This is it. The final part of my four part series where I attempt to decide who the 100 best players of the 2021–2022 season were. As with the first three, the stats used in this article are from FBref, and the positions listed are from Transfermarkt. Now, let’s get into the top 25.
25. Milan, LW Rafael Leão
Stats: 3181 MP, 14G, 12A, 0.74 GA/90, 110 SCA, 3.42 SCA/90, 104 Dribbles
I have previously attributed a lot of AC Milan’s success this season to their defense when I talked about Tonali, Tomori, and Maignan. While Milan’s defense was obviously crucial in securing the Serie A title, no team can win a Serie A title without an elite attacker. Meet Rafael Leão. At this time last year, Rafael Leão was in a similar spot to Vinicius Juníor in some ways. Both were young, Portuguese-speaking wingers at historically great clubs who had showcased potential in spurts but hadn’t truly broken out yet. A year later, and both are considered among the best wingers in the world. Leão was the engine behind an AC Milan attack that lacked any sort of punch outside of him. Olivier Giroud is a solid player, but at 35, he lacks the goal scoring threat that most strikers have. Outside of that, Milan had a 39 year old Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who only scored eight goals in Serie A play. Leão was basically working by himself in AC Milan’s attack, and he managed to lead the club to their first Serie A title in over a decade.
24. Inter, CM Nicolò Barella
Stats: 3909 MP, 4G, 11A, 0.35 GA/90, 154 SCA, 4.07 SCA/90, 43 Dribbles
Nicolò Barella has been starting regularly in Serie A since he was just 19 years old. Now, five seasons later, he’s one of the best midfielders in the world. Last year, Jorginho got all the recognition in Italy’s midfield, since he had just won the Champions League with Chelsea and earned a third place finish in the Ballon d’Or voting. In contrast, Barella was tied for a 26th placed finish, despite the fact that he led an Inter midfield that snapped Juventus’ streak of nine consecutive Serie A championships. Internationally, when I watched Italy play in the Euros, Barella was the one who stood out the most in their midfield. His creativity was evident, as he’s an amazing passer and a great dribbler who is elite at creating chances for others. He’s not as good defensively as his Italian counterparts, but he’s still the creative engine of their midfield. For both club and country, Barella is arguably the most important player on his team, and it’s why he’s a top 25 player.
23. Lazio, CM Sergej Milinković-Savić
Stats: 3772 MP, 11G, 11A, 0.52 GA/90, 125 SCA, 3.16 SCA/90, 48 Dribbles
Among all players in Serie A this season, only three managed to score double digit goals and register double digit assists in league play. Those three players are Domenico Berardi, Rafael Leão, and my number 23 selection, Sergej Milinković-Savić. Among those three, Milinković-Savić is the only one who is not a winger. There’s really not much he cannot do. In goals per 90, assists per 90, xG per 90, xA per 90, shots per 90, and shot creating actions per 90, Milinković-Savić ranks in the 90th percentile or above among central midfielders. He’s one of the best central midfielders in the world when attacking. That’s a key distinction that has to be made, as Milinković-Savić is a much better defender than most attacking midfielders. Compared to other central midfielders, he’s mediocre at best defensively, but his goal scoring prowess and his end product help make up for that. He’s a great passer, great shooter, a smart decision maker, and he’s great at creating chances. He’s a complete player, and he’s the best midfielder in Serie A.
22. Manchester City, DM Rodri
Stats: 3920 MP, 7G, 2A, 0.21 GA/90, 91 Tackles, 33.4 Press %, 66 Int
As someone who watched a lot of Premier League football this year, there’s few players that are more annoying to watch your team play against than Rodri. He’s an absolute pest in the midfield. He can read opponents so well, disrupting passing lanes and causing turnovers. He’s such a good tackler, he’s good on the press, and he’s simply an amazing defender. His seven goals in all competitions marked a career high, and he was great in the buildup play this season. His progressive carries per 90 ranked in the 88th percentile among all midfielders, his progressive passes per 90 ranked in the 87th percentile, his attempted passes per 90 ranked in the 99th percentile, and his pass completion rate ranked in the 98th percentile. Rodri has been an elite midfielder ever since he arrived in Manchester, and he is so crucial to the way that Manchester City play. He is the reason that Bernardo Silva and Kevin de Bruyne can play such advanced roles in the midfield without compromising the formation.
