B/R Top 25 Men's World Football Players in 2025
The new year is upon us, meaning your full attention needs to be on our list of the best men's footballers for 2025. It's been 12 months of redemption in many ways, with the recurring theme on this list being players who have stood up and delivered when many doubt
Our rankings criteria span the period from the start of 2025 through the end of the year and are based on the calendar year. If you disagree with them, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section of the app.
Time to tuck in
25-20: Saliba, Van Dijk, Bellingham, Fernandes, Donnarumma and Diaz
1 of 9
25. William Saliba, Arsenal & France
Part of the best centre-back duo in the world. A brilliant reader of the game and more sensible than his club colleague, Gabriel, bringing great balance to Arsenal.
24. Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool & The Netherlands
A tough inclusion on current form. However, it would be wrong to overlook VVD's leadership and excellent performances as Liverpool won the Premier League last season.
23. Jude Bellingham, Real Madrid & England
Injuries and a club-wide drop off haven't helped Jude Bellingham this year. He's still decisive, particularly when used through the middle and allowed to run forwards. Both Madrid and England need him to be in form if they're to win trophies, such is his quality when fully firing.
22. Bruno Fernandes, Manchester United & Portugal
One of the world's most underrated players because he has a tendency to whine on the pitch and plays for a terrible team. Bruno Fernandes is always contributing–whether it's goals, assists, or work-rate–and he deserves to be recognised for what he is: Manchester United's best post-Sir Alex Ferguson signing and a future club legend.
21. Gianluigi Donnarumma, Manchester City & Italy
The best goalkeeper in the world right now. Gianluigi Donnarumma swatted away the critics with some huge performances en route to Paris Saint-Germain winning the treble. He's adapted well to life at Manchester City after harshly being deemed Lucas Chevalier's understudy in the summer.
20. Luis Diaz, Bayern Munich & Colombia
A player so many Liverpool fans didn't want to lose. Luis Diaz notched 13 goals and five assists as the Reds wrestled the English crown from Man City. His form since joining Bayern has been phenomenal, and few can match his pure, unfiltered aggression when running with the ball.
19-15: Lewandowski, Kvaratskhelia, Gyokeres, Olise and McTominay
2 of 9
19. Robert Lewandowski, Barcelona & Poland
Would it be fair to say Robert Lewandowski has gone under the radar a little bit recently, despite continuing to put up incredible numbers? The 37-year-old is basically a guaranteed one-goal-per-game man and has been across the calendar year.
18. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Paris Saint-Germain & Georgia
Any team would be lucky to have Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Even so, you'd be hard-pressed to argue that few needed him more than PSG in 2025. The winger dovetailed brilliantly with Ousmane Dembele, and vitally, put in the hard yards tracking back. This not only made PSG a stronger prospect but also allowed their brilliant full-backs to shine.
17. Viktor Gyokeres, Arsenal & Sweden
A bit like Van Dijk, some leeway is needed here. Viktor Gyokeres was absolutely insane last season at Sporting. It's easy to forget he was the summer's most wanted striker. A man who put up over 50 goals for club and country before moving to North London, where he's looked clunky and largely unfit.
16. Michael Olise, Bayern Munich & France
A player who has stepped up since earning his big move from Crystal Palace. Twelve goals and 15 assists in his debut Bundesliga season, plus seven goals and eight assists in 12 starts this campaign. It's nice to see a high-profile transfer pay off like this, as Olise has only grown in confidence, which now ranks him amongst the best in the world.
15. Scott McTominay, Napoli & Scotland
Serie A's best player last season and a king for his country. Many Manchester United fans would have seen signs of this coming when he was allowed to leave. McTominay contributed plenty of goals as his time with the Red Devils came to an end.
Napoli spotted the potential and finally gave him full responsibility, elevating McSauce into a Ballon d'Or nominee and the goalscoring beast from midfield that's always been hidden in there.
14-10: Neves, Hakimi, Gabriel, Rice and Pedri
3 of 9
14. Joao Neves, Paris Saint-Germain & Portugal
An all-round superstar who can dictate play, hassle and set the tempo through his energy.
Much of PSG's success last season came down to their midfield balance. Joao Neves is scrappier than his teammates, Vitinha and Fabian Luiz; more likely to bust a gut or step on an ankle. But that's exactly why he has worked so well. His regular goal contributions are the cherry on top.
13. Achraf Hakimi, Paris Saint-Germain & Morocco
It's hard not to look at Real Madrid's issues at right-back this season and wonder what could have been.
Los Blancos let Achraf Hakimi leave in 2020, opting to sign Trent Alexander-Arnold as Dani Carvajal's long-term replacement earlier this year. There was a time where Trent was the best attacking right-back in the world. That's Hakimi's title now.
12. Gabriel, Arsenal & Brazil
I alluded to this earlier in the Saliba entry: Gabriel is more prone to doing something crazy than his defensive partner. That may result in an odd mistake.
