60. Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)
Bruno Fernandes has endured some difficult periods at Manchester United, not helped by a lack of stability on and off the pitch. But he has, for the most part, been his team’s standout player, racking up double figures in goals and assists every season since he joined the club in 2020.
Creative, technically superb and a strong finisher, Fernandes has often dragged United through difficult periods, producing moments of quality when others couldn’t. While the Portugal international has his critics, he has been a demonstrable success at Old Trafford.
59. Granit Xhaka (Bayer Leverkusen)
While occasionally underappreciated slightly at Arsenal, Granit Xhaka appears to be playing the best football of his career in his 30s. The Swiss midfielder enjoyed an exceptional 2023-24 season after joining Bayer Leverkusen, who went on to win the Bundesliga for the first time ever without losing a single game.
Xhaka was an integral part of that success under Xabi Alonso, playing with maturity and real tactical intelligence throughout the campaign. And he has been capped 131 times for Switzerland, cementing himself as one of his country’s greatest ever players.
58. Hakan Calhanoglu (Inter Milan)
Hakan Calhanoglu is in a small group of players to have represented both Milan and Inter Milan, but it is with the latter that he has truly thrived. The technically brilliant Turkey international has helped his side to a Serie A title and two Coppa Italias, and last season netted 15 goals in all competitions from midfield.
Few players in world football take a better set-piece than Calhanoglu, who is particularly potent from direct free-kicks. And his excellent range of passing is key to Simone Inzaghi’s style of play.
57. Jeremy Doku (Manchester City)
It is easy to forget that Jeremy Doku is still only 22 and has plenty of time to further improve. The Manchester City winger is explosive and almost unplayable at his best, able to surge past defenders with apparent ease and pick out a teammate or fire off a powerful shot.
While his end product is occasionally lacking, with more time under Pep Guardiola he is likely to become more consistent and well-rounded, a frightening prospect for Premier League full-backs.
56. Victor Osimhen (Galatasaray, on loan from Napoli)
The summer transfer window might not have gone entirely to plan for Victor Osimhen, but he remains one of the most lethal strikers in the world. A prolific 2022/23 season at Napoli was the highlight of his career so far, and his goals helped I Partenopei to a first Scudetto in 33 years.
Osimhen is now on loan at Galatasaray, but expect the 25-year-old to score goals at the highest level for years to come. Come the end of this season, Osimhen will likely be a wanted man by the European elite.
55. Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich)
Manuel Neuer is a household name and without question one of the greatest goalkeepers ever to play the game. At 38, he remains Bayern Munich’s No.1, having made well over 500 appearances for the Bundesliga giants.
The Germany international, who has won 11 Bundesliga titles, two Champions Leagues and a World Cup, was arguably the first ‘sweeper keeper’, rushing out of his area to make interceptions or venturing far out to contribute to the buildup. Aside from his influence on the position, Neuer has been remarkably consistent at the top level for almost two decades.
54. Alexander Isak (Newcastle United)
Alexander Isak has established himself as one of the best strikers in the Premier League since joining Newcastle from Real Sociedad in 2022. The 2023/24 season was the Sweden international’s best yet: he netted 21 goals in just 30 top flight appearances, alerting some of Europe’s biggest clubs and sparking inevitable transfer rumours.
But the 25-year-old remains at Newcastle, who have ambitions to reach the very top. With Isak leading the line, their chances of success will be significantly higher.
53. David Raya (Arsenal)
When David Raya arrived at Arsenal last year, it was not immediately obvious that he would displace Aaron Ramsdale. But the former Brentford goalkeeper is now without question the No.1 at the Emirates having earned Mikel Arteta’s trust.
Crucially, the Spaniard is excellent with the ball at his feet, a key attribute given Arsenal’s tendency to play out from the back. His long-range passes are excellent and he often plays a big part in his side’s buildup. And Raya’s shot-stopping appears to get better and better. When the Gunners’ strong defence is occasionally breached, the goalkeeper is usually on hand to make a save.
52. Aurelien Tchouameni (Real Madrid)
Aurelien Tchouameni has gone from strength to strength since joining Real Madrid from Monaco in 2022. Now 24, the French midfielder was touted as a wonderkid for several years before his move to the Spanish capital, and he has certainly fulfilled his potential in the years since.
Tchouameni was a key figure in last season’s La Liga title win, performing consistently in midfield and providing a platform for the more attacking, glamorous Real Madrid players to thrive. Excellent on the ball and uniquely adept at winning it back, Tchouameni has become an important player for Los Blancos.
51. Ruben Dias (Manchester City)
Even as a centre-back, you don’t hold down a regular place in a Pep Guardiola side without considerable class on the ball, and that’s what Dias brings.