21. Milan, LB Theo Hernández
Stats: 3551 MP, 5G, 8A, 0.33 GA/90, 32.0 Press %, 67 Int, 59 Dribbles
What is it with Real Madrid and letting elite fullbacks walk out the door? Between Achraf Hakimi and Theo Hernández, Real Madrid could’ve had their back four locked up for the next decade if they had managed to keep those two. Five seasons ago, they bought a 19 year old Hernández from Atletico Madrid for €24m. Two years later, they sold him to Milan for just €21.5m, even less than they bought him for. Real Madrid has made plenty of mistakes in the transfer market throughout the years, but that might be the worst of the bunch. Three seasons after arriving at Milan, Theo Hernández has evolved into one of the best fullbacks in the world. He’s operated as one of Milan’s main creative outlets for the past two seasons, due to the lack of goal scoring threats on the club. It’s safe to say he has excelled at it. He’s a great passer, shooter, dribbler, and shot-creator. He’s a great defender as well, and he’s one of the reasons why Milan’s defensive record was so good this year. Hernández has become a complete fullback, and he proved it with a Serie A title this year.
20. Bayern Munich, DM Joshua Kimmich
Stats: 3400 MP, 3G, 9A, 0.32 GA/90, 58 Tackles, 37.1 Press %, 82 Int
Joshua Kimmich is both a strong defender and a top tier shot creator. How many players can you say that about? I raved about Trent Alexander-Arnold’s shot-creating ability in the previous article, but he’s still a subpar defender compared to other fullbacks. Kimmich is good enough defensively to match up well against almost all of the world’s top defensive midfielders, and he’s probably the best shot-creator from the defensive midfield position. If he had remained at right back, he’d have a serious case to be considered the best fullback in world football, and he’d likely be viewed similarly to Philipp Lahm. This year was the first season since the 2016–2017 campaign that Kimmich didn’t register double digit assists in all competitions. Even then, Kimmich still placed in the 99th percentile in shot creating actions per 90, progressive passes per 90, and expected assists per 90 among midfielders. He’s an incredible player, and he’s one of the biggest reasons why Bayern will continue to dominate the Bundesliga.
19. Chelsea, CB Antonio Rüdiger
Stats: 4805 MP, 5G, 0A, 0.09 GA/90, 32.6 Press %, 74 Int, 69.6 Duel %
The entire club as a whole improved when Frank Lampard was sacked, but I don’t think there’s a single Chelsea player who benefited more from the appointment of Thomas Tuchel than Antonio Rüdiger. Under Lampard, Chelsea played a back four, and Rüdiger struggled to get into the team at times. When he did, he was somewhat unspectacular. But when Thomas Tuchel arrived, he immediately converted Chelsea’s defense into a back five, with three center backs and two fullbacks playing a more advanced role. This decision essentially saved Rüdiger’s career. He was really important to Chelsea’s UCL-winning side in the 2020–2021 season, and he truly broke out this season. With a full season under a back five, Rüdiger was able to be more aggressive defensively, as he had more defenders around him to compensate for any defensive mistakes he might’ve made. He was truly a lockdown defender this year, and it’s why Real Madrid prioritized his signing this summer. I have questions about how well he’ll perform in a back four, but he should continue to be a very solid center back at least.
18. Chelsea, CB Thiago Silva
Stats: 3772 MP, 3G, 1A, 0.10 GA/90, 33.8 Press %, 85 Int, 71.1 Duel %
I wrestled back and forth between putting Silva or Rüdiger higher. I mean, both were truly excellent this year, which one do I give more credit to? In the end, I leaned on pedigree, and gave the edge to Thiago Silva. The man’s been one of the world’s best center backs at AC Milan, Paris St. Germain, and at Chelsea. There’s not much to say here. At 37 years old, he is still a leader for his club and his country. He’s an absolutely wonderful defender, and his arrival at Chelsea was probably the most impactful move that the club made on their way to the Champions League final. Part of the reason that I gave him the edge over Rüdiger is the fact that there aren’t concerns about his ability to operate outside of a back five. Rüdiger didn’t become elite until he began to play in Tuchel’s back five. Thiago Silva has been a dominant center back wherever he’s gone. There’s no need to worry about his adaptability because he’s been elite in all the systems he’s played in. At some point, Silva will inevitably begin to decline. But until he does, we need to appreciate one of the best center backs of this generation.
