The Goal.com 50: Marcos Senna (19)

50 - Ashley Young - Aston Villa, Premier League - Score: 1109
49 - Javier Zanetti - Internazionale, Serie A - Score: 1104
48 - Daniel Guiza - Fenerbahçe, Super Lig - Score: 1089
47 - Juninho Pernambucano - Olympique Lyonnais, Ligue 1 - Score: 1083
46 - Juan Román Riquelme - Boca Juniors, Argentine Apertura - Score: 1077
45 - Luca Toni - FC Bayern, Bundesliga - Score: 1064
44 - David Silva - Valencia, Primera Division - Score: 1060
42 (T) - Thierry Henry - Barcelona, Primera Division - Score: 1040
42 (T) - Daniel Alves - Sevilla, Primera Division / Barcelona, Primera Division - Score: 1040
41 - Antonio Cassano - Sampdoria, Serie A - Score: 1028
40 - Klaas-Jan Huntelaar - Ajax Amsterdam, Eredivisie / Real Madrid, Primera Division - Score: 1027
39 - Ricardo Carvalho - Chelsea, Premier Division - Score: 1025
38 - Samuel Eto'o - Barcelona, Primera Division - Score: 1017
37 - Philipp Lahm - FC Bayern, Bundesliga - Score: 1009
36 - Javier Mascherano - Liverpool, Premier League - Score: 1008
35 - Julio Cesar - Internazionale, Serie A - Score 1000
34 - Robinho - Real Madrid, Primera Division / Manchester City, Premier League - Score: 970
33 - Diego - Werder Bremen, Bundesliga - Score: 955
32 - Carles Puyol - FC Barcelona, La Primera División - Score: 915
31 - Wesley Sneijder - Real Madrid, Primera Division - Score: 887
30 - Daniele De Rossi - Roma, Serie A - Score: 878
29 - Esteban Cambiasso - Internazionale, Serie A - Score: 877
28 - Giorgio Chiellini - Juventus, Serie A - Score 870
27 – Emmanuel Adebayor – Arsenal, Premier League – Score 862
26 - Nemanja Vidic - Manchester United, Premier League - Score: 829
25 - Ruud Van Nistelrooy - Real Madrid, Primera Division- Score: 827
24 - Sergio Ramos - Real Madrid, Primera Division - Score: 733
23 - Maicon Douglas Sisenando - Internazionale, Serie A - Score: 729
22 - Alessandro Del Piero - Juventus, Serie A - Score: 712
21 - John Terry - Chelsea, Premier League - Score: 705
20 - Frank Lampard - Chelsea, Premier League - Score: 668

19 - Marcos Senna - Villarreal, Primera Division - Score 636

If European football didn’t already know about the vast talent that Marcos Senna possesses, 2008 was the year that the Brazilian-born midfield maestro’s status among the world’s best was confirmed in glorious fashion.

If the La Liga season ran from January to December, Villarreal would have been champions, highlighting El Submarinos Amarillos' incredible form throughout the year, and no-one was more influential than Senna in their outstanding run to second in the 2007/08 Primera Division table.

Loyalty

The 32-year-old has been at El Madrigal since 2002, and in that time he has slowly established himself as the beating heart of Villarreal’s vibrant midfield. Energetic, skilful, creative, but also tenacious, he is the blueprint for the modern, multi-faceted midfielder. It is little wonder that so many clubs wish to secure his services, because simply there are very few players like Marcos Senna in world football.

Fernerbahce tried to lure him to Turkey in the summer, and moneybags Manchester City have expressed an interest in bidding in January. But Senna isn’t interested – he has committed himself to the club that has nurtured his talent so proficiently over the past six seasons.

Euro Glory

Luis Aragones, the Spanish coach who masterminded his nation’s success at Euro 2008, may look back to the day he secured Senna for Spain as the coup that set the perennial underachievers on the road to glory. His ability to destroy and rebuild, to win the ball and distribute to Xavi & Iniesta, was absolutely instrumental in Spain’s success. Could they have triumphed without his disciplined style allowing the mercurial players to flourish? Undoubtedly not.

Striker David Villa said after the 1-0 final win over Germany that ‘He gives us the balance that we need and does the dirty job’.

As Villa says, it is a dirty job, and one that is rarely appreciated. But someone’s got to do it, and who would you rather have doing it than a player of the ability of the brilliant Brazilian?

Senna became many observers' unofficial player of the Euro 2008 tournament, and it isn’t difficult to see why.

He strolled through the final against the Germans, nullifying the threat of Michael Ballack so completely that at times the former Chelsea man looked an average footballer. To make someone of the quality of Ballack look so ordinary is testament to Senna's dominance in the premier match in European international football.

He Doesn’t Always Play Ugly

The role that Senna plays with Villarreal, although similar to his water-carrier style for the Spanish national team, is given more of a creative element. He is also a free-kick specialist, both when shooting directly at goal (as Celtic found to their cost in the Champions League this season) and when whipping a dangerous cross into the area for the likes of Giuseppe Rossi and Joseba Llorente. He has also contributed seven goals and seven assists over the past season-and-a-half, an  impressive haul for a player who supposedly has a reserved approach on the pitch.

If you want an example of a player guiding his team to victory within the cauldron of the Camp Nou, see his truly magnificent display in March where Villarreal played the Blaugrana off the pitch, winning 2-1 and rubber-stamping their reputation as the second best team in Spain that season. It set the tone for his performances in 2008, and he hasn't looked back since for both club and adopted country.

A Model Of Consistency

Villarreal coach Manuel Pellegrini knows that his side are a different proposition without Senna in the team, which is why the player only missed five league matches in 2008 for his club side, all through injury.  It is now difficult to envisage a La Seleccion starting XI without him patrolling in front of Puyol and Marchena, and similarly Pellegrini knows that he could spend the next ten years scouring the continent of South America, and never uncover a player of the class of Marcos Senna.

Team Honours:
Euro 2008 Winner, Spain

Individual Honours
Euro 2008 Team of the tournament

Paul Macdonald, Goal.com