Really makes us wish we’d tried harder in PE and done a few more sit-ups instead of seeing how many chicken dippers we could scran without dying. Vote on the footballers based on how much they dominated the pitch this year.
EA College Football 25 update: Travis Hunter now game’s highest-rated player
There was really nothing to debate when it came to the question who is the greatest footballer on the planet. What a waste of hours and spreadsheets it would be to present to you all that Lionel Messi is the best in the business. After one month of thrilling football, Euro 2024 reached its conclusion on Sunday evening with Spain coming out on top against England in the final. In our first bold break from previous ranks, we’re grouping all those in the defensive third under a single banner, though don’t think that this list is limited to center-backs. All three main positions — right-back, center-back, left-back — are covered in the run-down, and rightly so.
NBA Teams
Messi’s time at the top has come to an end due to the fact his presence in the growing, exuberant yet ultimately lower quality MLS will mask his decline. However, the magician has done more than enough to secure the throne in the Hall of Fame, football’s greatest son. The 23-year-old has already racked up more than 200 appearances for the club in all competitions since 2018, and he is one of the few contenders who could, without a hint of delusion, claim to be sitting top of this list in several years time.
Midfielders
What’s a list of top players in the world without the current Captain America on it? Possibly the best American soccer player ever produced, Pulisic has won a Champions Leauge title with Chelsea, a DFB Pokal with Borussia Dortmund along with multiple honors for the United States men’s national team. Now, entering the prime of his career with Milan, it seems like Pulisic is enjoying his soccer while also producing results with it.
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Comfort and precision crossing with the left foot is a rare commodity, too, but the top players will be at their best when on the overlap before curling in the perfect ball. How do we handle players who were injured for significant periods of the season? Assess them on the periods in which they were fit and their body of work before. And again, if they’ve been out a long time, decide whether you think the injury has had a long-term impact to the point that their performance will decline permanently. Sharma will be crucial to India’s chances as her nation’s highest-ranked bowler (2nd) and all-rounder (3rd) in the T20 format. The 27-year-old off-break bowler and left-handed batter has appeared 211 times for her country.
Manuel Neuer — Goalkeeper, Bayern Munich
Able to comfortably look like one of the best in the world at both centre back and right back, the Uruguayan is attracting interest from quite literally every big club in the world due to an expiring contract. Primed to take that mantle are Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe, who have long been pencilled in as football’s new attacking rivalry, though Harry Kane may have something to say about that. And our ranking of the world’s best players is based on who’s the best right now. The award, for the best player in the world in 2023, saw many of the voters take Messi’s 2022 World Cup heroics into account. His physicality is unrivalled, his finishing ability – including improvised, instinctive finishing by any means necessary – is staggering and he boasts a turn of pace that few in the Premier League could match. The next few years should be explosive and, if he proves his consistency over several years, he will sit No.1 in this list without rival.
What is the shortlist for The Best FIFA Football Awards 2024?
Lois Openda has had no issues adapting to the Eredivisie, Ligue 1 or the Bundesliga during his career so far.Now bossing it with RB Leipzig in Germany, the Belgian striker is going from strength to strength. With searing speed matched with clinical finishing, Openda could earn a move to a European giant in the coming years. With Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo having entered the twilight of their careers, debates regarding the best footballer in the world are now much more complicated. Mbappe is back to his best this term, which is his last as a PSG player, with Real Madrid his next club, according to reports. Categorically one of the greatest players in Premier League history, Salah’s now getting the recognition he deserves, and is doing his best to add even more trophies to his legacy. His first act after single-handedly winning the Spanish Super Cup was to criticise his antics that upset opponents, suggesting there’s growth to come on and off the pitch.
