Dominates global outsourcing list

Who Will Dominate Offshoring in 2020?

A McKinsey consultant from Mumbai says India will retain its offshoring crown but could lose share to Russia and China if education doesn't keep up

Noshir Kaka is a director in the Mumbai office of analyst house McKinsey & Company. In an exclusive interview, silicon.com reporter Nick Heath spoke to Kaka about his forthcoming report on how India's 50 per cent share of the global offshore technology and business services market could slip away by 2020.

To view the full article Strengthening India's offshoring industry, just published on McKinsey Quarterly, click here.

What will happen to India's share of global IT and BPO market by 2020?

Dropping market share is one of scenarios that we have projected by 2020 if India chooses not to release the capacity in its education system.

India produces about three million graduates a year. The entire offshoring industry across IT and BPO is 2.1 million people, so clearly there're enough graduates – the real issue is the suitability of candidates. Effectively we are using a tenth of our workforce that is suitable for this industry. If that trend continues you will have a shortage of suitable talent.

The primary cause is the quality of communications and language skills, the second is that some people are not educated well enough to be able to serve a multinational corporation.

The combined market share of 50 to 53 per cent, which is what India has today, you could see that combined market share decline because India does not have the supply side availability.

But today the new Indian education minister has proposed a public-private partnership in India's education system, where 2,500 model schools would be created, which is something we have been shouting from the rooftops for a long time.

When will the decline begin to happen?

We have seen an increase in India's market share in 2008.

The global financial crisis has given India a bit of breathing room, it's dropped the growth rates. In 2009/10 we will see low growth, so a supply side constraint will not come through in the next two years.

Beyond that, if gets back to original growth rate and we don't see any change in the education system, we could see those supply shortfalls happening very quickly thereafter.

Which countries look most likely to take that market share?

You have got to separate out those countries that are the volume hubs and those that offer more niche services.

When you look at the volume hubs, it's very hard to get away from China and Russia, which are two of the largest by population locations. China tends to be a lot more engineering, design and infrastructure services led, more catering to North Asia. Russia tends to be outstanding for software product development.

In Latin America, Brazil is one of the few nations that offers an emerging working population of that size. [Much of Latin America] is Spanish speaking, southern-US focused.

In Eastern Europe the talent pools are not as deep as in India and China and more fragmented by language.

Vietnam and Egypt has a reasonable talent pool and a lot of government support to promote this industry, support by real initiatives on the ground making changes to the education system and infrastructure to support this industry.

Which location will be the first offshoring destination choice for the UK and Europe in 2020?

For the Anglo Saxon world, the US and UK predominantly, India will continue to be the country of choice. Even with its talent constraints that I talked about, India continues to introduce about a third of the suitable talent in the world. I don't think that India's dominant position is by any means threatened in the near future.

Which of the global outsourcing companies will dominate by 2020?

You will see global systems integrators that will be very successful, some of them already have very large global footprints and have embraced a global delivery model and are moving to scale very rapidly.

You will also find a few of the Indian top tier companies, in the BPO and on IT services space, among the world's top ten – if you project their growth rates out.

Asia dominates global outsourcing list

Asian cities have bagged the first three spots in a study of top emerging destinations for global outsourcing.

Cebu City in the Philippines was ranked No. 1 on the Top 50 Emerging Global Outsourcing Cities list, followed by the Chinese cities of Shanghai and Beijing at second and third places, respectively.

Of the top 50 destinations polled, 19 cities were from Asia. Next, were Central and Eastern Europe with 13 cities.

According to the survey released Monday by IT outsourcing and business process outsourcing (BPO) media company Global Services and investment advisory firm Tholons, choosing the right city has become "more important" than choosing the country when setting up an outsourcing center.

Considerations such as the availability of resources, in terms of the quality and type of workforce, cost and the availability of infrastructure, as well as the city’s "long-term potential in fulfilling demand for specific services determine its attractiveness as an outsourcing center".

"The concept of an individual location being a 'one-stop-shop' has given way to 'smart, multi, selective sourcing' models, wherein selected processes are outsourced only to the most appropriate destination," said Ed Nair, editor of Global Services.

The report noted that "increasing competition in the global outsourcing will make the cities more focused in identifying appropriate service lines and in developing their service-delivery capabilities".

China's rising stars
In addition to Shanghai and Beijing, the list featured four other Chinese cities (Shenzhen at 10th, Dalian at 16th, Guangzhou at 23rd and Chengdu at 37th), with three of the six cities making it to the top 10.

