80. Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)
Something of a late bloomer, former Exeter City striker Watkins' career has caught fire over the past 12 months. He netted 27 times for Aston Villa last season and was a huge factor in their tour four finish, as everything clicked for a player who has no major weaknesses. His fine 2023/24 campaign was topped off nicely by his Euro 2024 semi-final winner for England against the Netherlands.
79. Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain)
The Portuguese midfielder enjoyed a breakout season in 2023/24 as he began to realise the potential that saw Paris Saint-Germain shell out more than €40m for his services in 2022.
as the ability to sit deep and dictate the play, with his attacking output on display last year when he netted seven goals and assisted four more in his 28 Ligue 1 performances. PSG’s burgeoning midfield set up of Vitnha, Warren Zaire-Emerty and compatriot Joao Neves could quickly develop into one of Europe’s best units.
78. Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain)
Injuries slowed the Paris Saint-Germain defender down last season and his presence was missed by the French champions as they lacked his progressive passing and leadership skills when he was absent. The Brazilian turned 30 in the summer, but remains a vital player for PSG as they move out of their Galaticos era following Kylian Mbappe’s departure.
77. Kai Havertz (Arsenal)
It’s taken a while, but Mikel Arteta finally appears to have cracked what Kai Havertz’s best position is: a striker. The German international appears hell-bent on proving his club made the right call by not bringing in a big-money number nine in the summer as he looks to take on the role as the Gunners’ centre-forward.
His movement and timing in the box shows he has the footballing brain to excel in this role and if his purple patch continues, he could well find himself in possession of a Premier League winners’ medal by the end of the season.
76. Kingsley Coman (Bayern Munich)
The Frenchman’s headscratchingly-brilliant run of 12 titles in 11 seasons came to an end last year, with the winger’s late-season injury perhaps a clue as to what Bayern were missing during the run-in. Coman will now be keen to prove that last season was a blip and has already shown new boss Vincent Kompany his worth in a star-packed attack.
75. Dani Olmo (Barcelona)
Dani Olmo enjoyed something of a breakout tournament at Euro 2024 as he announced himself to a mainstream audience with his breakneck attacking displays and eye for a killer pass helped fire Spain to the title.
A €60m move back to his boyhood club followed after he took the scenic route to success following stints at Dinamo Zagreb and RB Leipzig.
74. Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal)
While the Brazilian didn’t hit his 2022/23 heights last season, he still retains the talents that can make him a difference-maker in Mikel Arteta’s multi-faceted Arsenal attack. His pace will always cause defenders issues and his Stakhanovite work ethic won’t always go noticed by everyone but is well appreciated by both his boss and his teammates.
73. Martin Zubimendi (Real Sociedad)
The Euro 2024 winner was at the top of Liverpool’s shopping list this summer, but opted to stay true to his roots as the San Sebastian native chose to remain at Real Sociedad. Loyalty, then, can be added to his impressive list of attributes that includes composure, control, decision making and the ability to set the tempo against the world’s best midfielders.
72. Benjamin White (Arsenal)
The former Brighton man has successfully pivoted from one of the Premier League’s best centre-backs to one of the best right-backs over the past two seasons and is a big reason why Arsenal have one of the best defences in the Premier League.
With more competition added to the Gunners backline this summer in the shape of Riccardo Calafiori, White will need to up his game to keep his place in Mikel Arteta’s backline – but this is a challenge the classy 26-year-old is more than capable of.
71. Viktor Gyokeres (Sporting)
The Swedish hitman has gone from the Championship to the Champions League over the past 18 months, with Sporting’s €20million move for the former Coventry City man in 2023 paying dividends, as Gyokeres has become one of Europe’s most deadly strikers, netting 43 goals in 50 appearances last term.
With a host of Europe’s biggest clubs showing an interest in him, the prolific 26-year-old’s next move will be fascinating.