Jude Bellingham
Besides the Norwegian striker, you’ll find Argentinian, French and English footballers on this list. They have all had an incredible 2023 season that manifested their placement at the top of this list. One of them is obviously the winner of this year’s Ballon d’Or Lionel Messi, and the 3rd place and French captain, Kylian Mbappe. McCaffrey flourished during his first full season in San Francisco, becoming the NFL’s rushing champion (1,459 yards) while leading the league in yards from scrimmage (2,023) and touchdowns (21) in 16 games played. The two-time All-Pro running back was the fireball within Kyle Shanahan’s potent offense, and opposing defenders had a tough time stopping McCaffrey, who led the NFL in yards after contact (949), according to Next Gen Stats. McCaffrey, whose breakaway speed makes him the prototypical backfield weapon, became the first 49ers player since Jerry Rice (1993) to win Offensive Player of the Year and his image will grace the cover of Madden NFL 25 following his best season to date.
- When considering a possible drop in touches while also facing a team that is one of the top run defenses, the stars are not aligning for Moss.
- Antoine Griezmann is back is the top after his transfer to Athletico Madrid.
- The 25-year-old, who will wear the captain’s armband at the Euros, heads into the tournament on the back of a terrific final season with Paris Saint-Germain, scoring a whopping 44 goals in all competitions.
- The next year will show whether they can keep their ranking at the top of the list or whether other top players will make their way to the list.
- Avoid having too many players with the same bye week, which can leave your team short-handed.
- On his arrival at Real Madrid he plugged the great hole that Carlo Ancelotti had at center forward, weighing in with a big goal whenever required on his road to La Liga’s player of the season.
- The Gunners haven’t been anywhere near as impressive going forward as they were last season, but Saka remains the difference-maker in attack.
- His cheese is really earned by what he offers to Bayer Leverkusen when they have the ball, a one man ball progression machine down the right flank who averages more progressive passes received than Jack Grealish, more progressive carries than Kingsley Coman.
Top 10 defensive tackles
One of the most underappreciated attackers in the modern game, Rodrygo has often been left in the shadows by his Real Madrid teammates. Whether it’s Karim Benzema, Vinicius Junior or Jude Bellingham, the Brazilian hasn’t always claimed the plaudits he deserves. However, he remains an exceptional dribbler and scorer of big goals for Los Blancos, regularly popping up in the latter stages of the Champions League with crucial https://st-bet.net/ strikes. While criticism still comes in domestically, those on the continent are ready to anoint the right back as one of the best players in the world for his astonishing array of passing and attacking prowess. The relative mystique of foreign leagues can often inflate a player’s reputation as we are fed their many highlights and rarely see their 4/10s, the days they’d rather not remember, their misses, their failures.
Who will present The Best FIFA Football Awards ceremony for 2024?
Don’t overreact to one bad weekAvoid overreacting to one bad week of performance by a player. Take a long-term view of their performance and evaluate their potential moving forward. Stay active in tradesBe open to trading players with other teams if it will benefit your team.
Bradley Locko was signed by Brest from Reims for an absolute snip in the current market, making the journey across Ligue 1 after a €500,000 deal was agreed. Although Miller has played only 47 snaps, CU has tried to find ways to get him the ball. The young group is led, of course, by left tackle Jordan Seaton, a five-star recruit from IMG Academy in Florida who was the No. 1-rated offensive lineman in the 2024 class. Seaton had played every offensive snap this season until the Buffs put in a backup group to run out the clock at the end of Saturday’s game at UCF. While Miller hasn’t made a significant impact this season, he represents a talented group of youth that has earned playing time for the Buffaloes (4-1, 2-0 Big 12), who are on a bye this week. Each week through the NFL season, we’ll look at our fantasy football rest-of-season rankings (ROS) to help you make roster decisions.
- Josko Gvardiol arrived at Manchester City primarily as a central defender, but the 22-year-old spectacularly transformed into a goal-scoring left back, making him one of the Premier League’s biggest matchup nightmares for opposing teams.
- «Sometimes, I score a goal and get an assist but I might still be unsatisfied with myself,» Sane said earlier in the season.
- That will come as no surprise to those who have seen Kane establish himself as one of the most lethal finishers during his time with Tottenham Hotspur and with England.
- What makes Bellingham’s achievements all the more stunning this season is that he was never previously relied upon for goals in his career.
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- Just like their counterparts on the opposite flank, the best left-backs combine pace and intelligence to be a threat in attack or in defense.
