Introducing the Golazo 100 countdown: How CBS Sports ranked the best men’s soccer players in the world

For much of the last decade, an exercise like this would have seemed completely redundant. There was really nothing to debate when it came to the question of who is the greatest football player on the planet. What a waste of hours and spreadsheets it would be to present all of this to you Lionel Messi It’s the best in the business.

Now, however, the sport is in a period of transition. The great man and his eternal rival Cristiano Ronaldo began their post-imperial projects, spreading the game throughout their football backwaters. Those who were cursed to seek greatness in the Messi era now realize that their lights are also dimming. As for those that follow, how can anyone hope to achieve such a high standard?

And welcome to the Golazo 100, a ranking of the best players in men’s football, with a similar women’s list to follow ahead of the Olympics. More than 30 voters across the CBS Sports and Golazo Network football departments, including Morning Footy presenters – Susannah Fuller, Charlie Davies, Nico Cantor and Alexis Guerreros – alongside Nigel Reo-Coker, Ian Joy, Chris Wittyngham, Michael LaHoud, Jimmy Conrad, Guillem Balague and Anita Jones participated in this exercise. Each expert was given a simple task: give us the best you have.

What we got was a pretty remarkable spread. In their individual lists of 100 came eight different players considered the best in the game.

Over the next few days we will reveal the best of the best, starting on Wednesday with our first 20 names. There will be plenty of surprises and plenty to debate in time for June 12th when we name the inaugural winner of the Golazo 100.

Goal 100 schedule

Make sure you tune in to the Golazo Network, including Morning Footy, to start your day with an analysis of each batch of the best players released each day.

• Wednesday, June 5th: 100-81
• Thursday, June 6: 80-61
• Friday, June 7th: 60-41
• Saturday, June 8: Top Americans to Watch in 2025
• Sunday, June 9th: Anticipated Top 40
• Monday, June 10th: 40-21
• Tuesday, June 11: 20-11
• Wednesday, June 12th: 10-1

How Golazo 100 voting works

Each expert ranked players from 1 to 100, with players receiving 100 points for first, 99 for second, and so on up to 1 point for 100th. For tiebreaker purposes, if two players finished with the same number of points, the advantage would go to the player with the most individual points. Fortunately, no player finished tied on points after all the votes were tallied.

Throughout the voting, 297 different players received at least 1 point and the 100th player on the list scored 342 points in our expert group.

It’s no big surprise that so many had a convincing candidacy. It doesn’t take much of a spoiler alert to get an idea of ​​who might be there or around when we reveal the top 20 on Tuesday and Wednesday next week. It took almost 18 months for someone to win Rodrigo in a football match. Vinícius Junior just delivered to Real Madrid in the biggest game in football, again. Harry Kane, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe remain at the top of the continent’s scoring charts.

None of them offers an ironclad candidacy to be the best of the best. Does it matter that all of Kane’s many goals have not yet contributed to the club’s title? Will the best player be able to play the majority of his football in a league whose competitive balance has been undermined by his employers? To have Vinícius It is Jude Bellingham spent enough time near the summit to take the last step? It’s next year the year an appropriate time to acclaim from Manchester City Rodri, Haaland or Kevin De Bruyne?

For some of our panels these questions will have proven more persuasive. All of those mentioned above – and many others who will be in the top 20 – provided moments of transcendent brilliance last season and beyond. It’s just that the guy before them did it all the time.

In a way that only Pelé and Diego Maradona have done before, Messi changed the parameters of greatness in football. None of the greats at the top of the sport have a comparable season, with 73 goals and 32 assists in 60 games. None of them have eight Ballon d’Ors, 12 national titles, a World Cup won by force of will and the 2023 Leagues Cup. No one will match Messi.

That’s where the fun lies. No more blockages. When we repeat this exercise a year from now, Mbappe, Vinicius and Bellingham’s collective brilliance may have spoiled their case for individual greatness à la the Kevin Durant-era Golden State Warriors. Age may have caught up with Kane and De Bruyne. Bukayo Saka, Florian Wirtz, Rafael Leao: All these and many more will be able to take the last big leap. For the first time in a generation, the title of best in the world is there for the taking.

From the outside looking in:

• 110. Iñaki Williams, striker, Atlético de Bilbao
• 109. Romelu Lukakuforward, AS Gypsy (loan from Chelsea)
• 108. Jules Koundé, defender, Barcelona
• 107. Leandro Trossardadvance, Arsenal
• 106. Éder Militão, defender, Real Madrid
• 105. Warren Zaïre-Emery, midfielder, PSG
• 104. Julian Brandtmidfielder, Borussia Dortmund
• 103. Lucas Paquetá, midfielder, West Ham
• 102. Cristiano Romerodefender, Tottenham Hotspur
• 101. Gregor Kobelgoalkeeper, Borussia Dortmund