Welcome to FourFourTwo's countdown of the best players in the world, as we deliver the definitive ranking of the biggest stars in the sport.
It might not always feel like it, but we're living in a golden age of the game: the quality has never been this high, with mid-level Premier League clubs boasting world-class talent and the best players on Earth capable of performing in any era, really.
The margins at the elite level are smaller than ever – with some of these guys destined to become some of the greatest players of all time, surely – and that's reflected in how difficult it was to compile this list…
How FourFourTwo's expert panel chose the best players in the world right now
FourFourTwo assembled an esteemed panel of writers, journalists, analysts and football experts to provide a list of their 25 best footballers in the world.
Each player was given a score from 40 (the best) to 15 (the 25th best), with points added from our lists of the best goalkeepers, best right-backs, best centre-backs, best left-backs, best defensive midfielders, best central midfielders, best attacking midfielders, best right-wingers, best left-wingers and best strikers in the world.
Our expert panel were asked to assess players based on their current ability – both technical and physical – along with their standing in the game over the past 12-18 months, with no bias when it came to position or role, meaning that a goalkeeper at the top of their game was equivilant in importance to an outfielder and all positions were equal.
Statistical metrics were also considered, with minimal point tallies added to players, leaving us with almost 200 players in our longlist – before we shortened that down to the following 100 footballers…
100. Mohammed Kudus
Undoubtedly Tottenham's best signing of the 2025 summer window, Mohammed Kudus has stepped up nicely since joining from West Ham United, with the Hammers' own malaise showing how they miss the Ghanaian.
Kudus has long been a versatile attacker capable of breaking defences with his movement and power, slotting into Spurs' side on the right flank to replace Dejan Kulusevski's more measured approach.
He's fast become one of the first names on the team sheet and will be vital for the Black Stars at World Cup 2026.
99. Victor Osimhen
Europe's top five leagues is certainly Turkey's gain: has the Super Lig ever had a player this good in his pomp?
Victor Osimhen is good enough to be turning out for one of Europe's very best – and we mean that with no disrespect to Galatasaray, who signed the Nigerian after a fallout with Napoli, with Osimhen picking up where he left off in Serie A.
The hitman is a natural striker, and with athleticism and accuracy in spades, he's still terrifying defences in the Champions League for fun.
98. Tijjani Reijnders
The heir to Ilkay Gundogan simply had to replace the German at Manchester City.
Tijjani Reijnders is a different player but over the past 18 months, he's shown a Gundo-esque penchant for intelligent link-up play and box-crashing. He was adored at Milan, where he was a part of arguably the most mercurial left-hand side in world football alongside Theo Hernandez and Rafael Leao, with Rossoneri fans gutted to see him go over the summer.
Playing under Pep Guardiola has an infamous learning curve, and no doubt he'll be one of the best in the world when he reaches his incredible potential.
97. Marcus Rashford
The Catalan sea air has done the world for good for Marcus Rashford.
After fallouts at Manchester United, the England man has regained his best form on loan – first in the Midlands under Unai Emery, and now at Barcelona, where he hasn't looked a toe out of place alongside the likes of Lamine Yamal and Raphinha.
As one of very few game-changing options on the left wing for England, he could well complete his redemption arc in North America next summer.
96. Hugo Ekitike
Sometimes it's the signings that you don't expect to fall in love with that make the biggest impression.
While Liverpool fans were getting excited over the possibility of Alexander Isak in the summer, a man who was considered his backup in Hugo Ektike has lit up the Premier League with the kind of pace, eye for goal and swagger that we all expected from the Swede – and it's a genuine competition between the two, now, for the starting no.9 shirt.
Ekitike has been a high point in a disappointing title defence for the Reds and fully deserves to be starting alongside Isak – if not ahead of him.
95. Alvaro Carreras
Real Madrid make exciting signings – but they also make sensible ones.
For every Zidane, a Makelele; for every Trent, an Alvaro Carreras. The former Manchester Untied isn't flashy or exciting but he's been steady and reliable for Los Blancos in a position that they haven't had much consistency with of late.
United may already be regretting letting go of him already…
94. Nick Woltemade
Whatever the expectations were of Nick Woltemade, Newcastle United fans perhaps didn't expect to love the German forward as much as they do.
Woltemade isn't cut from the cloth of traditional no.9s on Tyneside but he's won hearts with how graceful and deft he can be, bringing others into play – this was a season that the 23-year-old probably expected a lesser role, shadowing Yoane Wissa, but it's turned out that he's the main man in the Toon attack.
And though Newcastle are a different team without Isak – and though Woltemade is far from the finished product and far from a complete striker right now – he's shown just why Eddie Howe agreed to part with quite so much money for his services.
93. Tino Livramento
Future superstar doesn't do Tino Livramento justice anymore.
You can trace Newcastle's struggles this season to the full-back going off injured, and their resurgence in Livramento's return to the team: he's a superb defender, has pocketed some of the biggest players in the league, and offers thrust in attack.
One hopes that he can stay fit now and challenge the likes of Reece James for the starting berth at the World Cup.
92. Pau Cubarsi
Part of the incredible raft of talent to come through La Masia in recent years, Pau Cubarsi has rapidly become Barcelona's best centre-back under Hansi Flick.
Cubarsi is blessed with all the fundamentals you expect of a Barça defender – strong in the challenge and commanding, of course, but with excellent reading of the game and great passing – with plenty noting that the Spaniard has a maturity beyond his years.
He's forming a good partnership at international level with El Clasico foe Dean Huijsen, too, replicating the Ramos/Pique divide that defined Spanish football for a generation.
91. Milos Kerkez
A sticky start to his Liverpool career shouldn't distract from how good Milos Kerkez has been since arriving in the Premier League.
Full-backs in the last two years have gone more retro, with the likes of Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta fielding centre-backs on either side of their back four, while the inverted full-back trend is alive and well – well, Kerkez is a proper left-back: a touchline-hugging demon with boundless energy, a wicked delivery and intensity off the ball.
There's a reason the Hungarian was quite so in-demand over the summer.
90. Mile Svilar
Roma have a knack when it comes to goalkeepers and it seems as if they've struck gold once more.
Alisson Becker is obviously the standout capture between the sticks in recent years, but Wojciech Szczesny and Rui Patricio were both great signings, too – and in Mile Svilar, the Giallorossi have landed upon a long-term presence who's been incredibly solid since his move from Benfica in 2022.
From a long line of excellent Belgian-born keepers, Svilar swapped the Red Devils for Serbia and has only been capped once, finding himself behind the likes of Vanja Milinkovic-Savic and Djordje Petrovic – but at 26, his future is still bright.
89. Marc Cucurella
Marc Cucurella has had some turnaround since joining Chelsea – and there's a case that he may well have been Enzo Maresca's most important player since the Italian came to West London.
The Spaniard has allowed his manager to switch effortlessly between a back four and his 3-3-1-3 in possession, becoming a constant at left-back for his ability on the ball and his ever-improving defensive game.
Keeping out the likes of Alex Grimaldo in the national set-up, too, Cucurella has had a superb 18 months, adding a Euros triumph with Spain to two trophies with the Blues – and it would be a surprise to no one to see him lock up some serious wingers this summer en route to a World Cup win with Spain.
88. Jeremy Doku
Learning how to play for Pep Guardiola can be tricky – especially for wingers.
While Jack Grealish found himself somewhat shackled by the demands of the intense Catalan, however, Jeremy Doku has found success this season, simply by being himself, providing width for Manchester City as well as an ever-improving threat in the final third.
His performance against Liverpool earlier this season marked a player coming of age, adding elite decision-making to a bag of tricks that already bamboozles full-backs: Doku is still on the rise and maturing into quite the attacker at the Etihad.
87. Riccardo Calafiori
Now that we've gotten a better look at Riccardo Calafiori, it's clear to see what Arsenal were lacking last term with the Italian missing huge chunks of the season through injury.
There's no one quite like him in world football: Calafiori gallops on the ball, roams freely across the pitch and this term, he's been a foil for Leandro Trossard to cut inside while popping up in dangerous areas himself… all from left-back.
He doesn't neglect his defensive duties either: and with a steely mentality, it's clear that this is a defender that the Gunners will be building around in years to come.
86. Reece James
We may well have all got this guy wrong: Reece James has been one of the best midfielders in the Premier League this season.
It just means that he's a level above practically every other right-back in the world when he's fully fit and in the groove: Thomas Tuchel certainly thinks so, omitting the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold from his England squads to give James his chance.
