From Bellingham to Mbappe: 10 top players to watch at UEFA Euro 2024 UEFA Euro 2024 News

best football players 2024

Grealish scored three goals and recorded three assists during the campaign, some of his best games coming in the fall. The England international was arguably at his best during City’s 3-0 win over Manchester United, when the champions perfected their possession-based style to out-pass the rivals and render them useless. Grealish was a big part of their harmonious but ruthless display, demonstrating an impressive awareness in attack.

What is the shortlist for The Best FIFA Football Awards 2024?

Back in the summer of 2021, he became the highest-paid player in the history of the English Premier League when he signed a two-year deal with his old club Manchester United. With three goals in 12 games for Israel, Gloukh has claimed that Barcelona tried to sign him while he was still with Maccabi Tel Aviv. Yet another youngster plucked from the Benfica academy of excellence, Neves is the latest starlet making waves in Lisbon. The 19-year-old central midfielder has already managed three caps for Portugal, impressing in a deep-lying role.

The best Premier League players of the season so far

He did continue to score for fun for City, though, as they won another Premier League. Kylian Mbappe struggled at Euro 2024, as did Harry Kane, so this may count against them. But both enjoted sensational domestic seasons for PSG and Bayern Munich, respectively.

Ronald Araujo — Center Back, Barcelona

It’s hard to believe he is just 23 years of age, but not long ago he was that teenage sensation starring at Red Bull Salzburg. A move to RB Leipzig and back-to-back 10-goal seasons resulted in the transfer to Liverpool last summer. He’s been part of a rebuilt Reds midfield alongside Alexis Mac Allister, and the versatile Hungary international can play wide or centrally. He has the ability to beat a defender one-on-one or deliver clinical vertical passes, while also showing he can put the right amount of touch on a through ball. Watt returned with a vengeance in 2023 following an injury-riddled season that temporarily halted his historic sack-collecting pace.

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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.

  • He can strike the ball on the run or with immense power from a dead standing start, he can finesse shots low into the corners or drill the ball high and rising into the roof of the net.
  • Seaton had played every offensive snap this season until the Buffs put in a backup group to run out the clock at the end of Saturday’s game at UCF.
  • They’re talented enough to handle the free role and graceful enough under pressure to constantly deliver.
  • Riyad Mahrez will always have a place in Premier League folklore as the star player of Leicester City’s incredible 2016 Premier League triumph.
  • Overall he threw for over 300 yards and a touchdown while adding two rushing touchdowns and 55 yards rushing.
  • The Northwestern offense is a brutal watch, but my guy Sammy P says to watch out for the wind off Lake Michigan this week.

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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.

Thibaut Courtois — Goalkeeper, Real Madrid

It took Anthony Gordon a while to get going after his acrimonious departure from Everton for £40 million last January. A reset over the summer served him well and he’s been Newcastle’s best player this season, flying down the left flank at will and delivering 14 attacking contributions. Alongside fellow countryman Yunus Musah, Pulisic has taken to Serie A with ease this season and has been one of the club’s most consistent performers, lining up on the right flank with Rafael Leao on the opposite side.

Gibbs-White looks at home with England

As one of Serie A’s most exciting attackers, Yildiz stands on the brink of stardom for Turkey, for whom he scored his first international goal against Germany in November last year. Stars from across the European game from United, Real Madrid, Ajax, Juventus and more have all lifted the award in its lifespan thus far. And while not every alumnae goes onto become a world beater as expected, the list of former winners is stacked and – in most cases – the Golden Boy award has merely been the marker for a brilliant career ahead.

Can you name every team Lionel Messi failed to score against for Barcelona?

