(I'll copy from my post in other forum)
IGN's article
"Approaching 90 minutes, down a goal, a shot at the Cup on the line. Coach is screaming at you, even your teammates are screaming at you: get the ball to your stars. In crunch time in the upcoming 2006 FIFA World Cup, you'll need to play to your strengths if you want to play in Berlin, and that means utilizing the best players in the world and using their unique abilities to put the ball in the net. Send speedster Michael Owen a deep through ball and let him run to it. Dribble down the wing with Ronaldinho, cross with Beckham, head it home with Crespo.
EA's broken down the star players into eight categories and we've got the top ten players in each, doing what they do best.
Ball Winners
Ball Winners are technically superior defenders with a great positional sense and they are especially proficient at tackling and marking. Use these players to stop the opposition's top players and break up their attacking momentum.
1. Vincent Kompany, Belgium
2. Daniel Agger, Denmark
3. John Terry, England
4. Sami Hyypiä, Finland
5. Patrick Viera, France
6. Alessandro Nesta, Italy
7. Ricardo Carvalho, Portugal
8. Nemanja Vidic, Serbia & Montenegro
9. Kim Källström, Sweden
10. Philippe Senderos, Switzerland
Clinical Finishers
Clinical Finishers are highly-skilled attacking players that know how to put the ball in the net. They make well timed runs, work well under pressure, and take shots with the right mixture of power and accuracy. To explore these players abilities get into one-on-one situations with the keeper.
1. Hernán Crespo, Argentina
2. Ronaldo, Brazil
3. Jon Dahl Tomasson, Denmark
4. Michael Owen, England
5. Thierry Henry, France
6. Jaime Lozano, Mexico
7. Ruud van Nistelrooy, Netherlands
8. Mateja Kezman, Serbia & Montenegro
9. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Sweden
10. Andriy Shevchenko, Ukraine
Dribble Kings
Dribble Kings are some of the most skillful players in the game. They have great ball control and are able to twist and turn even with defenders in close proximity. Try to get the ball to these players in wide areas of the pitch and use their supreme ball control skills to dribble past defenders.
1. Harry Kewell, Australia
2. Ronaldinho, Brazil
3. Pavel Nedved, Czech Republic
4. Bastian Schweinsteiger, Germany
5. Francesco Totti, Italy
6. Arjen Robben, Netherlands
7. Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal
8. Damien Duff, Republic Of Ireland
9. El-Hadji Diouf, Senegal
10. Landon Donovan, USA
Heading Masters
Heading Masters are dominant players when the ball is in the air. They are equally capable at coping with long balls and crosses or scoring spectacular goals with their heads. Try to look for these players on corners and free kicks.
1. Hernán Crespo, Argentina
2. Tim Cahill, Australia
3. Didier Drogba, Côte d'Ivoire
4. Dado Prso, Croatia
5. Jan Koller, Czech Republic
6. Sami Hyypiä, Finland
7. Michael Ballack, Germany
8. Luca Toni, Italy
9. Dirk Kuyt, Netherlands
10. Sheyi Emmanuel Adebayor, Togo
Long Shot Specialists
Long shot specialists are able to shoot the ball with great power and accuracy from outside the penalty area. They score spectacular goals on a regular basis and defenders need to keep a close eye on them at all times. Try to use quick passes to confuse defenders to create enough space for the Long Shot specialist to get a clear shot sight on goal.
1. Juan Román Riquelme, Argentina
2. Ravel Nedved, Czech Republic
3. Steven Gerrard, England
3. Frank Lampard, England
4. Zinedine Zidane, France
5. Michael Ballack, Germany
6. Alessandro Del Piero, Italy
7. Rafael van der Vaart, Netherlands
8. John Arne Riise, Norway
10. Alvaro Recoba, Uruguay
Pass Masters
Pass Masters are the playmakers on the team. They use their exceptional field vision to distribute accurate long passes and thru-passes for teammates. These players can be can be especially effective on counter-attacks when one accurate pass can turn defense into offense.
1. Pablo César Aimar, Argentina
2. Kaká, Brazil
3. Tomás Rosicky, Czech Republic
4. David Beckham, England
5. Yossi Benayoun, Israel
6. Francesco Totti, Italy
7. Deco, Portugal
8. Dejan Stankovic, Serbia & Montenegro
9. Hakan Yakin, Switzerland
10. Alvaro Recoba, Uruguay
Powerhouses
Powerhouses are physically dominant players that are almost impossible to knock off the ball. Use their strength and power to keep possession of the ball while you wait for teammates to make supporting runs.
