Odd as it may seem, the outcome of the 2026 World Cup will have a huge impact on who the footballing world crowns as the best player on the planet. That’s the opening sentence to which ESPN announced its list of analysis and rankings of soccer players who could mark the upcoming championship, and thus take home that prestigious title.
The list also included two Croatian players. One of them is Josko Guardiolwho ESPN characterized as a modern defenseman.
It is about a hybrid of a side and central defender who is skilled enough with the ball to join the attack like a classic full-back, but also solid enough in defense to transform into a third stopper if neededESPN wrote.
There is also Luka Modric whom ESPN compared with Joshua Kimmich in the analysis.
Gradient Sports has a team of analysts who evaluate every ball action across Europe every weekend, similar to what Pro Football Focus does in the NFL. Scores are then normalized on a scale of 0 to 100, they started.
Kimmich’s pass rating of 95.8 was the third best in Europe’s top five leagues this season. And in the first place?
40-year-old Modrić found himself there, with a rating of 98.8 in the AC Milan jerseythey concluded.
ESPN singled out Ousmane Dembele as the best player in the world.
He is equally dangerous with both feet, which opens completely new angles on the field and makes it much easier for him to cooperate with any teammate. And secondly, under the guidance of coach Luis Enrique, he became one of the best strikers in the world in the pressing game.
He has been compared to Mbappe:
Four years ago, in 2022, his teammate from the national team Mbappé was supposed to become the best player on the planet. He scored a hat-trick in the World Cup final – the same game in which Dembélé missed a penalty and was substituted before half-time.
A year later, in 2023, Dembélé moved to PSG and fell into the background at Mbappé’s club. But then, the following summer, in 2024, Mbappé went to Madrid, a Dembélé took over his role as the central figure of the attack. So why is Dembélé the best footballer in the world? Because PSG, almost overnight, became the best team in the worldthey concluded.
ESPN’s roster
50. Mohamed Salah, striker, Egypt
49. Kai Havertz, forward, Germany
48. Bernardo Silva, midfielder, Portugal
47. Jules Koundé, defender, France
46. Josko Guardiol, defender, Croatia
45. Emiliano Martínez, goalkeeper, Argentina
44. Gabriel Magalhães, central defender, Brazil
43. Willian Pacho, central defender, Ecuador
42. Marquinhos, central defender, Brazil
41. Thibaut Courtois, goalkeeper, Belgium
40. Casemiro, midfielder, Brazil
39. Rodri, midfielder, Spain
38. Joshua Kimmich, midfielder, Germany
37. Luka Modrić, midfielder, Croatia
36. Virgil Van Dijk, central defender, Netherlands
35. Alexander Isak, striker, Sweden
34. Florian Wirtz, offensive midfielder, Germany
33. Yan Diomande, winger, Ivory Coast
32. Jamal Musiala, offensive midfielder, Germany
31. Antoine Semenyo, winger, Ghana
30. Bradley Barcola, winger, France
29. Luis Díaz, winger, Colombia
28. Désiré Doué, wing, France
27. Lautaro Martínez, striker, Argentina
26. Nuno Mendes, full back, Portugal
25. Achraf Hakimi, full back, Morocco
24. Rayan Cherki, attacking midfielder, France
23. Jérémy Doku, winger, Belgium
22. Julián Álvarez, striker, Argentina
21. João Neves, midfielder, Portugal
20. Moisés Caicedo, midfielder, Ecuador
19. Federico Valverde, midfielder, Uruguay
18. Bruno Guimarães, midfielder, Brazil
17. Vitinha, midfielder, Portugal
16. Declan Rice, midfielder, England
15. Lionel Messi, attacking midfielder, Argentina
14. Kylian Mbappé, striker, France
13. Jude Bellingham, attacking midfielder, England
12. Vinícius Júnior, striker, Brazil
11. Erling Haaland, striker, Norway
10. Martin Ødegaard, offensive midfielder, Norway
9. Bukayo Saka, winger, England
8. Raphinha, wing, Brazil
7. William Saliba, central defender, France
6. Pedri, midfielder, Spain
5. Bruno Fernandes, attacking midfielder, Portugal
4. Harry Kane, striker, England
3. Michael Olise, winger, France
2. Lamine Yamal, wing, Spain
1. Ousmane Dembélé, winger, France
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