It’s the end of the year, which means publications are putting out their “best of” lists. The world of football is especially prime for these types of lists because fans are obsessed with who the best teams and players are.
Over at CaughtOffside, former Mail journalist, Robert Summerscales, has put together a very interesting list of the top 10 players in the world. At first glance, you’ll notice two huge omissions. Both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been left out.
“…while both are still serious ballers, their on-field magic is fast fading and should either again be named the best player on the planet it will likely be because nostalgia has taken over,” wrote Summerscales.
I would also like to note that Neymar Jr. was left off the list, too. For me, that is an even more glaring omission considering the exceptional season he had in the French capital (19 goals and 12 assists in 27 appearances). He scored big goals in the UEFA Champions League (3 goals and 4 assists) and was professional off the pitch following the crazy summer of 2019.
More importantly than who was left out is who is number one and that distinct honor belongs to Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappé. The Frenchman helped lead PSG to its first appearance in the Champions League final and earlier this month, he scored his 100th goal for PSG.
What makes Mbappé special is his speed and Summerscales touts that in his reasoning for picking the 22-year-old first on his list.
“His unrivaled speed alone would be enough to frighten many defenders. But this combined with his remarkable dribbling ability, anticipation, and confidence in front of goal makes him truly the hottest property on planet football right now.”
Right behind Mbappé in the list is a player who may not be as fast as the PSG superstar but has exceptional playmaking ability, Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne. Tottenham Hotspur forward, Harry Kane, rounds out the top three followed by FC Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski, Liverpool FC’s Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mo Salah, Spurs’ Son Heung-min ranks 7th, Atlético Madrid’s Jan Oblak is the only goalkeeper on the list, Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes, and Bayern defender Joshua Kimmich completes the top 10.
What do you think of the list put together by CaughtOffside? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter @PSGTalk.
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