Nobody likes a fence sitter – ranking things in football is fun!

There is a semi-famous clip from 2018 of Rio Ferdinand talking about the rivalry between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. “It seems like there’s a bit of respect between them, they don’t ever mention each other really, but they are just phenomenal to watch. People try and make comparisons of who’s better, etcetera. JUST ENJOY THEM, MAN!” The internet immediately set about applying Rio’s quote to much more important matters. Aldi v Lidl (seems like there’s a bit of respect between them). Mayo v Ketchup (both phenomenal to watch). This mildly amusing exercise saved the day, mainly because it was an incredibly gracious and incredibly boring bit of punditry. Nobody likes a fence-sitter. Commit Rio!

Ferdinand’s ancient ties to the team he shared with Ronaldo at Old Trafford shouldn’t stop him from speaking his mind. The worst possible answer to the question: “What’s your favourite kind of music?” is: “A little bit of everything.” Bore off! That’s because ranking things is fun. Messi is better than Ronaldo. Gary Lineker > Mark Chapman > Alex Scott > Dan Walker > Jake Humphrey. Everybody has a favourite grandparent at Christmas, we just need to be brave enough to come clean.

Ranking things is not easy, yet Big Website is so good at it, there’s even a section devoted to it. Where else might you enjoy the 15 best tennis scenes in film and all 69 Eurovision winners – ranked! (poor Alexis Petridis). The football pages, of course, have NextGen (on the best future prospects in the game), Football Daily’s Christmas gongs (to be released in the coming days) and the top 100, a rundown of the best male and female footballers each year. The male list launched on Tuesday, starting (naturally) with numbers 100-71. We’ve got Darwin Núñez at 78, Granit Xhaka at 93 and Warren Zaïre-Emery at 99, in case you’re wondering.

No doubt, there will be some consternation but it’s important to remember it is not just our opinion, but that of an esteemed collection of 218 judges from the world of football, ranging from Fatih Terim to Karen Carney to Philippe Auclair to Fabrizio Romano to World Cup winners Philipp Lahm and Lucio. So, have a read, make your own list, wait for the female players list in January or ignore everything we have just told you. We know most of you usually do. And in the coming days even your humble Football Daily will be dishing out its Christmas gongs.

Nuno Espírito Santo has agreed to bring his brand of exciting attacking football as Nottingham Forest’s manager after the club finally got round to sacking Steve Cooper. Here’s all the latest.

Join Luke McLaughlin from 6pm GMT for hot Club World Cup MBM coverage of Manchester City 2-0 Urawa Red Diamonds, before Scott Murray guides you through Chelsea 2-1 Newcastle in the Milk Cup at 8pm. Barry Glendenning will also be on deck for Mary Earps’ Spoty win from 7pm too.

“I was there when they were doing the [title] parade around Ewood Park. My brother was on the pitch with my dad and I think I was fast asleep in my mam’s arms. It cannot have been that exciting …” – if you didn’t feel old already, here’s Port Vale keeper Connor Ripley on having a Premier League-winning dad, why some stoppers are better than outfield players and facing his family’s beloved Boro in the Rumbelows Cup quarter-finals.

After Ian Potter’s suggestion of a Video Assistant VAR (yesterday’s Football Daily letters), can I be the first of 1,057 Renault Clio advert fans to suggest that Thierry Henry and Bobby Pires be in charge of the Va-Var-Room?” – James Maltby (and 1,056 others).

As Howard Webb is so confident about VAR’s ability to correct ‘clear and obvious errors’, maybe its remit should be extended to cover ridiculous haircuts, pastel-coloured boots and socks worn at thigh-high levels? Have I missed anything?” – Mick Beeby.

As a veteran from 45 years of rock ‘n’ roll touring, I was heartened by your use of ‘liggers’ (yesterday’s Football Daily), seeing that the term for ‘free access’ which was accessible to all levels in the live music sector in the 1970s and 80s (if you knew the right people or phone number) has now become so hard to use on a casual basis. I used to be able to just walk in backstage at Hammersmith Odeon or Wembley on a ‘Lig’ because I worked there so frequently; my face was so well-known, the fact I didn’t have a pass was not questioned. Nowadays the corporate structures and security paranoia make it a thousand-fold harder. So happy to see the term is not dead, and enlightened to learn it even exists outside of the music industry” – Steve.

Send your letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s winner of our prizeless letter o’ the day is … Steve.

Stoke are close to appointing Plymouth manager Steven Schumacher. The Potters are 19th in the Championship. The Pilgrims are 16th. It’s a weird move for him, right? Why would he switch jobs from the upwardly mobile Pilgrims, who he guided to a famous promotion last season, to manage a team to the soundtrack of windswept groans at the Bet365 Stadium? [Football Daily puts on its glasses and adopts geography teacher mode.] Schumacher is from Kirkby, on the outskirts of Liverpool. Google Maps tells us a trip home from Plymouth will take 5hr 16min [and some – Football Daily Ed]. And from Stanley Matthews Way? One hour up the M6. Oh, and money. Unless Plymouth have a club copter like Peter Coates, expect Schumacher to be holding a red and white scarf while waxing lyrical about those mythical Tuesday nights in Stoke very soon indeed.

Your man David Squires gets out his highlighter pen and a copy of the Radio Times to guide us through the festive TV schedule, including an infamous episode of Maupay Unwise and more.

Afghanistan’s male players have urged Fifa to investigate allegations of match-fixing against the president of the country’s football federation, confirming their boycott will continue until Mohammad Yousef Kargar is removed.

Mary Earps is the clear favourite to scoop the Sports Personality of the Year gong later. If she wins, let’s hope she celebrates like when she saved that World Cup penalty.

Sutton United, bottom of League Two, have marched Matt Gray through the door marked Do One. “Matt will forever have a large place in Sutton’s history as the manager who took us to the Football League,” tooted a club statement.

♫ With the lights out, it’s less dangerous ♫ here we are now, entertain us ♫ I feel stupid and contagious ♫ here we are now, entertain us ♫. Sean Dyche hopes Everton are on their way to finding the “nirvana” of winning culture.

And Wayne Rooney reckons that having a chunky Nokia lobbed at him many years ago has made him relaxed about opposition players excessively celebrating goals like Leicester’s did against his sorry Birmingham side. “There’s emotion in the game and players celebrate – I got a mobile phone thrown at me at Anfield, so players have their reasons,” he soothed.

Jonathan Wilson breaks down the Big Cup last-16 ties so you don’t have to.

Manchester City’s 25-year journey from York to the Club World Cup. Will Unwin on Pep’s plucky upstarts.

Here’s Nick Ames on how the Club World Cup’s 2025 revamp will likely give meaningful football to Saudi clubs against Europe’s best.

And given we omitted the link yesterday, here are the latest WSL talking points.

Of all the iconic football/Christmas images, this remains a standout. Andy Gray, snapped by the legendary Bob Thomas, “circa 1980” it says here.