The beauty of this thread is that all of our opinions just underscore how influential Clapton, and so many others, have been - not just on us but on other guitarists/musicians. I would certainly have to add that, IMO, Bireli Lagrene has been much less of an influence on the world music scene than EC (though Lagrene is the most brilliant proponent of Django's legacy and deserves as much attention as EC, et al). I don't think that Clapton is the least bit concerned about his place in the pantheon.
For every 'best' musician one names, there are dozens of other candidates that could be counterposited. Is Buddy Guy the 'best' blues guitarist? There are many blues afficionados who might agree, but there are even more who would suggest that Freddie King, or Albert King, Albert Collins, Clarence Gatemouth Brown, Hubert Sumlin, Jimi, or insert your favorite, is the 'best.' And let's not forget the white guys like SRV (or brother Jimmie), Benoit, Earl, Gatton, Gaar, Trout, Trucks, Duane (or Dickie or Toy...) or the great Roy Buchanan. How do you split the hairs? Is it on the basis of live performance, recordings, or a combination of the two? Very few of us here witnessed the wonder of Freddie King's playing, and his recordings really don't serve his memory all that well. But I can assure you that he was as moving a blues guitarist as I have ever had the privilege to see/hear in person. But the finest guitarist I have ever seen/heard (and in HIS living room to boot) is Jose Feliciano. He can literally play anything but his 12 string mastery is incredible. And he can mimic EC, Jimi - anybody you name.
This is all just mental masturbation, but it underscores how much music there is for us to discover.
