Manchester City have five of the 12 ‘world class’ players in football, says Rio Ferdinand

Five of football’s 12 ‘world class’ players belong to Pep Guardiola and Manchester City, according to Manchester United and England legend Rio Ferdinand.

It is a debate that is often had throughout the game, but cutting down a list to limited names can be quite a challenge. Many however, would agree that Manchester City’s star-studded squad would dominate any ‘world class’ players list.

Pep Guardiola and his side are currently the greatest team on the planet, having come off the back of a season where they claimed all of the Premier League, FA Cup, and UEFA Champions League trophies in a three-week period at the end of the last campaign.

That historic season has been followed up by two silverware successes this season too, with Manchester City winning the UEFA Super Cup in Athens as well as the FIFA Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia in December.

Speaking during TNT Sports’ coverage of the UEFA Champions League this week, as relayed by MailSport, Rio Ferdinand addressed the widely-debated subject of truly ‘world class’ players currently operating in the sport.

Putting together a list of 12 names in the game, Ferdinand identified five Manchester City stars that he believes can be included in the exclusive list, including the likes of Ederson and Kyle Walker in Pep Guardiola’s defence.

Rio Ferdinand’s 12 world class players in football:

• Ederson
• Kyle Walker
• Rodri
• Jude Bellingham
• Vinicius Jr
• Harry Kane
• Alisson
• Virgil van Dijk
• Kevin De Bruyne
• Mohamed Salah
• Kylian Mbappe
• Erling Haaland 

Manchester City’s world class stars are currently playing a huge role in their ongoing season, as Pep Guardiola looks to guide his squad to an unprecedented fourth successive Premier League crown.

Liverpool and Arsenal are currently chasing the league champions at present, with the Merseyside club holding a four-point advantage at the top of the division having played one game more than their opponents.

City travel to Bournemouth this weekend as they look to cut the gap back down to just a singular point, after winning their game in hand against Brentford at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday night thanks to a single Erling Haaland second-half effort.