could want -- technique, power and speed -- in abundance. Manchester United must curse every day the fact that they allowed him to leave.

4. Mesut Özil  (Arsenal, Germany)

After an injury in the first half of the season, Ozil returned strongly and showed that, despite some of the often unfair criticism he has faced at Arsenal, he remains one of the world’s very best creative players.

5. Ángel di María (Paris Saint-Germain, Argentina)

A hugely influential campaign with Real Madrid saw Di Maria take his place among the world’s very best players a year ago. But it was a trying first season at Manchester United on the back of his British-record £57.7 million transfer. Still, there is evert chance that the dynamic attacker will star once again following his move to Paris Saint-Germain.