2024 FC 100: Mbappé, Ronaldo among best men’s soccer players

Lacking confidence under Steven Gerrard, reassurance and clear instruction from his replacement has turned the 28-year-old into one of the Premier League’s top strikers. Wirtz is one of the brightest stars to emerge out of Germany in the last decade, with a rare talent to control and dominate the midfield in a way few other players in world football can. Jude Bellingham’s stunning debut season at Spanish mega club Real Madrid has rapidly turned the attacking English midfielder into one of the hottest commodities in European football. There is no doubt that the expectations are high for all these players going into the 2024 season.

FC 100: Haaland among best forwards in men’s soccer

He posted a 92.3% passing accuracy in the attacking third, taking five shots and creating one chance in the process. The Portuguese midfielder has really come into his own over the last season, becoming an integral part of a Paris Saint-Germain team that made it to the semifinals of the Champions League while also winning Ligue 1 and the French Cup. The 24-year-old Portuguese international joined from Porto in 2022 and had a stellar campaign this season with nine goals in 46 games. His creativity on the ball and ability to shoot from a distance has made him PSG’s most dangerous player, arguably, behind Kylian Mbappe. He only needs a little bit of room to launch a rocket, and he seems to enjoy pulling the trigger from range over getting into the box.

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The cool-headed Indian star was one of the leading performers at the Women’s Hundred tournament in England, where her monstrous six-off sealed the title for London Spirit. The Vikings defense is good, but they have allowed 22 receptions to tight ends, ranking them sixth-worst. Conklin isn’t going to blow anyone’s socks off, but he has caught nine of 15 targets over the last two games and should be in line for another shot at a decent workload this week. Cooper has had some bad drops this season, but he’s getting open and getting targets, which is about all you need when facing the Commanders secondary. Washington has allowed 10 passing touchdowns to wide receivers and intercepted no passes. The Jets defense is solid, but they have been more effective against the pass than the run.

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They’ve now held the Buccaneers and Jets to seven and nine points over the last two weeks. The Ravens are very much a pass-funnel defense, as they rank 21st in EPA against the pass, but sixth in EPA against the run. Last week they completely shut down James Cook, who had four touchdowns in his last two games. Moss is the receiving back here, which helps him, but Chase Brown is going to continue to cut into his work after putting up a great game against the Panthers last week.

Erling Haaland (Man City)

He had a couple of seasons at Barcelona that weren’t exactly impressive when looking at his former achievements. In 2016 and 2018, he came in third for the Ballon d’Or, so there’s no doubt that he is one of the best players in the world. This season, he showed that he still belongs at the top of the list of the best footballers in the world. He has scored an impressive 26 goals and made 16 assists in 2023, making him one of the best players in the Spanish La Liga, if not the best.

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• If there is a player who excelled in the Champions League (think Divock Origi a few years ago) but was ordinary in the league, he probably shouldn’t be in your ranking.
• Another Portuguese prodigy ripped from Benfica for big money, only to then play for Inter Milan, Juventus, Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Barcelona in a six-year span.
• Although yet to score a fifty for her country, the fast-bowling all-rounder has scored a minimum of 20 runs in her last six international innings.
• The Liverpool academy product, who Klopp dubbed ‘Virgil 2.0’, has blossomed in the Europa League and Carabao Cup, while he is also starting to earn more minutes in the Premier League.
• The 26-year-old Lookman landed at his sixth club in three countries when he joined Atalanta in 2022.

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• With how poor the Broncos offense has been, maybe the Raiders get a lead and White will accumulate a lot of carries.
• He’s been part of a rebuilt Reds midfield alongside Alexis Mac Allister, and the versatile Hungary international can play wide or centrally.
• Wolvaardt will seek to captain her side to the final step having been runners-up at the last edition.
• The Copenhagen winger slammed his volley into the ground and beyond Andre Onana, securing a famous 4-3 victory for the Danes.
• The German forward’s six goals and four assists from his opening 15 matches have impressed, with the 21-year-old capable of playing up front or cutting in off the left flank.
• City’s longtime right back enjoyed another season as a key player in Guardiola’s tactically complex game plan.
• The Cowboys rank 28th in schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed to running backs, as well as 31st in run defense EPA.

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.

Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) – £20.8 million / year

It seems like this comeback kid has found a club where he can truly excel again, so the expectations for this season are high. Rare is the player that has been described as a Swiss army knife and can perform each of those tasks at elite levels, but Joshua Kimmich has been just that for several years now. The UEFA Champions League winner has rotated through roles as a defensive midfielder, a right back and a center back for most of his peak years, playing a key role in his team’s success for both club and country. He’s a leader on the field and many regard him as one of the finest technicians in the sport.

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Real Madrid are about to enter a glorious era with so many future superstars set to strut their stuff at the Bernabeu. A gloriously gifted midfielder in possession, the Portuguese international is one of those players you never get tired of watching. A subtle passer who can pick a lock in the final third, Vitinha is starting to blossom as the heartbeat of PSG’s midfield. Messi continues to dominate games – both subtly and explicitly – for club and country. His performances directly inspired Argentina to Copa America and World Cup trophies, and he transformed rock-bottom MLS team, Inter Miami, into cup finalists in the space of a month. We have taken into account domestic and international achievements as well as various stats and figures from this season and recent, prior campaigns to build a picture of the current best players in world football.