Bellingham’s all-action, dynamic presence saw him transform from teenage wildcard to instant starter for England at the World Cup 2022 and he has never looked back. His displays for Dortmund put them firmly in title contention against the Bayern Munich juggernaut, spurned only by goal difference, before making the move to Real Madrid where he has added an abundance of goals to his arsenal. The one trait all great strikers share is an ability to find themselves in great scoring positions with frequency. For the best part of half a decade, Alvaro Morata did that, but the ball just did not go in the net as often as it ought to. At almost every club he ended up at he would be the whipping boy, the player who infuriated a portion of the fanbase because so many big chances came and went. He had to overcome his own hurdles to keep his stock high nearly a decade after winning the World Cup, though.

Leroy Sane – Bayern Munich

He had a couple of seasons at Barcelona that weren’t exactly impressive when looking at his former achievements. In 2016 and 2018, he came in third for the Ballon d’Or, so there’s no doubt that he is one of the best players in the world. This season, he showed that he still belongs at the top of the list of the best footballers in the world. He has scored an impressive 26 goals and made 16 assists in 2023, making him one of the best players in the Spanish La Liga, if not the best.

best football players 2024

From Kipchoge to Fraser-Pryce: Ten stars end Olympic careers at Paris 2024

The early signs are that he’s ready to take over both the league and Europe in order to jump to the top of this list next year. With eight goals and 11 assists in 23 Bundesliga games, Sane is back at his attacking powerhouse best, and the addition of Harry Kane is seeing him improve week-by-week. The year is 2030, Lionel Messi is retired on a beach somewhere, and he’s still winning awards as football’s greatest player. Like Neymar, like Messi, like many https://st-bet.net/mobile/ before, he has made a mockery of Ligue 1 but his form on the global stage for both club and country puts him out in front. His World Cup final hat-trick will go down as the stuff of legends – a big time performance from a big time player. The 23-year-old has continued to score a goal per game in the best league in world football, despite injury problems preventing him from hitting the 20-goal milestone by 2024 – an abject failure by his standards.

Are The Best FIFA Football Awards and the Ballon d’Or the same?

Analyze the potential impact of a trade before making a decision and negotiate with other teams to find a mutually beneficial agreement. While college football has been his focus, he also enjoys the NFL, Soccer, Golf, Tennis, MLB, NHL and Horse Racing, with an «occasional» wager on such events. Chris recently won the inaugural Circa Football Invitational and finished in the Top 10 of the Golden Nugget Football Contest.

Raphinha — Right Wing, Barcelona

Really makes us wish we’d tried harder in PE and done a few more sit-ups instead of seeing how many chicken dippers we could scran without dying. Vote on the footballers based on how much they dominated the pitch this year.

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.

  • Last week he broke out, catching 8-of-9 targets for 82 yards and a touchdown against a good Steelers defense.
  • Footballer wages are higher than they’ve ever been right now, with the sport watched around the world, TV rights skyrocketing, and the Saudi Pro League throwing cash at the sport with reckless abandon.
  • An underappreciated elite central defender, few strikers get the better of Bastoni in Italy, on the continent or on the international stage.
  • Haaland took the first season in the Premier League by storm and won it all along with scoring 52 goals.
  • 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.
  • Be prepared for bye weeksPlan ahead for bye weeks by having backup players ready to fill in for your starters.

best football players 2024

The Gunners had to adapt their build-up play to accommodate Declan Rice but he’s contributed so much out of possession to make them a more balanced team. Chipping in with vital goals against Manchester United, Chelsea and Luton Town has helped his cause too. No player has featured in more matches for Pep Guardiola than Bernardo Silva. There can be no higher compliment to his talent, work rate and tactical awareness than perhaps the greatest manager of all time relying on him so much. The 29-year-old’s versatility has seen him fill multiple roles at Manchester City and he’s been at his fluent best this season. The Norwegian goal machine showed no signs of slowing down until fracturing a bone in his foot against Aston Villa in early December.

