To break into the upper echelons of football royalty, one must blend passion with temperament, focus with desire and, ultimately, must maintain top form throughout the most part of their career. New talents are being scouted as we speak and it can, therefore, be challenging to take a snapshot of the football landscape as it is now… but that’s exactly what I have done.
In a, frankly, subjective piece, which it is impossible to gain unanimous agreement with, I have sprinkled my search for the greatest fifty players in the world with a pinch of objectivity by using weighted averages to determine who comes out on top.
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Also Read: Sportskeeda's list of 50 best players playing currently: Part III (30 – 21)
Also Read: Sportskeeda's list of 50 best players playing currently: Part II (40 – 31)
Also Read: Sportskeeda's list of 50 best players playing currently: Part I (50 – 41)
Each player was allocated a score out of 100 for their ‘Overall Ability’ (technique, goal-scoring records / defensive records), their ‘Success’ (team and individual trophies won during their career, relative to their age and time in the game) and their ‘Recent Form’ (how they’ve performed throughout this calendar year, injuries etc. have been taken into account).
The former was attributed with a weighting of 40%, the most important aspect to consider, while the other two categories were each given a 30% weighting. An average was then taken and other factors such as potential and importance to their team were taken into account. So if you have any serious qualms with the choices made, remember that statistics have been used to back-up the views in this article.
With too much eye-watering detail to cram into a single piece, this is a ‘Sportskeeda Series’. Now towards the business end of rankings, here’s a look at those positioned from 20-11…
#20 Gonzalo Higuain
The 29-year-old has been among the most sought-after frontmen in world football in the past few years, and for good reason too. Dangerous in the air, clinical in one-on-one situations and able to hold up the ball or run off the shoulder of a fellow forward, it is a combination of intelligence and versatility which earned Higuain his €90-million move to Turin this summer.
In his time with Real Madrid, Higuain won three La Liga titles, scoring more than 100 goals in the process. And so far this season, he is Juventus’ top scorer this term with 10 goals, double the number of the club’s second leading goalscorer this season, Miralem Pjanic. Higuain’s success in terms of trophies is minimal compared to others on this list, having won only the Coppa Italia and Copa del Rey along with his trio of Spanish top division titles, while he finished as a World Cup runner-up with Argentina in 2014.
That said, he boasts a handful of personal accolades, including places in the Serie A Team of the Year two years ago, as well as having broken the record for the most goals in a single Serie A season, with 36 last campaign.
#19 Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Few players boast a more decorated career than sensational Swede, Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The now 35-year-old has won the top domestic league title in practically every country he’s played in, having secured the Eredivisie, La Liga, Ligue 1 and Serie A. Regarded as one of the most clinical forwards in the history of the modern game, Zlatan is also his nation’s all-time leading goalscorer with 62 goals, while he scored 113 goals with his previous club side PSG.
Despite a fair dosing of criticism since making the switch to Old Trafford, the fearsome frontman is the club’s top scorer this season, with 12 goals in 17 appearances, having created a further 28 goal-scoring opportunities, the second highest in United’s ranks behind Paul Pogba. At present, Ibrahimovic trails leader Lionel Messi as 2016’s Top Scorer by two goals and it really has been a defining twelve months in the Swede’s career.
As well as his phenomenal football prowess, Ibrahimovic is also renowned for his pantomime arrogance and tendency to refer to himself in third person. He once went as far as claiming, “I can’t help but laugh at how perfect I am.” It’s a fair statement given his current form, legendary success and overall ability but Ibrahimovic’s failure to have been successful in European competition or internationally, plus the fact he is ultimately on the brink of becoming a waning talent at his age, means perfection and a spot in the top five is just out of reach.
#18 Sergio Busquets
Former Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque sums it up brilliantly, “you watch the game, you don’t see Busquets. You watch Busquets, you see the whole game”. The 28-year-old Spaniard is one of the most underrated, influential midfielders in the game and a personal favourite of mine. In the same way, he catalyses the transformation of defence into attack, Busquets has catalysed the evolution of tika-taka football, making it possible for Barcelona to have played in the way the have by doing the nitty-gritty in between.
At 6’ 2”, Busquets supplies the Barcelona midfield with some much-needed height and physicality, whilst possessing a tactical intelligence heralded by former manager Pep Guardiola. Still relatively youthful with many more years to give in his position, Sergio has claimed six La Liga titles, four Copa del Reys and three Champions Leagues with Barcelona, as well as having won one World Cup and one European Championship with his nation.
