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To come up clutch means to deliver in crucial situations. Football is not just about technical abilities and tactical acumen, it is also a test of an individual's mental strength. At the highest level of the game, pressure situations are the norm.
High-stakes scenarios are part and parcel of the game. Different players react differently to pressure. While some tend to crumble under the stress and fail to deliver in such situations, some players relish the opportunity.
They seem to be able to find that extra bit of drive to inspire their team to the shores of solace. Some of the greatest footballers of all time are all players who are renowned for showing up and delivering the goods when their teams need them most.
Without further ado, let's take a look at six of the most clutch players in football currently.
#6 Luis Suarez
At the age of 34, Luis Suarez might be past his prime but he is still a credible goalscorer. He scored the all-important winner for the Rojiblancos on the final day of the 2020-21 season against Real Valladolid. They won the title with a two point lead over Real Madrid in a race that went down to the wire.
Suarez scored in the 2014-15 Champions League final for Barcelona against Juventus. He was the Player of the Tournament as Uruguay won the Copa America in 2011. Suarez scored and assisted a goal in the final against Paraguay.
The 2015-16 season was when Suarez hit his peak. He scored 59 goals in 53 appearances across all competitions for Barcelona that season. Suarez came up clutch for Barcelona in El Clasico that term, bagging a brace as the Catalans sank Real Madrid 4-0.
#5 Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi is arguably the greatest footballer of all time. The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner has had an illustrious career replete with wonderful moments. He is Barcelona's all-time greatest and he produced so many clutch moments for them during his 17-year stay at Camp Nou.
Messi's incredible performances against Manchester United in the finals of the 2008-09 and 2010-11 editions of the Champions League are definitely iconic. He was a nightmare to deal with for the Red Devils on both occasions.
Messi's first senior hat-trick came against Real Madrid when he was still a teenager. His third goal on the night was a 92nd minute equalizer.
We all remember Messi sending Jerome Boateng collapsing to the ground and then chipping Manuel Neuer in the 2014-15 Champions League semi-final, don't we? He scored two goals in two minutes around the 80th minute in what was a tough game with the Bavarians.
But our pick of the lot is Messi's incredible hat-trick against Ecuador in a must-win 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifier for Argentina. La Albiceleste were trailing 1-0 after just forty seconds on the clock. Messi decided enough is enough and the rest is history.
#4 Sergio Ramos
Sergio Ramos is a mentality monster. He was Real Madrid's captain since 2015 up until he left the club last summer. Ramos led the team by example numerous times. The Spanish international's incredible headed stoppage-time equalizer in the 2013-14 Champions League final which sparked a Real Madrid comeback win is hard to forget.
Ramos had also bagged a brace in the second leg of their semi-final tie against Bayern Munich. He scored a 90th minute equalizer in an El Clasico in the 2016-17 season. Ramos' knack for scoring goals is one thing that sets him apart.
He is a centre-back but has scored 101 goals in 671 appearances for Real Madrid across all competitions. Ramos is one of the greatest defenders of the modern era and his ability to come up big when his team needs him most makes him one of the most clutch players in football.
#3 Mohamed Salah
Mohamed Salah is currently one of the most clutch players in football. Salah doesn't just score or contribute when the going gets tough, he just metes out the same treatment to every opponent in almost every single game he plays.
The Egyptian international recently scored a hat-trick against Manchester United at Old Trafford. He scored a wonderful solo goal against Manchester City prior to that in a thrilling 2-2 draw.
The 29-year-old bagged a brace against Atletico Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano as Liverpool earned a 3-2 win over the La Liga giants. He also scored against Chelsea in a 1-1 draw earlier this season.
He also scored goals against Arsenal and AC Milan and these are just the games where he has come up clutch just this season. Salah scored Liverpool's opening goal against Tottenham Hotspur in the final of the 2018-19 UEFA Champions League final.
He also scored a stoppage time penalty in a do-or-die game against Congo to take Egypt to the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
#2 Divock Origi
It's hard to find players who have as much of a penchant for scoring extremely important goals for their teams as Divock Origi does. The Belgian international is by no means the first-choice striker at Liverpool. In fact, he can be a little wasteful and casual in front of goal.
But that's on normal days. On days when Liverpool are desperately looking for a spark that could propel them to glory, Origi will be at hand to deliver it. He has done it so often in recent times that it is borderline ridiculous at this point.
Origi famously scored the goal that sealed the deal in Liverpool's 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the 2018-19 Champions League final.
Liverpool's 4-0 win in the second leg of their 2018-19 Champions League semi-final tie against Barcelona is one of the finest turnarounds in the history of the Champions League. Origi scored two extremely vital goals in that game.
The 26-year-old continues to come up clutch for Liverpool to this day. He scored a 94th minute winner for Liverpool against Wolves last weekend to help them stay afloat in the Premier League title race.
Origi also scored Liverpool's winner against AC Milan in their final Champions League group stage encounter.
Of course, how can we forget his 96th minute winner against Everton in a Merseyside derby in the 2018-19 season?
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo is not just the most clutch player right now, but he is also the greatest clutch player of all time. The Portuguese international's career has been defined by iconic performances. His grit and never-say-die attitude have been there on display since his early days at Manchester United.
But at Real Madrid, he developed into a different beast. The Portuguese international has provided so many clutch moments that it's hard to even touch upon all of them because there are so many.
The hat-trick against Spain in a 3-3 draw at the 2018 FIFA World Cup will always be special. His Puskas winning goal in the 2008-09 season against Porto helped Manchester United clinch the tie after the first leg at Old Trafford had ended 2-2. United progressed to the semi-finals solely because of Ronaldo's wonderstrike.
Ronaldo's hat-trick in a 4-2 win over Sweden in the playoffs of the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers was another unforgettable performance.
In the 2015-16 Champions League season, Real Madrid went up against Wolfsburg in the quarter-finals. They needed to overturn a 2-0 deficit as the German side came to the Santiago Bernabeu fancying their chances after the upset in the first leg. But Ronaldo scored a hat-trick to shatter Wolfsburg's dreams.
He scored a hat-trick in the second leg of the 2016-17 Champions League quarter-final tie against Bayern Munich. Two of his goals came in the 105th an 110th minutes of the game when all Bayern Munich needed was a goal to ensure progression to the semi-finals.
Ronaldo has scored so many important goals for Manchester United this season. He scored a 95th minute winner against Villarreal in the Champions League. Ronaldo then scored an 81st minute winner against Atalanta in a game where the Red Devils went into half-time, trailing 2-0.
He then struck two wonderful goals against the Serie A outfit in a very important 2-2 draw. Ronaldo then scored two important goals, including the winner in a 3-2 win over arch-rivals Arsenal in the Premier League.
The 36-year-old continues to deliver the goods when his teams need him most and is easily the most clutch footballer at present.