The Chelsea captain has been immense over the past 12 months, putting his injury woes behind him to elevate his game even further and prove that despite the riches that his employers have spent, he's still arguably their most important player when he's available.
85. Arda Guler
Comparisons to Mesut Ozil don't come lightly, and even the World Cup winner has noted the comparisons between himself and his former Fenerbahce team-mate.
Not even Ozil had made it to the Bernabeu this young, however: Arda Guler has struggled with injury and had to fight with genuine superstars for his opportunities but he's slowly proving himself as one of the best no.10s in world football.
He never needed a stepping stone between Turkey and Real Madrid, showing his quality – and performances like the ones he put in at Euro 2024 may well become the norm before long.
84. Granit Xhaka
The move that no one expected – the Invincible to newly-promoted Wearsiders – is working out pretty damn well, really, isn't it?
It's a sign of Granit Xhaka's stature that he walked through the door and took the captaincy immediately. While the Swiss regista struggled a little when he arrived in English football over a decade ago with discipline (both positionally and his own over-aggressiveness), Xhaka has matured into one of the most influential midfielders on the planet, able to start play around his own box or affect it around the opposition's.
The 33-year-old was always a player likely to get better with age, but few foresaw quite how exceptional he would become. Xhaka is a massive reason as to why Sunderland are likely to buck the trend of promoted sides going straight back down and he's showing everyone why he's still one of the finest players in the Premier League.
83. Dani Carvajal
Dani Carvajal has reached incredible heights in football over 12 years at Real Madrid.
In that time, he's won six Champions League titles, virtually untouchable as Los Blancos' first-choice right-back: and even with the competition of Trent Alexander-Arnold, the Spaniard is showing himself as the sensible option between the pair of them, offering the kind of defensive nous that the Englishman is famously criticised for lacking.
At the age of 33 and after serious ligament damage, Carvajal has returned as determined as ever to hold down the fort for Real.
82. Eberechi Eze
A big move was beckoning for years for Ebere Eze, who became a genuine club legend at Selhurst Park before a homecoming north of the Thames.
And now, Eze's going to be remembered forever by Arsenal fans for that hat-trick in the North London Derby – but the playmaker's not even started yet, showing mere glimpses of his mercurial talent, and a capability for changing games at the highest level.
Eze's role in N5 is still in flux: and even despite that, he's one of the most watchable footballers in the country.
81. Daniel Munoz
After around a decade of Crystal Palace relying purely on three right-backs – Joel Ward, Nathaniel Clyne, Aaron Wan-Bissaka – the Eagles brought in a potential superstar for the role.
Daniel Munoz has become one of the most dangerous players in the Premier League with his whipped balls into Jean-Philippe Mateta and willingness to bust a gut and get into the box himself: the Colombian is all-action and typifies Oliver Glasner's ideals to get this Palace side punching well above its weight.
Does a big move beckon?
80. Morgan Rogers
File Morgan Rogers with Cole Palmer: an unpredictable game-changer in attacking areas who can produce magic… who Manchester City perhaps letting go quite so easily.
Rogers has had a curious route to the top but sometimes a club just suits a man right down to the ground – and that's certainly true of Unai Emery's Aston Villa, with the 23-year-old given a free role to exact whatever kind of destruction he feels like.
His movement and dribbling disrupt defences, but Rogers has the ball-striking to match, as he's proved time and again since his Midlands move in 2024.
79. Theo Hernandez
Now 28, Theo Hernandez is one of the most underrated full-backs of the last decade in Serie A.
Cast aside by Real Madrid, he found a home at Milan, where he was a key man in winning the Scudetto in 2022: he's a vintage overlapper with energy and pace, and has proven himself as a key weapon for France both in attack and defence.
Now in the Saudi Pro League, we may have seen the last of him at the top level.
78. Kenan Yildiz
German-born Kenan Yildiz is one of the most exciting talents of a Turkish generation gearing up to host the Euros in 2032.
In a strange era for Juventus, the winger has been a guiding light in Turin, offering a brand of incision and urgency to cut through opponents, all with Alessandro Del Piero's iconic no.10 digit on his back.
Whether he remains in Italy and stays loyal to the Old Lady, or embarks for a brave new world abroad, the 20-year-old is tipped to be one of the names of the next decade – and he's already one of the most dangerous attackers in Europe.
77. Nico Williams
Nico Williams hasn't quite set European football alight as he threatened to at Euro 2024 – but that's only because his potential is sky-high.
The Basque attacker is everything you want in a winger: hard-working, two-footed and with pace to burn, proving himself to be Lamine Yamal's complement on the opposite flank for the national team, with a little more directness and brute strength than the teen.
Williams is stunning to watch in full flow, however, with an intelligence that belies his game, whether he's facing a deep block or destroying opponents in transition.
76. Antonio Rudiger
One of the greatest free transfers of the past 10 years, Antonio Rudiger has quietly become one of his generation's defining defenders.
The German always had the aggression to come out and meet attackers in Thomas Tuchel's back three at Chelsea, but has channelled that to refine his game at Real Madrid, developing into one of the most well-rounded centre-backs in the world in the process.
A benchmark for the likes of Gabriel in that respect, Rudiger is now into his 30s and has the potential to stay at the top for a good few years yet.
75. Jan Oblak
It wouldn't be unfair to call Jan Oblak an icon of club and country.
The Atletico Madrid goalkeeper has been one of the most reliable shot-stoppers in the whole of Europe for a decade now, quietly topping lists without getting the kind of hype that some of his contemporaries receive.
But Oblak has been pivotal to Diego Simeone for so long now, and is arguably Slovenia's greatest-ever servant.
74. Dani Olmo
Dani Olmo's return to Barcelona in 2024 was a magnificent full circle for the attacking midfielder after his starring role for Spain at the Euros.
Since then, he's had plenty of competition for places but still racked up a La Liga goal in almost every other game from behind Robert Lewandowski, bringing the kind of Bundesliga smarts to Camp Nou that Hansi Flick no doubt adores.
At 27, Olmo's now entering his prime and could well grow in stature at Barça in the coming years.
73. Yann Sommer
Now 37, Yann Sommer is an evergreen custodian enjoying quite the late career renaissance.
He spent almost a decade at Borussia Monchengladbach before Manuel Neuer's skiing accident gave him a chance to finally lift the Bundesliga – and since then, he's been to a Champions League final, and won the Scudetto with Inter Milan.
It's testament to the patience of one of Europe's most underappreciated keepers of the last 10 years and it's nice that he's receiving his flowers, now.
72. Rafael Leao
There are perhaps only a handful of footballers on the planet who have the potential to affect a football match like Rafael Leao.
The combination of his physique and light feet make him a nightmare to defend against, with the Milan man feeling like an old-school centre-forward crowbarred out to the left, just to terrify full-backs – and though he's not captured the Scudetto-winning form that set him apart as one of the most exciting footballers on Earth, he's still lighting up the San Siro with his brilliance.
It'll be intriguing to see how he gets on if he ever gets his blockbuster move.
71. Alexis Mac Allister
Few of Brighton & Hove Albion's gems find that the grass is genuinely greener when they leave the Amex – but Alexis Mac Allister is certainly one of the exceptions to the rule.
The Argentine has gone onto win the Premier League at Liverpool, following his World Cup exploits of 2022, with a measured game of intelligent passing and diligent off-ball work, perfectly complementing the likes of Ryan Gravenberch and being a long sought-after metronome for the Reds.
That Seagulls fans still applaud him is proof not only of an amicable exit but respect for how he's risen to become one of the best midfielders on Earth in just a few short years.
70. Ruben Dias
Ruben Dias is easily one of Pep Guardiola's greatest-ever signings… and that's saying something.
His move from Benfica was almost a panic buy – almost – after Man City were torn apart in lockdown by Leicester City, but the Portuguese has shored up the defence with a kind of leadership that the side had lacked since Vincent Kompany retired: he doesn't do anything flashy like John Stones, but he's one of the most solid defenders that the club have ever had.
At just 28, he's become a rock for club and country and will go down as one of the Premier League's best centre-backs of his era.
69. Robert Lewandowski
42 in all competitions last season, 26 the season before that, and 33 in his maiden Camp Nou campaign, to follow eight seasons at Bayern Munich in which he posted 344 goals in 375 games.