- Bellingham will be keen to build on his spectacular club performance and could be the X factor in England’s Euro 2024 campaign, as they look to claim a maiden European nations title.
- Depending on how Euro 2024 goes for Bellingham and England, he could well make the jump from Golden Boy to Ballon d’Or winner in the space of a year.
- Federico Dimarco’s breakout performances at left-back for Inter saw the Italian giants quickly ditch previous signing Robin Gosens.His searing pace has become crucial for Simone Inzaghi and his sweet left foot is a proven threat in the attacking third.
- The French Under-21 international has been linked with some of the top clubs in Europe, including Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool in the Premier League, as well as Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain on the continent.
- He has a bright future and will face a tough decision about whether to stay for another season or leave early.
- Outrageously talented young ballers from Manchester United, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and others are all battling it out to be crowned the 2024 Golden Boy.
The race is now hotting up as we head into the second half of 2024, with the eventual winner being crowned in December this year. With the race hotting up and journalists needing to vote, the nominees for the 2024 award have been established. Introduced by Italian outlet Tuttosport in 2003, the award is given to one exciting young male footballing talent annually, as a recognition of both their achievements thus far and the potential they still have to unlock. It is voted on by a number of different groups of people within football and ultimately awarded after the shortening of an original shortlist. The Best FIFA Men’s Player award is exactly that – the award given to the best men’s player of the given year.
Tech has been off since a loss at Louisville, where the score really didn’t do justice as to how close that game was. I laid 7 earlier in the week, and as long as it’s under 10, I’d still feel good about the Jackets putting up a big number here. The Northwestern offense is a brutal watch, but my guy Sammy P says to watch out for the wind off Lake Michigan this week. That could seriously hinder the Hoosiers’ passing game at this makeshift stadium, which offers no protection from the elements.
Seen by many as the key to City’s incredible tactical system, John Stones has revolutionised the word hybrid in football. The Belgium no.1 is not only one of the modern generation of flawless all-round goalkeepers, he’s even better than that as he’s able to stonewall the world’s best with saves that leave the most experienced football fans stunned. Continuing to run the show in the middle of the park even with the world’s best young midfielders trying to take his spot, Kroos is still everything good about Real, and will be key to their success for many years to come.
- He ranked fourth in the Premier League for passes played and completed an impressive 91.5% of them, but his comfort with the ball on his feet is just one of his many attributes.
- It’s an incredibly demanding function with modern-day tactical obsessives trying their utmost to complicate the role as much as they can.
- Seaton had played every offensive snap this season until the Buffs put in a backup group to run out the clock at the end of Saturday’s game at UCF.
- Back in the summer of 2021, he became the highest-paid player in the history of the English Premier League when he signed a two-year deal with his old club Manchester United.
To really understand how special he is, just look at what his most recent coach has said. The best goalkeeper in the world, the second best player in this particular writer’s rankings, has been done dirty elsewhere in the voting pool, just because he wears gloves on his hands. Here’s the thing, goalkeepers may not win Ballon d’Ors or sell the most shirts but a pretty key component of winning football matches is stopping the other team kicking the ball in your net.
Madrid teammate Jude Bellingham enjoyed a sensational first season at Madrid and is a contender, but struggled at the Euros despite scoring a brilliant bicycle kick against Slovakia. The shortlist of potential winners will not be revealed until later in 2024. Furthermore, recognition is also given to the top coaches in the men’s and women’s games. Catch up on «The Top 100 Players of 2024» — voted on by the players themselves — on NFL+! Trent Alexander-Arnold’s wizardry from right-back was a major feature of Jurgen Klopp’s dazzling spell in charge of Liverpool.The local lad is one of the most prolific assisters in the top flight with a truly generational passing range. There remain questions over whether he should be moved into midfield, but he offers something incredibly unique from defence.
