Best of 2021: Top 10 footballers in the world

The French terrier was at his imperious best for Chelsea as they stormed to Champions League success, saving his best displays for the latter stages of the competition. It was an injury-troubled year for Kante, but he nevertheless served notice of his enduring class: when fit, he remains one of the most tenacious footballers in the world, and his influence in the final third seems – improbably – to be growing.

It was in 2021 that De Paul finally got the big move his obvious talent has deserved for so long. The announcement of his transfer to Atletico Madrid came just before the highlight of his year: dazzling for Argentina en route to a Copa America title. Captain Lionel Messi stole the headlines, but it was the dynamism and imagination of the former Udinese man that drove the team forward, and allowed Messi to concentrate his energies on being effective in the final third.

De Bruyne’s facial injury during the Champions League Final pretty much sounded the death knell for Manchester City’s hopes of a comeback, and he was so patently short of full fitness for the Euros and the start of the 2021/22 season. Which is a shame, because when he was fit in 2021, he was positively imperious. The Belgian maestro was instrumental in City’s title win, and posted important contributions throughout the knockout phase of the UCL.

What will it take for Muller to get the respect he actually deserves? A perpetual victim of his lack of aesthetic appeal, the German nevertheless continues to produce at an alarming rate: he is already up to 15 assists this season in the Bundesliga, 32 in total in all league competitions in 2021. Ludicrous, and that does not even take into account goals, which are themselves impressive. At 32, the space investigator is simply one of the best players in the world.

All the furore over his placement in the Ballon d’Or and Yashin trophy standings perhaps tells its own story. Chelsea simply would not have won the Champions League without the solidity and calm their Senegalese shot-stopper imparted. He may have been beaten out for the big awards by Gianluigi Donarumma on account of the latter’s Euros heroics, but Mendy is the people’s champion, and that counts for something.

It seems like such a long time ago that Benzema’s subservience to Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid was a raging topic of discourse. The Frenchman has since disabused any notions of unfulfilled ability since then, and 2021 saw him go from strength to strength, spearheading Real’s blistering start to the 2021/22 season and scoring for fun while doing so. His technical quality and all-round play have been a delight to watch, and he was instrumental as France won the UEFA Nations League in exhilarating circumstances.

If this award only took in performances this season, Salah at number one would hardly have been a controversial choice. Just goals, of all kinds: slaloming dribbles, tap-ins, lashed, blasted, whipped, chipped. The Liverpool man is almost impossible to keep quiet or shake off the ball. Somehow, he maintained a high level of performance despite the Reds’ struggles in the Premier League in 2020/21, and has continued in much the same vein this time around.

There will be those who dismiss Mbappe on the basis of playing in Ligue 1, where Paris Saint Germain hold sway. They would be dead wrong to do so. At 23, Mbappe is carrying a political vehicle on his back, and his scoring numbers in 2021 were frankly ludicrous. He destroyed Barcelona and Bayern Munich in the Champions League to take PSG to the semi-finals, and giving him a further boost were his performances for France: he had a rather muted Euros (and was the villain of the shoot-out defeat to Switzerland), but bounced back to score the equalizer and winner in the Nations League Semi-Final and Final against Belgium and Spain. 

La Pulga finally got his hands on that elusive international trophy in 2021, winning the Copa America and being named the tournament MVP in the process. His second half of the year has been a huge disappointment, as he has often seemed to lack drive and hunger at PSG (except in the Champions League, curiously). However, he single-handedly made one of the poorest Barcelona sides in recent memory improbable title contenders in 2020/21 with 23 goals and eight assists in the second half of the season, and won the Copa Del Rey.

The ‘Striker of the Year 2021’ was also its best player, and should be recognized as such. The Pole’s absence due to injury proved terminal for Bayern Munich’s European aspirations, as they fell to PSG despite creating a glut of chances. Nevertheless, there was the Meisterschale to celebrate, as well as the breaking of Gerd Muller’s legendary Bundesliga record. No one scored more goals in the calendar year: Lewandowski is simply a master in the timeless art of putting the ball in the back of the net, more so than anyone else in the world at the moment.