1. Mark Viduka, Australia
2. Ronaldo, Brazil
3. Didier Drogba, Côte d'Ivoire
4. Thomas Gravesen, Denmark
5. Wayne Rooney, England
6. Patrick Viera, France
7. Michaël Essien, Ghana
8. Luca Toni, Italy
9. Fernando Torres, Spain
10. Andriy Shevchenko, Ukraine
Speed Merchants
Speed Merchants are the fastest players in the game. They can reach their top speeds quickly and maintain it over long distances. Try knocking the ball into space with a thru-pass for these players to break free of the defense and create scoring opportunities.
1. Harry Kewell, Australia
2. Samuel Eto'o, Cameroon
3. Milan Baros, Czech Republic
4. Michael Owen, England
5. Thierry Henry, France
6. Lukas Podolski, Germany
7. Obafemi Martins, Nigeria
8. Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal
9. Joaquín, Spain
10. DaMarcus Beasley, United States"
EDIT: Just did some editing in the very same list to do some per country listing, here you go:
Argentina
1 Hernan Crespo Heading Master & Clinical Finisher
2 Juan Roman Riquelme Long Shot Specialist
3 Pablo Cesar Aimar Pass Master
Australia
1 Tim Cahill Heading Master
2 Mark Viduka Power House
3 Harry Kewell Speed Merchant & Dribble King
Belgium
1 Vincent Kompany, Ball Winner
Brazil
1 Ronaldinho Dribble King
2 Ronaldo Clinical Finisher & Power House
3 Kaka Pass Master
Cameroon
1 Samuel Eto'o Speed Merchant
Cote d'Ivoire
1 Didier Drogba Power House & Heading Master
Croatia
1 Dado Prso Heading Master
Czech Republic
1 Pavel Nedved Dribble King & Long Shot Specialist
2 Jan Koller Heading Master
3 Tomas Rosicky Pass Master
4 Milan Baros Speed Merchant
Denmark
1 Daniel Agger Ball Winner
2 Jon Dahl Tomasson Clinical Finisher
3 Thomas Gravesen Power House
England
1 John Terry Ball Winner
2 Steven Gerrard Long Shot Specialist
3 Frank Lampard Long Shot Specialist
4 David Beckham Pass Master
5 Wayne Rooney Power House
6 Michael Owen Speed Merchant & Clinical Finisher
Finland
1 Sami Hyypia Heading Master & Ball Winner
France
1 Patrick Viera Ball Winner & Power House
2 Thierry Henry Clinical Finisher & Speed Merchant
3 Zinedine Zidane Long Shot Specialist
Germany
1 Bastian Schweinsteiger Dribble King
2 Michael Ballack Long Shot Specialist & Heading Master
3 Lukas Podolski Speed Merchant
Ghana
1 Michael Essien Power House
Israel
1 Yossi Benayoun Pass Master
Italy
1 Francesco Totti Dribble King & Pass Master
2 Alessandro Nesta Ball Winner
3 Luca Toni Heading Master & Power House
4 Alessandro Del Piero Long Shot Specialist
Mexico
1 Jaime Lozano Clinical Finisher
Netherlands
1 Ruud van Nistelrooy Clinical Finisher
2 Arjen Robben Dribble King
3 Dirk Kuyt Heading Master
4 Rafael van der Vaart Long Shot Specialist
Nigeria
1 Obafemi Martins Speed Merchant
Norway
1 John Arne Riise Long Shot Specialist
Portugal
1 Ricardo Carvalho Ball Winner
2 Cristiano Ronaldo Dribble King & Speed Merchant
3 Deco Pass Master
Republic Of Ireland
1 Damien Duff Dribble King
Senegal
1 El-Hadji Diouf Dribble King
Serbia & Montenegro
1 Nemanja Vidic Ball Winner
2 Mateja Kezman Clinical Finisher
3 Dejan Stankovic Pass Master
Spain
1 Fernando Torres Power House
2 Joaquin Speed Merchant
Sweden
1 Kim Kallstrom Ball Winner
2 Zlatan Ibrahimovic Clinical Finisher
Switzerland
1 Philippe Senderos Ball Winner
2 Hakan Yakin Pass Master
Togo
1 Sheyi Emmanuel Adebayor Heading Master
Ukraine
1 Andriy Shevchenko Power House & Clinical Finisher
Uruguay
1 Alvaro Recoba Long Shot Specialist & Pass Master
USA
1 Landon Donovan Dribble King
2 DaMarcus Beasley Speed Merchant
As mentioned these are supposed to be the "top 10" per category players.
Now how objective that list is, I'm gonna leave it up to you. I just noticed the 6 players in England and 3 in Brazil :?
I hope this kinda sorting will help you out, cheers.