"Shanghai is already known as a mature destination for providing offerings such as F&A (finance and accounting), product development, R&D (research and development) and testing, and Guangzhou is known for engineering-services," the Global Services study noted. "Outsourcing services such as application development and maintenance and business analytics are now being offered from Shenzhen and Shanghai respectively."

According to the survey, Tianjin, a second tier city, has the "potential" of moving into the top 50 list.

China is "home to numerous IT and BPO services providers", including global companies such as Accenture, Infosys, IBM and Satyam, as well as globally-known local providers Augmentum, Bleum, Dextrys and Neusoft, the report noted.

The Top Ten Software Companies in India

Today the software industry has become the backbone of companies around the world. With technology advancing in leaps and bounds, there is no stopping IT professionals from around the world to bridge the gap between huge untapped markets and its customers, as well as creating an opportunity for innovation.

The companies that dominate the software industry are those which look out for these opportunities and provide instant solutions. The Indian software industry has arrived, and the companies that are dominating this industry, based on their turnovers, are:

Rank	Names	Sales (in Rs mill)
1	TCS LIMITED	97,272
2	WIPRO LIMITED	82,330
3	INFOSYS TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED	71,297
4	SATYAM COMPUTER SERVICES LIMITED	35,209
5	I-FLEX SOLUTIONS LIMITED	11,386
6	TATA INFOTECH LIMITED	9,743
7	CMC LIMITED	8,074
8	MPHASIS BFL LIMITED	7,657
9	MASTEK LIMITED	5,670
10	NIIT LIMITED	3,984

These companies have one thing in common; they offer a variety of services. These services range from consultancy services to Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) units to customized solutions in the IT domain.

With TCS Ltd featuring in lots of major deals during the year 2005, it will probably continue with its favored status and dominance over the software industry in India. Though when it comes to the most respected company of India, among the pool of all industries, it is no real surprise that Infosys Technologies Limited is number one, with its reputed work ethic and social responsibility factor.

TCS is the largest software services company in Asia, ahead of other Indian software service providers like Infosys and Wipro. Earlier, it became the first Indian software company to cross the coveted US$ 1 billion revenue mark. The company has a wide range of offerings and caters to industries like banking, insurance and financial services (41% of revenues), manufacturing (17%), telecom, (15%) and retail (7%). TCS was one of the pioneers of the much-acclaimed global delivery model and the same has helped it to post good results in the past and will help with future achievements as well.

The software industry has become a part of everyday life, be it providing solutions for business or entertainment. Ample opportunity does not ensure that the companies listed in the top ten will remain there as tough competition from the ever-increasing number of software companies can completely alter the list. There are organizations like Visualsoft Techonologies Limited, Tata Elxis Limited and Geometric Software Solutions Co. Ltd waiting in the wings. The key to survival in this industry is providing solutions a click away and creating and inventing products before someone else does.

 

Top 20 Indian IT Employers

Filed under: IT Companies, India, Indian Hot News, Indian IT Companies, International News, Job Oppurtunities, Online Happenings, Technology by Yaroavan — Leave a comment

Nov 03, 2010

        Well … India is getting back in its IT field in a good way. There are lot of IT companies who are going to increase intake of engineers in the forth coming years…
The recruitment front is once again buzzing in Indian IT. After months of budget cutting and so-called rightsizing, hiring seems to be back with vengeance at IT companies. Almost all IT companies have revised their hiring targets.
As the companies announce their first quarterly results, we take stock of their hiring in the fiscal year 2009-10. IT industry body Nasscom has released its annual list of Top 20 IT-BPO Employers in India during the year.
Here’s over to the biggest Indian IT/BPO employers during fiscal 2009-10.
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TCS:
Little surprising that topping the list of biggest IT employers in India is the country’s numero uno IT services company Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).
Backed by a robust financial performance in the first quarter (April-May-June), TCS has raised its hiring target. The company now plans to hire 40,000 this year, higher than the around 30,000 it had projected earlier this year.
       The company in the Q1 added a net 3,271 employees, raising its total strength to 163,700.
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 INFOSYS Technologies:
Next on the list is the country’s second biggest software exporter Infosys Technologies. At the end of June 2010, the company and its subsidiaries had 114,822 employees as against 103,905 a year ago and 113,796 at the end of fourth quarter (Jan-March).
During the first quarter 7,833 employees quit Infosys for various reasons, including involuntary attrition. The gross addition during the first quarter was 8,859 people, while the net addition was 1,026 only. The attrition rate in Infosys shot up to a whopping 16 per cent during the quarter (April-June).
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Wipro:
 At no. 3 is the India’s third-largest software services exporter Wipro Technologies. During the June quarter, the company added 4,854 employees taking the total headcount to 1.12 lakhs.
The company also announced that it plans to add as many as 20,000 employees in the next three years. In the month of Feb, the company gave a pay hike in the 8%-12% range with some even getting a 15% increase.
However, like its peers, Wipro too suffered high attrition rate during the quarter. The attrition rate at Wipro jumped to 15.8 per cent during the first quarter (April-June) of this fiscal (2010-11) from 9.8 per cent in like period year ago (2009-10) and 12.1 per cent quarter ago. 