If it wasn't clear already, Robert Lewandowski has reached a level in the game in which he's as good as you can possibly be without being Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo – and even though he's now 37, he isn't dropping off any time soon, with eight in his first 12 La Liga appearances this term.
A genuine 21st Century legend, Lewangoalski is as magnificent as ever, with 651 career club strikes in 911 appearances: now that's consistency.
68. Aurelien Tchouameni
Real Madrid shelled out big money for 22-year-old Aurelien Tchouameni in 2022 – but he's slotted in as if he was born to play for the club.
The Frenchman has felt like a part of the furniture, with his clockwork availability and ability to slot in at centre-back if he's needed there as well as in midfield: he's also been a regular for France with over 40 caps before the age of 26.
Tchouameni might not be as glamorous as some of his colleagues but he's gone some way to repaying his fee with assured performances for Los Blancos under successive managers.
67. Bradley Barcola
Quite simply, it's a travesty that Bradley Barcola isn't able to play every week.
But that's the problem you have when you're Paris Saint-Germain, and you have four of the best attackers in the world vying to squeeze into a front three (what a lovely problem to have), with Barcola tasked as being the mazey, measured one, who maybe doesn't have the brute force of his team-mates but definitely has the tricky feet and creativity in spades.
There's only so long that such a brilliant young attacker can wait in the wings while others start ahead of him, surely?
66. Alex Grimaldo
Alex Grimaldo is 30 years of age now – and while he's won five league titles (one of them unbeaten, don't forget), he doesn't get half the credit he deserves.
While Bayer Leverkusen's historic title winners were torn apart in the aftermath of their difficult follow-up season, Grimaldo has remained to offer stability – and over the past two years since signing on a free, he's more than exceeded expectations with lung-bursting energy up and down the left and goals to boot.
Simply one of the best signings of the 2020s.
65. Viktor Gyokeres
London life has been a learning curve for a striker who scored 97 goals in 102 games for Sporting, but those numbers reveal the mentality of a man whom Mikel Arteta was immediately convinced by.
Gyokeres might lack the all-round game of some of his rivals, but he's posted such an incredible return over the past few years, almost thanks to his determination alone: he works like a dog to stretch defences, running the channels for that one opportunity to stretch his legs.
Whether he comes good or not at Arsenal is still up for debate – but Gyokeres
64. Mike Maignan
A reputation as the world’s best goalkeeper isn’t easy to come by but Mike Maignan has gone from strength to strength since leaving Paris Saint-Germain for Lille as a young player in 2015. Regarded as the heir to Hugo Lloris at international level, Maignan also inherited big gloves when he joined Milan in 2021.
Replacing Gianluigi Donnarumma was a tall task for the Rossoneri but French international Maignan was perfect for the role. Tall, dominant and a highly accomplished shot stopper, Maignan is reliable with the ball at his feet and an outstanding long passer.
He’s now in his fifth season as Milan’s regular first-choice goalkeeper and is getting better with experience. He was selected as the top goalkeeper at the last European Championship, adding the honour to back-to-back league titles in two different countries in 2021 and 2022.
63. Martin Zubimendi
Tactically disciplined and hewn from impressive midfield pedigree, Martin Zubimendi moved to the Premier League in 2025 to play under fellow San Sebastian boy Mikel Arteta at Arsenal. He developed at the same junior club as his manager but came through the ranks at Real Sociedad.
La Real know a thing or two about producing players, midfielders especially, and in Zubimendi they turned out a young man who became a first team regular, a European Championship winner with Spain and a big money signing for one of the top clubs in England.
Perhaps at his best as a deep-lying playmaker, Zubimendi is a master of spaces and rhythm. He’s not a prolific scorer but his midfield contribution with and without the ball is proving an important addition to the Gunners’ weaponry.
62. Federico Dimarco
They don’t come more black and blue than Federico Dimarco. The Milanese left-back joined Inter Milan’s academy at the age of six. Dimarco has been loaned out several times and even left full-time for a season but the call of home has been a powerful pull throughout his career.
Now, as a senior player and leader, Dimarco is everything the Nerazzurri could want. He’s a loyal warrior who steps up with grit and fire in the big matches, defends with everything he’s got and has the attacking quality to directly affect results. A grafter with pace and technical ability is always worth their weight in gold.
Dimarco has been a stalwart of Inter’s modern era. Regularly named at left-back in the Serie A Team of the Year, the 28-year-old is a Scudetto winner, has back-to-back Coppa Italia medals and has played frequently for Italy since his debut in the summer of 2022.
61. Bryan Mbeumo
Ruben Amorim and Manchester United were determined in their pursuit of Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo in the summer transfer window in 2025, and it’s easy to see why. Having joined the west London side from Troyes when they were in the Championship, the France Under-21 international matured into one of the very best in the business.
Now playing senior international football for Cameroon, Mbeumo was arguably the best all-round forward in a Brentford attack that also boasted Ivan Toney and Yoane Wissa, with whom he combined beautifully before heading to Old Trafford for a reported fee of £71 million.
As he approaches his peak years, Mbeumo has demonstrated all the ingredients of a world-class forward. He’s physically and mentally quick off the mark, powerful, instinctively dangerous and prolific in front of goal. Man United spent big money on him but the weight of evidence supporting their purchase is overwhelming.
60. Rodrygo
Brazilian winger Rodrygo has a wealth of experience for a relatively young player and almost all of it has been harvested at the very highest level. Now 24, he joined Real Madrid from Santos as a precocious teenage talent in 2019 and made his senior international debut in the same year.
He was immediately assimilated into the first team at the Bernabeu and has already won La Liga three times and the Champions League twice. As he becomes a more experienced player at one of the most successful clubs on the planet, Rodrygo will be expected to deliver even more silverware in years to come.
Renowned for his one-on-one attacking ability, speed and naturally technical footballing ability, Rodrygo has also evolved into a streetwise, hard-working and influential player. Successive Real Madrid managers have put their trust in him and the best is surely yet to come.
59. Willian Pacho
One of South America’s most exciting young central defenders, Willian Pacho was a product of the famous Independiente del Valle academy that also developed Premier League stars Pierro Hincapie and Moises Caicedo. He was taken to Europe by Royal Antwerp in 2022 and has come on in leaps and bounds.
After an impressive season in Germany’s Bundesliga with Eintracht Frankfurt, he was snapped up by serial French champions Paris Saint-Germain in time to win Ligue 1, the French Cup and the Champions League in 2024/25. Pacho is already a league winner in three countries and has been making up for lost time at international level, racking up caps like nobody’s business since a somewhat belated debut in 2023.
Pacho is a tremendous one-on-one defender who reads the game well and is a tough tackler at the base of a team that likes to attack in numbers. His passing is a key aspect of Luis Enrique’s approach. With Marquinhos now in his thirties, PSG might just have found his natural successor.
58. Sandro Tonali
As part of the team that delivered Newcastle United’s first major trophy in 70 years, Sandro Tonali holds a special place in the hearts of the Gallowgate masses. In truth, he’d long since won over the Magpies faithful since his shock move away from Milan, where it seemed the captaincy beckoned.
Before serving a long ban for betting offences, the former Brescia youngster added a new dimension to Eddie Howe’s midfield, adapting easily to the hard-running Newcastle engine room but bringing an improvement in quality on the ball and attacking thrust from the middle of the pitch.
Tonali is the modern midfield archetype, a willing grafter and composed on the ball, athletic but stylish, and the difference between Newcastle with and without him has been palpable throughout his time in the Premier League. The same is increasingly true for Italy too.
57. Bruno Guimaraes
There aren’t many more beautiful things to see in football than when a club and a player fit like glove and hand. Brazil midfielder Bruno Guimaraes is from the north of Rio de Janeiro, approximately 6,800 miles from Newcastle upon Tyne, yet he represents Newcastle United like one might expect of a proud Geordie.
Guimaraes has been the heartbeat of the Newcastle midfield since he moved to St James’ Park from Ligue 1 side Lyon in 2022, embodying Eddie Howe’s intense running and playing with the kind of guts and determination that can win over even the most hardened supporters.
Yet Guimaraes is a player of balance, not just a worker. He has guile and technical ability in abundance, making him a high-quality Premier League all-rounder. A knack for scoring goals is just the cherry on top of the cake.
56. Alphonso Davies
Alphonso Davies’ extraordinary childhood eventually took him to the Canadian city of Edmonton. 10 years after his family arrived in Alberta, Davies signed for Vancouver Whitecaps. Now 25, Davies has followed a phenomenal trajectory in his career since he joined the MLS club.
