Welcome to FourFourTwo's countdown of the best players in the world, as we deliver the definitive ranking of the biggest stars in the sport.
It might not always feel like it, but we're living in a golden age of the game: the quality has never been this high, with mid-level Premier League clubs boasting world-class talent and the best players on Earth capable of performing in any era, really.
The margins at the elite level are smaller than ever with some of these guys destined to become some of the greatest players of all time, surely and that's reflected in how difficult it was to compile this list
How FourFourTwo's expert panel chose the best players in the world right now
FourFourTwo assembled an esteemed panel of writers, journalists, analysts and football experts to provide a list of their 25 best footballers in the world.
Each player was given a score from 40 (the best) to 15 (the 25th best), with points added from our lists of the best goalkeepers, best right-backs, best centre-backs, best left-backs, best defensive midfielders, best central midfielders, best attacking midfielders, best right-wingers, best left-wingers and best strikers in the world.
Our expert panel were asked to assess players based on their current ability both technical and physical along with their standing in the game over the past 12-18 months, with no bias when it came to position or role, meaning that a goalkeeper at the top of their game was equivilant in importance to an outfielder and all positions were equal.
Statistical metrics were also considered, with minimal point tallies added to players, leaving us with almost 200 players in our longlist before we shortened that down to the following 100 footballers
100. Mohammed Kudus
Undoubtedly Tottenham's best signing of the 2025 summer window, Mohammed Kudus has stepped up nicely since joining from West Ham United, with the Hammers' own malaise showing how they miss the Ghanaian.
Kudus has long been a versatile attacker capable of breaking defences with his movement and power, slotting into Spurs' side on the right flank to replace Dejan Kulusevski's more measured approach.
He's fast become one of the first names on the team sheet and will be vital for the Black Stars at World Cup 2026.
99. Victor Osimhen
Europe's top five leagues is certainly Turkey's gain: has the Super Lig ever had a player this good in his pomp?
Victor Osimhen is good enough to be turning out for one of Europe's very best and we mean that with no disrespect to Galatasaray, who signed the Nigerian after a fallout with Napoli, with Osimhen picking up where he left off in Serie A.
The hitman is a natural striker, and with athleticism and accuracy in spades, he's still terrifying defences in the Champions League for fun.
98. Tijjani Reijnders
The heir to Ilkay Gundogan simply had to replace the German at Manchester City.
Tijjani Reijnders is a different player but over the past 18 months, he's shown a Gundo-esque penchant for intelligent link-up play and box-crashing. He was adored at Milan, where he was a part of arguably the most mercurial left-hand side in world football alongside Theo Hernandez and Rafael Leao, with Rossoneri fans gutted to see him go over the summer.
Playing under Pep Guardiola has an infamous learning curve, and no doubt he'll be one of the best in the world when he reaches his incredible potential.
97. Marcus Rashford
HIGHLIGHTS | NEWCASTLE 1 vs 2 FC BARCELONA | UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - YouTube
The Catalan sea air has done the world for good for Marcus Rashford.
After fallouts at Manchester United, the England man has regained his best form on loan first in the Midlands under Unai Emery, and now at Barcelona, where he hasn't looked a toe out of place alongside the likes of Lamine Yamal and Raphinha.
As one of very few game-changing options on the left wing for England, he could well complete his redemption arc in North America next summer.
96. Hugo Ekitike
Sometimes it's the signings that you don't expect to fall in love with that make the biggest impression.
While Liverpool fans were getting excited over the possibility of Alexander Isak in the summer, a man who was considered his backup in Hugo Ektike has lit up the Premier League with the kind of pace, eye for goal and swagger that we all expected from the Swede and it's a genuine competition between the two, now, for the starting no.9 shirt.
Ekitike has been a high point in a disappointing title defence for the Reds and fully deserves to be starting alongside Isak if not ahead of him.
95. Alvaro Carreras
Real Madrid make exciting signings but they also make sensible ones.
For every Zidane, a Makelele; for every Trent, an Alvaro Carreras. The former Manchester Untied isn't flashy or exciting but he's been steady and reliable for Los Blancos in a position that they haven't had much consistency with of late.
United may already be regretting letting go of him already
94. Nick Woltemade
Whatever the expectations were of Nick Woltemade, Newcastle United fans perhaps didn't expect to love the German forward as much as they do.
Woltemade isn't cut from the cloth of traditional no.9s on Tyneside but he's won hearts with how graceful and deft he can be, bringing others into play this was a season that the 23-year-old probably expected a lesser role, shadowing Yoane Wissa, but it's turned out that he's the main man in the Toon attack.
And though Newcastle are a different team without Isak and though Woltemade is far from the finished product and far from a complete striker right now he's shown just why Eddie Howe agreed to part with quite so much money for his services.