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CTS:
Nasdaq-listed Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation, a leading provider of information technology, consulting, and BPO services, ranks at no. 4 on the list of India’s biggest IT employers. With over 50 global delivery centers, the company has approximately 80,300 employees as on May 4, 2010.
At the recent annual Nasscom HR Summit 2010, R Chandrasekaran, President and Managing Director, Cognizant, said that during 2009, nearly $1.4 million was spent on training activities. The average training period for an existing employee was two weeks.
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 HCL:
Next on the list of biggest IT employers is India’s fifth largest software services exporter HCL Technologies Ltd.
The Noida-based company, which follows a July-June financial year, said that it added 6,428 employees in the June quarter taking its total headcount to 64,557.
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Genpact:
Sixth biggest IT employer on Nasscom’s list is Genpact. As of June 30, 2010, total headcount at Genpact stood at approximately 42,500 employees worldwide, an increase from 37,400 as of June 30, 2009.
The attrition rate for the six months ended June 30, 2010, was 26%, up from 22% for the same period in 2009.
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 Mphasis – An HP Company:
 MphasiS Ltd is at the seventh spot on the country’s biggest IT employers’ list. For the quarter ended 30 April, 2010, the company added net headcount of 1,429 during. The total headcount stood at 37,119 as of 30 April, 2010.
In December 2009, MphasiS gave a recompense bonus of 10% to all its employees. The company replaced its annual salary increment for its staff with a one-time bonus in order to ensure more variability in its employee wage bill.
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Intelenet Global Services:
      Eight biggest IT employer in the country according to the list is Mumbai-based Intelenet Global Services Ltd, a third-party BPO company. One of the largest BPO employers in India, the company has approximately 32,000 employees as of June 2010.
The company recently figured in ‘The Economic Times – Great Place to Work Survey 2010′ at the 20th spot. The survey revealed that the company has made efforts to ensure that along with adequate facilities, work-life balance is also maintained via fun at work concept.
From having a two-week Employee Appreciation Programme where the employees’ families are invited to take part in the activities to having facilities like a gym, diet and nutrition sessions and counsellor onsite, the company places employee happiness on its high list.
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Tech Mahindra:
The 9th biggest IT employer in India is Tech Mahindra. Tech Mahindra is a joint venture between Indian auto major Mahindra & Mahindra and the BT group.
During the first quarter (April-June) of the current fiscal, the company hired 1,743 employees taking its total headcount to 35,267. The company plans to offer salary hikes in the current quarter. However, it said that hikes will hurt its margins.
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Aegis:
At No. 10 is Essar Group’s back office Aegis BPO. With presence in over 42 global locations, the company boasts of strong employee strength of over 39,000. The company is headquartered in Mumbai.
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Capgemini Consulting India PVT Limited:
Next on the Nasscom’s list is Capgemini Consulting India Pvt Ltd. In India, Capgemini has over 20,000 employees working across seven locations in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, Pune and Delhi.   It has over 90,000 people in North America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific region.
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 WNS Global Services:
At No. 12 is the Nasdaq-listed second biggest BPO firm in India, WNS Global Services.
For the first quarter, the company reported revenues of $150.0 million, up 12.7% from the corresponding quarter last year and down 4.8% sequentially. The company’s global headcount stood at 21,406 as of June 30, 2010.
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Firstsource Solutions:
The 13th largest IT employer in India is Firstsource Solutions Ltd, country’s leading pure-play BPO company.
       As of June 30, 2010, the company had an employee strength of 24,697. For the first quarter, the annualised attrition for offshore (India/ Philippines) was 55.4% compared to 43.5% in Q4 FY2010.
       
