Essein and Pirlo are two vastly different players. Essein has the stamina and strength to give any team a go, aswell when it comes to skill and ball control he is above average. He also has alot more pace than Pirlo.
But I think that Pirlo would be more valuable to a team due to his great vision to sense a scoring oppurtunity for his team, his unbeleivable delivery on his crosses and passes and his ability to gel almost any team together. He connects the midfield to the attack. So Pirlo.
definitly Kaka. showed he doesn't have to score to affect the outcome of games. they're both really fast but i think Kaka's control is much better. IMO he is in the top 3 in regards to players in the world right now.
I like Gattuso's drive and willingness to never give up but i think Gerrard is an overall better player. He is a better leader and he is great at passing, shooting, crossing.
Gudjohnsen is decent and is pretty versatile, but Raul is much better. Raul is one of those strikers who could score tons of goals every season and is still one of the top scorers in the champions league. He's been in the spotlight ever since he was young and is a symbol for Real Madrid supporters. He isn't at his peak anymore but I like how he has become more versatile and has been able to play in midfield and hustle a lot. During the first game versus Barca he was coming back in defence and slide tackling the ball. Truly a great player in my eyes. Gudjohnsen is more of a supporting attacker.