He’s been capped more than 50 times for Canada but has been winning fans and titles in Europe since 2018, when he left the Whitecaps to jump at the chance at the big time with Bavarian titans Bayern Munich. The flying left-back has become a fixture at the club, helping them to six Bundesliga titles and a Champions League win before he even hits his peak years.
Davies is the captain of the Canadian national team. One week after the World Cup 2026 draw, he played his first Bundesliga match for nearly nine months after recovering from a cruciate ligament injury. With the Reds looking to get past the group stage for the first time, Davies’ contribution will be essential.
55. Antoine Semenyo
When London-born forward Antoine Semenyo went on loan to Bath City and Newport County from Bristol City in 2018, there was little indication that his considerable talents would lead to him being recognised just a few years later as one of the most dangerous attacking players in the Premier League.
Semenyo, a Ghanaian international since 2022, joined Premier League side Bournemouth in 2023 and hasn’t looked back. He’s among the league’s most defensively important attacking players, indicative of the work ethic that has propelled him to his current status in the game.
Generally operating in wide areas, Semenyo is the perfect Andoni Iraola forward – a pressing machine with dead-eye ability in front of goal. He’s capable in the air, able to go past a player in the final third and never found wanting for a desire to win.
54. Josko Gvardiol
Croatian defender Josko Gvardiol became a household name on the back of his performances at the World Cup in 2022 but his star had been rising for some time. Born in Zagreb, Gvardiol cut his teeth at local club Dinamo and stepped up a level when he was signed and loaned back by RB Leipzig in 2020.
Gvardiol has good defensive instincts and has largely done away with the rushes of blood to the head that were evident in his early years at both of his clubs. Pep Guardiola liked what he saw. Gvardiol joined Manchester City in 2023 and was a regular in the team that won the Premier League in his first season.
City suits his strengths. Gvardiol developed as a central defender but is able to link with a wide player on the left and loves to get into the box, scoring at a very good rate for a Premier League defender and fulfilling the defensive brief more comfortably with each passing season.
53. Nicolo Barella
Nicolo Barella is the ideal central midfielder for Inter Milan and Italy. The former Cagliari man, Sardinia born and bred, possesses a potent combination of poise, purpose and polish in the middle of the pitch for both club and country. The 28-year-old is among Inter’s most experienced players and has more than 300 Serie A appearances under his belt.
Over the course of seven seasons, Barella has emerged as a leadership figure for the Nerazzurri as well as one of the world’s foremost midfield players. Though he’s primarily attack-minded, Barella never backs down from a conflict and loves to muck in with the midfield battle.
The seasoned international has a great engine and has become known around the world for his tremendous shooting from outside the box, a skill that has earned him comparisons with some of the most celebrated goalscoring midfielders of previous generations.
52. Denzel Dumfries
There aren’t many players at the very top level who can make a legitimate claim to uniqueness but when Denzel Dumfries is marauding up the right flank in the black and blue of Inter Milan or the famous orange of the Netherlands, there’s simply no mistaking him for anyone else.
Dumfries, 29, is a right-back who defends to a high standard but often gives the impression that he’d be just as happy and handy as a centre-forward. That attacking sensibility has been harnessed by Inter managers since he moved to Serie A from PSV in 2021, helping the Nerazzurri to win the Scudetto in 2024 and reach two Champions League finals in three years.
The Dutch international is all-energy and all-action, never knowingly uninvolved in the game. He’s always willing to make a run with or without the ball, or to put a foot in where it counts, and that intensity is sure to serve him well as he approaches the next stage of his career.
51. Alejandro Balde
Barcelona’s 22-year-old homegrown left-back is fast becoming one of the most significant defensive players to come out of La Masia for years. A Spanish international at every level from under-16 to the first team, Alejandro Balde has more than 100 La Liga appearances under his belt.
Balde is Jordi Alba’s successor at the Camp Nou, specialising in that very particular skillset required of full-backs in the world’s best teams. Barcelona expect to have the ball. They want to attack. Balde’s job is tactically different than that of a player in his position at other clubs, and while his defensive contribution is still part of what defines him, it’s his speed and skill going forward that make him suitable for the Blaugrana.
He passes the ball well both in his short game and in attacking areas where creativity is the key. As far as Hansi Flick is concerned, Balde more than fits the bill. With two league titles already to his name and easily a decade ahead of him at the pinnacle of the sport, the sky’s the limit.
50. Lionel Messi
Cast your mind back to 2006 and ask yourself what you expected of Lionel Messi two decades into the future. Immortality and a place in a pantheon with a select few from history, perhaps? Or to inevitably fade into a background?
The Flea is no longer at the top level of European football, and at 38, no one really expects him to have the yard headstart on anyone anymore. But the mind of the greatest footballer that the Earth has ever seen is still a dozen steps ahead of the average player: he's still elevating those around him.
He's still a winner. He may well still be on this list the day before he retires altogether.
49. Florian Wirtz
The transfer of Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen was the ninth most expensive in football history, the fourth to a Premier League club. The German attacking midfielder emerged as the Bundesliga’s foremost young superstar during Bayer Leverkusen’s historic 2023/24 season.
Wirtz was named as Germany’s Footballer of the Year in 2025, just the latest in a long list of individual accolades bestowed upon the 22-year-old. His departure from Leverkusen was inevitable by the summer and the usual path to Bayern Munich was left untrodden as Wirtz headed instead for Liverpool.
In addition to an impeccable work ethic, Wirtz was in demand because of his technical ability, mastery of the ball and elite football instincts. He’s able to be a creative force even in situations that would stifle other players and is regarded as a world-class talent in the making. The Premier League is the perfect proving ground.
48. Fabian Ruiz
29-year-old midfielder Fabian Ruiz didn’t follow the typical Spanish player’s route to the top. Born and bred in the province of Seville, he joined Real Betis as a child and cracked the first team as a young player starting to make his name in La Liga.
Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid would ordinarily be the next step for a player who went on to achieve greatness but it was in Italy with Napoli that Ruiz’s terrific sense of space and rhythm in midfield really catapulted him to continental star status and attracted the attention of Paris Saint-Germain.
Ruiz became a three-time Ligue 1 champion and a double-double winner in France with PSG. He joined a select class of players who’ve been European champions with club and country concurrently, winning the European Championship with Spain in 2024 and the Champions League with PSG a year later.
47. Dominik Szoboszlai
Famed for his spectacular goals, dead ball prowess and passing ability, Dominik Szoboszlai is perhaps the most compelling evidence of Red Bull’s development capabilities. The Hungary captain is the Red Bull archetype, jumping from Liefering to Leipzig via Salzburg before being turned into a profit with a lucrative switch to Liverpool in 2023.
Szoboszlai was a coup for the Reds, who met his release clause to acquire not only his polished all-round midfield skills but that little bit extra he can bring in the attacking third. That’s what elevates him beyond players who are otherwise alike and makes him not only a potential match-winner, but the most accomplished Hungarian footballer for generations.
Success has followed Szoboszlai throughout his career. After winning the Austrian Bundesliga four times in a row, he was in the first RB Leipzig team to win major honours in each of the next to seasons. In 2024/25, he made 36 appearances as Arne Slot and Liverpool won the Premier League.
46. David Raya
When former Blackburn goalkeeper David Raya was promoted to the Premier League with Brentford, he started to catch the attention of analysts. There were statistics that suggested he was in some regards the best goalkeeper in the division. As the saves piled up, there emerged a confident and modern stopper destined for a leap up the table.
It was Arsenal who took the plunge and Raya has established himself as a leading goalkeeper, one of the finest in the world, after seeing off Mikel Arteta’s experimental rotation between Raya and Aaron Ramsdale. Now 30 years of age, Raya has become a fixture in the Spain squad, ready to be called upon when the time comes.
A background in futsal is credited with his ability with the ball at his feet, but while his football skills are undoubtedly significant to Arteta, it’s the fact that he’ll produce a genuinely otherworldly save two or three times a season that enhances his reputation among fans.
45. Alessandro Bastoni
If Italy were to grow a centre-back in a laboratory, Alessandro Bastoni might be the result. That’s not so far from the truth; Bastoni has played for his country at every level between under-15 and the first team, an accelerated journey he completed in just six years without skipping a step.