93. Tino Livramento
Future superstar doesn't do Tino Livramento justice anymore.
You can trace Newcastle's struggles this season to the full-back going off injured, and their resurgence in Livramento's return to the team: he's a superb defender, has pocketed some of the biggest players in the league, and offers thrust in attack.
One hopes that he can stay fit now and challenge the likes of Reece James for the starting berth at the World Cup.
92. Pau Cubarsi
Part of the incredible raft of talent to come through La Masia in recent years, Pau Cubarsi has rapidly become Barcelona's best centre-back under Hansi Flick.
Cubarsi is blessed with all the fundamentals you expect of a Bara defender strong in the challenge and commanding, of course, but with excellent reading of the game and great passing with plenty noting that the Spaniard has a maturity beyond his years.
He's forming a good partnership at international level with El Clasico foe Dean Huijsen, too, replicating the Ramos/Pique divide that defined Spanish football for a generation.
91. Milos Kerkez
A sticky start to his Liverpool career shouldn't distract from how good Milos Kerkez has been since arriving in the Premier League.
Full-backs in the last two years have gone more retro, with the likes of Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta fielding centre-backs on either side of their back four, while the inverted full-back trend is alive and well well, Kerkez is a proper left-back: a touchline-hugging demon with boundless energy, a wicked delivery and intensity off the ball.
There's a reason the Hungarian was quite so in-demand over the summer.
90. Mile Svilar
Roma have a knack when it comes to goalkeepers and it seems as if they've struck gold once more.
Alisson Becker is obviously the standout capture between the sticks in recent years, but Wojciech Szczesny and Rui Patricio were both great signings, too and in Mile Svilar, the Giallorossi have landed upon a long-term presence who's been incredibly solid since his move from Benfica in 2022.
From a long line of excellent Belgian-born keepers, Svilar swapped the Red Devils for Serbia and has only been capped once, finding himself behind the likes of Vanja Milinkovic-Savic and Djordje Petrovic but at 26, his future is still bright.
89. Marc Cucurella
Marc Cucurella has had some turnaround since joining Chelsea and there's a case that he may well have been Enzo Maresca's most important player since the Italian came to West London.
The Spaniard has allowed his manager to switch effortlessly between a back four and his 3-3-1-3 in possession, becoming a constant at left-back for his ability on the ball and his ever-improving defensive game.
Keeping out the likes of Alex Grimaldo in the national set-up, too, Cucurella has had a superb 18 months, adding a Euros triumph with Spain to two trophies with the Blues and it would be a surprise to no one to see him lock up some serious wingers this summer en route to a World Cup win with Spain.
88. Jeremy Doku
HIGHLIGHTS | Doku Dismantles Liverpool | Man City 3-0 Liverpool - YouTube
Learning how to play for Pep Guardiola can be tricky especially for wingers.
While Jack Grealish found himself somewhat shackled by the demands of the intense Catalan, however, Jeremy Doku has found success this season, simply by being himself, providing width for Manchester City as well as an ever-improving threat in the final third.
His performance against Liverpool earlier this season marked a player coming of age, adding elite decision-making to a bag of tricks that already bamboozles full-backs: Doku is still on the rise and maturing into quite the attacker at the Etihad.
87. Riccardo Calafiori
Now that we've gotten a better look at Riccardo Calafiori, it's clear to see what Arsenal were missing last term with the Italian missing huge chunks of the season through injury.
There's no one quite like him in world football: Calafiori gallops on the ball, roams freely across the pitch and this term, he's been a foil for Leandro Trossard to cut inside while popping up in dangerous areas himself all from left-back.
He doesn't neglect his defensive duties either: and with a steely mentality, it's clear that this is a defender that the Gunners will be building around in years to come.
86. Reece James
We may well have all got this guy wrong: Reece James has been one of the best midfielders in the Premier League this season.
It just means that he's a level above practically every other right-back in the world when he's fully fit and in the groove: Thomas Tuchel certainly thinks so, omitting the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold from his England squads to give James his chance.
The Chelsea captain has been immense over the past 12 months, putting his injury woes behind him to elevate his game even further and prove that despite the riches that his employers have spent, he's still arguably their most important player when he's available.
85. Arda Guler
Comparisons to Mesut Ozil don't come lightly, and even the World Cup winner has noted the comparisons between himself and his former Fenerbahce team-mate.
Not even Ozil had made it to the Bernabeu this young, however: Arda Guler has struggled with injury and had to fight with genuine superstars for his opportunities but he's slowly proving himself as one of the best no.10s in world football.
He never needed a stepping stone between Turkey and Real Madrid, showing his quality and performances like the ones he put in at Euro 2024 may well become the norm before long.
