Only a few days remain until the start of the FIFA World Cup 2022 and those who are even the slightest bit interested are feeling the heat. The sport is loved across the globe, and there is always a debate about who is the best football player in the world right now.
For the past two decades, it has yet to be determined who is the best between Leon Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Some people regard Messi as the greatest, while others believe Ronaldo to be the best. At the same time, some modern-day players are showcasing their glory on the field, and are as good as Messi or Ronaldo.
The list was prepared based on the players’ statistics, ability to perform under pressure, plough performance, and natural abilities. Some people will disagree with my list, so I will tell them to share their top 10 football players in the comments. So let’s see who are the 10 best football player in the world.
List of 10 best footballers in the world
#10 Neymar Jr.
Neymar Jr. | Forward |
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Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior, commonly known as Neymar Jr. or simply Neymar, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for the French club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and the Brazil national team.
He is widely regarded as one of the best players in the world. The Brazilian began his career with Santos FC, where he helped the team win its first Copa Libertadores title in 2011. After moving to FC Barcelona in 2013, he won further accolades, including the UEFA Champions League in 2015. A world record fee of €222 million was paid for Neymar’s transfer from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017.
Neymar has scored 57 goals in 90 appearances for Brazil, making him the fifth-highest goal scorer for the national team. He has also represented Brazil at two Olympics, winning a gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics. He was listed by Forbes as the world’s third highest-paid footballer during the 2019–20 season, earning an annual salary of €75 million.
Neymar’s career has been greatly affected by injuries. But there is no doubt about his talent. Their recent performance has been excellent. So far in 2022-23, he has scored 2 goals in 5 UEFA Champions League and 13 times in 11 appearances in Ligue 1 for PSG. Brazil’s team has high hopes for this star striker in the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar.
#9 Karim Mostafa Benzema
Karim Benzema | Striker |
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Karim Benzema is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker for the Spanish club Real Madrid and the France national team. He has been described as a ” complete” striker by the manager and former player Zinédine Zidane and has been praised for his work rate, physicality, and technical ability.
Benzema began his football career with local club Olympique Lyon in 1996, where he was scouted by FIFA agent Karim Ojjeh. Benzema made his professional debut for Lyon in 2004 and was part of the squad that won the 2003–04 UEFA Champions League. In 2009, at age 21, he was named Ligue 1 Player of the Year. He scored 32 goals in 38 league appearances during the 2007–08 season and was named to the UEFA Team of the Year.
In July 2009, after Lyon rejected an offer from Spanish giants Real Madrid, Benzema agreed to a six-year deal with the club. In December 2011, he was voted by Marca readers as the best player in La Liga. In May 2014, Benzema scored the winning goal in Real Madrid’s 10th European Cup victory over city rivals Atlético Madrid.
He is currently the fourth-highest goalscorer in Real Madrid history. Benzema has represented France at two FIFA World Cups and two UEFA European Championships. With 27 goals, he is France’s all-time leading goalscorer in competitive matches and he was given the title of Ballon d’Or for 2022 on the basis of his excellent performance in the 2021-22 season.
Benzema scored no goals in 4 UEFA Champions League appearances in the 2022–23 season but scored 5 goals and 1 assist in 7 La Liga appearances and managed to score 1 goal in 1 match of the UEFA Super Cup 2022.
#8 Kevin de Bruyne
Kevin de Bruyne | Midfielder |
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There’s no doubt that Kevin de Bruyne is one of the best footballers in the world right now. The Belgian playmaker has been simply sensational for both club and country over the last few years and is currently enjoying a hugely successful spell with Manchester City.
De Bruyne is a wonderful attacking midfield player, who is equally adept at creating goals as he is scoring them. He has an incredible range of passing, and his vision and awareness are second to none.
He also possesses superb dribbling skills and can ghost past opponents with ease. Simply put, he is a joy to watch and is one of the most complete footballers around. The 31-year-old has already won numerous accolades in his career, including four Premier League titles, an FA Cup, and five League Cups.
He was also named Belgian Footballer of the Year in 2017 and 2018, cementing his status as one of the country’s all-time greats. There are few players in world football who can match Kevin de Bruyne’s talent and ability, and he looks set to enjoy many more years at the very top of the game.
