The 100 best young footballers in the world right now according to the Golden Boy awards

The Dutch international has been holding a makeshift back four together in recent weeks as Liverpool have moved clear at the top. Virgil van Dijk took over as captain following Jordan Henderson’s controversial exit for Saudi Arabia and has been a real leader, utterly dominant at the heart of the league’s best defence, with just 18 goals conceded. Unai Emery has completely transformed Aston Villa since taking over in November 2022 and no player epitomises that better than Ollie Watkins.

Rafael Leao — Left Wing, AC Milan

Though his feisty side might still shine through on occasion, Granit Xhaka, the once-hot-blooded former captain of Arsenal, was the cool head who guided Bayer Leverkusen beyond their wildest dreams last season. The player that Xabi Alonso wanted to set standards both on and off the pitch ended up breaking records, making and completing more passes while registering more touches than anyone else in a Bundesliga campaign. Soccer remains a global passion, uniting fans through riveting matches and unforgettable talent.

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• He figures to have a solid role with the Brazil national team at Copa America, and if it weren’t for him, Barca’s season probably would have been worse than it already was.
• His performances for Real Madrid have cemented him as one of the most exciting talents to watch.
• The 2024 college football season is flying by and we’re somehow just a few weeks away from the halfway mark, which means I’m hard at work in curating what a midseason ranking of the top 151 players looks like.
• Wirtz was the X-factor, 18 goals and 20 assists in 49 games across all competitions, the man whose vision and understanding of space brought the best out of those around him.
• Real Madrid are about to enter a glorious era with so many future superstars set to strut their stuff at the Bernabeu.
• He had grown tired of being a center forward, dueling with burly defenders, his back to goal and precious few opportunities to stretch his creative muscles.
• With a long career behind him, it’s hard to deny the level of this English player.

He posted a 92.3% passing accuracy in the attacking third, taking five shots and creating one chance in the process. The Portuguese midfielder has really come into his own over the last season, becoming an integral part of a Paris Saint-Germain team that made it to the semifinals of the Champions League while also winning Ligue 1 and the French Cup. The 24-year-old Portuguese international joined from Porto in 2022 and had a stellar campaign this season with nine goals in 46 games. His creativity on the ball and ability to shoot from a distance has made him PSG’s most dangerous player, arguably, behind Kylian Mbappe. He only needs a little bit of room to launch a rocket, and he seems to enjoy pulling the trigger from range over getting into the box.

Harry Kane: £400,000 p/w

Right-back was never the most glamorous position, but the game’s many evolutions have seen it become a thrilling and unpredictable spot on the pitch. The best in the game will marry a strong positional awareness with blinding speed, as well as the daring to surge forward and support their teams in attack. This year’s ballot had over 50 entries from all over the globe and from all areas of ESPN FC; from writers to reporters, from editors to producers, from behind-the-scenes staff to on-air talent. Gab Marcotti, Julien Laurens, Mark Ogden and Alejandro Moreno were just some of the key voters. Our rankings are divided into four lists and give readers the closest thing to a position-by-position “depth chart” across world soccer.

Mohamed Salah – Liverpool

Eighteen-year-old Kenan Yildiz transformed Max Allegri’s dull Juventus side in Italy’s Serie A, helping the defensive-minded team score far more than expected. Bellingham will be keen to build on his spectacular club performance and could be the X factor in England’s Euro 2024 campaign, as they look to claim a maiden European nations title. From established players to breakout stars, Al Jazeera picks out 10 players to watch out for at Euro 2024 in Germany.

Harry Kane — Forward, Bayern Munich

Able to comfortably look like one of the best in the world at both centre back and right back, the Uruguayan is attracting interest from quite literally every big club in the world due to an expiring contract. Primed to take that mantle are Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe, who have long been pencilled in as football’s new attacking rivalry, though Harry Kane may have something to say about that. And our ranking of the world’s best players is based on who’s the best right now. The award, for the best player in the world in 2023, saw many of the voters take Messi’s 2022 World Cup heroics into account. His physicality is unrivalled, his finishing ability – including improvised, instinctive finishing by any means necessary – is staggering and he boasts a turn of pace that few in the Premier League could match. The next few years should be explosive and, if he proves his consistency over several years, he will sit No.1 in this list without rival.

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Although Ruben Dias hasn’t quite been at his imperious best this season, he remains  the lynchpin of one of the Premier League’s meanest defences. Pep Guardiola infamously loves to rotate his team but, when available, the powerful Portuguese centre-back is almost certain to start. Those early struggles in the Premier League, after arriving from Liverpool for a big fee, have been forgotten amid a superb resurgence. Dominic Solanke has led the line with presence and purpose for Bournemouth, scoring an impressive 12 goals. Gvardiol’s unique skill set positions Croatia nicely to play the role of spoiler at Euro 2024. The 23-year-old impressed in an attacking midfield position for City and should Gareth Southgate play him in the same position instead of out wide, Foden could be the Three Lions’ dangerman.