          The company has reported a consolidated net profit at Rs 32.1 crore as against Rs 35.6 crore (QoQ). Consolidated net sales declined to Rs 475.9 crore
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 CSC India PVT Limited:
      NYSE-listed Computer Sciences Corp is the 14th largest IT employer in India. India is CSC’s largest world sourcing location outside the US.
      The company reportedly has more than 16,000 employees in India. The US technology services provider has about 92,000 employees globally. For the fourth quarter ended April 2, the company’s net profit declined 32% to $259 million, or $1.66 a share, while revenue rose modestly to $4.24 billion.
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 3i Infotech:
At No. 15 on the Nasscom’s employers list is IT major 3i Infotech. The company has two main lines of businesses — IT solutions (services and products) and transactions services.
The company clocked a 6.8% growth in its Q1 FY11 revenue at Rs 643.37 crore. Currently the company has more than 15,000 employees on its rolls.
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Hinduja Global Solutions:
BPO services provider Hinduja Global Solutions is the 16th largest IT employer in India.
For the quarter and year ended March 31, 2010, the company’s headcount was 15,615 as against 13,913 associates at the start of the quarter and 13,787 as of March 31, 2009. During the fourth quarter, the company started operating through its new centres in Manila in the Philippines and Nagercoil in India. As on March 31, 2010 the company had Rs 6,481.2 million cash & cash equivalents.
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 L&T Infotech:
At No. 17 is the wholly-owned IT subsidiary of Larsen & Toubro, Larsen & Toubro Infotech.
The company offers software solutions and services to companies in banking & financial services, insurance, energy & petrochemicals, manufacturing and telecom sectors.
The company reportedly has employee strength of over 11,500.
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Patni Computer System:
Mumbai-based Patni Computer Systems is the 18th largest IT employer in India. Patni derives major revenues from the US, followed by Europe, West Asia & Africa and Asia-Pacific.
Patni Computer Systems which has posted a 7.9% rise in net profit added 934 employees in the second quarter, taking its staff count to 14,893 at the end of June.
The company’s attrition rate, excluding business process outsourcing workers, surged to 21.5% in the second quarter from 17.7% in January-March and 13.2% a year earlier.
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 Exl Service.com India PVT Limited:
Exl Service, leading provider of outsourcing and transformation services, is 19th biggest IT employer in India. As on March 31, 2010 the company’s India employee strength was over 11,500.
For the year 2010, the company has given a revenue guidance of between $225 million to $230 million.
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Aditya Birla Minacs:
The BPO venture of Aditya Birla group, Aditya Birla Minacs, is at the 20th spot on the biggest employers list.
Last year the company announced its plans to add 3,000 employees in the coming six months. Currently, its employee strength stands at approximately 13,000 based out of various locations in North America, Europe and Asia.
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Top 10 Lost Cities

A city becomes “lost” when it is abandoned by its inhabitants and left to decay. This can be the result of war, migration, or natural disaster, but in each case these cities can act as a sort of time capsule, leaving a civilization frozen in history and waiting to be discovered. While many of these cities have indeed been rediscovered, others have never been found and have taken on the status of legend. Whether real or mythical, the following are the ten lost cities that have most captured the imaginations of historians, archeologists, and adventurers.

10. The City Of The Caesars

Also known as the Wandering City and the City of Patagonia, The City of the Caesars is a mythical city that is believed to have been located on the southernmost tip of South America in the region known as Patagonia. The city has never been found, and at this point it is considered more legend than anything, but in its time it was quite sought after by colonial explorers. It was said to have been founded by survivors of a Spanish shipwreck, and was believed to possess huge amounts of gold and jewels. Over time, a number of legends have formed around the City of the Caesars, with some saying that it was populated by 10-foot tall giants, and others claiming that it was a city of ghosts that could appear and disappear at will.

9. Troy

Made famous in the epic poems of Homer, Troy was a once-legendary city located in modern day Turkey. Best known for being the site of the Trojan War, ancient Troy was a strongly fortified city that stood on a hill near the river Scamander. Its coastal location allowed it to be a naval power, and nearby plains provided excellent land for farming. Troy was long considered by many to be the stuff of myth until it was first excavated in the 1870s by Heinrich Schliemann, who discovered that there were actually numerous cities on the site, which over the years had been built on top of one another. Although it was once a towering seat of power, the modern-day Troy excavation site is said to be relatively unimpressive, the result of years of digging and frequent looting by tourists.