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Inter are known for their stubborn defence under Simone Inzaghi and key to that rigidity is Alessandro Bastoni. Capable of playing in a centre-back partnership or as part of a trio, the lanky Italian isn’t blessed with pace but has the intelligence to find himself in the right spot at the right moment. An underappreciated elite central defender, few strikers get the better of Bastoni in Italy, on the continent or on the international stage. If it wasn’t obvious enough that he’s the best player for the best team in the world, the stats back it up, with all four of City’s defeats this season coming without their key man, while their win rate drops from 75 per cent with him, to 33 per cent without him.
I expect the 49ers to get a lead here, which will help Murray’s volume, but if they have to become a pass-first team for most of the game, the 49ers defensive line should feast. The Cowboys haven’t been great this year, but they are still an above-average offense, which should keep the Steelers offense from burying their head and waiting for the defense to win the game for them. Add in the fact that both Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence are out this week, and I love Fields fantasy upside again in Week 4. The two-footed Lino attacks space in behind opposing defences superbly and is a frequent contributor in the final third as a result. Another true freshman, walk-on Alexander Stoyanovich, handled kickoff duties last week at UCF, and walk-on linebacker Gage Goldberg played one game on special teams.
However, he declined in prominence during his second season in north London. It’s difficult to do better than winning a treble in your first season with a new club but, regardless of what silverware Man City collect over the coming months, Julian Alvarez has enjoyed a breakthrough year and become integral to the team. He’s often filled in for Kevin De Bruyne as an attacking midfielder and started every league game for the reigning champions.
Not sure if Al-Nassr negotiated some sort of contract in which Ronaldo gets a quid for every piece of Earth-orbiting space debris in existence, but it’s a nice thought. Just pipping Benzema into second place, Al-Hilal’s second entry in this list, Neymar Jr. Apparently he’s earning six times the amount he was making at PSG, which is a thought that barely touches the sides of our brain before slipping senselessly out into the ether. The greatest ever to do it, only the fourth-highest-paid footballer on Earth.
No one does that better than Alisson, who has brought old school goalkeeping orthodoxies to a position in continual flux. In a fashion that only Pele and Diego Maradona have done before, Messi changed the parameters of greatness in football. None of the greats that occupy the top of the sport have a season to compare with 73 goals and 32 assists in 60 games. None of them have eight Ballon d’Ors, 12 domestic titles, a World Cup won by force of will and the 2023 Leagues Cup. If you’re going to have a great team, you need a great center-back (two, if you’re really lucky). The best in the game are formidable in both size and strength but also blessed with the grace to time tackles and anticipate a striker’s movements in order to win back possession.
The Premier League, in all its hyper-exposed, tribal glory, is often not a place where rival fans can appreciate world class talent when they see it. When Kane moved to Germany and made such a mockery of the Bundesliga, everyone finally saw the plain truth. Mohamed Salah’s consistency remains remarkable with 31, 31, 30 goals in his last three seasons respectively across all competitions. He is rarely injured, rarely suspended and usually always available, proven by his 51 appearances in each of the last three campaigns. He has lost fractions of his blistering pace but his intelligence and manipulation of the football means his control over the result of games remains as strong as ever. He is not an all-action terrier, he won’t pitch in with the dirty work, but to count that against him is to miss the point entirely.
Fans also have the chance to cast their votes for The Best FIFA Men’s and Women’s Player, The Best FIFA Men’s and Women’s Coach and The Best FIFA Men’s and Women’s Goalkeeper awards. The voting for the FIFA Puskas Award, for example, sees fans vote online for one of the 11 finalists drawn up by a panel of experts, with a final trio then decided. Haaland has been penalised as Norway did not qualify for Euro 2024, while Man City were knocked out of the Champions League in the quarter finals.
Jones is coming off back-to-back 19 and 22 carry games and the Vikings are favored at home. So far this season, the Jets run defense ranks 21st in EPA, while their pass defense ranks fifth. This is a game we might usually downgrade Jones, but I expect he’ll see plenty of volume to overcome any inefficiency. I was very much ready to see Kyler Murray take off this year as a top fantasy quarterback.