Developed at Atalanta, the 26-year-old was quickly snapped up by Inter Milan and has flourished into one of the world’s most formidable, most unshakeable central defenders. He can play in a back four or anywhere in a back three, and his robust defensive style is supplemented by assured passing and technical ability with the ball at his feet.
Bastoni is destined for greatness and he’s already on the way. Routinely named among the very best defenders in Serie A, he’s already acquired an impressive haul of silverware including two league titles and, in 2021, the European Championship with Italy. He played only once in that competition but has become an Azzurri regular ever since.
44. Federico Valverde
Uruguayan midfielder Federico Valverde has a wealth of experience and a medal collection any 27-year-old player would be proud to call their own. Born in Montevideo, Valverde learned the ropes at city giants Penarol before Real Madrid took him to Europe late in his teens. There, he has established himself as one of the game’s current midfield greats.
Valverde has made more than 200 appearances for Los Blancos in La Liga since his debut in 2017 and the degree of success he’s been part of has to be seen to be believed. 10 years ago, he was playing in Uruguay. In the intervening years, he’s amassed two Champions League wins, three league titles and plenty more besides.
Celebrated for his dominance in midfield battles as well as his passing ability, Valverde’s success in one of Europe’s top leagues has paved the way for a famous international career. He should pass 100 caps for Uruguay before he turns 30 and his versatility is considered a boon for national team coach Marcelo Bielsa.
43. Scott McTominay
Manchester United academy graduate Scott McTominay has always been a player of some quality. His best occasionally shone through in comparatively bleak times at United but his accelerated status since he moved to Napoli in the summer of 2024 revealed just how impressive a player he is.
McTominay took to Naples like a duck to water and it showed on the pitch. His power and passing in midfield served as the basis for a string of spectacular moments in his first season. He scored big goals in big games, gradually emerging as perhaps the most important player as Antonio Conte delivered Napoli’s fourth Scudetto.
The Scotland international was crowned as Serie A’s most valuable player as his reputation skyrocketed after he left two decades with the Red Devils behind him. Months after winning his first career league title, McTominay helped lead Scotland to the World Cup finals for the first time since 1998.
42. Lautaro Martinez
As a multiple trophy winner for Inter Milan and a world champion with Argentina, Lautaro Martinez is now fully established as one of the most lethal strikers in football. His goalscoring record is outstanding for both club and country; over a sample size of seven years, it’s beyond question.
But even scoring every other game on average over such a long period – and at the very highest levels – is only one part of Martinez’s value. Consistent output is just one aspect on his impact. The 28-year-old has made an art form of showing up when it really matters and that, combined with world-class finishing, puts him among the world’s best.
Martinez was Serie A’s most valuable player and top scorer as Inter won the Scudetto in 2023/24, and, as Martinez’s career has developed, as he’s become more senior, his tangible leadership skills have come to the fore. He has captained the Nerazzurri since his mid-20s and has, under successive Inter managers, led the team by both example and sheer force of personality.
41. Joan Garcia
24-year-old Joan Garcia was born outside Barcelona and took the big step from one of the city’s clubs to the other in the summer of 2025. The goalkeeper spent a decade at Espanyol, eventually making the first-choice position his own in his final full season with the Periquitos.
Barcelona triggered his release clause. His debut season was briefly interrupted by injury but Garcia has again grasped the number one shirt with both hands, this time at one of the biggest clubs on the planet, where expectations are high and competition for that single spot is fierce.
Garcia faces the same challenge at international level, where Unai Simon is at the top of the pecking order with the experienced David Raya and Alex Remiro backing him up. With the current understudies both in their 30s, Garcia’s emergence might just have been perfectly timed.
40. Marquinhos
Marcos Aoas Correa is a rarity. Known around the globe as Marquinhos, he had imposed upon him the label of future great and actually went on to fulfil that outrageous promise. A product of Sao Paulo’s Corinthians, the centre-back played a handful of matches for Roma before Paris Saint-Germain broke the bank to sign him while he was still a teenager.
That was in 2013. Marquinhos was quickly introduced into the first team and has barely been forced out of it since. As the top centre-back and captain of PSG, he’s had a proportion of his workload diverted into the Parisians’ lusty quest for European glory. In 2024-25, they were the most impressive team in the Champions League by far and Marquinhos was the man who finally lifted the trophy.
He's also the captain of Brazil and his ascent to the role was no surprise. Marquinhos has played like he was 31 for years. He’s an exceptional reader of the game, a cerebral defender rather than a brute, and a fine ball-player in his own right. As his physical age caught up with his maturity, leadership roles at the highest level were simply a matter of time.
39. Luis Diaz
One of a handful of players who won the Premier League with Liverpool in 2024/25 and immediately left the club, Colombian winger Luis Diaz is now targeting a league winner’s medal in a third different country as he plays out his first season in the German Bundesliga with Bavarian giants Bayern Munich.
Diaz was ultimately a successful signing for Liverpool. Joining from Porto in 2021 and quickly demonstrating what Jurgen Klopp had seen in him, he became increasingly important. As he made more Premier League appearances he scored more goals, and in his last two seasons his impact on matches grew ever more tangible.
The 28-year-old is firing on all cylinders at Bayern too, racking up goals and assists in his first season in Germany. Diaz also boasts an impressive scoring record in a Colombia shirt. 100 international caps and 35 goals wouldn’t be an unrealistic target with many good years still ahead of him.
38. Bruno Fernandes
Manchester United supporters have taken to Bruno Fernandes in a way that they rarely do and it’s easy to understand why. The Portuguese midfielder signed for the club in 2020 and has been the most reliable and sometimes only positive performer throughout his time at the club. A constant thorn in the side of opponents and their fans, Fernandes is a little spark of United in a team that too often has none.
The 31-year-old combines tenacity and technical quality. He’s always fired-up, the only player at a wayward giant of a club who’s truly understood the brief for the last half a decade. Fernandes is the United player who makes things happen, a creative and capable passer as well as a scorer of special goals.
With more than 300 appearances and 100 goals to his name, Fernandes is the kind of player United used to build around. He’s a Red Devils throwback, a 2008 personality in a 2025 bag, and the first United player for a generation whose eventual departure will be met with a sigh of relief by fans of other clubs, not his own.
37. Alexander Isak
The most expensive player in the history of British football, Alexander Isak simply must be a success at Liverpool. That’s what £125 million should buy. It’s no guarantee but Isak arrived at Anfield with the right balance of proven ability and potential waiting to be unlocked.
The Swedish international left Newcastle United with 54 goals in 86 Premier League appearances. In 2024/25, he scored at a frequency that marked him out as one of the most efficient strikers not only in England but anywhere in Europe. The manner of his departure might have left a bad taste but the extent of his impact was irresistible for the Reds.
A mammoth price tag left Isak needing to prove himself all over again, to deliver at the same kind of volume in a more pressurised situation and in a different tactical system. Liverpool’s struggles early in their title defence might have affected Isak’s ability to hit the ground running but the very clear expectation is that he’s a major component of the recovery.
36. Thibaut Courtois
Belgium have produced a handful of excellent goalkeepers in the past few years – and none of them even come close to Thibaut Courtois.
The Real Madrid man has become a modern-day legend at the Bernabeu for consistent brilliance en route to multiple European triumphs – despite his spell down the road at Atletico – and under the lights, he really defines the ethos of the Galacticos with big-game saves.
He's every inch a superstar as the outfielders he protects.
35. Alisson Becker
If you ever want to know how good Alisson really is, there are two good indicators at club and country. Brazil had a world-class keeper in Ederson who never really came close to deposing him from between the Selecao sticks – and when Alisson signed for Liverpool, that kind of fee was almost unheard of at Anfield.
While Virgil van Dijk's big-money move has been lauded, however, with the defender revered as a Premier League great, Alisson deserves to be in that conversation, too. He's been as consistent as any Prem keeper in history, and as important to the rise of the Reds as anyone else.
His first-leg against PSG in 2025 may well go down as the definitive Alisson display: a performance so unbelievable, yet ultimately overlooked in favour of flashier footballers in end-of-season lists. Despite Liverpool bringing in Giorgi Mamardashvili though, Alisson is still no.1 – and still among the best on Earth. He deserves to be recognised as such.
34. Jules Kounde
Jules Kounde has been coveted by just about every big club since rising to the top of European football with Sevilla – but it was Barcelona who won the race in 2022 and fixed that right-back spot for good.
The Frenchman has been worth every penny, with a level of consistency that none of his team-mates can boast in the same timespan. He's now a regular fixture with his national side, too, and at 27, he's only just coming into his peak years.
