Arsene Wenger picks his top 5 players in the world right now; Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr ranks at 3 

Legendary Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has picked Real Madrid attacker Vinicius Junior as one of the top five players in the game at the moment. The 24-year-old Brazilian has been at the Santiago Bernabeu since the summer of 2018.

A key member of Carlo Ancelotti's side, Vinicius has had a solid stint in the Spanish capital, having arrived following the departure of the club's all-time top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo.

In nearly 300 appearances across competitions, the Brazil international has contributed 101 goals and 85 assists. That includes 16 goals and 12 assists in 30 games across competitions this season.

Vinicius is coming off a fabulous 2023-24 campaign, contributing 25 goals and 12 assists in 40 games across competitions as Los Blancos won three titles, including a second La Liga-UEFA Champions League double in three years. For his exploits, he finished as the Ballon d'Or runner-up, behind winner Rodri of Manchester City.

Wenger, who spent a legendary stint at the Gunners - guiding them to a historic 'Invincibles' triumph in 2004 - talked about the top five players in the game currently. As per the Instagram post uploaded by Goalglobal and Goalfanzone, the Frenchman named the ones outside of Arsenal:

"Palmer (4), Vinicius (3), Mbappe (2), Salah (1)"

Salah is having a marvellous season with Liverpool, who are leading the Premier League and also finished atop the UEFA Champions League group phase. In 35 games across competitions, the 32-year-old has contributed 27 goals and 19 assists.

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What's next for Real Madrid and Arsenal?

Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti

Real Madrid are having a superb season despite a few stutters along the way. They lead the La Liga standings by two points after 23 games and also have a foot in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16.

Having ended their European campaign with three straight wins, Madrid booked a play-off clash with Manchester City, winning the first leg 3-2 at the Etihad last week.

Ahead of the return leg at the Santiago Bernabeu next week, Los Blancos will be in La Liga action next, travelling to Osasuna on Saturday (February 15) before hosting City four days later.

Meanwhile, Arsenal are also in the midst of a decent season. Having finished runner-up in the last two Premier League campaigns, the Gunners are once agian poised for a strong finish.

Ahead of their trip to newly promoted Leicester City on Saturday, Mikel Arteta's side are second in the points table, trailing Liverpool by seven points with 15 games to go.