IGN's article
"Approaching 90 minutes, down a goal, a shot at the Cup on the line. Coach is screaming at you, even your teammates are screaming at you: get the ball to your stars. In crunch time in the upcoming 2006 FIFA World Cup, you'll need to play to your strengths if you want to play in Berlin, and that means utilizing the best players in the world and using their unique abilities to put the ball in the net. Send speedster Michael Owen a deep through ball and let him run to it. Dribble down the wing with Ronaldinho, cross with Beckham, head it home with Crespo.
EA's broken down the star players into eight categories and we've got the top ten players in each, doing what they do best.
Ball Winners
Ball Winners are technically superior defenders with a great positional sense and they are especially proficient at tackling and marking. Use these players to stop the opposition's top players and break up their attacking momentum.
1. Vincent Kompany, Belgium
2. Daniel Agger, Denmark
3. John Terry, England
4. Sami Hyypiä, Finland
5. Patrick Viera, France
6. Alessandro Nesta, Italy
7. Ricardo Carvalho, Portugal
8. Nemanja Vidic, Serbia & Montenegro
9. Kim Källström, Sweden
10. Philippe Senderos, Switzerland
Clinical Finishers
Clinical Finishers are highly-skilled attacking players that know how to put the ball in the net. They make well timed runs, work well under pressure, and take shots with the right mixture of power and accuracy. To explore these players abilities get into one-on-one situations with the keeper.
1. Hernán Crespo, Argentina
2. Ronaldo, Brazil
3. Jon Dahl Tomasson, Denmark
4. Michael Owen, England
5. Thierry Henry, France
6. Jaime Lozano, Mexico
7. Ruud van Nistelrooy, Netherlands
8. Mateja Kezman, Serbia & Montenegro
9. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Sweden
10. Andriy Shevchenko, Ukraine
Dribble Kings
Dribble Kings are some of the most skillful players in the game. They have great ball control and are able to twist and turn even with defenders in close proximity. Try to get the ball to these players in wide areas of the pitch and use their supreme ball control skills to dribble past defenders.
1. Harry Kewell, Australia
2. Ronaldinho, Brazil
3. Pavel Nedved, Czech Republic
4. Bastian Schweinsteiger, Germany
5. Francesco Totti, Italy
6. Arjen Robben, Netherlands
7. Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal
8. Damien Duff, Republic Of Ireland
9. El-Hadji Diouf, Senegal
10. Landon Donovan, USA
Heading Masters
Heading Masters are dominant players when the ball is in the air. They are equally capable at coping with long balls and crosses or scoring spectacular goals with their heads. Try to look for these players on corners and free kicks.
1. Hernán Crespo, Argentina
2. Tim Cahill, Australia
3. Didier Drogba, Côte d'Ivoire
4. Dado Prso, Croatia
5. Jan Koller, Czech Republic
6. Sami Hyypiä, Finland
7. Michael Ballack, Germany
8. Luca Toni, Italy
9. Dirk Kuyt, Netherlands
10. Sheyi Emmanuel Adebayor, Togo
Long Shot Specialists
Long shot specialists are able to shoot the ball with great power and accuracy from outside the penalty area. They score spectacular goals on a regular basis and defenders need to keep a close eye on them at all times. Try to use quick passes to confuse defenders to create enough space for the Long Shot specialist to get a clear shot sight on goal.
1. Juan Román Riquelme, Argentina
2. Ravel Nedved, Czech Republic
3. Steven Gerrard, England
3. Frank Lampard, England
4. Zinedine Zidane, France
5. Michael Ballack, Germany
6. Alessandro Del Piero, Italy
7. Rafael van der Vaart, Netherlands
8. John Arne Riise, Norway
10. Alvaro Recoba, Uruguay
Pass Masters
Pass Masters are the playmakers on the team. They use their exceptional field vision to distribute accurate long passes and thru-passes for teammates. These players can be can be especially effective on counter-attacks when one accurate pass can turn defense into offense.
1. Pablo César Aimar, Argentina
2. Kaká, Brazil
3. Tomás Rosicky, Czech Republic
4. David Beckham, England
5. Yossi Benayoun, Israel
6. Francesco Totti, Italy
7. Deco, Portugal
8. Dejan Stankovic, Serbia & Montenegro
9. Hakan Yakin, Switzerland
10. Alvaro Recoba, Uruguay
Powerhouses
Powerhouses are physically dominant players that are almost impossible to knock off the ball. Use their strength and power to keep possession of the ball while you wait for teammates to make supporting runs.