17. Liverpool, GK Alisson
Stats: 4890 MP, 41 GA, 0.75 GA/90, 70.1 Save %, 27 CS, 1.8 PSxG +/-
God how mistaken I was. I really don’t know what I was thinking when I rated Ederson higher than Alisson. I guess I was fooled by Ederson’s strong Copa America performance and his elite distribution. He also had the benefit of playing the 2020–2021 campaign behind the Premier League Player of the Year in Ruben Dias, while Alisson had to play behind injury-marred patchwork defensive units that featured players such as Nat Phillips on a regular basis. But Alisson is clearly Brazil’s best goalkeeper and it honestly isn’t even a debate anymore. Ederson’s distribution is still probably the best in the world, but the gap between his shot stopping and Alisson’s is too wide to ignore anymore, and this season proved that. While Ederson had what was arguably a career-worst season behind one of the best defenses in the world, Alisson led Liverpool to the Champions League final, and he had the third best save percentage in Premier League play. Although he’s not an elite distributor, he’s a great shot stopper, good at claiming crosses, and he’s also good at making defensive actions outside the penalty area. He’s really close to being a complete goalkeeper, and he’s the second best one in the world.
16. Bayern Munich, SS Thomas Müller
Stats: 3541 MP, 13G, 21A, 0.86 GA/90, 77 Shots, 35 SOG, 45.5 SOG %
Who has led the Bundesliga in assists for three consecutive seasons? That’s right, Thomas Müller. Who has led the Bundesliga in shot creating actions for two consecutive seasons? Thomas Müller again. Who has led the Bundesliga in goal creating actions for two consecutive seasons? Well would you look at that, it’s Thomas Müller! Müller has really evolved who he is as a player over time, and it has allowed him to remain productive into his age 32 season. While he hasn’t scored over 20 goals in all competitions since the 2015–2016 campaign, he’s managed to get 20 assists in all competitions in three consecutive seasons. He had always been more of an assister than a goal-scorer, but his production has reached new highs over the past three seasons, and it coincides with Lewandowski’s three career-best goal scoring seasons. Robert Lewandowski has gotten most of the praise, and it’s deservedly so, but the fact is that Thomas Müller is the creative engine behind Bayern’s attack. Without him creating chances in that second striker role, Bayern would be significantly worse. Müller has completely adjusted his playstyle to fit Lewandowski’s, and it has allowed them to get the best out of each other.
15. Tottenham, CF Harry Kane
Stats: 4209 MP, 25G, 10A, 0.75 GA/90, 152 Shots, 61 SOG, 40.1 SOG %
As an Arsenal fan, Harry Kane is unfathomably annoying to watch. When we first played Tottenham, I thought we were beginning to see the decline of Harry Kane. He had missed several easy chances in that game, and he looked uncharacteristically disinterested as a whole. I thought Tottenham had missed their opportunity to sell Kane, and the Manchester City transfer saga had alienated their best player. That was September 29th, and Arsenal won the game by a 3–1 margin. Fast forward 225 days, and Arsenal played Tottenham again, on my birthday no less. By the 33rd minute Rob Holding had picked up a red card, and by the 37th minute Harry Kane had scored a brace. He’s just relentless. Harry Kane has scored at least 20 goals in all competitions in every single season since he was 21. Eight consecutive seasons of scoring 20 goals. Even in seasons where Harry Kane is supposed to be declining, he’s still one of the best strikers in the world. He’ll likely become Tottenham’s all-time leading scorer next season, and he’ll officially cement himself as the best player in the club’s history.
