Liverpool F.C. — Best pictures!

Cristiano Ronaldo, whose move to Real Madrid in a mega deal has now been confirmed, remained locked in a tug war with Barcelona’s Lionel Messi for the top spot in FTBL rating of the world’s top midfielders throughout the season, with the Portuguese holding

Barcelona’s Argentine prodigy Lionel Messi (pictured), who five days ago topped the FTBL rating of the world’s best midfielders, has dropped to 4th place, even letting new Real Madrid sign Cristiano Ronaldo overtake him.

Argentine prodigy Lionel Messi lost his top spot in the FTBL Top 23 of the world’s best midfielders to Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard after dropping more than 16 rating points in the World Cup 2010 qualifier against Columbia despite Argentina’s 1:0 win.

The rating of Spanish goalkeepers undergone serious changes after Real Madrid succumbed to Valencia 0:3, while Liverpool scored another big win in the English Premier League against West Ham (3:0).

Argentine prodigy Lionel Messi grabbed the second place in our FTBL World Top 23 rating of best midfielders after a dazzling performance in Barcelona’s 6:2 thrashing of rivals Real Madrid yesterday in La Liga. Messi now has 193.21 points over all.