Fernando Torres is the world's favourite Barclays Premier League player, with 38 per cent of all votes, while former Arsenal striker, Thierry Henry has emerged as the all-time favourite Barclays Premier League star (with 34 per cent) according to the Barclays 2008 Global Fan Report.

The report also shows that interest in Barclays Premier League football has never been higher - 81 per cent of fans highlighted football as their most regular topic of conversation, ahead of relationships, family and the economy, while 49 per cent said that football was the most important thing in their lives ahead of everything, even family and partners.

Published by Barclays, the official global title sponsor of the Premier League, the report contains the views of over 32,000 fans from 185 countries which offer a unique insight into the lifestyle and opinions of football fans across the globe, revealing that the Barclays Premier League is still regarded as the best on the planet.

The global results reveal a definitive portrait of the ultimate fantasy football team and how we would all enjoy it:

Liverpool and Spain striker Fernando Torres would be leading the line - 38 per cent of supporters worldwide voted 'El Nino' as their favourite current player in the Barclays Premier League, with Steven Gerrard second and Cristiano Ronaldo third.

Thierry Henry would be his strike partner - the former Arsenal hero was voted the favourite player in Barclays Premier League history (34 per cent), with Gerrard second.

Room would have to be found somewhere for David Beckham - the former Manchester United midfielder's strike from the halfway line against Wimbledon in 1996 was voted by fans worldwide as their favourite moment in Barclays Premier League history.

Barcelona playmaker, Lionel Messi, would be dazzling the crowd with his silky skills - 54 per cent voted the Argentine as the player that they would most like to see in the Barclays Premier League.

Sir Alex Ferguson and Guus Hiddink would be facing each other in the dugout. The United manager topped both the current (26 per cent) and all-time favourite manager lists (32 per cent), while Russian coach, Hiddink, was the manager most fans want to see ply their trade in the Barclays Premier League, with 21 per cent of the vote.

83 per cent of fans would be watching the match live on TV with 69 per cent putting on their much loved replica shirt.

The internet is making a real difference to how we catch up on the Barclays Premier League with 82 per cent using it to find out about their teams. However, a still huge 70 per cent would read all about it in the newspapers to ensure they got the full analysis.

Kevin Wall from Barclays said: "The 2008 Barclays Global Fans Report has attracted a fantastic response from over 32,000 fans from 185 countries, or over 90 per cent of all countries around the world, making it the biggest survey of its type ever undertaken.

"As a topic of conversation football is twice as popular as all other sports combined, three times more popular than TV and four times more popular than politics. It's a great unifying force and it proves that football really is the world's game, and the Barclays Premier League is its favourite competition."

Liverpool and Spain striker, Fernando Torres said: "To have over 30,000 fans sharing their views in this survey is a phenomenal response. Barclays Premier League fans are some of the most fanatical in the world and to be voted favourite current Barclays Premier League player is a massive honour."

The analysis was carried out as ongoing research by Barclays, official title sponsor of the Barclays Premier League, into the attitudes and lifestyles of football fans around the world.