Cristiano Ronaldo Left Out Of Top 100 Best Footballer As Lionel Messi Drops To Lower Level

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Sofoluwe Mayowa

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May 8, 2023
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Cristiano Ronaldo has been left out of the top 100 of the best football players in the world as Lionel Messi managed to secure a sixth-place finish.

The Portugal International player has been snubbed in the recent list of best footballers in 2023.

The former Manchester United frontman has no doubt enjoyed an excellent 2023, following his incredible run of form this year, having bagged 50 goals in all competitions so far for both country and club side.

Meanwhile, the former Real Madrid goal machine's eye-catching performances were not enough to earn him a place in the current FourFourTwo list of top 100 players in the year 2023.

With 2023 approaching its final days, FourFourTwo have gathered a list of the top influential players in the ongoing year.

Players including Bruno Fernandes of Man United, Gabriel Martinelli of Arsenal, James Maddison of Tottenham, Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool, and Son Heung-min of Tottenham have all been included in the top 100, but five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo is nowhere to be found.

The former Juventus forward is no longer valued as one of the best in the world despite scoring 34 goals and providing another 12 assists in 41 outings for Al-Nassr since joining the club on a free transfer in January.

However, Cristiano Ronaldo's long-time rival Lionel Messi managed to secure a spot in the list.


Lionel Messi, who earned his record-breaking eighth Ballon d'Or in October, has been named the sixth-best player in the world by FourFourTwo following his achievement with Argentina at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

The former FC Barcelona captain led his nation to World Cup victory at the end of 2022, winning the Golden Ball award in the process.

He joined MLS side Inter Miami in June after leaving Paris Saint-Germain following the expiration of his contract and has since bagged 11 goals and provided five assists in 14 games.

Numerous Manchester City players were seen in the top 100, with John Stones, Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, and Rodri among the top 20 best football players.

Bukayo Saka of Arsenal slightly missed out on a place in the top 10, finishing 11th, while his fellow teammate Declan Rice was included in the 20th-best player in the world.

Vinicius Jr of Real Madrid, Antoine Griezmann of Atletico Madrid, and Mohamed Salah of Liverpool have been named among the ten best players in the world, while Kylian Mbappe slightly missing out on the top three.

England captain Harry Kane is evaluated as the third-best footballer in the world due to his record-breaking year.

The 30-year-old England International became Tottenham's all-time leading goalscorer in February, surpassing Jimmy Greaves' record. He also became England's scorer on the 24th of March, 2023, during a Euro 2024 qualifying match against Italy.

Kane departed Spurs to join Bayern Munich in a £104 million deal in August 2023 and has since broken several Bundesliga records.

He has scored a mouth-watering 21 goals to put him on course to be 2023's top scorer, with 52 goals in just 15 league outings.

Another player who has influenced his new club this season is Jude Bellingham, who is regarded as the second-best player in the world.

The former Birmingham City player joined Real Madrid in a big money move reportedly worth £115 million from Borussia Dortmund on the 14th of June 2023.

He is presently leading the La Liga Golden Boot race with 13 goals in 15 appearances despite playing mainly as a midfielder.

The England international narrowly missed out on the top place to Norwegian goal machine and current treble-winner Erling Haaland.

The former Borussia Dortmund striker joined Man City last summer and had no problems adapting to the Premier League.

He scored 52 goals in 53 games in all competitions during his first season at the Etihad. Meanwhile, his performances earned him the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League title last season.

He also broke the record for the most Premier League goals scored in a single season, overtaking Alan Shearer and Andy Cole.

Below is the full list of the 2023 top 100 best footballers in the world according to FourFourTwo.

1. Erling Haaland (Man City)
2. Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid)
3. Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)
4. Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
5. Rodri (Man City)
6. Lionel Messi (Inter Miami)
7. Bernardo Silva (Man City)
8. Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
9. Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid)
10. Vinicius Jr. (Real Madrid)
11. Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
12. Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich)
13. Kevin De Bruyne (Man City)
14. Victor Osimhen (Napoli)
15. Ilkay Gundogan (Barcelona)
16. William Saliba (Arsenal)
17. Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)
18. John Stones (Man City)
19.Rafael Leao (AC Milan)
20. Declan Rice (Arsenal)
21. Allisson (Liverpool)
22. Bruno Guimares (Newcastle)
23. Ederson (Man City)
24. Martin Odegaard (Arsenal)
25. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Napoli)
26. Ruben Dias (Man City)
27. Leroy Sane (Bayern Munich)
28. Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona)
29. Kyle Walker (Man City)
30. Son Heung-Min (Tottenham)
31. Xavi Simons (PSV)
32. Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
33. Pedri (Barcelona)
34. Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan)
35. Warren Zaire-Emery (PSG)
36. Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid)
37. Alejandro Balde (Barcelona)
38. James Maddison (Tottenham)
39. Julian Alvarez (Man City)
40. Kieran Trippier (Newcastle)
41. Ter Stegen (Barcelona)
42. Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton)
43. Luka Modric (Real Madrid)
44. Takefusa Kubo (Real Sociedad)
45. Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich)
46. Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona)
47. Kim Min-jae (Napoli)
48. Randal Kolo-Muani (PSG)
49. Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa)
50. Mike Maignan (AC Milan)
51. Martinelli (Arsenal)
52. Alphonso Davies (Bayern)
53. Luis Diaz (Liverpool)
54. Kingsley Coman (Bayern)
55. Dusan Vlahovic (Juve)
56. Lois Openda (Lens)
57. Bruno Fernandes (Man United)
58. Alexander Isak (Newcastle)
59. Achraf Hakimi (PSG)
60. Rodrygo (Real Madrid)
61. Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen)
62. Santiago Gimenez (Feyenoord)
63. Gavi (Barcelona)
64. Marquinhos (PSG)
65. Toni Kross (Real Madrid)
66. Joao Palhinha (Fulham)
67. Anthony Gordon (Newcastle)
68. Granit Xhaka (Leverkusen)
69. Aurelien Tchouameni (Real Madrid)
70. Theo Hernandez (AC Milan)
71. Sven Botman (Newcastle United)
72. Phil Foden (Man City)
73. Julian Brandt (Dortmund)
74. Dejan Kulusevski (Tottenham)
75. Hakan Calhanoglou (Inter Milan)
76. Moussa Diaby (Aston Villa)
77. Marcus Rashford (Man United)
78. Jack Grealish (Man City)
79. Dominik Szoboszlai (Liverpool)
80. Victor Boniface (Leverkusen)
81. Federico Valverde (Real Madrid)
82. Raheem Sterling (Chelsea)
83. Douglas Luiz (Aston Villa)
84. Federico Chiesa (Juve)
85. Martin Zubimendi (Real Sociedad)
86. Viktor Gyokeres (Sporting Lisbon)
87. Christopher Nkunku (Chelsea)
88. Ivan Martin (Girona)
89. Marcus Thuram (Inter Milan)
90. Nico Williams (Athletic Club)
91. Serhou Guirassy (Stuttgart)
92. Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea)
93. Olivier Giroud (AC Milan)
94. Isco (Real Betis)
95. Lucas Paqueta (West Ham United)
96. Karim Benzema (Al-Ittihad)
97. Micky van de Ven (Tottenham)
98. Diogo Costa (FC Porto)
99. Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid)
100. Sergio Busquets (Inter Miami).