Top 20 forwards in world football named and ranked including Harry Kane, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe

The top 20 forwards in world football have been named and stars from Real Madrid, Manchester City and Liverpool all feature.

ESPN have been ranking the best players in the game by position, including goalkeepers, defenders and midfielders.

But of course all eyes were on the strikers, which includes wingers and attack-minded players.

The publication put together a top 30 and mentioned each player's key attributes and a stat to know, as well as explaining why they have been included.

Among the high-profile names in the first batch of ten are Alexander Isak, Ollie Watkins, Cristiano Ronaldo, Rafael Leao and Cole Palmer.

But the list hots up in the final ten, with England pair Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden just squeezing in.

Eight-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi is still in a respectable seventh despite now plying his trade with Inter Miami in the MLS.

Real Madrid sensation Vinicius Jr just misses out of a top three which includes goalscoring machines Erling Haaland, Harry Kane and new teammate Kylian Mbappe - the latter topping the list after being described as "the best player in the world".

Here is the list in full:

20.Khvicha Kvaratskhelia - Napoli & Georgia

19.Luis Diaz - Liverpool & Colombia

18.Alexander Isak - Newcastle & Sweden

17.Ollie Watkins - Aston Villa & England

16.Rodrygo - Real Madrid & Brazil

15.Cristiano Ronaldo - Al Nassr & Portugal

14.Rafael Leao - AC Milan & Portugal

13.Victor Osimhen - Napoli & Nigeria

12.Lautaro Martinez - Inter Milan & Argentina

11.Cole Palmer - Chelsea & England

10.Heung Min-Son - Spurs & South Korea

9.Bukayo Saka - Arsenal & England

8.Phil Foden - Manchester City & England

7.Lionel Messi - Inter Miami & Argentina

6.Antoine Griezmann - Atletico Madrid & France

5.Mo Salah - Liverpool & Egypt

4.Vinicius Jr - Real Madrid & Brazil

3.Erling Haaland - Manchester City & Norway

2.Harry Kane - Bayern Munich & England

1.Kylian Mbappe - Real Madrid & France

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