When it comes to association football, the internet loves a debate. We could talk about players and teams all day and night.
We can debate who's the greatest of all time, how players from previous eras would compare to modern players, and how they'd all rank in an alternate timeline where modern players grew up in the good old days or past players would have access to modern technologies, sports science, and better pitches.
Instead of looking for the outright best footballer of all time, today, we'll be looking at the best football players currently playing. To work this out, we've considered the opinions of football writers, experts, and fan votes, as well as the players' recent performances and achievements. This comprehensive approach should reflect the greatest recent players.
17. Neymar Júnior
Commonly known as Neymar, the Brazilian attacking midfielder and winger has had an illustrious career, a testament to his unwavering dedication and hard work. Starting his professional journey with the Brazilian side Santos, he fought his way onto a highly competitive Barcelona team before making an expensive move to Paris Saint-Germain.
After Paris Saint-Germain, he became one of the first high-profile players to move to the Saudi Arabian league, where he currently plays for Al Hilal.
He won La Liga twice with Barcelona and the Champions League once. At Paris Saint-Germain, he won Ligue 1 five times.
16. Cristiano Ronaldo
For many, Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest football players ever. However, now that he's nearing the end of his career and playing in the Saudi Arabian league, he's not really a contender for the best player right now.
However, you must recognize three Premier League titles and a Champions League with Manchester United, two La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues with Real Madrid, or two Serie A titles with Juventus. Not to mention all the domestic cups he won.
With Portugal, he was part of the side that won the UEFA European Championship in 2016 (EURO 2016) and the UEFA Nations League in 2018-19.
15. Robert Lewandowski
Robert Lewandowski is a Polish striker who's currently playing for Barcelona. He's won the Bundesliga twice with Borussia Dortmund and eight times with Bayern Munich. Following a move to Barcelona, he won La Liga with them in the 2022-23 season.
Given that most of his career has been spent when Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were vying for the Ballon d'Or, he's never been awarded the accolade. Most controversially, he was overlooked in 2020 for it.
14. Trent Alexander-Arnold
Trent Alexander-Arnold is an English right-back and midfielder who's spent his entire professional career at Liverpool.
He was part of the Liverpool side that won the Premier League in 2019-20, the FA Cup in 2021-22, and the League Cup in 2021-22 and 2023-24.
He also won the UEFA Champions League with Liverpool in 2018-19. He played in two other Champions League finals against Real Madrid, where Liverpool lost.
13. Antoine Griezmann
The French forward and attacking midfielder Antoine Griezmann currently plays for Atlético Madrid. His professional career has been in Spain, starting with Real Sociedad and spending time between Atléti and Barcelona.
With Atlético Madrid, he won the UEFA Europa League. He reached the final of the UEFA Champions League with them in 2015-16. He won the Copa del Rey with Barcelona in 2020-21.
While he's never seemed to be at the right club at the right time to win as many trophies as some of the other players we'll mention, he was part of France's squad that won the 2018 FIFA World Cup and the 2020-21 UEFA Nations League.
12. Antonio Rudiger
Antonio Rudiger is a German centre-back currently playing for Real Madrid. He's also played for VfB Stuttgart, Roma, and Chelsea.
With Chelsea, he won the FA Cup in 2017-18, the UEFA Champions League in 2020-21, and the UEFA Europa League in 2018-19.
At Real Madrid, he won La Liga in 2023-24 and the Copa del Rey in 2022-23.
11. Phil Foden
Phil Foden is an English midfielder who plays for Manchester City. During his time there, he's won the Premier League six times, the FA Cup twice, the League Cup four times, and the UEFA Champions League once.
He was also part of the Manchester City squad that won the continental treble in the 2022-23 season, winning the Premier League, the FA Cup, and the Champions League in the same season.
With England, he reached the final of the UEFA European Championship (EURO 2020).
10. Lautaro Martinez
Lautaro Martinez is an Argentine striker who plays for Inter Milan, where he's been since 2018.
With Inter Milan, he's won Serie A twice, the Coppa Italia twice, and reached the UEFA Champions League final with them in 2022-23.
With Argentina, he was part of the squad that won the World Cup in 2022 and was subbed on in the final during extra time. With Argentina, he also won the 2021 Copa América.