Integral to Hansi Flick's high line and while playing out from the back, Kounde is almost ever-present and one of a new breed of full-backs equally capable centrally.
33. Ryan Gravenberch
Ryan Gravenberch took a little while to find his feet at Liverpool. But in the Reds' 20th title win, the Dutchman may well have been the unsung hero of the piece.
Gravenberch doesn't play the no.6 role with the typical all-action ball-winning you'd imagine the role needs. He's calmer, reads play exceptionally and instead of using his long legs to crash into playmakers, he uses them to motor away from them, bringing the ball up the pitch.
He's been one of Arne Slot's biggest success stories and shown former club Bayern Munich that perhaps they judged him a little too soon. Gravenberch is proof that sometimes all you need is a little patience for a wonderkid to blossom into a world-beater.
32. Jurrien Timber
He was never really considered a full-back when he played at Ajax – but now, Arsenal man Jurrien Timber might just be the most complete player in the world currently playing that role.
The Dutchman had to wait to make his mark in N5, with a horrific ACL injury cutting his Premier League debut short. Since then, the number of minutes he's played has been astounding, as Timber has taken the right-back role from Ben White and become the most consistent member of Mikel Arteta's back four.
And his development as a full-back has been impressive, too. A defensive-minded player, Timber now provides excellent support to Bukayo Saka on the right flank, gets into dangerous areas and never wastes the ball in the final third. He's been a very astute signing.
31. Vinicius Jr
Since Kylian Mbappe arrived at Real Madrid, things have been a little more complicated for Vinicius Jr: this is no longer his team, and public spats have perhaps highlighted that.
The Brazilian is far too good for us to ever label him an ‘on his day’ player, but when Vinicius is given his opportunity (and the ball), he is truly devastating, able to cut through defences without breaking a sweat with typical samba dribbling and fantastic ball-striking.
With the 25-year-old perhaps at a crossroads in his career, 2026 will be the year that could define his legacy. Will he leave the Bernabeu, lead Brazil to their sixth World Cup and establish himself in the history books? We wait with baited breath – but he certainly has the talent to do whatever he pleases.
30. Frenkie De Jong
Frenkie De Jong has blown hot and cold since arriving from Ajax in 2019, but perhaps for the first time since that big move to Catalonia, he's working for a manager whose system suits him to a tee.
The Dutchman has the freedom to carry the ball through the thirds with a partner next to him in the pivot, showing his excellent reading of the game and his ability to affect things further forward. Though this is a Barça side that Hansi Flick would rather wasn't box-to-box – just surrounding the opposition's box, would be nice – De Jong is integral to transitions, whether attacking or defending.
He's matured into one of a well-rounded midfielder and made good on the promise of what he'd become all those years ago – now leading this Barcelona team to another European title is the goal.
29. Moises Caicedo
When Moises Caicedo signed for Chelsea, there was an expectation that he would be a transformative figure in this midfield.
And so it's transpired, with the Ecuadorian both the bite and the drive in Enzo Maresca's engine room, helping the likes of Enzo Fernandez and Cole Palmer shine a little brighter ahead of him – but that's without touching on the leadership role that the former Brighton & Hove Albion star has had, too.
This is a young Blues side and Caicedo has been one of the pillars that a (huge) squad looks up to. His presence is steadily growing along with his stature as one of the most well-rounded midfielders in the world.
28. Desire Doue
Desire Doue announced himself on the biggest stage of all, with an incredible performance in the Champions League final – but those who knew, knew.
The Frenchman's obliteration of Inter in Munich merely distilled what he's been doing since signing for Paris Saint-Germain, with his game compared to Neymar for the tricks, flicks and ability to pick a pass through a crowd.
Neymar never had this steely mettle, mind. Doue almost bulldog-like in his intensity, capable of bullying defenders as much as dazzling them – and considering he's still only 20, it's frightening to think how much he could add to his game in the next decade.
27. Joshua Kimmich
With a wand of a right foot and the diligence to play either in midfield or defence, Joshua Kimmich was always a tactician's dream – but in recent years, he's added far more to his game.
The German is a leader for Bayern and Germany, vocally but in the way that he now dictates proceedings from deep with composure and calm. Now 30 years old and with 100 international caps behind him, he's matured into one of the most reliable players in the world, and giving him the ball almost guarantees that it'll end up somewhere better on the pitch.
With the World Cup coming up, Kimmich will be Germany's captain, looking to bring home a fifth title. It would be fitting for him to fulfil that destiny, too, as perhaps Germany's greatest talent post-2014.
26. Rodri
Rodri has simply redefined the defensive midfielder in the Premier League. A little grace, and a truckload of grit.
The Spaniard has become the very model of a metronome in midfield for Manchester City, and his absence has been mighty clear following injuries and absences. But far more than his influence in possession, Rodri has done the dirty work for Pep Guardiola, breaking up play, organising the midfield and ensuring that the Citizens are never without the ball for too long.
It's an unsung role that he was rightly recognised for with the Ballon d'Or – and though City have had flashier players, the man who has revolutionised Pep's own role should be adored by the Etihad faithful as much as any goalscorer or creator.
25. Virgil van Dijk
A modern-day Anfield icon, Virgil van Dijk will eventually call time on his career knowing he can look back on a pair of Premier League titles and a Champions League win as a senior player at a club that demands success but hasn’t always been able to achieve it in his lifetime.
Van Dijk matured into a leader by deed, attitude and example, shaping a formidable persona as an immovable object on the pitch. His raw will to win and his meticulously developed defensive abilities made him one of the world’s best and most imposing central defenders and, for a while, the collectively appointed best player in the Premier League.
Now 34, the Reds defender has also become an imposing captain for the Netherlands, for whom he has played more than 85 times since 2018. If the best ability is availability, Van Dijk is a fine example for Liverpool too.
In six of the last seven full Premier League seasons, he’s played more than 30 times. Luckily for Liverpool, availability is only the start of his contribution.
24. Vitinha
When Vitinha was revealed to have been voted into third place in the 2025 Ballon d’Or, supporters of Wolverhampton Wanderers might have cast an accusing eye in the direction of Fosun International and superagent Jorge Mendes.
The midfielder had a loan spell at Wolves in 2020/21, one of many Portuguese players to have appeared at Molineux, a strategy that doesn’t seem to have done the club itself much good. Wolves were firmly in Vitinha’s rear-view mirror when he joined Paris Saint-Germain from Porto in 2022 and began his ascent to Champions League glory.
The 25-year-old was no bit-part player in Luis Enrique’s team of European champions; he was their lifeblood. Vitinha is a dynamic, technical and creative central midfielder, attack-minded and progressive with every touch. He makes the whole game look as if it comes to him naturally.
He is in control of his own abilities and the tempo of the match, a genuinely special player in a devastatingly effective side.
23. Cole Palmer
Widely regarded as one of the most natural talents to emerge from Manchester City’s academy in recent years, Cole Palmer made a handful of appearances for City’s first team before he upped sticks and moved to Chelsea in 2023.
Injury grumbles aside, Palmer has been an unqualified transfer success for the London club. Chelsea were in poor shape when the Wythenshawe boy arrived in the capital but he’s contributed as much as anyone in their improved fortunes under head coach Enzo Maresca, another former Manchester City man.
Palmer is ostensibly an attacking midfielder but is also one of the Premier League’s most efficient and most instinctive goalscorers, oozing confidence even in high-pressure situations. His coolness from the penalty spot became a trademark in every sense of the word, and he emerged as a key player for England too.
Indeed, Palmer already has a European Championship final goal to his name. He’s a big player for big moments and it’s no coincidence that he’s been so heavily involved as Chelsea have begun to turn the chaotic transfer strategy of BlueCo’s early days into tangible success in the form of trophies. Palmer is a Europa Conference League winner on the continental stage and a Club World Cup champion too. Domestic honours will be high on his hit list.
22. Trent Alexander-Arnold
The relationship between Trent Alexander-Arnold and the Liverpool supporters who were behind him for so many years didn’t get the ending it deserved. Alexander-Arnold played for Liverpool for 21 years, joining the junior ranks at six years of age and playing more than 350 first team matches.
His move to Real Madrid and the furore around his departure shouldn’t be allowed to take away from his achievements. Alexander-Arnold won the Champions League, FA Cup and Premier League – twice – with his boyhood club. With his contract at an end, he decided to test himself somewhere else and left as a champion and a pariah.