Past winners of FIFA Women’s Player of Year award

FootballTransfers (FT) is a project designed to fulfill the massive interest in the transfer market and provide a realistic, algorithmically-driven valuation of football players. The FIFA Fair Play award recognises exemplary behaviour that promotes fair play, sportsmanship and compassion in football. It can be awarded to a player, a coach, a team, fans or even entire footballing communities. Just as with The FIFA Best Men’s Player, there is an award for the best female player each calendar year as well. It started in 2001, 10 years after the men’s award was introduced, and brings more recognition and attention to women’s football. No matter where, no matter when, no matter how, Robert Lewandowski continues to score goals at a frightening rate.

On the ball The five most exciting young players in the Premier League right now

The goalkeeper, as well as the three defenders, three midfielders and three forwards who received the most votes are selected for the World 11. The remaining spot in the World 11 is assigned to the outfield player with the next highest number of votes who is not selected already. The Best FIFA Football Awards are given based on performances over the calendar year of January to December, rather than the standard football season of August to May/June. Winning the Golden Boot en route to the 2024 Copa America title has only boosted his reputation. It’s no surprise that Barella has risen to the top of European football so swiftly, embodying the best attributes of the legendary Italy midfielders that have come before him.

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Lacking confidence under Steven Gerrard, reassurance and clear instruction from his replacement has turned the 28-year-old into one of the Premier League’s top strikers. Wirtz is one of the brightest stars to emerge out of Germany in the last decade, with a rare talent to control and dominate the midfield in a way few other players in world football can. Jude Bellingham’s stunning debut season at Spanish mega club Real Madrid has rapidly turned the attacking English midfielder into one of the hottest commodities in European football. There is no doubt that the expectations are high for all these players going into the 2024 season.

Marc ter Stegen — Goalkeeper, Barcelona

“I hate playing as a number nine,” has been Rodrygo’s constant plea to Carlo Ancelotti, his manager, and the media, but on the pitch you can hardly tell. Unexpectedly helping Aston Villa to a Champions League push, manager Unai Emery’s high-risk high-reward tactics have left Martinez as a key last line of defence, and his one-on-one mastery is among the best in the world. Previously projected to be a future Ballon d’Or winner at Manchester City, Sane appeared to have run out of tricks, but manager Thomas Tuchel has revitalised him. Bayern Munich finally did exactly that last season in response to Manuel Neuer’s skiing accident, and while things didn’t quite work out for a shambolic Bayern side, Inter are now reaping the benefits. Considered the best of the rest for much of his career, many goalkeeping experts were continually baffled that no one tried to poach Sommer from Borussia Monchengladbach earlier.

The forward has been mightily impressive in South America, consistently producing goals for Palmeiras at youth and senior level. The tricky left-footed Belgian has already produced over ten goal contributions in Eredivisie this season, adding to the ten he managed last term. The 20-year-old has been linked with a move to Liverpool, eyed as a potential successor to Mohamed Salah. Bakayoko almost made the switch to the Premier League last summer, but rejected a £34m offer from Brentford. Instead, the winger has stuck around at PSV Eindhoven, sparkling in the Champions League this season with impressive outings against Arsenal in particular. With 2023 finally at an end, it’s time to look ahead to what’s in store for next year in the world of football.

Jude Bellingham

Signing Alejandro Grimaldo on a free transfer proved to be a transformative bit of business from Xabi Alonso.The former Benfica left-back was a constant source of goals in his first season at Bayer Leverkusen, helping the German side go unbeaten domestically. He’s won the World Cup and Copa America (twice) with Argentina and the Champions League, Premier League (twice again) and FA Cup with Manchester City. It’s no surprise that the forward got a little bored and decided to jet off to Atletico Madrid in search of more regular first-team football, where he will be hoping to add to his honours list up against city rivals Real Madrid and Catalan giants Barcelona.

Despite becoming Tottenham’s record goalscorer, Kane was unable to win a trophy at his boyhood club and so departed for Germany in 2023. Here is the list of the highest paid football players on the planet in 2023. The 18-year-old centre-back has been pulling up trees in France this season already and is one of the key components behind Lille’s hugely impressive form and defensive record. Yoro has featured in pretty much every Ligue 1 game this season, exhibiting incredible maturity and composure for a teenager. The dynamic midfielder has taken the move to Arsenal, and a world of much greater pressure and expectation, comfortably in his stride.

Inter are known for their stubborn defence under Simone Inzaghi and key to that rigidity is Alessandro Bastoni. Capable of playing in a centre-back partnership or as part of a trio, the lanky Italian isn’t blessed with pace but has the intelligence to find himself in the right spot at the right moment. An underappreciated elite central defender, few strikers get the better of Bastoni in Italy, on the continent or on the international stage. If it wasn’t obvious enough that he’s the best player for the best team in the world, the stats back it up, with all four of City’s defeats this season coming without their key man, while their win rate drops from 75 per cent with him, to 33 per cent without him.

