As a sport, football has been played for millennia. It has seen many changes and transformations over the years, but it is still one of the most popular sports in the world.
Football players are not just limited to those who play on the field. Many people work behind the scenes to make sure that everything runs smoothly. These people include managers, coaches, referees, and even journalists.
The best football players in the world are not just individuals with great skills on the field. They are also individuals who can play a role off the field as well by inspiring others to be their best selves, both on and off the field.
15 BEST FOOTBALL PLAYERS In The World
1) Lionel Messi – Argentina, Barcelona FC (Spain)
Lionel Andrés Messi is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for the Spanish club Barcelona. Often considered the best player in the world, Messi is known for Leo, his nickname, and his dribbling ability. At age 23, he led Barcelona to both the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final and the 2011 FIFA Ballon d’Or. He has a total of five Ballons d’Or, three European Golden Shoe awards, and four FIFA World Player of the Year awards. He is one of the highest-paid athletes in history and was ranked the best player in the world in 2010 by The Guardian.
2) Cristiano Ronaldo – Portugal
In the sport of football, Cristiano Ronaldo stands alone as the best player in the world. He is a forward for Portugal’s national team and the Spanish club Real Madrid.
He’s been awarded the Ballon d’Or five times, most recently in 2017, and has won six league titles in Portugal, England, and Spain. In addition to his professional footballing career, Ronaldo has also pursued several business ventures and won numerous accolades for his personal life.
He has been described as the “best-paid athlete in the world” and is one of the highest-paid athletes in history. Ronaldo’s first club was Andorinha, where he made his senior debut at 15 years old.
3) Andres Iniesta – Spain, FC Barcelona (Spain)
Andres Iniesta is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for FC Barcelona. Iniesta plays primarily as a central midfielder, but he can also play on either wing.
He began his career as a youngster at Barcelona, progressing through the club’s youth ranks before making his debut in 2002, aged 18.
Iniesta won 21 trophies with Barcelona, including eight La Liga titles and four UEFA Champions League trophies. He has played more than 500 times for the team. Iniesta was named to the FIFA World XI three times, in 2005, 2008, and 2009. Iniesta was chosen as the best player at the 2010 World Cup by FIFA and several media outlets.
4) Neymar Jr. – Brazil, Paris Saint-Germain (France), FC Barcelona (Spain), Santos Futebol Clube (Brazil), AFC Ajax Amsterdam (Netherlands)
Brazilian footballer Neymar Jr. was born on February 5, 1992. He plays as a forward for the French club Paris Saint-Germain, the Spanish club FC Barcelona, and the Brazilian national team. He is considered one of the world’s most expensive footballers due to both his talent on the field as well as his transfer fees.
5) Gareth Bale – Wales, Real Madrid CF (Spain), Tottenham Hotspur FC (England), AS Monaco Football Club SA (France), Southampton Football Club (England), Galatasaray SK Istanbul AS (Turkey)
Gareth Bale is one of the most famous players in the world and has played for 4 different teams from 5 different countries so far. He was born in Wales and currently plays for Real Madrid CF (Spain).
He plays as a winger and has served as captain of Wales. Bale has been included in the FIFA 100, a list of the 125 greatest living footballers selected by Pelé in 2004, and was named the 6th-best player in the world by The Guardian in 2013. Bale began his career at Southampton. In 2007, he joined Tottenham Hotspur for £5 million.
During his time there, he participated in the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League Final against Chelsea and won the 2012–13 Football League Cup. He was named PFA Young Player of the Year for two consecutive seasons in 2010 and 2011, before winning an FA Cup in 2013 with Tottenham.
Real Madrid acquired Bale from Tottenham on 30 September 2013 for a world record transfer fee reported to be £85.3 million (€105.9m)Bale has been capped over 60 times by Wales, making him their youngest-ever scorer, and is the country’s all-time leading goal scorer with 28 goals in 85 appearances.
He was also the top scorer at Euro 2016 as he helped Wales reach its first major international tournament since 1958.
6) Luis Suarez – Uruguay, Liverpool FC (England), A.C. Milan AS (Italy), CA Peñarol Montevideo URU, Nacional de Fútbol Asociación (Uruguay)
Luis Suarez is one of the world’s best football players. He’s a professional footballer who plays as a striker and is currently playing for Barcelona. Luis Suarez was brought up in Salto, Uruguay where he played for Nacional de Fútbol Asociación (Uruguay) before being signed by Liverpool FC. He made his debut in 2006 and went on to play 139 games for the Reds, scoring 54 goals. Suarez became the first Liverpool player to score a hat-trick in the Champions League when he scored three times against Bayer Leverkusen in 2012.