14. Manchester City, CB Rúben Dias
Stats: 3291 MP, 2G, 4A, 0.17 GA/90, 40.4 Press %, 48 Int, 60.2 Duel %
Ruben Dias was the Premier League’s breakout star in the 2020–2021 season. After signing with Manchester City from Benfica for €68m, Dias went from a Portuguese prospect with great potential to the Premier League’s Player of the Year. At just 23 years old, he led a Manchester City defense that conceded the least amount of goals in the Premier League, and he was nearly impossible to dribble past. How could he have possibly followed that up this season? By leading a Manchester City defense that won another Premier League title by conceding just 26 goals and 27.2 xG, both numbers being the lowest in the Premier League. Some wondered if Dias was just a one-season wonder, but he dispelled all concerns with another dominant defensive performance this season. All the clean sheets Ederson had this season should really be credited to Rúben Dias. Because of City’s stifling defense, Ederson faced the least shots on target of any goalkeeper in the Premier League by 20 shots. While it would be easy to pretend like Dias deserves all the credit for City’s defense, unfortunately, all the credit cannot go to Dias. A lot of it has to go to my next selection.
13. Manchester City, RB João Cancelo
Stats: 4649 MP, 3G, 10A, 0.26 GA/90, 34.1 Press %, 102 Int, 71 Dribbles
This is the best fullback in the world right here. I don’t think it’s particularly close. He’s a complete player. There’s full backs who have better individual traits, like Trent Alexander-Arnold’s passing range, for example, but there is not a single fullback in the world right now that has a more complete skill set than João Cancelo. Defensively, he’s one of the best in the world. All of the praise I gave Rúben Dias for his role in Manchester City’s defense applies for Cancelo too. And although I said that Trent Alexander Arnold’s passing range was better, João Cancelo is still an incredible passer. Last season, he ranked in the 99th percentile in progressive passes per 90 among fullbacks. He also ranked in the 99th percentile in passes into the penalty area, the 98th percentile in passes into the final third, and the 98th percentile in through balls. He’s also an elite dribbler. He finished in the 99th percentile in progressive carries per 90, 91st percentile in dribbles completed, and the 91st percentile in players dribbled past. This season, Cancelo stepped up in all phases of his game. This was the same player who got benched in the Champions League final for Oleksandr Zinchenko last year. This season, he became undroppable for Pep Guardiola’s side.
12. RB Leipzig, SS Christopher Nkunku
Stats: 4258 MP, 35G, 16A, 1.08 GA/90, 127 Shots, 66 SOG, 52.0 SOG %
Earlier in Moussa Diaby’s entry, I said that there were only two players who finished top ten in both goals and assists in the Bundesliga last season. It’s time to talk about the second player, Christopher Nkunku. As well as being the only two players to finish top ten in the Bundesliga in both goals and assists, Nkunku and Diaby were the only players to get double digit goals and assists in Bundesliga play this season. However, unlike Diaby, Nkunku was the only one to finish top five in both Bundesliga goals and assists last season. In the 2020–2021 season, before he truly broke out, he finished second in the Bundesliga in shot creating actions, and he was first in shot creating actions per 90. And this season, he finished third in shot creating actions, and tied for first in goal creating actions. The only other second striker I covered on this list was Thomas Müller, a Bundesliga counterpart. Now imagine Müller, but eight years younger and a much better goalscorer. Then you get Christopher Nkunku. Unlike Müller, Nkunku has to be the focal point of his team’s attack, even though he’s a second striker. Despite this, he doesn’t sacrifice his creativity for the sake of goalscoring. He does both at an incredibly high level, and it makes him the perfect second striker.
11. Real Madrid, CM Luka Modrić
Stats: 3416 MP, 3G, 12A, 0.40 GA/90, 99 SCA, 2.87 SCA/90, 39 Dribbles
At age 36, Luka Modrić is still as important as he has ever been to Real Madrid. In a season where we saw ageless wonders such as Neuer, Ronaldo, and even Messi decline somewhat, Luka Modrić is showing no signs of age. He’s still a great passer, just like he was in his prime. He can control the tempo of a game with his play, similar to Jorginho but at a much higher level. Modrić is one of the smartest footballers on the planet, and it’s reflected in his decisionmaking and how he views passing lanes. Look at his tying assist against Chelsea. How he sees the lane for Rodrygo opening up before Chelsea’s defenders can cover it. How he strikes a perfectly weighted ball for Rodrygo to run under and finish. I haven’t embedded many videos in this series, but I had to embed this one because it shows why Modrić is such an amazing player.
I’ve talked several times about Madrid’s future midfield throughout this list, but the fact that his replacement is waiting in the wings will not stop Modrić from performing at a high level. He extended his contract with Madrid for one more season. Who knows if it’s his last at the club. But if it is, it was a glorious career at Real Madrid for Luka Modrić.
