The 50 Best Footballers in the World 2024 (Ranked)

Footballers to many are more than just athletes of the sport. They are icons in daily life too. Talent, hard work, dedication, and love for football have showered them with endless success. Some of the best names have ensured their place in the history of the game. The list of 50 best footballers in the world is based on the player’s current form with their club as well as overall talent.

Over here, we look into five of the best football players dominating their respective leagues and Europe right now. All of them are performing at the highest level in the 2024/21 campaign. Three of them are proven stars of the game while others are upcoming generational talents.

Top 50 Best Footballers in the World 2024

Rank	Player	Club	Nationality	Age
1	Robert Lewandowski	Bayern Munich	POL	32
2	Lionel Messi	Barcelona	ARG	33
3	Jadon Sancho	Dortmund	GBR	21
4	Kylian Mbappé	PSG	FRA	22
5	Erling Haaland	Dortmund	NOR	20
6	Cristiano Ronaldo	Juventus	PRT	35
7	Iago Aspas	Celta	ESP	33
8	João Cancelo	Man City	PRT	26
9	Karim Benzema	Real Madrid	FRA	33
10	Toni Kroos	Real Madrid	DEU	31
11	Jordi Alba	Barcelona	ESP	32
12	Antoine Griezmann	Barcelona	FRA	30
13	John Stones	Man City	GBR	26
14	André Silva	Frankfurt	PRT	25
15	Neymar Jr.	PSG	BRA	29
16	Gerard Moreno	Villarreal	ESP	29
17	Thiago Silva	Chelsea	BRA	36
18	Ilkay Gündogan	Man City	DEU	30
19	Oleksandr Zinchenko	Man City	UKR	24
20	Thibaut Courtois	Real Madrid	BEL	28
21	Yassine Bounou	Sevilla FC	MAR	30
22	Dayot Upamecano	RB Leipzig	FRA	22
23	Edmond Tapsoba	Leverkusen	BFA	22
24	Sergio Ramos	Real Madrid	ESP	35
25	Willi Orban	RB Leipzig	HUN	28
26	Kevin De Bruyne	Man City	BEL	29
27	Filip Kostić	Frankfurt	SRB	28
28	Nico Elvedi	M’gladbach	CHE	24
29	Juan Cuadrado	Juventus	COL	32
30	Lucas Vázquez	Real Madrid	ESP	29
31	Jack Grealish	Aston Villa	GBR	25
32	Harry Maguire	Man Utd	GBR	29
33	Memphis Depay	Lyon	NLD	27
34	Romelu Lukaku	Inter	BEL	27
35	Trent Alexander-Arnold	Liverpool	GBR	22
36	Mohamed Salah	Liverpool	EGY	28
37	Illan Meslier	Leeds Utd	FRA	21
38	Kurt Zouma	Chelsea	FRA	26
39	Jorginho	Chelsea	ITA	29
40	Casemiro	Real Madrid	BRA	29
41	Bernardo Silva	Man City	PRT	26
42	Thomas Müller	Bayern	DEU	31
43	Rúben Dias	Man City	PRT	23
44	Harry Kane	Tottenham	GBR	27
45	Fabinho	Liverpool	BRA	27
46	Domenico Berardi	Sassuolo	ITA	26
47	Marco Verratti	PSG	ITA	28
48	Giorgio Chiellini	Juventus	ITA	36
49	Kyle Walker	Man City	GBR	30
50	Emiliano Martínez	Aston Villa	ARG	28

Who is the best footballer in 2024?

Robert Lewandowski is the best footballer in the world right now. The centre-forward is all set to dominate the coming years. Many fans believe it’s the end of the Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo era and new begins.

Despite struggling through injuries, Robert still leads the European golden shoe race with 32 goals in Bundesliga. Lewandowski’s staggering record made him the second-highest all-time goalscorer in the league.

He got robbed of the Balon d’Or last season due to the pandemic but is very much in the driving seat to receive one in the future. His absence has hurt Bayern in Europe but nothing could stop him to taste another league shield with the Bavarian.

Messi: No doubt, the year 2024 was bad for Lionel Messi, 5’7 failed to give the performance that he is known for. But still, he manages to get the second spot on the list of best footballers in the world which is a bit high compared to his numbers in 2024.

Cristiano Ronaldo: Unlike his club, Cristiano Ronaldo’s season individually has been great again. Now aged 36, Ronaldo has bagged 25 goals in 29 Serie A games with four more in the Champions League. However, his club has failed to reward him for that with lacklustre performances. They have lost title dominance and also are eliminated from the Champions League. Despite all of this, Ronaldo remains the best player in the team by delivering season after season.

Kylian Mbappe: One of the best football players in the world right now, the French wunderkind turned into a sublime footballer. The 22-year-old showed his prolific attitude in front of the goal yet again.

Mbappe has rippled the net 37 times in 34 games till now with PSG still embarking on league and Champions League title. Winning both will round off his best season ever in his developing incredible career. A lot more is yet to arrive from his striking boots.

Erling Haaland: The 20-year-old Norwegian is an insane goal machine. Recognized for his pace, athleticism, and brutal strength Haaland has gone to an unthinkable level. Named as ‘the terminator’, he has bagged 36 goals in 35 appearances in all competitions for Borussia Dortmund this season. Haaland is braced to achieve even more in the future when he decides to take the next big transfer of his career.

Who is the best football player of the decade?

Lionel Messi is the best footballer of the decade and there is no current footballer who can beat the GOAT.

Last year, Messi put a transfer request to leave Barcelona. Fast forward to 2024 and he’s delivering immensely for the club as he usually does. With the relationship paired up, for now, La Pulga has managed to score 33 goals in 39 games.

For his contributions, Barcelona has to lift off from a poor start to the campaign to be a serious title contender. If Messi decides to conclude twenty years stay at the club this summer, he will be desperate to end it on a high.