Golazo 100 of the future: Antonee Robinson, Benjamin Sesko, David Alaba lead candidates for next year’s list

CBS Sports’ first annual Golazo 100 may be approaching the final rounds, but we’re already thinking about who could be among the centurions in our 2025 rankings. Here are 10 players who, due to form, fitness or other reasons, missed out on this year’s list but could very well reach the top 100 within 12 months:

1. Gregor Kobel, Borussia Dortmund

We start with the player who ranked 101st in the Golazo 100, Borussia Dortmund’s number 1, Gregor Kobel. Some Westfalenstadion players may have been pushed beyond what should have been their maximum limits by our voting panel, in light of an excellent campaign in the final weeks of the season, but interestingly the star of his team’s run to the League final dos Champions did not capture the imagination of our voting panel. He has been ranked as the ninth best goalkeeper in the world and yet over the last two seasons he is ahead of the likes of Thibaut Courtois, Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Emiliano Martinez in terms of goals prevented per 90 minutes of league play.

If goalkeeper metrics can be a little tricky to understand, then a quick examination of his performance should offer an endorsement of his qualities. Kobel played his club’s most important games, so much so that hardly a week goes by without him being linked to players like Paris Saint-Germain or Chelsea. Whether or not he makes the move, there is little about him to suggest he has benefited from the hot hand in recent years. Expect Kobel’s quality and acclaim to grow in the coming years.

2.David Alaba, Real Madrid

Put this one firmly in the category of players whose opportunities have been curtailed by injuries. For the last four years, David Alaba has been one of the best defenders in the world. Before that, he was one of the best left-backs in the world. If his career had developed along a different trajectory, he may well have been equally elite as a central midfielder. The technical qualities that made him so valued first by Bayern Munich and then by Real Madrid will not have disappeared when he recovers from the cruciate ligament tear suffered in December. The unanswered question for now is whether Alaba’s athleticism will remain. Players who return from long-term injury at the age of 32 are often not the forces they were. If Alaba is what he was, there is no doubt that he will feature in the Golazo 100.

3. Warren Zaire-Emery, Paris Saint-Germain

Another representative of what we call the Golazo 110, Zaire-Emery’s CV may have been too brief to propel him a little higher. Certainly for me, the Paris Saint-Germain midfielder was one of the most agonizing final cuts because the shape of the player he will be is so appealing. In just a few weeks’ time, we may already be too late in trying to jump on board the Zaire-Emery campaign train, as France’s youngest international has been named in Didier Deschamps’ Euro 2024 squad.

It may seem too early for the French national team to make room for an 18-year-old, but the same was said when Zaire-Emery broke into the Paris Saint-Germain squad, the youngster firmly establishing himself as a solution to what had been the great problematic position of the champions for so long. With the departure of Kylian Mbappe, there is a vacancy in Parisian affections. Zaire-Emery may well lay claim to it and a place in our Top 100 to go with it.

4. Ben White, Arsenal

With six names in the Golazo 100, Arsenal fans would hardly feel paralyzed by the amount of reps given to Mikel Arteta. Still, it seemed like a few more names might have been difficult. If we had started this process a year ago, Gabriel Martinelli would certainly have a high ranking. If the season had lasted another month, Leandro Trossard could well have come in. The most surprising omission, however, would have to be Ben White.

At a time when the demands placed on full-backs are increasingly varied, the 26-year-old is a true archetype. Few players in his position can perform all three key roles asked of them in 2024, but White can be the third defender in possession, the touchline-hugging overlapper and the one who switches into midfield. If he had to, he could probably do every job in the same game. Given that Arsenal only look set to improve next year, it could well be that they have more than half a dozen names in the 2025 Golazo 100. If that is indeed the case, expect White to be one of them.

5. Jonathan David, Lille

The goals have been flowing for Canadian international Jonathan David since the day he arrived at Lille, and over the last two years he has produced an impressive torrent of goals, 43 goals in 71 Ligue 1 games. Perhaps it has been nothing more than the pattern of the opponents he faced that resulted in David not making the list, which could well change this summer as the 24-year-old approaches the final 12 months of his contract. There are many suitors for David in Serie A, the Premier League and La Liga; If Erik ten Hag remains at Manchester United, he will be an admirer of the Canadian, according to CBS Sports sources.

