Top 10 best dribblers in the football world right now

One of the best things for a football fan to witness is a player moving past opponents like they never existed. Like ghosts, they spirit around their opponents, who are only left chasing the wind from their trail.

Dribbling is an art form that not many are artists of. The ability to make the ball feel and look like a part of you is something that only a very few players in the world possess right now—and here are 10 of them.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and they do not necessarily represent the views of Sportskeeda.

---

#10 Isco

While he may not be having one of his best seasons at Real Madrid, what cannot be taken away from him is his dribbling ability. Even when he's playing his worst game, he somehow always manages to skip past opponents in the silkiest of ways possible.

Indeed, in the last two seasons, he has made at least two successful dribbles per game in all competitions. Sometimes a player can complete six or seven in a game, but to hold an average of two in every match for the past two years deserves recognition.

The thing with Isco is, he's not a fast dribbler - he does it slowly and subtly, almost as though he stops time while doing so. Bursts of acceleration help him manoeuvre into space quickly, allowing him to beat players within an instant.

#9 Mateo Kovacic

Another silky dribbler

Another "slow dribbler" in the sense that he doesn't raise a fire from the heat of his boots while dribbling - Mateo Kovacic is a fine specimen and perfect example of a complete midfielder. He can dribble like a forward, tackle like a defender and importantly pass like a playmaker too.

What makes him special, is his ability to put off defenders right on top of him as if they were just ants in his path. In terms of complete vertical dribbling, there are only very few players who currently do it better than the Croatia international.

Whenever he has got a decent run of matches under his belt, he also has averaged over two dribbles per game. Last season, he had an average of 2.2 in 19 La Liga stats - statistics are just numbers so to really enjoy the former Inter man's ball control skills, you have to watch him play.

#8 Christian Pulisic

One of the world's best young players with plenty of potential to fulfil

By the time he hangs up his boots, Christian Pulisic is likely to end up as the best football player in USA history. He is the true version of what people assumed Freddy Adu would be.

While other young stars like Marco Asensio and Kylian Mbappé continue to earn all of the plaudits, Pulisic deserves recognition of his own - there's an argument to be made that the 19-year-old is on a similar level to them, if not just as good as the European wonderkids.

The American teenager has an intelligent head on his shoulders and always showcases this during Borussia Dortmund matches. One of those few players who can dribble at various speeds, whether he's accelerating beyond a defender or subtly while waiting for team-mates in support.

This season, he has made an average of three dribbles per Bundesliga match, having featured on 21 occasions thus far. The ease with which he does so, is quite dangerous too.

#7 Alexis Sanchez

The dribbling machine

Now, we enter the zone where the common names shall reside in most cases. The former Arsenal man caught the attention of the football fraternity with his explosive dribbling. Back during his Udinese days, he would always occupy deep spaces in his own half before carrying the ball forward with pace and purpose down the right-hand side.

This practice improved his dribbling to such an extent that he became what one would describe as a "serial dribbler". Indeed, the fact that his dribbling stats never dipped below two dribbles per game during his spell in England thus far is a testament to the aforementioned claim.

In the three games he has played for Manchester United thus far, he has already made 5.7 dribbles per game, which speaks volumes.

#6 Naby Keita

This man can dribble out of a cesspool

Usually, the players that reside in front of the defence aren’t the ones known for their dribbling ability. Mateo Kovacic is one of those players, but the one who does it best is Naby Keita. The Guinean is one of those rare breed of footballer who can do anything on the pitch.

Be it passing, tackling, positioning or getting involved in the final third with goals and chances galore, Keita has it all. But what catches the gaze more than anything else is his astute ability to carry the ball forward with his insane ball control skills. In the five Champions League group stage fixtures he played this term, he made 4.8 successful dribbles in every game.

The number might drop to 3.1 in the Bundesilga, but it is still outstanding for someone who regularly plays such a deep midfield role. Liverpool have a gem they'll be itching to unearth this summer.