Bruyne has taken the field 93 times for his national team and has brought the ball to the net 25 times. If we look at his recent performance, he has managed to score 3 goals in 13 matches in the Premier League 2022-23.
#7 Robert Lewandowski
Robert Lewandowski | Striker |
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Known for his excellent dribbling, passing, long shorts and headshots on the field, the 34-year-old Polish player is a captain of his national team and a striker for the Barcelona club in La Liga.
It is believed that Lewandowski is the greatest striker of all time and the most successful player in Bundesliga history, having scored more than 500 goals in his senior career. Robert Lewandowski won the Best FIFA men’s player award in 2020 and the UEFA men’s player of the year award in 2020.
A Guinness World Record was also set in his name when Bayern Munich’s player scored five goals in less than nine minutes in 2015 against VfL Wolfsburg. It is the fastest goal scored by a player in the history of the Bundesliga and any major European football league.
If we look at the performance of the 2022-23 club season, then this record is no less. In the UEFA Champions League 2022-23, he took the ball into the net 5 times in 5 matches and scored 13 goals and assisted 4 goals in the 14 matches played so far in La Liga 2022-23.
In the race for the Ballon d’Or in 2021, he was just 33 points behind winner Lionel Messi and Messi in his trophy acceptance speech also admitted that if the 2020 Ballan d’Or award is not cancelled due to the pandemic. Had it been, Robert Lewandowski would have deserved this trophy.
Also Read: FIFA 2022 World Cup Schedule
#6 Kylian Mbappé
Kylian Mbappé | Forward |
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There’s no doubt that Kylian Mbappe is one of the best footballers of the young generation right now. The French forward has already achieved so much at just 23 years of age, winning the FIFA World Cup 2018, three Coupes de France and four Ligue 1 titles with Paris Saint-Germain, as well as being named the 2018 FIFA World Cup Best Young Player.
He made his senior international debut in 2017 and became the youngest player for France to score in the final of the 2018 FIFA World Cup and the second youngest to score in a world final after the legendary Pele.
In his career so far, Mbappe has been awarded the Golden Boy 2017, Globe Soccer Best Player of the Year 2021 and Ligue 1 Player of the Year award three times. His speed, skill and finishing ability make him a truly unstoppable force on the ground. It’s exciting to think about what he might achieve in the years to come.
Kylian Mbappe has scored 11 goals and assisted 2 goals in 13 appearances for PSG in Ligue 1 so far in the 2022–23 season and has scored seven goals in six UEFA Champions League appearances.
#5 Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo | Forward |
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Cristiano Ronaldo is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward for the Premier League club Manchester United and the Portugal national team. A number of football experts consider him to be one of the best football players of all time, and he is frequently compared to Lionel Messi. On my list, he ranks No.9.
There are a number of reasons why Cristiano Ronaldo is considered the best footballer ever. Firstly, his goal scoring record is unrivalled.
He is one of the few players to have scored more than 800 goals in 1100 senior career appearances. As well as being a prolific goalscorer, Ronaldo is also a brilliant all-around footballer.
Looking at Ronaldo’s current season performance, he has not been able to give a performance according to his ability. So far in the 2022–23 season, he has been able to score 2 goals in 6 matches in the Europa League and only 1 goal in 10 appearances in Premier League so far.
As a player, he is extremely fast, good at dribbling, and possesses excellent vision and passing ability. Ronaldo has also won numerous individual and team trophies over the course of his career. Among the awards, he has won five Ballon d’Ors (given to the world’s best player), three Premier League titles, one Champions League title and one European Championship title.
He is the first football player to have earned $1 billion in his career. There can be no doubt that Cristiano Ronaldo is the greatest footballer of all time.
#4 Mohamed Salah
Mohamed Salah | Forward |
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Mohamed Salah, a world-class striker, has been in prolific form both for club and country in recent years. The Egyptian international has established himself as one of the best strikers in the world, and his performances have led to links with some of the biggest clubs in Europe.
Salah is currently contracted to Liverpool, and he has helped the Reds to become one of the most dominant forces in English football. The 27-year-old has scored an incredible 70 goals in just 104 appearances for Liverpool, and he has also been a key player for Egypt on the international stage.
Mohamed Salah has won the Premier League Golden Boot thrice, Premier League Player of the Season 2017-18, Premier League Playmaker of the Season 2021-22, and twice the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award.
