We are back! After a brief hiatus due to the Winter World Cup in Qatar, ESPN presents its seventh annual ranking of the best men’s players and coaches in world soccer! Welcome to FC 100.
FC 100 is different because we truly consider all 11 positions on the field; Most countdowns go talent-first with little regard for where the stars are playing. The end result is an uninspiring list that is heavily weighted towards goal scorers (forwards) and goal-creating players from midfield, with little focus on talent in less glamorous areas of the pitch.
Our rankings give each position their due and give readers the closest thing to a “depth chart” of positions by position across world football.
Why are there no players from the USMNT on the ESPN FC 100 list?
Harak Gomez explains why it’s not surprising that no players from the USMNT or the Mexican national team made the ESPN FC 100 list.
The main takeaway
We have a fresh, new-look list with seven new No. 1s in 10 categories Only Ruben Dias (CB), Achraf Hakimi (RB) and Kevin De Bruyne (AM) retained their positions from the 2021 year-end rankings. It reflects the generational shift from the Lionel Messi/Cristiano Ronaldo era to the era of new stars.
Speaking of Cristiano Ronaldo, this is the first time he hasn’t made the list since we started this annual ranking in 2016. Our global panel considered his acrimonious Man United exit, poor World Cup with Portugal and move to the Saudi Pro League as disqualifying factors.
There are no Americans or Mexico internationals among the 100 on the list. Which indicates that there is still some way to go before these players can be considered part of that elite level. (Difficult seasons for the likes of Hirving Lozano, Christian Pulisic and Tyler Adams certainly play into that absence from the rankings.)
The Premier League reigns supreme. Pays 45 players out of 100, and is weighted towards the top clubs and top four. (Full breakdown: Man City 13, Arsenal 8, Liverpool 6, Man United 6, Newcastle 4, Brighton 3; Chelsea/West Ham/Tottenham/Aston Villa one each.)
Man City FC have the most names for the 100followed by Barcelona (10) and Real Madrid (9).
How the list was created?
This year’s ballot featured 50 entries from around the world and from all areas of ESPN FC, from writers to journalists, editors to producers, behind-the-scenes staff to on-air talent. Gabe Marcotti, Julien Lawrence, Mark Ogden and Luis Miguel Etchegar were some of the key voters along with their FC TV counterparts.
Voters were encouraged to take the following into account when casting their votes: Those who are the best players right now, weighted towards the 2022-23 season. Voters were given discretion over how much trauma played in the vote; Many players made the cut despite missing parts of the season given the scale of their contributions and performance while healthy. Equally, performance in individual competitions (aka Champions League, World Cup) was considered, but was not an overwhelming factor in voting. Players whose efforts span the largest sample of the game should naturally be ranked higher than those who excel in shorter tournament formats.