10. Borussia Dortmund, CF Erling Haaland
Stats: 2384 MP, 29G, 8A, 1.40 GA/90, 100 Shots, 48 SOG, 48.0 SOG %
Erling Haaland is a manager’s dream at centre-forward. At just the age of 21, he’s showcased better goal scoring ability than almost any striker in the world. Since the 2019–2020 season, when he was at RB Salzburg, Erling Haaland has averaged over a goal per 90 minutes in all competitions in every single season. Among the 100 players on this list, only four averaged over a goal per 90 minutes this season, and Haaland is the only one among them who is below the age of 22. He’s a great finisher, and he makes really good runs into the box to get behind his teammates crosses. He also links play decently as well, creating chances for his teammates at a pretty decent rate. There’s only a few issues with Haaland this season that hold him back from being even as high as top five. The first issue is the fact that he missed 16 games due to muscular injuries. The second issue with Haaland is the fact that he’s not a very good dribbler, even compared to other strikers. He ranks below the 40th percentile in dribbles completed and in players dribbled past per 90. While these issues may seem like nitpicking, it’s those kind of flaws that you have to highlight in order to differentiate between the world’s elite footballers.
9. Tottenham, LW Son Heung-min
Stats: 3526 MP, 24G, 8A, 0.82 GA/90, 129 SCA, 3.86 SCA/90, 51 Dribbles
Son Heung-min stepped his game up to a different level this season. He had been considered one of the world’s better wingers for a while now, but this season, he made the jump from a star winger to a world class player, one of the best in the world irrespective of position. His Premier League goal tally was a career high this season by over six goals, and he was tied with Salah as the joint-top scorer in the Premier League. It’s a shame that Tottenham only managed to get Conference League football last season, because if he had played more European football, Son’s numbers in all competitions would’ve stood out even more in comparison to previous seasons. I praised Kane a lot in his entry, which is something I don’t like to do often, but the fact is that Son was more important to Tottenham than he was this season. Without Son, Spurs don’t come close to qualifying for the Champions League. They would’ve likely been battling with Manchester United and West Ham for Europa League placement.
8. Real Madrid, GK Thibaut Courtois
Stats: 4770 MP, 46 GA, 0.87 GA/90, 77.6 Save %, 22 CS, 6.6 PSxG +/-
Here it is. The best goalkeeper in the world this season was Thibaut Courtois. It’s fitting that the two best goalkeepers of the season were the ones in the Champions League final. But Courtois’ performance throughout the Champions League really set him apart from every other goalkeeper, the final win was just the cherry on top. In the Champions League final, Liverpool had 24 shots, and nine on target. Real Madrid had just four shots, and one on target. Liverpool did not score a single goal. Real Madrid scored one. Thibaut Courtois was the difference. Throughout the entire Champions League campaign, Courtois was the difference. Courtois faced the most shots on target against of any goalkeeper in the Champions League by over 15 shots. Despite this, he had a save percentage of 80.3% in the Champions League, and he finished as tied for first in clean sheets in the Champions League. In contrast, Alisson faced 43 less shots on target than Courtois, and he conceded the same amount of goals. The difference between these two goalkeepers is the reason that Real Madrid won the Champions League, and it’s why he’s the best goalkeeper in the world right now.
7. Bayern Munich, CF Robert Lewandowski
Stats: 3997 MP, 50G, 6A, 1.26 GA/90, 191 Shots, 96 SOG, 50.3 SOG %
Over the past three seasons, there has been no player on the planet that is a more prolific goalscorer than Robert Lewandowski. He’s been an elite goalscorer since he arrived at Bayern Munich, but he’s really turned it up in recent years. However, Lewandowski is more than just goals. He’s really good at linking up play and creating chances for others, as he’s the only centre forward in to finish top ten in the Bundesliga in shot creating actions. Across all competitions, he finished in the 84th percentile in shot creating actions among all strikers, well above average. But while he does provide that element in his game, the real attraction is the goal scoring ability. Years of playing next to Müller have given the two a really deep understanding of each others play styles, and it allows them to play perfectly off each other in that two-striker system. I’m not going to lie and pretend like Lewandowski has a difficult job by any stretch of the imagination. Between Sané, Müller, Gnabry, Coman, and Kimmich, Lewandowski has some of the best attackers in the world feeding him chances on a platter. But he still deserves credit for finishing his chances at such a high rate.