#5 Wilfried Zaha

A dribbling genius

If there is any player that went from being massively over-rated to somewhat under-rated in the space of a few years, it has to be Wilfried Zaha. When he burst onto the scene, he was supposedly the next best thing to come out of Africa.

A lucrative £15m move to Manchester United and the subsequent return to Crystal Palace two years later, people may have forgotten about this man - who is doing quite well for himself in the Premier League. While his final product and consistency can often frustrate, one thing that has remained constant is his top-notch dribbling abilities.

Since the 2013/14 campaign, he has not averaged anything below 2.8 dribbles per match in England's top-flight. Last season, he made 4.1 dribbles per game, making him one of the best statistically across the league.

This term, he has netted four goals, created two assists and a total of 35 goalscoring chances in 20 Premier League matches to date.

#4 Ousmane Dembélé

A serial dribbler

Another player with the "serial dribbler" tag, Ousmane Dembélé burst onto the scene in Europe with his eye-catching ability to dribble the ball with both feet. The directness with which he does is similar to a rabbit speeding to its hole when chased by a predator.

In Dembélé's case, however, he is almost often the predator. In his brief professional career, he has never had a season where he made less than three dribbles per game. A lengthy hamstring injury has recently halted his progress following a big-money move to Barcelona, but he displayed plenty of potential to succeed after spells at Ligue 1 side Stade Rennais and Borussia Dortmund prior to last summer's move.

As a result, it's unfair to judge his performances this season based on statistics just yet - as he's only made five league appearances to date. If past matches are anything to go by though, there's no doubting his ability as one of the world's best dribblers.

#3 Eden Hazard

Premier League's best

Eden Hazard is the Premier League's best dribbler. In fact, a case could be made about him being the best in the business when it comes to taking on players with the ball at his feet. However in this list, he finds himself at number three.

The talented Belgian forward made a name for himself at Lille, with his insane ability to skip past opposition challenges. While it cannot be denied that he always had the capability to create magical moments, his dribbling automatically caught the eye of viewers initially.

Indeed, barring his first season at Stamford Bridge, he has never had a season where he made less than three dribbles per game on average. This season alone, he has completed five dribbles per Premier League match - and continues to add more goals and assists to his game, having been criticised for a lack of consistency during Leicester's title-winning campaign in 2015/16.

#2 Neymar

Neymar often makes a fool of his opponents

Just like Eden Hazard, Neymar's ability to make a fool of defenders contesting him is what enchanted the fans in Brazil. Even now, while playing in a league below the calibre which he possesses, he relishes showing everyone his ball-control skills on a regular basis.

His dribbling stats are off the charts. Ever since he stepped foot on European soil, his dribbles per game ratio has not gone below three on average. From the 2015-16 season onwards, his numbers have not dipped below 4.2 dribbles-per-game.

This season, he is averaging a whopping 7.3 dribbles per game for Paris Saint-Germain. Neymar's ability to seamlessly weave past opponents is simply a joy to watch.

#1 Lionel Messi

The greatest of all-time?

If dribbling was considered exclusively, then Neymar would be on top of the list. In fact, even Eden Hazard would be above Lionel Messi, with the Argentine at number three. But the basis of this list is efficient dribbling - not just showboating or dribbling sideways - which is where Messi excels.

If the 30-year-old wanted to, he could easily make more than at least five dribbles per game on average without any problems whatsoever. Indeed this season, he has shown just that with 5.3 dribbles per game in La Liga alone.

As for his senior career, he is yet to have a season where he averaged less than three per game. Most of Messi’s dribbles are vertical runs forward, which end up producing a good opportunity for his team-mates to convert. This season, he's leading the goalscoring charts in Spain with 20 but perhaps more importantly, also leads the league in assists with an eyewatering 11 already.

Preferring not to showboat like Neymar, nor take-on defenders sideways like Hazard does, he simply weaves past them in the most efficient way and leaves them chasing shadows.

The efficiency of his dribbling make him the best dribbler in the world right now.