Alexander-Arnold is unlike any other footballer. He sometimes looks like one of the world’s best in-possession right-backs, and he strikes the ball as well as anyone. His strengths being so much more pronounced with the ball than in genuine defensive situations has tempted a manager or two to play him in midfield.
His attributes are better accentuated in his more natural position. He helped to redefine it, after all.
21. Michael Olise
With Wilfried Zaha advancing in years and Eberechi Eze permanently in the Premier League spotlight, it can be easy to forget that Michael Olise is perhaps a better example of Crystal Palace’s approach than either of them.
The London-born France international played most of his academy football at Chelsea in between short spells at Arsenal and Manchester City before Palace picked him up from Reading in 2021. He was the perfect Palace signing: a player with elite youth pedigree re-emerging as an obvious talent in men’s football at an EFL club, snapped up and improved, then sold on for a big profit to fulfil his destiny at one of the world’s foremost football clubs.
In Olise’s case, that’s Bayern Munich. He’s been a brilliant signing for them too. Olise, 24, is a creative passer in attacking areas but also an athlete, as if he was built to stand out at the top end of the Bundesliga.
He scored 20 times in 55 appearances in all competitions in his first season in Germany – and his first in the Champions League – and is showing no signs of slowing down either figuratively or literally.
20. Julian Alvarez
As he approaches his peak years, Argentina striker Julian Alvarez can already be proud of what he’s achieved in his career.
After six years on the books of Buenos Aires titans River Plate, the 25-year-old moved to the Premier League and signed for Manchester City, winning the treble in his first full season and contributing to those three trophies in no small way. Alvarez was already a World Cup winner by then, scoring twice in Argentina’s semi-final win over Croatia in Qatar in December 2022. It was typical of his impact.
It would be lazy to dismiss Alvarez as a poacher – his work ethic without the ball alone disproves it – but he is a top-level goalscorer in addition to the all-round game of the modern forward.
He left City in the summer of 2024 when Atletico Madrid paid a massive reported fee of more than £80 million to tempt City to allow him to move to the Spanish capital. His scoring rate in Madrid has taken him to a whole new level and he was named in La Liga’s Team of the Season in his first year in Spain.
19. Joao Neves
One of Paris Saint-Germain's best signings of the past few years, there were European rivals out there a little cautious to take a chance on a diminutive midfielder from outside Europe's top five leagues.
All the signs were that he would take time to develop, after all. Neves has continued his magnificent form from Benfica, however.
The battery in Luis Enrique's midfield, Neves has also formed an excellent partnership with Vitinha for club and country. The pair of them will be high in the pecking order to take the national side's captaincy one day when Cristiano Ronaldo steps aside.
The 21-year-old is tenacious and technical in equal part, with the heart of a lion and composure on the ball. Despite already being one of the best midfielders in the world, he could well grow into the PSG midfield to become this decade's Marco Verratti and come to define the Parc Des Princes for a new generation.
18. Jamal Musiala
Chelsea have infamously let some of the greatest players of a generation slip through their fingers – Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah being the obvious ones – but Jamal Musiala will sting like few others.
‘Bambi’ is the kind of footballer that gets fans off seats, with his mazy dribbling style and typically German awareness. He's a highly intelligent playmaker who makes others around him look good – not just in his assists but the space he creates for his team-mates.
But really, there was never a chance that the 22-year-old wouldn't return home to Germany, where he was born, to take the no.10 shirt at the Allianz Arena and become the jewel in Die Mannschaft's attack. He is simply fulfilling a destiny and developing into one of the most exciting attackers on Earth all the while.
Chelsea's loss is as much England's – imagine him alongside his mate Jude Bellingham for the Three Lions…
17. Mohamed Salah
Mohamed Salah was 25 when he earned his move to Liverpool. It had been a solid career up until that point – but compare him to players like Erling Haaland, Cristiano Ronaldo, or Gareth Bale, who had struck 300 career goals, won a Ballon d'Or, or broken the all-time transfer record, respectively, by the same age.
Well, Salah has since forced himself into conversations comparing his abilities with each of them, as proof of what he's achieved in the last eight years.
2024/25 might well go down as his last truly elite season and perhaps his defining campaign as a footballer. He was Liverpool's leading scorer in every season since signing, but without the likes of Sadio Mane or Bobby Firmino by his side, last term was the time of the Egyptian King, as he broke the record for the most goal involvements in a 38-game Premier League season (a whopping 47).
He is a modern-day legend. Don't bet that he's totally finished at the top-level either – this is a man who has come to revel in surprising those who doubt him.
16. Declan Rice
There were a few who wondered why Arsenal would spend such a huge amount of money on Declan Rice – who was essentially ‘just’ a ball-winning midfielder. Those kinds of fees are generally reserved for more creative types.
Few could have foreseen just how Rice would come to pay back all £105 million and more in such a short space of time, however, developing his game to become one of the most complete footballers in the world anywhere on the pitch. It's not just those free-kicks against Real Madrid – it's the astounding consistency with which he dazzles every week.
Rice is the very definition of an all-action midfielder, capable of carrying the club on his back in the harder times and leading from the front when things are going Arsenal's way. He's been the major catalyst in their step up to competing for honours and he's now one of the first names on the team-sheet for club and country.
Now to add a major title to his cabinet…
15. Gabriel
It's hard to pinpoint the moment that Gabriel solidified into one of the world's most fearsome defenders – but missing out on Brazil's 2022 World Cup squad was almost certainly a catalyst.
When he joined Arsenal was a little rash, with his eagerness to show aggression needing to be tamed: and watching Piero Hincapie step into his shoes to replace him during an injury recently, it's like being granted a time machine to see what Gabriel would've looked like without his learning curve.
Seeing Gabriel missing from Mikel Arteta's backline also serves to remind us just how quietly important the Brazilian has become. The threat reduced from set-pieces, David Raya a little more exposed.
His evolution to one of the best on the planet was one that few saw coming – and has been a catalyst to Arsenal's improvement as a team.
14. Gianluigi Donnarumma
A few short years ago, goalkeeping looked to be heading in a very specific direction, with ball-players favoured by top sides and traditional shot-stopping overlooked by bosses at the very top.
That's not to say that Gianluigi Donnarumma is not good with his feet, while the Italian himself has been turfed out by an elite manager who wanted a keeper with better passing prowess.
But it's a welcome turn of events that perhaps the greatest goalkeeper on Earth is a traditional goalkeeper who specialises in keeping the ball out of the net – and not one whose primary job is to start play from the back. Donnarumma was heralded as the next Buffon from an incredibly early age and has managed to develop into a brick wall.
He was a primary reason for PSG winning the Treble (that superhuman performance against Arsenal) and for Pep Guardiola to overlook his ability with his feet, you know he must be good.
13. William Saliba
Sometimes, it's easy to forget that William Saliba is just 24 years old. He plays with a maturity and wisdom that suggests he's long into his 30s and has been doing this for decades.
Like many of his countrymen before him, the centre-back transformed Arsenal almost immediately upon coming into the team. His first season proper in English football saw the Gunners step up from top four contenders to title competitors, with their eventual bid for the Premier League derailed by a back injury to Saliba.
And since then, he's only improved. Saliba is adored by Gooners for his strength, his composure and his presence at the back, but he's an incredibly well-rounded defender, able to receive from higher up the pitch, with fantastic anticipation and brilliant timing.
If he remains at Arsenal for a while, he will become a legend – and that's no mean feat, given the defenders who have played in North London.
12. Jude Bellingham
He may never have played at the top level of English football, and perhaps that's shaped Jude Bellingham.
The move to Borussia Dortmund was a masterstroke for his development, with the midfielder fast becoming the club's best player – and the Galactico transfer was inevitable. But it's a career path that virtually no one in the England set-up has ever had, and it shows.
Bellingham's game revolves around a confidence and an intelligence that few English players have ever had. He manifests goals as much as he creates them, always finding pockets of space when needed, and he's such a complete player that he's an influence wherever he finds himself on the field.
What he's achieved at 22 simply isn't normal.
11. Achraf Hakimi
Is it any wonder that a footballer who has played for Real Madrid, Dortmund, Inter and PSG is the best in the world in his position?
Perhaps not. Add in the fact that he captained an African nation to a first-ever World Cup semi-final and scored for PSG in their first-ever Champions League win – then look at the talent that each have had over the years – and you'll start to see why Achraf Hakimi is a special case.