Mohamed Salah is one of the most prolific scorers in the world, and he is only getting better. The Egyptian international has already established himself as one of the best players in the Premier League, and he is showing no signs of slowing down.
Salah has scored 124 goals in just 194 games for Liverpool, and he is on pace to break the Premier League scoring record. Salah is a truly special talent, and he is poised to become the best forward in the world. So far in 2021-2022, he has scored five goals in six matches of the UEFA Champions League and six goals in 14 Premier League matches.
#3 Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi | Forward |
 Source: gettyimages.in |
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The PSG and Argentinian star have redefined what it means to be a footballer, and his dominance over the past 17 years has seen him become widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time along with Pele and Maradona. Messi’s genius is in his ability to find space and create chances for himself and others with his unrivalled vision and technique.
Messi has won a record seven Ballon d’Or awards, four of which he won consecutively (2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012) and a record five European Golden Shoes. Before joining the Paris Saint Germain club in 2021 He spent his entire professional career with Barcelona, where he has won 35 trophies, including ten La Liga titles, seven Copas del Rey, seven Supercopa de España, four UEFA Champions Leagues, three FIFA Club World Cups, three UEFA Super Cups and won the Ligue 1 title and Trophée des Champions 2022 with his new club Paris Saint-Germain.
He is the club’s all-time leading goalscorer and assists provider. The most goals scored by him in La Liga (474), the most hat-tricks in La Liga (36) and the Champions League (8), and the most assists in La Liga (192) and Copa America (17) are among his records.
As a 17-year-old, he made his competitive debut in October 2004. In spite of his injury-prone early career, he established himself as a vital member of the team. The world record for hat tricks is 55, and he has scored 785 goals for club and country.
For the last two years, his team is playing a very good game and Messi’s performance is also very good. In 2021, he won the Copa America Cup for his team and in view of this performance, he also received the Ballon d’Or award in 2021 for a record seventh time.
At 35 years old, Messi shows no signs of slowing down, and he will surely go down as the greatest footballer of all time when he eventually hangs up his boots.
#2 Erling Haaland
Erling Haaland | Forward |
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Erling Haaland is one of the hottest properties in world football right now. The Norwegian striker is just 22 years old but has already made a massive impact in the game, scoring an incredible 17 goals in 16 matches for Red Bull Salzburg in 2019-20 and 62 goals in 67 matches for Borussia Dortmund in the 2020–2022 season and for their new club 18 goals in 13 appearances for Manchester City.
Haaland is a powerful and clinical finisher who has all the attributes to become one of the very best strikers in the world. He will surely be on the radar of some of Europe’s top clubs in the near future. He has already shown that he can score goals against top European opposition, netting twice against Barcelona in the Champions League earlier this season.
Right now even though he is No. 2 on this list, in the coming time this young player is going to rule the world of football and will be No. 1 position will remain undisputed.
#1 Harry Edward Kane
Harry Kane | Forward |
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Many people would say that Harry Kane is the number one striker in the world. The Englishman has been in sensational form for both club and country over the past few years, and he shows no signs of slowing down. Kane has won back-to-back Golden Boot awards in the Premier League (2015-16, 2016-17, and 2020-21), and he was also named England’s Player of the Year in 2017.
There are few strikers who can match Kane’s all-around ability. He is a superb finisher, but he is also excellent at linking up play and creating chances for his teammates. Kane is strong and powerful, but he is also surprisingly quick and agile for a player of his size. He is a nightmare for defenders to deal with, and he has scored some truly spectacular goals during his career.
Kane is still only 29 years old, but he has already established himself as one of the best strikers in the world. He has all the qualities needed to be a success at the highest level, and it would not be surprising to see him win more major trophies in the years to come. Harry Kane is currently the best striker in the world.
The Englishman has been on fire for Tottenham Hotspur over the last few seasons. Kane is a complete striker and can do it all, from scoring goals with his head to finding the back of the net with either foot. He’s also a threat from set pieces and is excellent at holding up the ball and bringing others into play.
Simply put, there is no better striker in the world right now than Harry Kane. He is also a key player for the England national team, and he will be looking to lead his country to glory at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
His performances in the 2021–22 season have been as follows – one goal in 6 appearances in the UEFA Champions League 2022–23, 11 goals in 15 appearances in the Premier League 2022–23.
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