  • Overshadowed by Erling Haaland, this is a $100 million player (in terms of value and potential) who is just an occasional starter for Manchester City.
  • The Gunners had to adapt their build-up play to accommodate Declan Rice but he’s contributed so much out of possession to make them a more balanced team.
  • A sure-handed model of consistency, Kelce was a force to be reckoned with during Kansas City’s successful run at back-to-back Super Bowls, catching 32 balls for 355 yards and three touchdowns.
  • 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.
  • In the past year, Hojlund has also thrived at an international level, leading Denmark’s attack with a sizzling seven goals during the Euro 2024 qualifying campaign.
  • 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.

Alisson — Goalkeeper, Liverpool

Only the second player to score a Clasico hat-trick in 23 years Barcelona haven’t hated a player as much since Cristiano Ronaldo. Now vice-captain at his boyhood club, Alexander-Arnold has taken to leadership like a duck to water, and may well end up as the poster boy of the Reds’ next big trophy win. The epitome of the perfect modern-day goalkeeper, the Brazil international is Liverpool’s last line of attack and first line of defence and sublime at both and more.

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.

The Ballon d’Or is a ceremony founded and run by France Football, whereas The Best FIFA Football Awards were founded and run by FIFA. They are two separate awards, although between 2010 and 2015, they merged together to form the FIFA Ballon d’Or. This award celebrates the work of the best coaches in world football, and it ultimately decides which manager is considered to have been the best over the past 12 months.

The voting window is usually over a two-week period around a month before the awards ceremony. Fans make up 25% of the vote, with the other 75% coming from national coaches of FIFA Member Associations, their team captains, and a select group of media from those countries. Aitana Bonmati is likely to be the favourite to win The Best Women’s Player in 2024, although Salma Paralluelo and Alexia Putellas (her team-mates for both Barcelona and Spain) will hope to win the award too. Cristiano Ronaldo is a prolific winner of this prize in the past but is not in the running this year, despite a goal-filled year with Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.

The last of three Aston Villa players to make our top 20, John McGinn is the driving force at the heart of Unai Emery’s side, who have become surprise title challengers. The Scotland international has a winning mentality, unbelievable stamina and no shortage of quality on the ball. He’s unfortunately steeled to dealing with such setbacks, having already recovered from two ACL injuries in his career, but he finished the season on a high, scoring the opener in a title-clinching 5-0 win over Werder Bremen in mid-April. His mark of 21 goals and 10 assists in 33 games contributed to their record-breaking season.

He ended up leading all quarterbacks in fantasy points and now is at QB7 on the year. The main reason he had that kind of fantasy upside is that the Colts were able to get a big lead, which pushed Fields to do more offensively than he has needed to this season. Despite being just 20 years old, Luca Netz is already making waves thanks to his impressive performances for Borussia Monchengladbach.Big things are expected of the youngster over in Germany. But their work has brought about a new breed of left-back and we’re now blessed with a myriad of stars in that position.

Continuously evaluate your rosterContinuously evaluate your roster throughout the season and make adjustments as needed. Be willing to drop underperforming players or make changes to your lineup if necessary. Monitor the waiver wireKeep an eye on the waiver wire and be ready to pick up players who may be undervalued or overlooked by other teams. Use our waiver wire assistant to view optimal lineups, waiver and trade suggestions, and league analysis.

Expect more trophies to follow for the little fellow with a big heart – and a bank balance swelled to the tune of £21m a year. Henderson is now the highest paid English footballer in history and still has hopes of making the Euro 2024 squad. The Senegalese striker will always have the affection of Liverpool fans for his role in their Premier League and Champion League triumphs alongside Mo Salah and Robert Firmino. Lionel Messi is arguably the greatest footballer in history and naturally his salary reflects his status. Despite frequently stating his desire to play for Real Madrid, Mbappe opted against joining the Spanish giants and instead committed his future to Paris in a deal that apparently gives him control over coaching appointments and player recruitment. Neymar Jr’s sensational transfer from PSG to Saudi Arabia side Al Hilal has made the Brazilian the highest paid footballer in the world – and by some margin.

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