The Moroccan is the archetypal example of how full-backs have become key weapons in modern football. He's not just a defender, he's setting the tactical standards for how a right-back can be an attacking weapon, ghosting into areas that forwards usually find themselves in, using his incredible engine to be in two places at once.
Hakimi is one of PSG's most important signings ever: an intelligent, physical anomaly whose rise to the top of the game has shocked absolutely no one.
10. Bukayo Saka
When Bukayo Saka first broke into Arsenal's team, plenty of the media interest in the Ealing youngster centred around his sunny demeanour and his excellent exam results at school. The winger is now 24 – but it's still fitting to speak of his intelligence.
England has rarely ever produced an attacker this clever. He doesn't need speed, power or a box of tricks: he just has the smarts to generate a yard of separation from just about any full-back and produce a final ball of stunning quality. Whether it's an inherent understanding of the game or instinct, he does it time and again.
In six years since his Premier League debut, Saka's game has developed like none of his other contemporaries, either. While others refine their skills to become specialists, the Arsenal no.7 is still a Jack of all trades, improving his finishing, passing, his positional sense, set-pieces and his weaker foot over time.
He looked like a pacy winger at one stage, and now Saka could well become a midfield creator. He's a truly special footballer and a leader for the Gunners, too.
9. Nuno Mendes
Mendes signed for Paris Saint-Germain during a star-studded summer in which Sergio Ramos, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Gini Wijnaldum and a certain Lionel Messi also joined the club. Along with fellow full-back Achraf Hakimi, he's outshone every single one of those big names in the French capital.
Arguably, he's been the best signing of the entire lot, given that he cost almost half what Hakimi did and he's had a similar impact. Whether it's been for Ruben Amorim as a teenager or Luis Enrique in the last 18 months, he's been hugely reliable.
Because while Hakimi is celebrated for what he provides in attack, Mendes is an all-rounder like no other in his position in Europe right now: he's locked up the very best wingers on Earth, one by one, and still had time to contribute further up – in both legs, for example, against Aston Villa last season.
The Portuguese is still just 23, too, surprising us with new facets to his game like a free-kick against Lille earlier this season. There hasn't been a left-back this good in a long time.
8. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
It goes without saying that you have to be special for Napoli fans to give you a nickname that references Diego Maradona. Even if calling him ‘Kvarajon’ or ‘Kvarabaly’ wouldn't have had the same ring to it.
So it was a bold move to abandon Italy. Antonio Conte's side were on course for the Scudetto – which they won, of course – but in leaving midseason, not only did Khvicha Kvaratskhelia show his lofty ambitions, he followed through on them with a Treble.
The Georgian is certainly unique, though, with Gianfranco Zola comparing him to George Best of all players. He has a combination of power and elegance so rarely seen in football, able to blast past defenders and tease a ball beyond goalkeepers – and in that sense, he's a perfect partner for the likes of Dembele and Doue, who offer similar grace despite their intensity.
At just 24, where will he be in another couple of years' time?
7. Pedri
It's a true miracle of Barcelona that Pedri didn't come through their academy. The perfect midfielder for their football received no La Masia education, landing in their laps from Las Palmas, a ready-baked gem.
Injuries threatened to cut his career before it had even begun, but Pedri has bounced back to become arguably the most irreplaceable figure in any midfield in Europe. He does more than create: he lets the game flow through him, with most Barça or Spain goals owing something to his movement or positioning, even if he didn't get the final assist or finish.
At 23 years old, Pedro Gonzalez Lopez has racked up around 300 senior appearances in football, yet he plays like he's seen 3,000: a veteran in a youngster's body, with a reading of the game that many will never learn.
In an era in which physicality is king – Pedri himself is no slouch, just to clarify – it's satisfying to see that even the top level has a place for a ‘typically Barcelona’ controller… even if they didn't produce him themselves.
6. Raphinha
What a few years it's been for Raphinha. Few had him on their radar at 22 as a potential world-beater, but the man's mentality knows no limits.
It was clear in his trajectory. The Brazilian followed a lineage of Rennes' finest before taking the Premier League by storm: but though he wasn't exactly surrounded by superstars at Leeds United, he saved the club from relegation and earned the dream move to Barcelona.
Raphinha's career hasn't been a linear rise, however, as evidenced by his struggles early on in Catalonia – but that resilience has defined him and in the past 18 months, the 29-year-old has discovered something close to his final form on the left wing under Hansi Flick, playing with confidence and bombast to deliver 34 goals in all competitions last season and six in his first 10 La Liga games of this.
There's something rewarding about players reaching the top when they weren't necessarily thought of as destined for greatness. Raphinha has had his doubters – though those who spotted his talent always knew he was capable of brilliance. It's nice to see him fulfilling potential.
5. Kylian Mbappe
After shaking off early doubts of whether he was suited to Real Madrid, Kylian Mbappe has answered doubters in the only way he knows how.
It's not in the 70-odd goals in his first 80-odd games, either: when Mbappe gets the ball at his feet at the Bernabeu, there's an electricity akin to the greats before him, like Zidane or Ronaldo (first and second). You just know that he's capable of the unthinkable at any given moment.
He leads the line in a unique way, offering blistering pace, power without any backlift and swagger ripped right from the Thierry Henry playbook. He'll be France's all-time scorer before long and at just 26, he's already netted over 400 goals from across the frontline.
The Frenchman is yet to deliver his defining moment in a white shirt, but surely only time will tell.
4. Ousmane Dembele
Ousmane Dembele has undergone one hell of a glow-up since his return to France.
He was breathtaking at Borussia Dortmund, stop-start at Barcelona – but Paris Saint-Germain have really let him loose for this to truly be his team, drifting across the frontline, using his two-footedness like he's never really gotten to and combining with other superstars.
Perhaps the most incredible thing about the Frenchman's development, however, is just how good he's gotten out of possession. Leading the press for Les Parisiens has never been anyone's favourite job – but it's a primary reason for the Treble last term.
It's been a joy to see him finally living up to the early hype and that monster transfer fee that he once commanded. Dembele is one of the most deserving Ballon d'Or stories of recent times and his peak may only just be beginning.
3. Harry Kane
One of football's greatest travesties is when a player doesn't receive the respect they deserve, due to a lack of silverware. Harry Kane is putting that right these days, getting his flowers in a Bayern side that he's netted for 114 times in his first 120 games.
Those are numbers that rank alongside any footballer's first three years anywhere in history – and yet you can't judge Kane purely on his stats. When Jamal Musiala picked up an injury for Bayern, the England captain took on even more responsibility, dropping deeper to dictate games for Vincent Kompany's side, while still converting with the same aplomb.
That Kane does the job of two players while keeping his head down is admirable, and perhaps the reason that every manager he's ever worked with would put him in their all-time XI. The striker has deftness and devastation in his arsenal, and he does so without so much as a whiff of showing everyone how good he is.
He deserves something with England next, as the Three Lions' all-time scorer, best player for almost a decade and surely an all-timer by now.
2. Erling Haaland
Too often with Erling Haaland, we point to his statistical ridiculousness, throwing huge numbers at the wall to prove just how good he is.
We rarely talk about how the Norwegian makes us feel, perhaps because he himself is icy in demeanour. Yet the records are merely a by-product of a phenomenon who may well be the very model of a centre-forward, in any era.
He is efficiency personified: Haaland takes as few touches as it takes, from receiving the goal to smashing into the net. He has speed, height and strength in spades and yet his finest attribute is a mentality built for the top of the game. He doesn't mind if he doesn't touch the ball, if he's told to press high and hard, or if he's taken off to save his legs for midweek.
Haaland is not as complete as some contemporaries – but he's flawless, nonetheless. He is an era-defining talent, with numbers to match.
1. Lamine Yamal
Has a teenager ever been this good at football? It's a legitimate question, with only Pele to compare, really.
Because while Lionel Messi was always destined for big things, he didn't hit his stride with quite the ferocity that Yamal has. Yes, the Barcelona winger may have come a lot closer to his potential a lot sooner than Messi – but that performance against Inter Milan in the Champions League semi-finals felt like an entire team fighting one 17-year-old for a place in the final – and the kid almost triumphed.
Yamal is creative and explosive, a bolt of electricity in an era criticised for a lack of spark. The Spaniard is a guiding light for club and country, and 150 senior games down, he's head and shoulders above any rivals already.
One hopes that he will only grow with time, too. To call him a wonderkid is to downplay what he's doing in the present.
