Ranking the world's top 20 players

Having entered the doldrums of the summer transfer window, not much is going on in the soccer world these days. What better way to pass the time than by getting irrationally upset at a subjective list that has absolutely no bearing on your life?

Our loosely-defined criteria for determining the top 20 players in the world at this moment account for players' individual contributions, international reputations, impact on their respective teams, and the "it" factor – whether or not they possess that special sauce that keeps their opposition up at night before a game. Let us know where we screwed up and before you ask: No, Harry Maguire did not make the cut.

🐢 If we were to start a team today, Mbappé would be our first pick without a shadow of a doubt. Able to generate something out of nothing with his electrifying pace, dazzling footwork, and Kobe-like tenacity, there is no one in the game who strikes more fear into the hearts and minds of opponents than Mbappé – and he’s only getting better.

🐐 As crazy as it sounds to have a 36-year-old on this list, let alone this high, the GOAT is certainly an exception to the rule. Messi was once again one of the world's best players last season, having registered 16 goals and 16 assists in Ligue 1 with PSG and hoisting a little trophy called the World Cup for Argentina. We can't wait to see him dominate the MLS – a league that makes Christian Benteke look like prime Didier Drogba.

🎯 Kevin De Bruyne was (and still is) the best player on Man City's treble-winning team. We said it. There is no player in the world who's as comfortable with the ball at both feet, and just as capable of pinging a defense-splitting through ball as making a game-saving tacking. At 32 years old, De Bruyne shows no signs of slowing down and seems to finally be getting the recognition he deserves in being talked about as one of the Premier League's best-ever players.

🤖 Shocked you had to scroll this far? While Haaland certainly had the best season of any player on this list (and possibly in history), the Norwegian robot is a less capable creator than those above him. That said, there is no better goal scorer on the planet, and Haaland is just getting started with Pep Guardiola's Man City machine. Sometimes you don't need to create when you smash every ball that hits your foot into the back of the net.

🇧🇷 No player in the world has seen their stock rise more precipitously than Vini Jr. this past season. The Brazilian has firmly established himself as one of the world’s best players at just 23 years old, and with Karim Benzema out the picture, Real Madrid is now Vini’s team. Height aside, Vini is the prototypical winger; he possesses straight-line speed to get behind defenses, lightning-quick feet, flawless technical ability, and attacks defenders with the perfect balance of directness and Brazilian flair. Marking him must be a nightmare.

🐓 If it weren’t for Haaland, we’d be talking about Kane as the best striker on the planet with his last season being remembered as one of the best ever. 30 league goals and 3 assists is an impressive stat line for any club, but even more so with Tottenham, whose other attacking players make an emaciated opossum look lively in comparison. Having score 17+ league goals in nine consecutive seasons, Kane is more valuable to Spurs than perhaps any other player is to their club. Without him, they’d be playing in the Championship. Simple as.

🇵🇱 Lewandowski’s first season with Barça was a smashing success. The Polack won the Pichichi award for being Spain’s best goalscorer – the 11th time he’s been the sharpest in the league – and was the talisman for a title-winning Barça side that otherwise lacked attacking firepower. It’d be tough for most 34-years-olds to be this productive, but not Lewandowski. With a full offseason to train with the likes of Pedri and Gavi, expect Lewa to put up similar numbers next season as the Blaugrana look to defend their crown.

🔟 The third player on this list to play for the Parisian champions last season, Neymar’s career is in a bit of a weird place. While the 31-year-old is still a wizard with the ball at his feet (or flicked over his head), he’s clearly unsettled at PSG and not content to keep playing second fiddle to Mbappé without any Champions League success. Add in an injury record with more red marks than my average tenth-grade English paper (thanks for nothing, Mrs. Stevens) – Neymar only played 20 league games last season – and the Brazilian’s future is totally up in the air. Whether he stays put in Paris, or makes a move anywhere from Saudi Arabia to Newcastle, Neymar will still be capable of producing moments of magic that other players couldn’t dream of.

😷 “Nobody cared who I was until I put on the mask.” - Victor Osimhen, probably

Getting hit in the eye seems to be the best thing to have ever happened to Osimhen, whose meteoric rise captivated the hearts of the Napoletano unlike any player since Diego Maradona. The Nigerian came into his own in his third season with Napoli, forming a formidable partnership with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia that allowed Osimhen to score more goals last season than in the previous two combined. It is no coincidence that Napoli’s first Scudetto in 33 years happened during the same season that Osimhen broke through as a world-class player.