Of course, David could still finish out his final year at Lille, after which he would be an extremely intriguing option on the free agent market, but it’s hard to shake the feeling that the young striker has proven everything he can in Ligue 1. Only with move to one of Europe’s top four leagues, he could mount an overwhelming case to be in the next Golazo 100.

6. Benjamin Sesko, RB Leipzig

Will Benjamin Sesko be the next attacking titan, destined to take the Premier League by storm following his move from Germany in a manner not unlike the man he is so often compared to, Erling Haaland? It’s a little hard to be sure right now. The Slovenian international finished the 2023-24 season with the kind of goalscoring run that befits a player long considered one of Europe’s best young strikers, but there may well have been plenty of air left in a 0.82 goals return in the Bundesliga every 90 matches. plus regulation 0.45 expected goals per 90. Likewise, that’s not a bad number for a 21-year-old playing his first season in one of Europe’s top five leagues. The same happens with the average of 2.77 shots he took in a RB Leipzig team that has many options to finish plays.

Whatever Sesko’s current ability (and potential ceiling) is, he’s almost certainly going to be a name you hear a lot more of in the coming months. Arsenal are huge admirers of the young striker and one of the main candidates for his signature, although Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain are among those keeping a close eye on his form at RB Leipzig this season. A move away from Red Bull’s setup could be enough to propel him further up the standings… or he could be swallowed up on the depth chart by a bigger side.

7.Christopher Nkunku, Chelsea

What turned out to be a 2023-24 of relative progress for Chelsea could have been so much more had they gotten more than 437 Premier League minutes from a player who, upon arriving from RB Leipzig in the summer of 2023, many would have expected to be the your most important striker. In Germany, Christopher Nkunku was a production machine, scoring 36 goals and 17 assists in his final two seasons in the Bundesliga. The French international was given an opportunity to create a machine for himself and others before moving to London and at the age of 26. There is plenty of time for him to regain the form and fitness of his best years.

8. Antonee Robinson, Fulham

Left-back is perhaps not a position overloaded with elite talent at the moment – the only player who could even loosely be classed as one who also made our top 50 was Alejandro Grimaldo – and in the Premier League in particular, Robinson he has the opportunity to prove his worth, even at a club that doesn’t compete at the top of the table. The North American international has long looked a threat when carrying the ball upfield, but this season the Fulham defender has made significant strides off the ball, one of his best performances coming when facing Mohamed Salah. In fact, across Europe’s top five leagues, no one has made more interceptions than Robinson.

It may not be revealing too much in the way of trade secrets to say that many in our voting group are more aware of progress of USMNT stars more than most; If Robinson continues on his current trajectory, it seems eminently plausible that you’ll find him at the bottom of the 2025 Golazo 100.

9. Matias Soule, Juventus

Given the relatively limited standard of the teammates who surrounded him on loan at Frosinone last season, Matias Soule made a big impression in Serie A at just 20 years of age. His 2.35 chances created per 90 was the eighth-highest return in Italy’s top flight and he also ranked in the top 40 for goal frequency, not bad for a player with just a handful of appearances for Juventus before this season. He may have an outside chance of making the Golazo 100 next year and much will depend on whether he makes it to a team, Juventus or otherwise, for 2024-25 that can give him a bigger platform to showcase his truly impressive talents.

10. João Félix, Atlético de Madrid

Why not end this with what, on the current trajectory, appears to be a long shot. João Félix had an eminently reasonable year on loan at Barcelona, ​​registering 10 goals and six assists in all competitions, but perhaps it wasn’t enough to get the Portuguese international back on the right track after what felt like years of unfulfilled potential. Atletico Madrid and Diego Simeone don’t seem suitable for Felix. Barcelona may not have the money to bring him back. Would anyone else be willing to take on the established, long-term role Felix needs to shine?

It’s not really a set of circumstances that screams an imminent place in the Golazo 100, but it’s worth noting that Félix is ​​still only 24 years old and that even after so many difficult seasons at club level he has managed to average more than three shots per 90 and just shy of 0.5 penalty-free xG in a secondary or even tertiary role with an underwhelming Barcelona team. A gifted creator, a strong runner on the ball and blessed with an eye for passing: there’s something truly special that could be unlocked if the $135 million man can find the right spot.

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