The global players’ union FifPro, which had supported Diarra’s case, said the ruling “will change the landscape of professional football”. In a judgement issued in relation to a long-running lawsuit brought in Belgium by former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder Lassana Diarra, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) said that some of Fifa’s regulations on player transfers contravened EU law. They had a double overtime win at Northwestern, a five-point win against UConn and a 20-point comeback against North Carolina.

• The tricky left-footed Belgian has already produced over ten goal contributions in Eredivisie this season, adding to the ten he managed last term.
• In the four years since Bellingham traded the Black Country for the Ruhr Valley he has fulfilled that famed promise to his youth coach that he would be a 10, an eight and a four in one package.
• He’s the epitome of a modern-day full-back.While there are physical shortcomings, Guerreiro boasts the defensive nous to ensure such drawbacks are minimised.
• Haaland has been penalised as Norway did not qualify for Euro 2024, while Man City were knocked out of the Champions League in the quarter finals.

Be sure to tune into Golazo Network, including Morning Footy to start your day with a breakdown of each batch of top players released every day. And, of course, make sure to check out the full breakdown and analysis of who was ranked where and why. In this article, as part of our 24 for 24 series, we’re going to focus on the latter – the best players at the tournament in Germany. The couple met while Robert Shiver was the Auburn University football team captain in 2007. Lindsay Shiver‘s ex-boyfriend Terrance “Adrien” Bethel was arrested alongside the mom of three and alleged hitman Faron “Faylo” Newbold in July 2023, when the trio was accused of attempting to kill former Auburn football captain Robert Shiver.

• It’s easy to be distracted by Girona’s title charge, but Athletic Bilbao’s performances this season could still end up being the story of the season in LaLiga.
• “He makes a difference with passes, he doesn’t lose the ball … He is decisive. He is one the best that has come through here. We have to take care of him.”
• The Vikings defense is good, but they have allowed 22 receptions to tight ends, ranking them sixth-worst.
• Mahomes persevered through a trying season that was well documented with the struggles of his wide receiving corps and saw him toss a career-high 14 interceptions, which tended to signify his frustrations.
• In the German League, he also achieved the title of Bundesliga Player of the Season.
• Another true freshman, walk-on Alexander Stoyanovich, handled kickoff duties last week at UCF, and walk-on linebacker Gage Goldberg played one game on special teams.
• Mandhana has been a mainstay of India’s batting since making her debut in 2014.

Most sports journeys, though, are not linear but a lengthy road to landing in the right place at the right time can be a triumphant one. Look no further than their UEFA Champions League campaign, when they made a surprise run to the quarterfinals despite drawing Serie A champions Inter in the round of 16. Oblak was one of the best goalkeepers in Europe last season, making 38 saves — the fourth-most in the competition — and posting a 74.5% save percentage, behind only Borussia Dortmund’s Gregor Kobel. It was not just his stability that helped Atleti reach the last eight, either. He was arguably one of the heroes of their round of 16 triumph, making two stops in a penalty shootout as the Spanish side overcame a 2-0 aggregate disadvantage to force spot kicks.

By his own high standards, last season was a disappointing one for Son Heung-min, who was suffering with a hernia problem for several months. No longer inhibited by fitness issues, he’s spearheading a Tottenham team that’s been reinvigorated by the appointment of Ange Postecoglou. The departures of Hugo Lloris and Harry Kane have given him even more responsibility as captain, figurehead and chief goal threat.

But what about Pep Guardiola’s favourite among a crop of the world’s best players? The boss’ ability to force Silva to stay during the summer might be the best piece of off-field management the legendary coach has ever done. Second in Europe’s big five leagues for goals with 23, Martinez beginning to shut down debates about who the best player in Serie A is. A genius around the opposition box, the 20-year-old is racking up goals and assists in the Bundesliga and Champions League, and could well be one of the stories of Euro 2024 with the Netherlands in desperate need of a new main man.

Easily the best defensive midfielder in the world, he’s quickly become the best midfielder, and now best player. Haaland took the first season in the Premier League by storm and won it all along with scoring 52 goals. The English megastar has become a Galactico in record time at Real Madrid, and his 20 goals and eight assists are borderline beyond belief. Now Atleti’s all-time top scorer when he surpassed Luis Aragones’ 173, Griezmann has revealed he’s quite happy to see out his career with the team after a troublesome stint at Barcelona. Always one of the best with the ball at his feet, Alisson’s one-on-one ability is now elite, and this season he’s produced a number of jaw-dropping match-winning last ditch saves to keep Liverpool active in every competition. Technically sublime, Silva mixed his intelligence and endless creativity with a winning-mentality like no other, and will be the key man if City go all the way again, and Portugal cause an upset in the summer.

