FIFA’s Best? It Depends on Whom You Ask. So We Asked.

EPA, via Shutterstock

Tim Sparv takes his responsibility seriously. It is not, on the surface, especially onerous. All he has to do, after all, is answer a single question once a year: Who is the best soccer player in the world?

Still, Sparv does not make his decision lightly. He has thought about what values he wants his response to reflect. He does a little research. He makes sure he is not being lazy, or unduly influenced by unconscious bias. He knows that a simple question does not always have an easy answer.

It is Sparv’s duty, though, as captain of Finland’s national team, to offer his view. Like the captain and coach of every national team, as well as an accredited journalist from each…