Lionel Messi has been the undisputed king of the football world for the past decade, but his time at the top has drawn to a close. The 25-year-old is one of the fastest footballers we’ve ever seen grace the field, with shooting technique like no other. He can strike the ball on the run or with immense power from a dead standing start, he can finesse shots low into the corners or drill the ball high and rising into the roof of the net. Some might say it’s a season too soon to include him on this list of behemoths, but Bellingham has already shown enough to convince the world of his obscene talent at Dortmund, Real Madrid and on the international stage. Get your single bets paid out if the team you back goes 2 goals ahead – for multiple bets the selection will be marked as a winner with bet365. Our comprehensive round-up of the 10 best football players in the world in 2024.
The Premier League is shaping up nicely, with an exciting title race, a surprise contender in Aston Villa, some big clubs underperforming and new boys Luton Town faring better than many expected. A breakout tournament from Foden may be the extra weapon they need up front to finally end their Euros title drought. The Belgian was almost unstoppable in the second half of the season for City and is on form at the right time with Euro 2024 beginning mid-June. Apart from his impressive statistics, the 20-year-old’s leadership qualities and winning mentality have earned him the status of a hero among the Bernabeu faithful. Depending on how Euro 2024 goes for Bellingham and England, he could well make the jump from Golden Boy to Ballon d’Or winner in the space of a year.
The former Leeds United man can finish in a variety of ways, but it’s his ability to be in the right spot at the right time, on top of creating danger down the right, that makes him such a concern for opposing defenses. He figures to have a solid role with the Brazil national team at Copa America, and if it weren’t for him, Barca’s season probably would have been worse than it already was. There’s bursting on the scene and then there’s what Artem Dovbyk did this season, winning the La Liga golden boot with Girona behind 24 league goals. Coming into the team as a relative unknown after moving from SK Dnipro-1, the Ukrainian quickly established himself as a dominant threat in the air for Girona helping them qualify for a Champions League berth this season. They’re a potent blend of close-range finisher, playmaker and space-creator for teammates around the box.
The 26-year-old Lookman landed at his sixth club in three countries when he joined Atalanta in 2022. It was one of those moves that attracted limited attention — the England-born Lookman was chewed up and spit out of the Premier League and landed at a club on the rise but far from anyone’s list of top contenders for silverware. Quickly enough, those perceptions did not matter — he scored on his Serie A debut, a 2-0 win over Sampdoria and scored 15-plus goals in consecutive seasons across all competitions. He mixed that in with acclaim for Nigeria, scoring three goals en route to this year’s Africa Cup of Nations final and making the team of the tournament.
- He had grown tired of being a center forward, dueling with burly defenders, his back to goal and precious few opportunities to stretch his creative muscles.
- The 26-year-old Lookman landed at his sixth club in three countries when he joined Atalanta in 2022.
- He has just four catches for 47 yards and one touchdown, against McNeese State.
- Kyle Kennard, Edge, South CarolinaThe former Yellow Jacket is excelling for the Gamecocks, with 5.5 sacks, 17 total pressures, and 8.5 TFLs on a defense that is dominating early.
- Blessed with pace and persistence to beat their markers and make it to the byline for a cut-back cross, they can be truly dangerous.
- They are two separate awards, although between 2010 and 2015, they merged together to form the FIFA Ballon d’Or.
Neuer spent the better part of a year away from the pitch after fracturing his right knee during a ski trip in December 2022, but played his first game in 350 days when Bayern beat Darmstadt 8-0 in October of last year. He has since collected new individual records in his comeback year, chief among them breaking Iker Casillas’ record for most clean sheets in the Champions League. Neuer now has 58 clean sheets to his name in European competition, the most recent of which came in Bayern’s 1-0 win over Arsenal in the quarterfinals, when the usually attack-minded team delivered a defensive masterclass.
Analyze matchupsAnalyze the upcoming matchups for your players and opponents to determine which players to start in your lineup each week. Look for favorable matchups and take into account the strength of the opposing team’s defense. Last year was tough for Liverpool, as the system that had worked so well for them under Jurgen Klopp started malfunctioning. It was reinvented with the help of new signings and a different role for Trent Alexander-Arnold.