6. Real Madrid, LW Vinicius Juníor
Stats: 4253 MP, 22G, 16A, 0.80 GA/90, 224 SCA, 5.19 SCA/90, 142 Dribbles
Vinicius Juníor is truly a complete winger at just the age of 21. His progression from last season to this season makes Rafael Leão’s improvement look mediocre in comparison. It honestly should’ve been expected. The talent was so obviously there. The end product just didn’t match it, and the finishing was subpar. Once he improved his finishing, it was clear that Vinicius Juníor was going to become a world class winger. I just didn’t think that he would improve his finishing so soon. Vinicius is an unbelievable shot-creator. His 224 shot creating actions is the most among any player on the entire list, and his 5.19 SCA per 90 minutes ranks in the 95th percentile among all wingers. And he’s also one of the best dribblers in the world, if not the best. There are three players on this list that managed to complete at least 100 dribbles in all competitions: Rafael Leão, Kylian Mbappé, and Vinicius. Among those three, Vinicius had the most dribbles completed in all competitions. Between his shot-creating ability, his technical proficiency when it comes to dribbling, and his newfound finishing, Vinicius is the second best winger in the world.
5. Liverpool, RW Mohamed Salah
Stats: 4008 MP, 31G, 15A, 1.04 GA/90, 177 SCA, 4.23 SCA/90, 82 Dribbles
If only Mohamed Salah hadn’t fallen off at the end of the season. I don’t really know what it was. My best guess is that after AFCON, he was fatigued, maybe playing through muscular soreness that limited his effectiveness. Prior to the African Cup of Nations, Mohamed Salah was on a Ballon d’Or-worthy pace. He had scored 23 goals in all competitions in just 31 games, and he had also assisted nine goals. After the African Cup of Nations, where he scored just two goals in seven matches, he scored just eight goals and got six assists in nineteen matches to close out the season. Not a bad pace necessarily, but it was a far cry from Salah’s performance earlier in the season. There was really no game where this was more evident than the Champions League final. In this match, Salah had nine shots and six shots on goal. He accumulated 1.2 expected goals throughout the entire match, yet he didn’t manage to score one. He also attempted just two dribbles and didn’t complete one. As I said earlier, Thibaut Courtois was absolutely magnificent in the Champions League final. But you can’t help but think that the Salah we saw in October would have finished at least one of those chances, and he likely would’ve been even higher on this list.
4. Liverpool, CB Virgil van Dijk
Stats: 4620 MP, 3G, 2A, 0.10 GA/90, 35.7 Press %, 63 Int, 77.9 Duel %
If you go to Virgil van Dijk’s FBref page, he looks like one of the worst center backs in the world. First percentile in pressures, second percentile in tackles, second percentile in interceptions, I mean how could this player be considered a world class center back? There are two reasons that van Dijk doesn’t rack up a lot of tackles or get a lot of interceptions. The first is because players don’t challenge him as much. Virgil van Dijk ranks in the 99th percentile in percentage of dribblers tackled, at 76.5%, and in players dribbled past, at a very miniscule 0.09 dribblers per 90. So, when teams attack Liverpool, they look to the wide channels, where their fullbacks are less compact defensively. It’s how Vinicius scored his goal in the Champions League final. Valverde cut into the box from the right, saw Vinicius making a run past Trent, and set him up for the goal. The second reason why he doesn’t get a lot of tackles is that van Dijk is a very disciplined center back. Sometimes, when a player is making a tackle, it’s because they were caught out of position before, and they are attempting to recover. Paolo Maldini was quoted saying the exact same thing. Virgil van Dijk is almost never caught out of position, and it’s why barely anyone dribbles past him. He is pretty clearly the best center back in the world and there’s not much debate about it anymore.