Having dislodged the likes of Marcos Senna from the Spain frame and Yaya Toure from the Barcelona contingent at a young age, Busquets also forced Mascherano to play at the heart of the Catalan defence, so that he could occupy the holding midfield role. This season hasn’t been incredible by Busquets’ standards, hence why he drops down the list ever-so-slightly, but he will undoubtedly leave a legacy at the Camp Nou as one of the greatest unsung talents during Barcelona’s most successful spell in their history.
#17 Thomas Muller
One of the most lovable characters in modern football, sporting the same surname as his nation’s most lethal frontman of all time, Thomas Müller has become, in many ways, the Bayern bedrock, overseeing changes at his club since plying his trade with the Bayern Munich youth side in the third division some years ago.
Since then, Muller has made well over 200 appearances for his boyhood club, during which time he has scored 92 goals. One of the few modern, one-club assassins, the 27-year-old has won five Bundesliga titles, four DFB Pokals and the 2012/13 Champions League, as well as being a crucial component in the 2014 German side which lifted the World Cup. Müller is by no means blessed with blistering pace or particularly tricky with his feet but has anticipation and an excellent sense of positioning on his side, which enables him to find pockets of space nobody expects him to find.
Capable of playing across the entire Bayern Munich frontline, Müller is an idyllic role model for any youngster looking to earn respect as a loyal, committed and focused player. Accolades have been plentiful in Müller’s career and what really gets him to training every day is love for a club. And if that doesn’t warrant praise as one of the finest footballers today, then his stellar success and crucial role in Bayern’s set-up certainly does.
#16 Diego Godin
In an era where football clubs are looking for more and more from their defenders, Diego Godin has sought success through doing the basics right. He may not be the most complete player in the game but he’s untouchable from a defensive perspective. A born leader, Godin was at the heart of La Liga’s best defence in the 2015/16 campaign, with Atletico conceding just 18 goals. This fine form transpired into this season so far, in which he has maintained an average success rate of 60% of duels won, as well as having made an average of 7 defensive actions per game.
The 30-year-old Uruguayan is in the middle of his pomp, top of the new year shopping list for a host of clubs, not least Manchester United. Godin would add brawn and resolve to the best defence. Measuring just over six foot and with an excellent spring in his step too. Diego’s no-nonsense defensive approach at Atletico has not only seen his value soar as a loyal and dependable individual, but it’s his ability to put his body on the line at any given moment which gives Atletico the attacking freedom they have.
Diego Godin has won La Liga, the Copa del Rey, the UEFA Europa League and finished with a runner-up medal in the Champions League on two separate occasions with Atletico. To add to all this, he has also lifted the Copa America with his home nation. By no means the most glittering list of accolades, Godin could have easily switched all of this for a shot at relentless glory with Barca or Real but opted to stick with the Red-and-Whites, with whom he’s now played over 200 games, and that demands respect in itself.
#15 Antoine Griezmann
“Aside from his goals and assists, what I value immensely about him is his teamwork. This is what makes him a great player. He can play across the frontline and can break down defences with his speed, technique and talent.” Words right from the gaffer’s mouth, Diego Simeone evidently heralds Griezmann as one of the most prolific components of the Atletico contingent.
The Frenchman tore up Euro 2016, finishing the competition’s top scorer with 6 goals and 2 assists to his name and such form translated into the beginning of this campaign for Atletico Madrid, where he is the club’s joint top scorer so far with 6 goals, having laid on a further 26 chances for team-mates. It really is a testament to his raw ability, unprecedented importance to the Atletico team and room for further potential that Griezmann makes a list, and ranks higher than many, of such experienced names, despite being just 25-years-old himself.
If Griezmann continues under the steady stewardship of Simeone, there’s no doubt in my mind that he will become one of the most lethal strikers in world football (if he isn’t deemed to be so already). As mentioned, his list of accolades is a short one but from a personal perspective, he came third in the 2016 Ballon D’Or, as well as having finished runner-up as UEFA Best Player of the Year award last campaign.
#14 Toni Kroos
Bayern Munich liability-turned-integral-member of Real Madrid; underestimate Toni Kroos at your own peril. Since switching to the Bernabeu, the 26-year-old German international has barely looked back, amassing a remarkable 70 chances for team-mates at a pass completion rate of 92% in his debut season with Los Blancos. This last calendar year has been adequate for the midfielder, who contributed well to his national side at the Euros, despite failing to register a goal, creating the second most chances in the German side (16).
