Top 20 Football Players In 2024

Top 20 Football Players In 2024

Written By Noah Solovey

2024 has brought us so many memorable moments already. From amazing goals to upsets, or even historic events in football, 2024 is a year with so many exciting up-and-coming players. In today’s editorial, I’ll be ranking the best football players in 2024. Most of these players are the ones that stick out on the starting XI and are the ones the team works around. Without further ado, let the ranking begin.

20: Kyle Walker

Kyle Walker might be one of the paciest right-backs in the world and an excellent captain, but he is not always the one to make the crucial, game-saving tackles. Though he is a critical member of City’s 11, it is more of him feeding to the wingers and the wingers making the chances, rather than him doing so himself. I wish I could rank him higher than others because of his incredible talent, but Walker is slowly decreasing from his prime when he should be staying in it.

19: Bukayo Saka

This one hurts, to put him in such a low spot, but Saka should be performing so much better this season, and he isn’t. Instead, Arsenal have had to rely on players like Martinelli and Rice to create chances and score goals. Though he still is phenomenal and gets me FPL points every week, he has had some games where he has been silent.

18: Victor Osinhem

I hate to go off of one specific competition, but I have to for Osinhem. He is a fantastic and complete striker, but he is not performing for his nation. At all. He has been completely silent during the AFCON and honestly, I don’t think going back to the Serie A in his current form will be fun. In the crisis Napoli is in, they need Osinhem to be at his top level and he is not. That’s why Osinhem gets 18th for me. I don’t see it going up for him.

17th: Van Dijk

In past years, it would be a sin to put Van Dijk this low. But he has high expectations, and in 2024, he can’t reach them. He just isn’t setting the bar that high anymore. Though he is a tall monster in the back line, Trent Alexander Arnold is better, and Joe Gomez is an amazing up-and-coming player who could eventually be more fierce than him. To be fair, Van Dijk is a superstar, but in 2024, every player who is higher than him on this list deserves it.

16th: Ruben Dias

It is now repetitive to see defenders at the bottom of this list. Though Ruben Dias is amazing, and he is still the strongest player in City’s back-line, he is not who he used to be. Though apart from what I just wrote about him, he is one of the best defenders in the world and puts his body on the line more than anyone. No questions asked.

15th: Trent Alexander-Arnold

He is definitely having his most influential season yet, and he is still super young and has so much career ahead of him. I can see him winning a Ballon d'Or one day. If he continues to impress the world, his future is bright. He is a tackler, a complete defender, and a versatile star. He assists, and referencing FPL again, he is a nice option if you want a buttload of points. Apart from his injury that kept him out a few games, in every match he plays he shines.

14th: Jeremie Frimpong

It is easy to tell why I have put him ahead of defenders like Van Dijk, Ruben Dias, and Kyle Walker. He is the reason why Bayer Leverkusen is ripping apart the Bundesliga. He assists, he scores, he does it all. It was a simple choice for EA choosing to put him in the TOTY. Jeremie Frimpong is not only great for his club, but his country too, he shows his talent.

13th: Declan Rice

The debate between Declan Rice and Rodri is obvious. It’s Rodri. But when Rodri exists, nobody pays attention to the talent of other incredible center defensive midfielders such as Declan Rice. He had two fantastic assists and one phenomenal goal in Arsenal’s win against his former club, West Ham United. Not only in that game, but in every single game Declan Rice is what the Arsenal XI is formed around. He is the center of the club.

12th: Vinicius Jr

In a club like Real Madrid right now, it is hard to shine because the team is not complete. Vini Jr has had to play out of position and adapt to the format of Real Madrid. That hasn’t hurt his style of play at all. He is a creative and versatile player who is setting up Madrid players for success. He is another player that I see winning a Ballon d’Or.

11th: Harry Kane

Moving away from your boyhood club is hard, but Kane proved otherwise. Harry Kane adapted perfectly to Bayern and scored goal after goal. Everything that Bayern is doing right now (in a good way) is because of Harry Kane. Champions League: Kane. Bundesliga: Kane. Bayern Munich operates around the Englishman. The striker is complete.

10th: Phil Foden

Did you see the Man City VS Brentford game? In other words, have you watched Man City play? If you have, you know how talented Phil Foden is. He destroys the Premier League. In every game City and England play, Phil Foden shines and is always absolutely amazing. He might be small, but he scores and assists, and now for the third time in this editorial, he is a great FPL option.

9th: Heung Min Son

Son is the center of Tottenham Hotspurs. When he was gone at the Asia Cup, Spurs were different. They didn’t play the same. They didn’t have their main man, Heung Min Son. Son is fast and scores so many goals. The fourth reference to FPL comes to Heung Min Son. A complete midfielder that is the decider for Tottenham.

8th: Bernardo Silva

Bernardo Silva is in this position because of his versatility. He is a versatile, complete, attacking, goalscoring, fantastic, footballer. He is a frequent starter that Pep can easily trust to help City win a game. He can do anything for Man City when they need it, and he is also a pretty funny skipper.

7th: Mohammed Salah

Mo Salah is the reason why Liverpool are in the title race. He is scoring, he is assisting, he is dominating every single game. Apart from getting injured for his national team during the AFCON, he is always playing and being amazing for the reds. All Premier League teams should fear him on the wing and he is a threat that could do it all.

6th: Julian Alvarez

Alvarez is not only amazing for his club, but his country as well. He is a striker that finishes every ball that comes to him and he is the man that Man City rely on when Haaland is not playing. He has set the bar high for Premier League strikers and is nothing but excellent. In 2024, he is having his best season yet and we know that his future is bright!

5th: Kylian Mbappe

Don’t get me wrong, Kylian Mbappe is an amazing baller and some people consider him number one, but hear me out. Mbappe is playing in a league with no talent, and he isn’t giving himself a challenge at all. Coming to Real Madrid, he is going to have to be an inverted striker and he will also not engage with the Haaland rivalry. He is amazing, but he is not guiding himself to success. He does deserve the 5th spot though, for his fascinating footballing ability.

4th: Rodri

I don’t know the exact numbers, but the ratio between games won with Rodri and lossed versus games without Rodri won and lossed there is a huge difference. The whole Man City team is built around him. He scores, he defends, he does everything for Man City and is the center of the entire team. Rodri is a sensational talent that the footballing world will never forget.

3rd: Jude Bellingham

BELLINGOL! Tell me the amount of players who come to big club like Real Madrid and immediately become their star player. The first game Bellingham played he was already the center of the team. He scored so many goals and was a fan favorite right away. He is an icon, no matter what steps his career will bring him.

2nd: Erling Haaland

Haaland is a monster. He scores loads and from his headers to his pacey runs, he is one of the best players in the world right now. He shows this when he comes back from an injury that took him two months to recover and starts scoring right away. All defenders have nightmares about this man. People say he is the best player in the world, but when they’re asked, “Who is the best player on Man City?” They say the man in 1st.

1st: Kevin De Bruyne

Please let me rant for a second. Kevin De Bruyne has it all for real. He has played for so many seasons and has kept his prime for so long. He is nicknamed, “The Playmaker” for a good reason because the way he turns the game around single-handedly is just incredible. From assists to amazing goals, everyone should agree that he is the best midfielder in the entire world.

In conclusion, all football players are amazing, but some are better than others. Players like Cole Palmer will one day be right on this list. But for now, these are my rankings! Wait a second, I forgot Messi and Ronaldo. Oh, I did. But I don’t think it’s that era anymore.