Golazo 100: Top 40 look ahead as Real Madrid, Manchester City, Arsenal and Inter well represented

The final 40 names of the Great goal 100 they are a celebration of the best of the best in men’s football, and the final batch represents a broad cross-section of the sport’s current elite teams and countries, as well as the players.

Although all but two of the players play in Europe’s top five leagues, the group comes from 16 clubs and 18 countries across four continents. It should also come as no surprise that the top 40 players in the Golazo 100 constitute a very distinct group – a large proportion of them won the title in their national leagues during the 2023-24 season, while a considerable number of UEFA Champions League winners and some champions of the World Cup were eliminated.

Before the final 40 names are revealed in the coming days, with 40-21 coming up on Monday on Morning Footy on Golazo Network and CBSSports.com, here’s a look at the top-ranked players by club, country and achievements.

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. And of course, be sure to check out the full breakdown and analysis of who ranked, where, and why

Attackers take control

It’s no surprise that offensive-minded players make up a large portion of the top 40, with nine forwards and eight wingers occupying the top spots. There was plenty of love for the central midfielders and attacking midfielders, 15 of which are also in the top 40. The rest of the top 40 includes four defenders, two goalkeepers and two defensive midfielders.

• 2 goalkeepers
• 4 defenders
• 2 defensive midfielders
• 15 central midfielders
• 9 attackers
• 8 wings

Premier League reigns supreme

Although all but two of the players play outside of Europe’s top five leagues, one domestic league stood above the rest – the Premier League. Seventeen of the top 40 come from six teams in England’s top flight, while 10 players from three teams come from La Liga. Serie A and the Bundesliga had five players each, with three Italian clubs represented and two German clubs in the mix. Ligue 1, MLS and the Saudi Pro League each had a player who played in their leagues last season – and it’s probably not hard to guess who they are, but we won’t spoil it for you.

• 17 Premier League players
• 10 players from the Spanish League
• 5 Serie A players
• 5 Bundesliga players
• 1 Ligue 1 player
• 1 MLS player
• 1 Saudi Pro League player

Manchester City and Real Madrid at the top

Manchester City and Real Madrid, the last two winners of the Champions League, are essentially tied when it comes to bringing together the best talent in the world and that is the case with the top 40 of the Golazo 100. Each team has seven players in the top 40 after to win their national titles, while Inter and Arsenal have four each. Three players each represent Liverpool and Bayern Munich, while two players each play for Bayer Leverkusen and Barcelona. Another eight clubs from six countries have one player each in the top 40.

• 7 Real Madrid players
• 7 Manchester City players
• 4 Interplayers
• 4 Arsenal players
• 3 Liverpool players
• 3 Bayern Munich players
• 2 Bayer Leverkusen players
• 2 Barcelona players
• 1 Paris Saint-Germain player
• 1 Tottenham Hotspur player
• 1 Chelsea player
• 1 Manchester United player
• 1 Atlético de Madrid player
• 1 Napoli player
• 1 Inter Miami player
• 1 Al-Nassr player

The stacked teams of England and Germany

Most of the top 40 players will be at the Euros and Copa América this summer, with two national teams representing 12 players – England and Germany, each with six. Portugal is close behind with five players in the top 40, while Brazil will take four to the Copa América. France is represented three times in the top 40. Argentina, Spain and Norway have two players each and 10 countries have one player each.

• 6 England players
• 6 players from Germany
• 5 players from Portugal
• 4 players from Brazil
• 3 players from France
• 2 Argentine players
• 2 players from Spain
• 2 players from Norway
• 1 Belgian player
• 1 player from Egypt
• 1 Dutch player
• 1 player from South Korea
• 1 player from Poland
• 1 player from Nigeria
• 1 player from Uruguay
• 1 player from Italy
• 1 player from Türkiye
• 1 player from Croatia

Winning mentality

Half of the top 40 reached the top of the list because they won their national titles, while 22 of them have Champions League winners’ medals. A small number of them have also been successful on the international stage – four players have won the World Cup and four players have also won the continental championship. Three Ballon d’Or winners also made the top 40.

• 22 UEFA Champions League winners
• 20 national league champions during the 2023-24 season
• 4 World Cup winners
• 4 winners of the continental championship
• 3 Ballon d’Or winners