The Top 100 Best Male Footballers In The World Ranked

Ballon d'Or winner and World Cup finalist Luka Modric was named the best player in world football in a report from The Guardian in December, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi coming in second and third respectively.

There has been some huge changes compared to last season's standings, with Neymar dropping down to 11th, while the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Mohamed Salah move up the ranks dramatically.

It is claimed that a panel of 225 experts from 69 nations have come together to crown their best 100 male players in world football, and their are some interesting picks, to say the least.

In 2017, Lionel Messi claimed top spot, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar taking the top three spots.

Here's the full-list from 1-100. Do you agree with the following picks? Any choices stand out?

1. Luka Modric
2. Cristiano Ronaldo
3. Lionel Messi
4. Kylian Mbappe
5. Mohamed Salah
6. Antoine Griezmann
7. Eden Hazard
8. Kevin de Bruyne
9. Harry Kane
10. N'Golo Kante
11. Neymar
12. Raphael Varane
13. Ivan Rakitic
14. Luis Suarez
15. Sergio Aguero
16. Paul Pogba
17. Sergio Ramos
18. Marcelo
19. Sadio Mane
20. David Silva
21. Edinson Cavani
22. Toni Kroos
23. Roberto Firmino
24. Virgl Van Dijk
25. Philippe Coutinho
26. Paolo Dybala
27. Jan Oblak
28. Isco
29. Ivan Perisic
30. Robert Lewandowski
31. Raheem Sterling
32. Mauro Icardi
33. Mario Mandzukic
34. Diego Godin
35. Samuel Umtiti
36. Christian Eriksen
37. Thibaut Courtois
38. Gareth Bale
39. David de Gea
40. Hugo Lloris
41. Romelu Lukaku
42. Casemiro
43. Alisson
44. Ter Stegen
45. Dele Alli
46. Dries Mertens
47. Marco Reus
48. Karim Benzema
49. Giorgio Chiellini
50. Sergio Busquets
51. Miralem Pjanic
52. Jorginho
53. Blaise Matuidi
54. Edin Dzeko
55. Pierre Emerick Aubameyang
56. Kalidou Koulibaly
57. Leroy Sane
58. Lorenzo Insigne
59. Ederson
60. Gianluigi Buffon
61. Saul Niguez
62. Marco Asensio
63. Fernandinho
64. Jordi Alba
65. Jordan Pickford
66. Keylor Navas
67. Joshua Kimmich
68. Bernardo Silva
69. Lucas Hernandez
70. James Rodriguez
71. Benjamin Pavard
72. Kieran Trippier
73. Ciro Immobile
74. Thiago Silva
75. Thomas Meunier
76. Leonardo Bonucci
77. Marcos Alonso
78. Son Heung-Min
79. Harry Maguire
80. Kyle Walker
81. Gabriel Jesus
82. James Milner
83. Gerard Pique
84. Memphis Depay
85. Ante Rebic
86. John Stones
87. Denis Cheryshev
88. Diego Costa
89. Matthis de Ligt
90. Gonzalo Higuain
91. Willian
92. Frenkie de Jong
93. Lucas Torreira
94. Gonzalo Martinez
95. Nabil Fekir
96. Axel Witsel
97. Olivier Giroud
98. Hirving Lozano
99. Mesut Ozil
100. Jose Maria Gimenez

In terms of how the judges voted, 35% of those picked Luka Modric as the best player in world football, while 21% chose Lionel Messi and just 15% opted for Cristiano Ronaldo.

The World Cup has clearly had a huge influence on the top 100 list, with the likes of Kieran Tripper, Benjamin Pavard and Ante Rebic all making an appearance predominantly because of this summer's competition.

Here's the judges vote in full:

Thoughts on the list? Would you change anything in particular?

Let us know in the comments.

Featured Image Credit:

Topics: Hazard, Football News, Mbappe, Football, Modric, Barcelona, Messi, Ronaldo, Premier League, Man City, Real Madrid, La Liga

Jack Kenmare

Jack Kenmare is a writer at SPORTbible. He's interviewed some of the biggest names in sport, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Pele, Carles Puyol and Tim Henman. He dabbles in all things sport but football is his biggest passion. He was once hit in the head by a wayward strike from Nicky Butt and lived to tell the tale.

@jackkenmare_