8. The Lost City Of Z

Supposedly located deep in the jungles of Brazil, the lost city of Z was said to be an advanced civilization with a sophisticated network of bridges, roads, and temples. Speculation about Z began after a document was found in which a Portuguese explorer insisted he had visited the city in 1753, but otherwise no evidence of its existence has ever been uncovered. The city of Z is most famous for attracting the interest of explorer Percy Fawcett, who in 1925 vanished without a trace while in search of it, and over the years a number of other adventurers have died or disappeared while on its trail. In recent years, a city known as Kuhikugu was discovered in the Amazon Rainforest that showed evidence of sophisticated fortifications and engineering, leading many to speculate that it may be the source of the Z legend.

7. Petra

Arguably the most beautiful of all the cities on this list, Petra is located in Jordan near the Dead Sea and is believed to have once been the center of the Nabataean caravan trade. Its most striking feature is its exquisite stone architecture, which is carved out of the rocks of the surrounding mountains. This helped make Petra a naturally fortified city when it was established as a capital in 100 B.C., and evidence suggests that it featured many other technological advancements like dams and cisterns, which helped the inhabitants channel the region’s flash floods and store water for use in times of drought. After hundreds of years of prosperity, the city went into decline after the Romans conquered the region, and in A.D. 363 an earthquake destroyed several of its buildings and crippled its infrastructure. Petra was eventually abandoned, and it stood for years in the desert as something of a curiosity before being revealed to the world at large in 1812 by a Swiss explorer.

6. El Dorado

The Zipa used to cover his body in gold dust and, from his raft, he offered treasures to the Guatavita goddess in the middle of the sacred lake. This old Muisca tradition became the origin of El Dorado legend.

One of the most famous of all the legendary cities, El Dorado was a mythical empire supposedly found in the jungles of South America. Literally meaning “The Golden One” in Spanish, the city was said to be led by a powerful king and hold untold riches of gold and jewels. In the time of the conquistadors, the city was a subject of constant fascination, and several disastrous expeditions were launched in search of it. The most famous of these was headed by Gonzalo Pizarro, who in 1541 led a group of 300 soldiers and several thousand Indians into the jungle in search of El Dorado. They uncovered no evidence of the city or its treasures, and after the group was decimated by disease, famine, and attacks by natives, the expedition was abandoned. This model is on display in the Gold Museum, Bogotá, Colombia

5. Memphis

Founded in 3,100 B.C., Memphis was the capital of ancient Egypt, and served as the civilization’s administrative center for hundreds of years before being abandoned with the rise of Thebes and Alexandria. At its height, Memphis is estimated to have had a population of more than 30,000, which would have made it the biggest city of antiquity. Over the years, the location of Memphis became lost, and it was a subject of much debate among archeologists before it was rediscovered by a Napoleonic expedition in the late 1700s, and it was then that the city’s sphinx, statues and temples were first seriously studied. Unfortunately, stones from the ruins had been appropriated to build nearby settlements, and many important parts of the site remain lost to historians.

4. Angkor

The Angkor region of Cambodia served as the center of power for the Khmer Empire from 800 AD well into the 1400s. The region was abandoned after a slow decline that ended with an invasion by a Thai army in 1431, leaving the massive city and its thousands of Buddhist temples to be reclaimed by the jungle. The city lay relatively untouched until the 1800s, when a group of French archeologists began to study and restore it. Angkor and its surroundings– which rival Los Angeles in size– have since been recognized as the biggest pre-industrial city in the world, and its famed temple of Angkor Wat is commonly considered to be the largest religious monument in existence.

3. Pompeii

The Roman city of Pompeii was destroyed in AD 79 after the nearby volcano Vesuvius erupted and buried the entire community under 60 feet of ash and rock. The city was estimated to have had around 20,000 inhabitants at the time, and it was considered one of the premier vacation spots for the upper class of Roman society. After the eruption, the ruins stood for 1,700 years before being accidentally rediscovered in 1748 by workmen building a palace for the King of Naples, and since then Pompeii has been the source of constant excavations by archeologists. Ironically, the devastation caused by Vesuvius also helped preserve the city’s architecture, which along with countless frescoes and sculptures, have helped make Pompeii a key part of modern historians’ understanding of life in ancient Rome.