1. Mark Viduka, Australia
2. Ronaldo, Brazil
3. Didier Drogba, Côte d'Ivoire
4. Thomas Gravesen, Denmark
5. Wayne Rooney, England
6. Patrick Viera, France
7. Michaël Essien, Ghana
8. Luca Toni, Italy
9. Fernando Torres, Spain
10. Andriy Shevchenko, Ukraine
Speed Merchants
Speed Merchants are the fastest players in the game. They can reach their top speeds quickly and maintain it over long distances. Try knocking the ball into space with a thru-pass for these players to break free of the defense and create scoring opportunities.
1. Harry Kewell, Australia
2. Samuel Eto'o, Cameroon
3. Milan Baros, Czech Republic
4. Michael Owen, England
5. Thierry Henry, France
6. Lukas Podolski, Germany
7. Obafemi Martins, Nigeria
8. Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal
9. Joaquín, Spain
10. DaMarcus Beasley, United States"
EDIT: Just did some editing in the very same list to do some per country listing, here you go:
Argentina
1 Hernan Crespo Heading Master & Clinical Finisher
2 Juan Roman Riquelme Long Shot Specialist
3 Pablo Cesar Aimar Pass Master
Australia
1 Tim Cahill Heading Master
2 Mark Viduka Power House
3 Harry Kewell Speed Merchant & Dribble King
Belgium
1 Vincent Kompany, Ball Winner
Brazil
1 Ronaldinho Dribble King
2 Ronaldo Clinical Finisher & Power House
3 Kaka Pass Master
Cameroon
1 Samuel Eto'o Speed Merchant
Cote d'Ivoire
1 Didier Drogba Power House & Heading Master
Croatia
1 Dado Prso Heading Master
Czech Republic
1 Pavel Nedved Dribble King & Long Shot Specialist
2 Jan Koller Heading Master
3 Tomas Rosicky Pass Master
4 Milan Baros Speed Merchant
Denmark
1 Daniel Agger Ball Winner
2 Jon Dahl Tomasson Clinical Finisher
3 Thomas Gravesen Power House
England
1 John Terry Ball Winner
2 Steven Gerrard Long Shot Specialist
3 Frank Lampard Long Shot Specialist
4 David Beckham Pass Master
5 Wayne Rooney Power House
6 Michael Owen Speed Merchant & Clinical Finisher
Finland
1 Sami Hyypia Heading Master & Ball Winner
France
1 Patrick Viera Ball Winner & Power House
2 Thierry Henry Clinical Finisher & Speed Merchant
3 Zinedine Zidane Long Shot Specialist
Germany
1 Bastian Schweinsteiger Dribble King
2 Michael Ballack Long Shot Specialist & Heading Master
3 Lukas Podolski Speed Merchant
Ghana
1 Michael Essien Power House
Israel
1 Yossi Benayoun Pass Master
Italy
1 Francesco Totti Dribble King & Pass Master
2 Alessandro Nesta Ball Winner
3 Luca Toni Heading Master & Power House
4 Alessandro Del Piero Long Shot Specialist
Mexico
1 Jaime Lozano Clinical Finisher
Netherlands
1 Ruud van Nistelrooy Clinical Finisher
2 Arjen Robben Dribble King
3 Dirk Kuyt Heading Master
4 Rafael van der Vaart Long Shot Specialist
Nigeria
1 Obafemi Martins Speed Merchant
Norway
1 John Arne Riise Long Shot Specialist
Portugal
1 Ricardo Carvalho Ball Winner
2 Cristiano Ronaldo Dribble King & Speed Merchant
3 Deco Pass Master
Republic Of Ireland
1 Damien Duff Dribble King
Senegal
1 El-Hadji Diouf Dribble King
Serbia & Montenegro
1 Nemanja Vidic Ball Winner
2 Mateja Kezman Clinical Finisher
3 Dejan Stankovic Pass Master
Spain
1 Fernando Torres Power House
2 Joaquin Speed Merchant
Sweden
1 Kim Kallstrom Ball Winner
2 Zlatan Ibrahimovic Clinical Finisher
Switzerland
1 Philippe Senderos Ball Winner
2 Hakan Yakin Pass Master
Togo
1 Sheyi Emmanuel Adebayor Heading Master
Ukraine
1 Andriy Shevchenko Power House & Clinical Finisher
Uruguay
1 Alvaro Recoba Long Shot Specialist & Pass Master
USA
1 Landon Donovan Dribble King
2 DaMarcus Beasley Speed Merchant
As mentioned these are supposed to be the "top 10" per category players.
Now how objective that list is, I'm gonna leave it up to you. I just noticed the 6 players in England and 3 in Brazil :?
I hope this kinda sorting will help you out, cheers.