The centre-back is one the manager’s most trusted players when it comes to providing leadership on and off the pitch, too, saying last year: “Ruben is not playing just his game. He is playing the game for everyone. He has the ability to see and solve the problems for many things. His character is so important. His leadership is huge.
50. John Stones (Manchester City)
The defender (…are we still calling him a defender?) has always been limited in his minutes for Manchester City thanks to long-standing fitness niggles, but the fact that Pep Guardiola still sees such value in him as a squad player regardless speaks volumes of his influence and quality.
If there was anything people actually liked about England at the Euros, meanwhile, it was their overall defensive solidity, and Stones was present for every minute of their excruciating trickle through to the final.
49. Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain)
The goalkeeper has played in the region of 450 competitive games for club and country already – and he’s only 25. That’s a bit ridiculous, isn’t it?
This actually hadn’t been a banner year for Donnarumma, in all honesty, with some high-profile errors putting his PSG place at risk and Italy suffering through a profoundly disappointing Euros campaign. But he’s still good value for a place in the list: his save percentage and performance against expected goals remain sky high overall.
48. Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan)
Martinez won the Serie A golden boot at an absolute canter last season, netting 24 times for Inter – 50% more than was managed by his closest rival, Juventus’ Dusan Vlahovic. That marked three years in a row that Martinez had breached the 20-goal mark in a division that has long been notoriously difficult for strikers.
It really has been an outstanding year for Martinez even by his own standards, though. He skippered Inter to the league title in his first season wearing the armband and was the top scorer at the Copa America, with his fifth and final goal of the tournament winning the trophy for Argentina in extra time.
47. Bruno Guimaraes (Newcastle United)
Leave it to a Brazilian defensive midfielder to also be a reliable source of goals and assists. Bruno had an excellent campaign even as Newcastle laboured at times last season, netting a few crucial strikes along the way. That helped make up Eddie Howe’s mind to hand the charismatic Bruno the captain’s armband over the summer.
His performances have suffered a bit over the start of the season, in truth, which Howe puts down to his having had a hectic year playing constantly both on Tyneside and for Brazil. Not surprising if he needs a rest, though: at time of writing, Bruno’s missed just one game for club or country in all competitions since March 2023, and that was for a yellow-card totting up suspension.
46. Joao Palhinha (Bayern Munich)
An absolute midfield destroyer for Fulham last season, helping them to maintain one of the best defensive records in the bottom half of the Premier League. And we honestly don’t mean that to be damning with faint praise.
Just ask Bayern Munich, who this summer doubled the money Fulham had paid for Palhinha just two years early to take him to the Bundesliga. At time of writing, his opportunities have been limited, but his time will surely come.
45. Ferland Mendy (Real Madrid)
Described by Carlo Ancelotti as ‘the best defensive full-back in the world’, Mendy is quite happy to let others in his position win plaudits for their goals and assists.
Taking a cue from The Rock, Mendy knows his role, which is to help Real keep the back door shut and provide a platform for their more extravagant talents to do their thing…which actually makes it quite surprising that Didier Deschamps, of all people, doesn’t especially fancy him for France.
44. Lionel Messi (Inter Miami)
We mean, what is there to say anymore? Obviously he’s not the player he once was, but he’s 37 for goodness’ sake, and still comfortably the best player at his level over in MLS with Inter Miami, where his combined goals and assists record is now in excess of one per game.
Messi is still going strong on the international scene, too, skippering Argentina to their Copa America triumph over the summer.
43. Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool)
Already well-versed in the Premier League from his time at Brighton, Mac Allister has proven to be an excellent pick-up for Liverpool since his move last summer – despite being given a very different brief.
It’s a bit of a simplification to say the Argentine was primarily a goalscoring attacking midfielder at his former club, but his move to a more deep-lying role at Anfield was unexpected nonetheless. After some initial difficulties, he has adapted superbly, and has been one of the side’s most consistent performers for Jurgen Klopp, Arne Slot and Lionel Scaloni alike.
42. Pedri (Barcelona)
An exceptionally well-rounded midfielder at just 21 years old, Pedri is already halfway to feeling like a Barcelona veteran having been in the first-team for over four years.
Recurrent hamstring injuries have continued to hamper his playing time somewhat, but when he is fit he is an automatic starter for his club and for Spain, who he helped get through the early stages of Euro 2024 only to pull up injured in the quarter-finals. He’s started finding the net more regularly over the past few months, too.
41. Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich)
The left-back last season had his most productive season since his 2019 move from Vancouver to Bayern Munich, providing six assists and two goals to their cause in a disappointing Bundesliga campaign.
The Canadian is in the final year of his contract at the Allianz Arena, but opted to stay put over the summer despite speculation linking him with moves elsewhere. As he told ESPN: “As of now, my full focus is to stay healthy and to play the game with the club I'm with right now. I'm not focused on what's going on in the future. Just focusing on staying healthy and helping my team win."