70. Andrew Robertson (Liverpool)
You know you’re always going to get 100 per cent commitment from Robertson, who is as popular now as he has ever been throughout a distinguished spell as Liverpool’s first-choice left-back. That’s in spite of what was, by his own standards, a frustrating 2023/24 campaign, nearly half of which he missed with a shoulder injury – but the Scot now looks to be just as important to Arne Slot as he was to Klopp.
69. Gabriel (Arsenal)
The rock around which Mikel Arteta has built an extremely defensive-sound Arsenal side and a menace from set pieces, Gabriel has deservedly and steadily carved out a reputation as one of the Premier League’s most reliable centre-backs.That partnership with William Saliba has the potential to become a classic pairing at a club with a very long and proud history of centre-back duos.
68. Denzel Dumfries (Inter Milan)
The past 12 months have been a mixture of pride and frustration for Dumfries. The right-back helped Inter claim the Serie A title, but found himself mostly playing from the bench in the second half of the season. The new contract Dumfries signed in September suggests they continue to prize him, however.
Dumfries was then given a show of faith by Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman at the Euros as he started ahead of the far more prolific Jeremie Frimpong, only to suffer a heartbreaking defeat in the semi-finals.
67. Eder Militao (Real Madrid)
The centre-back missed a long spell with an ACL injury last season, which can be extremely difficult for players to come back from without losing a step.But Eder was able to return ahead of schedule to play a cameo role in Real Madrid’s latest Champons League triumph and a more prominent part in seeing out their La Liga title victory. He’s now back to starting every game for Carlo Ancelotti’s side, and kept Arsenal’s Gabriel Magalhaes out of the Brazil side throughout their Copa America campaign.
66. Mike Maignan (Milan)
Injury problems have hampered the AC Milan and France goalkeeper this year, but there’s no doubting his importance to either sideMaignan particularly underscored his credentials at this summer’s Euro 2024, where he was the goalkeeper of choice in the team of the tournament after keeping four clean sheets and conceding just three goals in his six outings for his country.
65. Ousmane Dembele (Paris Saint-Germain)
Dembele is a relative rarity at elite level nowadays: a winger whose assists usually far outstrip his goals. There’s nothing wrong with that when he’s had some of the teammates he has down the years.
Kylian Mbappe’s departure from PSG has increased the impetus on Dembele to contribute more in front of goal – and within just a few games, he has put himself on course to have his best goalscoring season of his career.
64. Pedro Porro (Tottenham Hotspur)
A very modern full-back. And yes, by which we mean he is unbelievably attacking to the extent that his defensive work sometimes leaves a bit to be desired.
But there’s no faulting Porro’s application, and after a difficult start to life at Tottenham, he has become one of the most notable right-backs in the division. At 25 years old, his prime years may still be ahead of him too.
63. Leroy Sane (Bayern Munich)
Sane has never quite been able to enter the conversation among the world’s very greatest players, as some had hoped in his youth, with a tendency towards hot and cold spells counting against him. Nonetheless, taken from one season to the next, Sane has remained remarkably consistent in his goals and assists output. When he does hit a vein of form, the winger can be genuinely sensational.
62. Kyle Walker (Manchester City)
He may now face a fight for his England future – he’ll be 36 by the time the next World Cup rolls around – but Walker remains a key player for one of the best club sides in the world under the management of this generation’s greatest manager.
Walker’s work under Pep Guardiola continues to set new expectations for full-backs playing under progressive managers, but only a handful have actually been able to do it with the same comfort as Walker.
61. Warren Zaire-Emery (Paris Saint-Germain)
Just 18 years old but already being entrusted with a pivotal midfield role at PSG, Zaire-Emery has quickly made a name for himself as an exceptionally promising creative-yet-tidy prospect.
The youngster didn’t play a single minute at Euro 2024 despite being included in Didier Deschamps’ squad, but it feels like it’s only a matter of time before we see him nail down a starting berth for himself.
