LONDON (AP) Quotes from voters in this week's AP Global football poll:
___
James Thorogood, Bundesliga.com, Germany.
"Fresh from being named the European player of the year, Franck Ribery lived up to his billing in helping his side exact a small measure of revenge on Chelsea for the 2012 Champions League final loss on home soil."
___
Ubiratan Leal, trivela.com, Brazil.
"OK, putting Messi on top is not original, but the Argentine got a hat trick against a good Valencia side, and against a good keeper (Diego Alves was in his best form last Sunday). Gerrard didn't score, but worth the mention for leading an increasingly improving Liverpool against Manchester United."
___
Alejandro Cisternas, El Mercurio, Chile.
"Liverpool is having its best start in almost two decades, and that's impressive for a team with a huge history. Barcelona under Gerardo Martino is also continuing in winning ways."
___
Marco Monteverde, News Corp., Australia.
"Ibisevic's hat trick against his former club Hoffenheim was not only special on a personal level, but also much needed to kick-start Stuttgart's Bundesliga campaign."
___
Mark Rodden, Paris-based Irish football writer.
"It took Messi just 41 minutes to chalk up his 23rd league hat trick for Barcelona and only Valencia goalkeeper Diego Alves prevented him adding more goals in the second half. The Argentine has only featured in two of the first three league games of the season but he's already top of the Spanish scoring charts."
___
Richard Jolly, ESPN, England.
"In England, Liverpool have made their best start since 1994 and find themselves in the position they used to occupy regularly: Top of the league. Arsenal and AC Milan recorded valuable wins in both their domestic division and the Champions League."
___
Sam Tighe, Bleacher Report, United States.
"Holding steady against Manchester United at Anfield drew Liverpool worldwide plaudits, and just hours later the same happened when Arsenal defeated Tottenham by the same scoreline."
___
Aurelio Capaldi, RAI Sport, Italy.
"Henrikh Mkhitaryan scored a double in Frankfurt and was a key man in Borussia Dortmund's brilliant start of the season. His second goal against Eintracht is priceless. A real gem."
___
Paolo Condo, Gazzetta dello Sport, Italy.
"Messi was back in office but new guns such as Mkhitaryan, Sturridge and Isco are very close to the top spots. And I'm very happy to announce the renaissance of Serie A, with 43 goals scored in the weekend."
___
Tom Timmerman, St. Louis Post, United States.
"It's still too soon for me to be confident about Juventus being the best team in Europe, but as long as they keep dominating opponents, I'm going to be keeping them there."
___
Julian Bennets, Hayters News Agency.
"The star for Arsenal was their goal-scorer, Olivier Giroud. The Frenchman has come in for criticism but he was a man possessed on Sunday, playing the lone striker role to perfection. We have become rather more accustomed to perfection from Lionel Messi, and his hat trick at Valencia was outstanding."
The once-mighty English club has warmed to its unlikely saviour.