84. Granit Xhaka
The move that no one expected the Invincible to newly-promoted Wearsiders is working out pretty damn well, really, isn't it?
It's a sign of Granit Xhaka's stature that he walked through the door and took the captaincy immediately. While the Swiss regista struggled a little when he arrived in English football over a decade ago with discipline (both positionally and his own over-aggressiveness), Xhaka has matured into one of the most influential midfielders on the planet, able to start play around his own box or affect it around the opposition's.
The 33-year-old was always a player likely to get better with age, but few foresaw quite how exceptional he would become. Xhaka is a massive reason as to why Sunderland are likely to buck the trend of promoted sides going straight back down and he's showing everyone why he's still one of the finest players in the Premier League.
83. Dani Carvajal
Dani Carvajal has reached incredible heights in football over 12 years at Real Madrid.
In that time, he's won six Champions League titles, virtually untouchable as Los Blancos' first-choice right-back: and even with the competition of Trent Alexander-Arnold, the Spaniard is showing himself as the sensible option between the pair of them, offering the kind of defensive nous that the Englishman is famously criticised for lacking.
At the age of 33 and after serious ligament damage, Carvajal has returned as determined as ever to hold down the fort for Real.
82. Eberechi Eze
A big move was beckoning for years for Ebere Eze, who became a genuine club legend at Selhurst Park before a homecoming north of the Thames.
And now, Eze's going to be remembered forever by Arsenal fans for that hat-trick in the North London Derby but the playmaker's not even started yet, showing mere glimpses of his mercurial talent, and a capability for changing games at the highest level.
Eze's role in N5 is still in flux: and even despite that, he's one of the most watchable footballers in the country.
81. Daniel Munoz
After around a decade of Crystal Palace relying purely on three right-backs Joel Ward, Nathaniel Clyne, Aaron Wan-Bissaka the Eagles brought in a potential superstar for the role.
Daniel Munoz has become one of the most dangerous players in the Premier League with his whipped balls into Jean-Philippe Mateta and willingness to bust a gut and get into the box himself: the Colombian is all-action and typifies Oliver Glasner's ideals to get this Palace side punching well above its weight.
Does a big move beckon?
80. Morgan Rogers
File Morgan Rogers with Cole Palmer: an unpredictable game-changer in attacking areas who can produce magic who Manchester City perhaps letting go quite so easily.
Rogers has had a curious route to the top but sometimes a club just suits a man right down to the ground and that's certainly true of Unai Emery's Aston Villa, with the 23-year-old given a free role to exact whatever kind of destruction he feels like.
His movement and dribbling disrupt defences, but Rogers has the ball-striking to match, as he's proved time and again since his Midlands move in 2024.
79. Theo Hernandez
Now 28, Theo Hernandez is one of the most underrated full-backs of the last decade in Serie A.
Cast aside by Real Madrid, he found a home at Milan, where he was a key man in winning the Scudetto in 2022: he's a vintage overlapper with energy and pace, and has proven himself as a key weapon for France both in attack and defence.
Now in the Saudi Pro League, we may have seen the last of him at the top level.
78. Kenan Yildiz
German-born Kenan Yildiz is one of the most exciting talents of a Turkish generation gearing up to host the Euros in 2032.
In a strange era for Juventus, the winger has been a guiding light in Turin, offering a brand of incision and urgency to cut through opponents, all with Alessandro Del Piero's iconic no.10 digit on his back.
Whether he remains in Italy and stays loyal to the Old Lady, or embarks for a brave new world abroad, the 20-year-old is tipped to be one of the names of the next decade and he's already one of the most dangerous attackers in Europe.
77. Nico Williams
HIGHLIGHTS | Levante 0-2 Athletic Club | Nico Williams beauty as Los Leones triumph - YouTube
Nico Williams hasn't quite set European football alight as he threatened to at Euro 2024 but that's only because his potential is sky-high.
The Basque attacker is everything you want in a winger: hard-working, two-footed and with pace to burn, proving himself to be Lamine Yamal's complement on the opposite flank for the national team, with a little more directness and brute strength than the teen.
Williams is stunning to watch in full flow, however, with an intelligence that belies his game, whether he's facing a deep block or destroying opponents in transition.
76. Antonio Rudiger
One of the greatest free transfers of the past 10 years, Antonio Rudiger has quietly become one of his generation's defining defenders.
The German always had the aggression to come out and meet attackers in Thomas Tuchel's back three at Chelsea, but has channeled that to refine his game at Real Madrid, developing into one of the most well-rounded centre-backs in the world in the process.
A benchmark for the likes of Gabriel in that, Rudiger is now into his 30s and has the potential to stay at the top for a good few years yet.
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