Bernardo Silva — Winger/Midfield, Manchester City

Only the second player to score a Clasico hat-trick in 23 years Barcelona haven’t hated a player as much since Cristiano Ronaldo. Now vice-captain at his boyhood club, Alexander-Arnold has taken to leadership like a duck to water, and may well end up as the poster boy of the Reds’ next big trophy win. The epitome of the perfect modern-day goalkeeper, the Brazil international is Liverpool’s last line of attack and first line of defence and sublime at both and more.

• Thankfully, the Netherlands midfielder has put his career first to end up at Leipzig on loan, where expert talent developer Marco Rose is proving priceless once again.
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• Footballer wages are higher than they’ve ever been right now, with the sport watched around the world, TV rights skyrocketing, and the Saudi Pro League throwing cash at the sport with reckless abandon.
• Yoro has featured in pretty much every Ligue 1 game this season, exhibiting incredible maturity and composure for a teenager.
• If anything, it would appear that the weight of expectations crushes players of real talent.
• Belgium will hope De Bruyne is fit and firing for the Euros, where they could benefit from his experience in a new-look squad that is hoping to improve on the team’s quarterfinal appearances at Euro 2016 and Euro 2020.

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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.

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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.

Right-back was never the most glamorous position, but the game’s many evolutions have seen it become a thrilling and unpredictable spot on the pitch. The best in the game will marry a strong positional awareness with blinding speed, as well as the daring to surge forward and support their teams in attack. This year’s ballot had over 50 entries from all over the globe and from all areas of ESPN FC; from writers to reporters, from editors to producers, from behind-the-scenes staff to on-air talent. Gab Marcotti, Julien Laurens, Mark Ogden and Alejandro Moreno were just some of the key voters. Our rankings are divided into four lists and give readers the closest thing to a position-by-position “depth chart” across world soccer.

Seven years after joining Manchester City with hopes of taking his career to the next step, Kyle Walker’s remarkable consistency is the defining feature of his ongoing spell with the Premier League champions. Rare are the days that Pep Guardiola will not call upon him in a big game, and equally as rare are the days on which Walker is not the perfect choice for the role assigned to him. Nominally a wing back, it is perhaps more effective to think of Jeremie https://st-bet.net/ Frimpong as a wide forward who tracks back. 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. Without the ball he is the Leverkusen wing back tasked with getting back into position quickly on the rare occasions his side turn the ball over.

Man Utd’s season has been far from dreamy, but one shining light has been midfielder Mainoo. The promising prodigy has a ridiculously low £8m release clause in his contract, and as such Boca currently trying to tie him to a new contract in order to maximise the fee they receive. However, such a valuation has interested the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea and Brighton, all of whom are eyeing a move for Barco. Liverpool have been touted with an interest in the youngster as they continue to explore the Bundesliga market, and Beier reportedly has a release clause of just £26m inserted in his current contract. 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. The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.

• And, of course, make sure to check out the full breakdown and analysis of who was ranked where and why.
• The 34-year-old bowls accurate off-spin and can be an explosive batter in the shortest format of the game.
• He did continue to score for fun for City, though, as they won another Premier League.
• What a waste of hours and spreadsheets it would be to present to you all that Lionel Messi is the best in the business.
• Averaging 0.93 sacks per game, Watt is on pace to hit 100 career sacks in his 108th game, which would make him the second-fastest player in history to the milestone behind Reggie White, according to NFL Research.
• Operating as an inverted full-back, he receives the ball more in central positions, bringing his superb range of passing to the fore.
• When Vinicius Junior returned to full fitness and form, Bellingham became the man to bring balance to Madrid taking on a heftier midfield role.
• One of English football’s most enduring partnerships ended when Harry Kane left Tottenham Hotspur for German giants Bayern Munich.
• Justin Fields’ second half against the Colts was truly a work of fantasy art.

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The last of three Aston Villa players to make our top 20, John McGinn is the driving force at the heart of Unai Emery’s side, who have become surprise title challengers. The Scotland international has a winning mentality, unbelievable stamina and no shortage of quality on the ball. He’s unfortunately steeled to dealing with such setbacks, having already recovered from two ACL injuries in his career, but he finished the season on a high, scoring the opener in a title-clinching 5-0 win over Werder Bremen in mid-April. His mark of 21 goals and 10 assists in 33 games contributed to their record-breaking season.

Still only 25, the versatile attacker has yet to even enter the prime of his career ahead of an important summer where he’ll lead the USMNT during Copa America on home soil. He’s dealt with his fair share of injuries as of late, but when healthy, there is Ballon d’Or potential there for the Barcelona budding superstar. Since joining from Las Palmas in 2020, he’s got 20 goals in 143 games and was viewed as the face of Barca after Lionel Messi’s departure to PSG. Pedri is versatile, wants the ball at his feet, can carry the ball into space or place the ball perfectly there. It’s his elite passing that sets him apart because of his quick movement and cleverness.