7) Wayne Rooney – England, Manchester United FC (England), Everton FC (England), England
Wayne Rooney is a forward for the English national team and currently plays for Everton. He’s spent his entire club career with Manchester United, where he made 553 appearances, and scored 253 goals. , and won 13 Premier League titles, a Champions League, four FA Cups, three League Cups, and one FIFA Club World Cup.
Rooney is nicknamed “The Evertonian” because he left Manchester United to join Everton in 2004. He spent his first seven seasons with the club before returning to United in 2009. After being used sparingly by Louis van Gaal during the 2015–16 season, Rooney was transferred back to Everton on 30 August 2016 on a three-year deal worth £100000 a week.
In his first Everton match, Rooney scored two goals in a 3–0 win over West Bromwich Albion on 21 September 2016. In December 2016 he had his highest-scoring league game in years with both goals as Everton won 2–0 at Swansea City. He finished the season with 12 league goals and was nominated for PFA Players’ Player of the Year and awarded Premier League Player of the Month for February 2017.
9) James Rodriguez – Colombia, Real Madrid CF (Spain), AS Monaco FC (France)
James Rodriguez is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Real Madrid. He made his international debut in 2011 and helped his country reach the quarter-finals of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, their best finish in history.
10) Wayne Rooney – England, Manchester United FC (England), Everton FC (England), England National Team (England)
Wayne Rooney is regarded as one of the greatest English football players of all time. The 31-year-old star has played for some of the top teams in England and the world, including Manchester United, Everton, and the England National Team. Rooney has scored 208 goals in his career and is only three shies of Bobby Charlton’s record mark of 249 goals.
11) Carlos Tevez – Argentina, Boca Juniors (Argentina), West Ham United FC (England), Argentina National Team (Argentina)
Carlos Tevez is one of the greatest goalscorers in world football. He has won several titles with various clubs, including the Premier League and Primera Division Argentina. with Manchester City, the Copa Libertadores with Boca Juniors, and the FIFA Club World Cup with Manchester United.
Tevez became a cult figure in English football during his time at West Ham United. His decision to leave West Ham for Manchester City in 2006 led to his transfer being dubbed the move of the century by many newspapers, including The Times and The Daily Telegraph.
12) Gonzalo Higuaín – Argentina, Club Atlético River Plate Montevideo (Uruguay), Argentina National Team
Higuaín’s rise to becoming one of the best strikers in world football started with River Plate, where he became a prolific goalscorer. He won the golden boot in six successive seasons at River Plate, including a club-record 26 goals in 25 games during the 2012–13 season. Higuaín helped River Plate reach two Copa Libertadores finals and won 5 titles with them from 2008 to 2013.
His performances for Argentina led to interest from Europe’s top clubs, After signing for Real Madrid in the summer of 2009, he was soon loaned to Malaga in La Liga, where the club finished fourth. He then spent a season on loan at Atlético Madrid before returning to his parent club. In his second season with Real Madrid, Higuaín scored 16 goals in 35 games.
13) Edouard Mendy, French
Edouard Mendy is a French professional footballer who is known for his pace and ability to play as a left-back. He is a current member of Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League.
The 25-year-old is considered to be one of the best footballers in the world. Mendy has played for Monaco, Marseille, and Leicester City in his career so far. He also represented France at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, scoring a goal against Peru in France’s first match of the tournament.
14) Federico Chiesa, Italy
Federico Chiesa is a young Italian footballer who plays as a winger for Fiorentina and the Italy national team. He is one of the best football players in the world.
Born in 1996, Federico Chiesa is an Italian professional footballer who currently plays as a winger for Fiorentina and the Italy national team. Born in 1996, he has been playing football since he was six years old when his father introduced him to the sport.
He made his debut with Fiorentina during the 2015-2016 season and has since gone on to score 10 goals in all competitions for his side. He played three games for Italy U21 in the 2016 Toulon Tournament.
15) Dusan Vlahovic
Dusan Vlahovic, a striker for Juventus of Serie A and the Serbia national team, is a professional football player from Serbia. He has already made his impact at the tender age of 22 when he was a Fiorentina player who could scarcely stop scoring.
After signing with Juventus for an estimated 80 million euros plus further fees and bonuses at the end of the 2021–2022 season, his transfer was the largest of January 2022. Vlahovic is a deadly striker with tremendous sealing potential who is just going to get better in the next years.
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