2. Atlantis

At this point it is fairly easy to write Atlantis off as nothing more than a myth, but this legendary city has been a source of speculation ever since the philosopher Plato first wrote about it in 360 B.C. Described by Plato as an advanced civilization and formidable naval power, Atlantis is said to have conquered much of Europe before sinking into the sea as the result of some kind of environmental disaster. While Plato’s story is seen by most as a work of fiction, his description of a massive civilization years ahead of its time technologically has captured the imaginations of countless writers and would-be adventurers, and there have been numerous expeditions launched in search of the city. Perhaps the most infamous occurred at the beginning of WWII, when the Nazis supposedly organized a journey to Tibet with the hope of finding remnants of Atlantaen culture.

1. Machu Picchu

Of all the lost cities that have been found and studied, perhaps none is more mysterious than Machu Picchu. Isolated near the Urubamba Valley in Peru, the city was never found and plundered by conquistadors, and it was not until historian Hiram Bingham visited it in 1911 that it became known outside of the region. The city is divided into districts, and features over 140 different structures bordered by polished stone walls. It is said to have been built in the 1400s by the Incas and abandoned less than 100 years later, most likely when its population was wiped out by smallpox brought over from Europe. There has been much speculation as to what Machu Picchu was used for, as well as why the Incas chose such to build it in such a strange location. Some have said it was a holy temple of sorts, while others have maintained that it was used as a prison, but recent research suggests that it was probably a personal estate of the Inca emperor Pachacuti, and its location was chosen because nearby mountains figured prominently in Inca astrological mythology.

Top 10 Players of the 2010 World Cup

The lights have gone out in South Africa and the trophy has gone back to Spain for the next four years. So while we all relive all the excitement that the world’s largest sporting event has to offer, we reflect on the players who made the World Cup the dramatic clash of nations it always is.

10. Arjen Robben – The Netherlands

Arjen Robben is arguably one of the greatest Dutch players of all time. Despite missing the first two games of the World Cup due to a hamstring injury, he came back and helped his team surpass teams like Brazil and Uruguay to get into the final against Spain. Robben is a reliable presence on the pitch who’s pace and dribbling has made him one of the best wingers in the world. But he is not without controversy, he is often criticized for going to ground too easily and too often. During the World Cup he scored two goals and had one assist and because he was a real difference maker for the Netherlands, Robben was nominated for the Golden Ball award.

Where else does he play?

Arjen Robben began his football career at his home club, Groningen. But it wasn’t long before he caught the eye of some of the top clubs in the world. He has played for PSV, Chelsea, Real Madrid and currently plays for Bayern Munich.

9. Maicon – Brazil

After Cafu’s retirement, Brazil fans were skeptical if anyone could fill his shoes, but that is exactly what Maicon has been able to do, and today he is considered one of the best right backs in the world. Maicon encompasses speed, great touches, accurate crosses and on top of all that he scores the occasional goal. During the match against Korea DPR in the group stage he showed off his shooting ability, scoring from an almost impossible angle for what was one of the best goals of the tournament. The goal has been debated by football fans around the world as no one really knows if it was supposed to be a cross or if he actually meant to score.

Where else does he play?

Maicon made his debut to professional for Cruzeiro in 2001 and during his two seasons with the club they won the championship. In 2004 he was lured across the Atlantic to play for Monaco. Two years later he made a move to Internazionale where he and his teammates have won the last four Serie A titles as well as the 2010 UEFA Champions League.

8. Mesut Ozil – Germany

Over the course of the World Cup, Mesut Ozil has risen from relative obscurity to someone who is being called the German Iniesta. He’s the kind of player that comes along once in a blue moon, a play maker whose vision, passing and inventiveness makes a huge impact on any game he plays in. At only 21, Ozil has become the one to watch and has even been called “a gift for German football” by Joachim Low. Usually wreaking havoc as a midfielder, he can also play as a left winger or even as a striker if the need arises. Ozil marked his first World cup with one goal, but his play making ability really stood out as he made three assists.

Where else does he play?

Ozil’s youth career was spent at several different clubs including Westfalia 04 Gelsenkirchen, Teutonia Shalke-Nord, Falke Gelsenkirchen and Rot-Weiss Essen before he made a move to Shalke 04. It was for Shalke that he made his senior league debut in 2006. He currently plays for Werder Bremen after moving there in 2008.