🔥 Rodri is the modern game’s ideal holding midfielder. Technically sound, fiercely competitive, fit as a bird, and so cerebral he’s practically an extension of Pep Guardiola on the pitch, the Spainard is the straw that stirs the drink for the treble-winners. While his stats don’t jump off the page, the 27-year-old played more minutes than any other Man City player last season, and only Lionel Messi has started more games in one season as an outfield player in a Guardiola side. 

⭐️ Where do we even begin with Arsenal's star boy? It feels like just yesterday Saka was a baby-faced academy graduate wearing number 77 and playing left-back of all positions. The 21-year-old has already made 135 appearances for Arsenal at the senior level, and is only getting better. Although no facet of Saka's game jumps off the page, he boasts a combination of strength, positional awareness, and a silky left foot that make him Arsenal's – and England's – most important player for years to come. How that boy glistens, indeed.

🪨 If Rodri is the straw that stirs Man City's drink, then Dias is the glass that holds it all together. The Portuguese has firmly established himself as the best CB in the world, playing a crucial role as a security blanket for the treble-winners that maintained a whopping 65.2% average possession last season. "Dias is the type of player who makes the whole team feel safe," said Gary Neville. Without him, there would be a massive void in the world's best side.

💰 It feels strange to have the reigning Ballon d'Or winner this low on the list, but this season was anything but normal for Karim Benzema. Despite an injury-riddled campaign that saw him play his last European soccer, the Frenchman is still among the best strikers in the world, especially when linking up with Vini Jr. on the counterattack. We'll miss watching him in Spain, but the bag always comes first.

🧤 Thibaut Courtois is the best goalkeeper in the world and it ain't even close. The Belgian reminded us all of that in the Champions League semis, where he singlehandedly saved Real Madrid from being on the receiving end of a historic ass-whooping with his superhuman reflexes. Still only 31 (it seems like Courtois has been around forever), he'ill be between the sticks for Los Blancos for years to come.

🇳🇴 Martin Ødegaard has found his home with Arsenal. The Norwegian, once touted as the second-coming of Pele when he signed with Real Madrid at just 16-years-old, finally delivered on the breakthrough season that fans have been waiting nearly a decade for. Boasting a deft left foot that would make anyone not named Lionel Messi jealous, Ødegaard is the perfect modern playmaker and fully deserving of the captain's armband for Arsenal.

🤫 Of all players on this list, no one flew under the radar quite like Mohamed Salah did last season. Liverpool's high standards took a nose dive in 2022-23, but Mohamed Salah's form did not. The Egyptian contributed 19 goals and 12 assists last season, good for third and second in the Premier League, respectively. Still very much in his prime, look for Salah to shine even brighter next season with Liverpool's revamped midfield.

🤫 Of all players on this list, no one flew under the radar quite like Mohamed Salah did last season. Liverpool's high standards took a nose dive in 2022-23, but Mohamed Salah's form did not. The Egyptian contributed 19 goals and 12 assists last season, good for third and second in the Premier League, respectively. Still very much in his prime, look for Salah to shine even brighter next season with Liverpool's revamped midfield.

🤔 Antoine Griezmann's reinvention this past year is second to only Abercrombie & Fitch – and we're not just talking about his hair. The Frenchman, who's played the majority of his career as a second striker, dropped even deeper into the midfield this season with smashing success. Griezmann singlehandedly kept Atleti within striking distance of the La Liga title race and led France to the World Cup final, a tournament in which he was voted to the best XI after being the joint-top assister.

🔥 Is there anything Jude Bellingham can't do? Having just turned 20 years old last month, Bellingham has established himself as the next big name in the soccer world, with clubs like Liverpool and Man City fawning over him before Real Madrid made their move – a far cry from when we were 20 scrounging up loose change from the couch to see if we could afford any Coors Light at happy hour (we could). The prototypical CM, Bellingham boasts all the physical and mental traits needed to be one of the game's best (if he isn't already), and with Carlo Ancelotti's tutelage it's only a matter of time before he begins lifting trophies for club and country.

🇮🇹 While Milan's season was not up to par with their 2021-22 title-winning campaign, Rafael Leão continued his development into one of the world's most exciting players, providing 16 goals and 15 assists across all competitions. Capable of putting defenders in the spin cycle with his blazing speed and deep bag of tricks, Leão is a joy to watch – and his constant ear-to-ear grin tells us he's having even more fun playing