The race is now hotting up as we head into the second half of 2024, with the eventual winner being crowned in December this year. With the race hotting up and journalists needing to vote, the nominees for the 2024 award have been established. Introduced by Italian outlet Tuttosport in 2003, the award is given to one exciting young male footballing talent annually, as a recognition of both their achievements thus far and the potential they still have to unlock. It is voted on by a number of different groups of people within football and ultimately awarded after the shortening of an original shortlist. The Best FIFA Men’s Player award is exactly that – the award given to the best men’s player of the given year.

Football is undoubtedly the most popular sport in world (even if some people call it soccer – we’ll forgive them). Eyed as a potential heir to Casemiro, Moscardo already faces huge pressure in the early stages of his career. The 18-year-old has put in some promising displays with Corinthians and is already being touted with a move to Europe. The Liverpool academy product, who Klopp dubbed ‘Virgil https://st-bet.net/ 2.0′, has blossomed in the Europa League and Carabao Cup, while he is also starting to earn more minutes in the Premier League. With England also lacking a young and authoritative centre-back, Gareth Southgate will be keeping an eye on his progress. There is also a chance that Roque’s move is brought forward to January, with the youngster set to return from a serious injury imminently.

Belgium will hope De Bruyne is fit and firing for the Euros, where they could benefit from his experience in a new-look squad that is hoping to improve on the team’s quarterfinal appearances at Euro 2016 and Euro 2020. If host Euro 2024 nation Germany is to have any chance of winning the trophy on home soil, Wirtz will need to be at his impactful best in order for them to succeed. Other formers include the likes of Wayne Rooney, Cesc Fabregas, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland, but also names such as Mario Balotelli, Anderson and Alexandre Pato, whose career was heavily disrupted by injuries. Outrageously talented young ballers from Manchester United, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and others are all battling it out to be crowned the 2024 Golden Boy. Before the merge, The Best FIFA Football Awards was known as FIFA World Player of the Year. Ex-England international Jermaine Jenas and presenter Samantha Johnson were the hosts for 2022, while Jenas was accompanied by broadcaster Reshmin Chowdhury in 2021.

Since 2005, the world players’ union FIFPRO has asked professional footballers worldwide to select the best players in the game each calendar year, with over 25,000 players participating in the vote. Similar to The Best FIFA Men’s Player, but solely for goalkeepers, The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper award celebrates the best player in between the sticks each calendar year, to give more recognition to a position that seldom wins individual prizes. The FIFA Fan Award is entirely decided by fans, with no input from journalists, coaches or players when it comes to determining the winner. Three moments are chosen and fans vote online to ultimately decide the winner. Mohamed Salah guarantees goals for Liverpool and has even become a more regular provider for his teammates as he’s aged.

They’ve now held the Buccaneers and Jets to seven and nine points over the last two weeks. The Ravens are very much a pass-funnel defense, as they rank 21st in EPA against the pass, but sixth in EPA against the run. Last week they completely shut down James Cook, who had four touchdowns in his last two games. Moss is the receiving back here, which helps him, but Chase Brown is going to continue to cut into his work after putting up a great game against the Panthers last week.

Despite being out of action since then, Erling Haaland remains the Premier League’s joint-top goalscorer alongside Mohamed Salah. He’s unlikely to match last season’s incredible tally but it won’t be for want of trying. “Sometimes, I score a goal and get an assist but I might still be unsatisfied with myself,” Sane said earlier in the season. “I have very high demands of myself there, which I always want to meet.” While he is a key figure for Bayern, it remains to be seen how he fits in for Germany this summer with Florian Wirtz, Jamal Musiala and Kai Havertz potentially their first-choice front three. These are your showboats, your certain goal scorers, your free-roaming forces of nature.

When considering a possible drop in touches while also facing a team that is one of the top run defenses, the stars are not aligning for Moss. After starring in Ligue 1 with Lyon, Ferland Mendy departed for Real Madrid in 2019 and made an immediate impact. But he’s stepped up when it has mattered most and his well-rounded skill set means he’s one of the most complete left-backs in the world. Wendell was a late bloomer on the international scene, only making his Brazil debut in 2024. It did, however, come just in time to play as his country’s first choice left-back at that year’s Copa America.He has garnered attention for his role in Porto’s recent dominance in Portugal and could add to his trophy cabinet during the twilight of his career. Be prepared for bye weeksPlan ahead for bye weeks by having backup players ready to fill in for your starters.

He transferred from Tottenham, where he came in 2nd for the top-scorer title. When he transferred to Bayern, it seemed like he increased his level even further. It seems like this year is going to be an even more impressive year for this experienced player than 2023 was.