7. Andres Iniesta – Spain

A creative player that is capable of playing anywhere in the midfield, Iniesta has been called the best player in the world by the likes of Wayne Rooney. He is most effective when he plays right in behind the strikers where his handling of the ball and his ability to race into threatening positions causes serious problems for opposing defenders. During the World Cup final, Iniesta became a Spanish hero when in the 116^th minute he scored the winning goal against the Netherlands. He was named the Man of the Match for the final, as well as being included in the FIFA World Cup All Star Team.

Where else does he play?

A talented graduate of the Barcelona youth school, Iniesta made his senior level debut on October 29, 2002 and he’s been with the club ever since. He has helped Barcelona to four Spanish League trophies, one Spanish Cup, three Spanish Supercups, two Champions League crowns a UEFA Supercup and a FIFA Club World Cup.

6. Xavi – Spain

One of the greatest playmates in the world, Xavi is the center of which the rest of the Spanish team rotates. He is an incredibly hard working central midfielder who is just as comfortable defending as he is making breaks forward and setting up and scoring goals. But probably his most impressive attribute as a footballer is his creative genius.  Because of this he is one of the few players in football history who has won every major tournament open to him. During this World Cup, Xavi covered more ground and made more passes than any other player, making him an irreplaceable force in the Spanish machine.

Where else does he play?

A product of the Barcelona youth system, Xavi moved up to the senior team in 1998 and has been there ever since. During his time there Barcelona has won five La Liga titles, one Spanish Cup, three Spanish Supercups, two Champions Leagues and the 2010 FIFA Club World Cup. Xavi himself has won a plethora of awards including being included in the 2010 FIFA World Cup Al Star Team.

5. Wesley Sneijder – The Netherlands

At only 25, Wesley Sneijder has established himself as a powerful presence in the Dutch side. He is known the world over as a play maker who’s passing ability is among the best and who is comfortable playing both a fast and slow game as needed. But he can also score goals as he has shown at this year’s World Cup, tying as one of the top goal scorers with five. Even while those around him were not living up to their potential, Sneijder remained as brilliant as ever and carried the Netherlands all the way to the final. In the end the Spanish defence was just too much for the Dutchman to handle. Part of his greatness comes from his family, his father was a player and both his brothers play at a professional level, one at Stormvogels Telstar and the other at the Ajax youth academy.

Where else does he play?

A product of AFC Ajax’s famous youth academy, he moved up to the senior team when he was only seventeen, following in his older brother’s footsteps. In 2007 he caught the eye of Real Madrid who signed him to a €27 million contract making him the most expensive Dutch player in the world. From there he made a move to Internazionale in 2009 and earlier this year he helped his team win the 2010 Champions League Final.

4. David Villa – Spain

Comfortable with either foot, David Villa has unleashed his goal scoring prowess at this World Cup, much like he usually does in Spanish colors. He has proved himself in international competition as an important member of a strong Spanish side at not only the 2006 World Cup but also at Euro 2008 (where he won the Golden Boot) and the 2009 Confederations Cup. And this World Cup was no different as he was tied as the top goal scorer of the tournament with five goals in all. Villa is type of player most coaches dream of, a hard-working forward that is capable of opening up the opposing defence and scoring goals. It is because of this that he is one of the top scorers in the history of Spanish football, second only to Raul.

Where else does he play?

David Villa began his football career at Sporting de Gijon in 2001 and then moved up to the top flight Spanish football with Real Zaragoza in 2003. From there he was transferred to Valencia, where he has played for the last five seasons. In May of this year Villa signed a four-year contract with Barcelona.

3. Iker Casillas – Spain

One of the best goalkeepers in the world, Iker Casillas captained La Roja to their first ever World Cup title. His reflexes, speed, agility and the ability to shut down one on one threats has earned him the nickname Saint Iker by both club and national fans. But he is not without his critics, many of whom believed that after the defeat against Switzerland, he should not be Spain’s first choice. With his legendary composure he silenced them, winning the next six games (including the final), five of which were clean sheets. A crucial member of the Spanish side, he no doubt made the decision of who should get the Golden Glove very easy.

Where else does he play?

Iker Casillas has been with Real Madrid since the beginnings of his youth career, but when you play for ne of the best teams in the world there’s not much of an incentive to leave. With the club he has won four La Liga titles, two Champions Leagues, a UEFA Supercup and an Intercontinental Cup.