3. Manchester City, AM Kevin de Bruyne
Stats: 3325 MP, 19G, 14A, 0.89 GA/90, 185 SCA, 5.68 SCA/90, 40 Dribbles
Another year, another season where Kevin de Bruyne is the best player in the Premier League. People often get so accustomed to greatness, that when someone deviates slightly from a previously established standard that they’ve set for themselves with past performances, fans often attempt to proclaim that they have officially fallen off and that they are starting to decline. Ten goals and 18 assists in all competitions last year, and all of a sudden fans were rushing to proclaim someone new as the best player in the Premier League. Kevin de Bruyne shut that discussion down this year. His 15 Premier League goals this year marked a career high, and so did his 19 goals in all competitions. I’ve described plenty of players as “good shot creators” in this series of articles, but Kevin de Bruyne is actually the best shot creator in the world. His ability to create chances from thin air is truly unmatched. He’s the best passer in the world, he’s an elite shooter from midfield, and despite the fact that dribbling isn’t even necessarily a featured attribute of his game, de Bruyne still ranks in the 97th percentile among midfielders in progressive carries per 90 minutes. Kevin de Bruyne the best midfielder in the world, he’s the best player in the Premier League, and he is the third best player in the world.
2. Real Madrid, CF Karim Benzema
Stats: 3905 MP, 44G, 14A, 1.34 GA/90, 169 Shots, 70 SOG, 41.4 SOG %
The number one spot was unbelievably difficult. You could argue Benzema had a better season than my number one selection and in some ways I’d probably agree with you. But I don’t want to use this entry to talk about the reasons why Karim Benzema isn’t number one. Instead, I want to use this as an opportunity to give him his credit for a very good season. In the 2017–2018 season, Cristiano Ronaldo’s last season at Real Madrid, Benzema scored just 12 goals in all competitions and had ten assists. He sacrificed his entire playstyle to fit alongside Ronaldo, and it led to him scoring a lot less. As soon as Ronaldo left, his production skyrocketed. He immediately scored a career high of 30 in all competitions in the season after Ronaldo’s departure, and he didn’t stop there. With Ronaldo at Madrid, Benzema learned how to be selfless and create chances for others. It helped him become much better at linking up play, and it made him a more complete striker as a result. This season was really a culmination of Benzema’s progression in the four seasons since Ronaldo left United. His career high of 44 goals in all competitions was 14 more than his previous high, and he led La Liga in goals, with 27. He also finished second in assists, with 12. Karim Benzema was the biggest reason why Madrid won the Champions League, and he deserves his credit.
1. Paris St. Germain, CF Kylian Mbappé
Stats: 3931 MP, 39G, 22A, 1.40 GA/90, 185 Shots, 81 SOG, 43.8 SOG %
I mean, who else? I get that Benzema had a wonderful season in his own right, and he did win the Champions League, but when their production was so similar, I went with who I felt was the better player, and that’s Kylian Mbappé. This is a centre forward who had the most assists in all competitions of any player on the list. He can link play better than a vast majority of strikers, he has a skillset that plays just as well on the wing as it does through the middle, and he has the goal scoring ability to match some of the world’s best strikers. What is there not to like about Kylian Mbappé? He’s one of three players on this list with at least 200 shot creating actions, next to Vinicius Juníor and Dimitri Payet. Mbappé is the only one of the three that is a centre forward. He’s one of three players on this list with at least 100 dribbles, next to Rafael Leão and Vinicius Juníor. Mbappé is the only one of the three that is a centre forward. He’s one of three players on this list with at least 20 assists, next to Dušan Tadić and Thomas Müller. Again, he is the only one of those three that was a true centre forward last year. He is also one of three players on this list with at least 38 goals this season, next to Karim Benzema and Robert Lewandowski. All three of those players are centre forwards, but I think you understand my point. Since Messi declined a bit this year, Kylian Mbappé is the most complete attacker in the world. That is why he’s the best player in the world, despite all that Benzema achieved this year.
Conclusion
If you actually read the entirety of this series, thank you so much. I really appreciate the fact that people value my opinions on association football enough to read my work, and if you have any disagreements with placements, or players you think should’ve been included, please let me know. I didn’t watch every single minute of every single league this season, so I could’ve missed a player, or I may have been wrong about a player’s performance. This list is intended to foster discussion, so I’m happy to hear about players I may have possibly overlooked, or players I may have overrated. And with that, I wrap up this series, a total of eighty five minutes of writing. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did making it.