9. Rodri
Rodri is a Spanish midfielder currently playing for Manchester City. He previously played for Villarreal and Atlético Madrid.
He's won the Premier League four times, the FA Cup Once, the League Cup once, and the UEFA Champions League once. This included Manchester City's continental treble in 2022-23.
8. Vinícius Júnior
Vinicius Jr is a Brazilian forward who plays for Real Madrid. With Madrid, he's won La Liga three times, the Copa del Rey once, and the UEFA Champions League Once.
Born in 2000, Vinícius Júnior is very young and is likely to have a long and successful career. He's already won more than most players can dream of, and he's not even 25 yet!
7. Lionel Messi
For many, Lionel Messi is one of the greatest players of all time, not just one of the greatest players of our time.
He spent most of his career playing for Barcelona, winning countless trophies. He eventually moved to Paris Saint-Germain for a few seasons, winning the French Ligue 1 twice while there. He finally completed a high-profile move to the MLS in the United States, where he now plays for Inter Miami.
He cemented his position as one of the greatest all-time players when he finally led Argentina to a UEFA World Cup victory in 2022.
He's also won the Ballon d'Or more times than any other player.
6. Kevin De Bruyne
The Belgian midfielder Kevin De Bruyne plays for Manchester City, where he has done for several seasons.
Previously at Genk, Chelsea, Werder Bremen, and VfL Wolfsburg, most of his trophies have come with Manchester City.
However, he won the Belgian Pro League in 2010-11, the Belgian Cup in 2008-09 with Genk, and the DFB-Pokal (the German domestic cup) in 2014-15 with VfL Wolfsburg.
With Manchester City, he's been there for six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, five League Cups, and their Champions League victory in 2022-23.
With Belgium, he came third in the FIFA World Cup in 2018.
5. Jude Bellingham
Jude Bellingham is an English midfielder who currently plays for Real Madrid. Born in 2003, Bellingham is incredibly young but already won the German Cup with Borussia Dortmund and La Liga with Real Madrid during his first season there.
He also recently ticked the box for a Champions League title with Madrid.
It's looking likely that he'll win a lot with Real Madrid, and he's one to watch, not just in the future!
4. Mohamed Salah
Mohamed Salah is an Egyptian winger and forward who plays for Liverpool. He's also played in his native Egypt, with Basel in the Swiss League, a couple of seasons at Chelsea, and some spells in the Italian league with Fiorentina and Roma.
However, most of his successes and fame are from his time with Liverpool, where he was instrumental in their 2019-20 Premier League title. With Liverpool, he's also won the FA Cup once, the League Cup once, and the UEFA Champions League.
He's also one of the best-paid footballers in the world.
3. Erling Haaland
Erling Haaland is a Norwegian striker who plays for Manchester City. Before City, he played in the Austrian Bundesliga with Red Bull Salzburg, where he won the league and the Austrian Cup.
He moved to Borussia Dortmund, where he was part of the side that won the 2021-21 German Cup.
With Manchester City, he's won the Premier League twice, the FA Cup once, and the UEFA Champions League once, and he was part of the continental treble-winning squad.
Born in 2000, he's incredibly young and already has ridiculous career stats.
His father, Alfie Haaland, also famously had a violent rivalry with the Irish football legend Roy Keane.
2. Harry Kane
Harry Kane is an English striker and amongst football pundits and fans, is highly regarded as one of the greatest players right now.
While other players on this list boast plenty of footballing trophies, Harry Kane spent over a decade at Tottenham Hotspur, but this team didn't win anything during his time there.
After a high-profile move to Bayern Munich in 2023, which was on the back of 11 consecutive Bundesliga titles, the streak was broken by unbeatable Bayer Leverkusen (they lost zero matches!).
Kane's hunt for a trophy continues.
1. Kylian Mbappé
Last but certainly not least, we have Kylian Mbappe, a French forward. Mbappe was part of the Monaco squad that won Ligue 1 in 2016-17 and six of Paris Saint-Germain Ligue 1 titles.
He was also part of the French squad that won the FIFA World Cup 2018 and reached the final in 2022.
After much speculation and several seasons of attempts to lure him away from PSG, Mbappé has played his last game at Paris Saint-Germain and is set to spend next season with Real Madrid.
His hunt for a Champions League trophy may finally be over.
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