2. Thomas Mueller – Germany

At only 20 years old, Thomas Mueller has used this World Cup to make the football world stand up and take notice. His versatility to play both as an attacking midfielder as well as a winger adds to his speed, vision and technical ability to make him an all-around stand out player. During the World Cup he was a surprise addition to Joachim Low’s side but he quickly made his mark by scoring Germany’s first goal of the tournament. But he didn’t stop there, he scored another four goals and made three assists, earning him the Golden Boot ahead of superstars like Villa, Sneijder and Forlan as well as the Best young Player award/

Where else does he play?

Mueller began as a youth at TSV Pahl an 1993. From there he moved into the Bayern Munich youth team in 2000 and has effectively moved up the Bayern ranks, making his senior team debut in August 2008.

1. Diego Forlan – Uruguay

While is not the captain, Diego Forlan has led Uruguay not only to the World Cup but all the way to the semi finals. A powerful presence up front, Forlan has the ability to both score and feed the ball to his teammates, predominantly his striking partner, Luis Suarez. “Cachavacha” as he has been nicknamed (because of a striking similarity to a comic book character of the same name), marked his second World Cup tournament with five goals, one of which was a penalty in the shootout against Ghana to get Uruguay into the semifinal. In the end he was given the recognition he deserved when FIFA awarded him with the Golden Ball. However, Diego isn’t the only Forlan to represent Uruguay at the World Cup, his father, Pablo, played in both the 1966 and 1974 World Cups. Despite this Diego grew up playing tennis and it was only after a family tragedy that he decided to follow in his father’s footsteps.

Where else does he play?

Forlan currently plays for Athletico Madrid after being transferred there in June 2007. He has also played at Independiente, Manchester United and Villarreal, and has won two European Golden Boot awards, once for Villarreal in 2004-05 and also for Athletico Madrid in 2008-09.

Top 10 Colorful Animals

Life is the stories of all its heroes. The tiny ones, the unexpected ones, the scary ones and the big and ugly ones.
Life is made of many stories. There’s the one that makes you giggle and the one that makes you well up.
There’s also the red one, the blue one, the wow one, the people one and the animal one.
Life is colorful at TopTenz today, thanks to the BBC.
The BBC is celebrating 50 years of the BBC’s Natural History Unit at their Life Is website, which pulls together the best videos, images and stories from BBC animal and nature programs from over the years.
Dive in at BBC Earth’s Life Is for more amazing stories, videos and photos and visit them on Facebook for exclusive content!
This list is not copied from any other site. It was submitted to Toptenz by the BBC directly through email. We published this list as did other sites, without knowing it had been submitted elsewhere.

10. Monarch Butterfly

Everyone loves butterflies, especially these pretty ones. But their beautiful colors actually serve as a warning to predators not to eat them because they’re poisonous.

9. Sailfish

The Sailfish’s blue stripes certainly make a statement but it has nothing to do with fashion. They light up when the Sailfish hunts, confusing their prey and letting their fellow hunters know what they’re doing. Now that’s a useful use of color!

8. Lesser Flamingo

Did you know the famous pink Flamingo’s lovely color comes from pigment in the algae it eats? They do say you are what you eat…

7. Clownfish

The Clownfish may look pretty with its bright orange and white stripes, but it’s covered in slime. It is essential to the fish forming one of nature’s great teams with the sea anemone – they are dependent on each other to survive and the slime protects the Clownfish from the anemone’s sting.

6. Blue-Footed Booby

Females are attracted to the male Booby’s brilliant blue boots, so it’s lucky for them that they get even brighter if they miss a mating season.

5. Weedy Sea Dragon

The Weedy Sea Dragon is a weird, wonderful and colorful underwater creature. The female produce 250 eggs at a time and the male looks after them. And he shouldn’t lose them either – they’re bright pink!

4. Temminick’s Tragopan

With an orange and brown quiff and a chest that looks like a whale shark lying on top of a heart, the Temminick’s Tragopan is certainly striking. It’s no surprise it’s considered to be the world’s most handsome pheasant.

3. Bird of Paradise

Not only does the male Bird of Paradise have fantastic colorful plumage, he dances, poses and completely changes his shape to woo the less exotic-looking females. Still, lucky girls!

2. Sockeye Salmon

We might tan in the heat, or go red if we get embarrassed, but imagine if the color of your skin completely changed with your environment? That’s exactly what the Sockeye Salmon does – normally blue and silver they turn red and green before spawning.

1. Panther Chameleon

Red, white, green and blue – and that’s just some of the time. The Panther Chameleon has an amazing ability to change color to hide itself. But unlike us, it can’t pick what color coat it wears – that’s affected by temperature, light and even its mood!