The German’s trump card ultimately lays in his versatility; not built entirely for defensive football, Kroos has served both Bayern and Real well in a holding role, catalysing defence into attack, despite showing that he’s more than capable in the final third. In the Euros this summer, he averaged a pass length of 19m, the third highest in the team, and his pass range is exceptional, as are his vision, stamina and physical attributes.
Still very young in the grand scheme of things, Kroos already has two UEFA Champions League titles to his name, as well as having won three Bundesliga titles and the 2014 World Cup with Germany. There really is little left for him to win in his career, while his potential is limitless. Toni Kroos does the hidden work for Real Madrid but the sharpest pundits and journalists recognise that Real Madrid, having been blessed for a couple of years with his talent, simply could not function in the same way without him.
#13 Giorgio Chiellini
Although Leonardo Bonucci is readily anticipating the chance to spring into Chiellini’s throne as the godfather of Italian defending, the latter remains nonetheless a reliable member of the Old Lady contingent. This season so far Chiellini has averaged 6 defensive actions per game and has won, on average, 59% of duels per game. He’s once again been the bedrock of a side which boasts the best defensive record in Serie A this term, conceding just 14 goals.
Italy’s brief stint as the overachievers at this summer’s Euros was largely down to Chiellini’s rock-solid effort at the heart of the defence and, at 32-years-of-age, it looks far from finished business for the Italian.
Snapped up by Juventus in 2005, Chiellini has seen it all, from the infamous Calciopoli scandal which saw the club relegated to successive Scudettos, of which he now has five. He has also won two Coppa Italias and has finished runner-up in the 2014/15 Champions League and second best in the 2012 Euros with his home nation.
Much like the aforementioned Diego Godin, Chiellini prides himself on perfecting the basics and doing the dirty work first. If the ball presents itself to him inside the six-yard box, he’ll hoof it away without hesitation, rather than try to play the ball out of danger by dribbling or passing short. Chiellini is the perfect blend of the traditional defender with refreshing modern traits, having shown particular defensive prowess by being the heart of a three-man defence for the most part of his career.
#12 Gianluigi Buffon
When discussing Azzurri legends, one cannot help but mention Gianluigi Buffon, arguably the greatest Italian shot-stopper of all time. Earlier this calendar year, Buffon managed to string together a Serie A record of 974 minutes in the league without conceding, surpassing the previous record by an entire half. It was just another remarkable achievement to add to the dossier of a man who has won the Serie A Goalkeeper of the Season award on ten occasions, finished runner-up in the Ballon D’Or in 2006 and who has won countless team trophies too.
In his glittering career so far, the 38-year-old has won Serie A seven times, the Coppa Italia twice and the FIFA World Cup with Italy just over a decade ago.
He leads from the back, often held responsible for all the successes and failures of the respective Italy and Juventus defences; that’s how strong an influence he has. Shot-stopping is part-and-parcel of a modern goalkeeper’s game but Buffon perfected it during a time when this was not the case and he combines an energetic and towering presence between the sticks with razor-sharp reflexes.
The record he set earlier this year against Torino reiterates that he has maintained his competency across a 21-year career and is as good as he has ever been and there’s only really one candidate who pips him to the post as the greatest goalkeeper in world football at present.
#11 Gareth Bale
Say what you will about Gareth Bale living in Cristiano Ronaldo’s shadow, the truth is, the dragon never sleeps. The Welshman oozes determination and, having progressed through the Southampton youth ranks and the Tottenham first team to play for his boyhood love the Galacticos, he has become an idol for many young football fans.
Since signing for Real Madrid in 2013, Bale has scored more than 50 goals for Los Blancos and this year has been no different. The 27-year-old has scored 5 goals in 11 matches in La Liga this term, while he spearheaded the underdogs Wales at this year’s European Championships, where he scored three and created six chances. It’s been an impressive year for Bale, and one edged really only by CR7 and the MSN partnership.
Bale possesses the ability to burst out of the blocks at lightning speed, evade opponents with his awesome agility, while his lethal left boot leaves defence quivering in their boots. He has become the complete forward and since his Spanish switch, he’s won two UEFA Champions League titles and the Copa del Rey, rendering him one of the most dangerous and promising players on the planet, certainly the best not to make the top ten.