However, his physical attributes, combined with great instinct, make him incredibly difficult to get the better of. That's even before you consider he's the best attacking defender in the world from set pieces.
11. Declan Rice, Arsenal & England
A midfield 'general' if ever there was one.
There's hints of Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira in Declan Rice. A lung-buster who can stride forwards and play a pass.
The Englishman is a leader and has quietly become one of the best dead-ball deliverers in the world. Those two free-kicks against Real Madrid are iconic. Like the other Arsenal entries, trophies must follow soon.
10. Pedri, Barcelona & Spain
How is Pedri still only 23?
Barcelona's midfield engine sets the tone with his brilliance on the ball. It looked for a while that those injuries early in his career may stop him from ever reaching his potential. Fear not.
Few players in the world can dictate play like Pedri does, which in most cases, means without slowing down his side's tempo. Barca's forwards wouldn't feast so easily without this man in their team, nor would their defence have such an effective shield.
9-6: Vitinha, Mendes, Yamal and Salah
4 of 9
9. Vitinha, Paris Saint-Germain & Portugal
Trajectory is a funny thing in football. Vitinha has elevated himself to one of the world's best players this year, while his former loan club, Wolves, currently has two points in 17 Premier League matches.
He's a treble winner who floats with grace on the ball. Vitinha's calm and cleverness in finding space allows PSG to play a dynamic style that shifts between measured control and breakneck attacks.
Vitinha rightfully made the world stand up and take notice with his performance that eliminated Liverpool from the Champions League, even if that was just a snapshot of a man who puts in displays of that quality more often than not.
8. Nuno Mendes, Paris Saint-Germain & Portugal
The best full-back in the world.
Remarkably, that statement isn't just because he's excellent in the opposition's half. Nuno Mendes has the rare ability to make the left side completely his own. He swallows the pitch with his pace and has shown a fearlessness on multiple occasions that just eats wingers for breakfast.
PSG's incredible balance wouldn't be possible without Mendes' athleticism and sheer desire to be involved with every phase of play.
7. Lamine Yamal, Barcelona & Spain
The Boy Wonder, whose future trophy cabinet is going to be one for the ages. When we talk about who is 'next' after Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, Lamine Yamal's name is now where Neymar once was.
And for good reason. Yamal is the scariest one-on-one player in the world right now; his ability to obliterate his marker makes him one of the world's most 'must-watch' players.
There's a feeling that footballers are lobotomised slightly these days, the flair of Ronaldinho and the early noughties exchanged for the Guardiolan minutiae of optimising every single pass.
Yamal plays like he's still at school, without a care in the world. We need more players like him, who feel like they could do something special every time they get on the ball.
6. Mo Salah, Liverpool & Egypt
There's no doubt Mo Salah was Liverpool's best player last season.
A stunning 29 goals and 18 assists wrestled the title back to Anfield and earned him a new contract just when interest from Saudi Arabia seemed to become legitimate. He's a player who can score from nothing. A constant match-winner who is the symbol of this era for one of the biggest clubs in the world.
However, that works both ways. Salah's drop-off in form defines this campaign's endless issues under Arne Slot. His comments earlier this month about being dropped threw the Reds' already chaotic season into overdrive, but things have settled now that he's at AFCON with Egypt. That issue may linger once the tournament is over.
For now, it's worth looking back and remembering just what a brilliant year Salah has had on the pitch.
5. Raphinha, Barcelona & Brazil
5 of 9
The best player in the world for spells of last season.
Raphinha has always possessed incredible talent and work ethic. He's put it all together at Barcelona, a side that plays to his strengths and allows his best attributes to flourish. The Brazilian's willingness to take responsibility has also made him a great leader, especially given that he seemed poised to leave prior to last season.
Barca now has someone who wants to get on the ball at all times, whether that's to isolate opponents with a dribble or to keep it moving with a pass. He's also a great example for Yamal to learn from: A guy who has worked his way up and is now reaping the rewards.
4. Erling Haaland, Manchester City & Norway
6 of 9
Just a reminder that Erling Haaland's 'disappointing' 2024/25 included 22 goals in the Premier League. There is no player in the world whose style is questioned quicker than when Haaland goes a couple of games without scoring.
The truth is, even when Haaland isn't playing well, he's putting up numbers that most forwards would dream of. Luckily for City fans, he's rekindled that extra level this season. He's on a frankly ridiculous 19 already, suggesting he could legitimately beat the 36 he netted in his debut Premier League season.
There is no better out-and-out finisher than Haaland, even if he's not the type of player to link all of City's attacking talent together.
3. Harry Kane, Bayern Munich & England
7 of 9
Harry Kane won a trophy in 2025! That's almost worthy of him making the list after a career spent as the top individual on two teams that won nothing (yes, I know Spurs won the Europa League after he left).
Kane's move to Bayern has worked out spectacularly. Nineteen goals in 13 Bundesliga starts this season is obscene, but this is Kane, this is what he's been doing for years.
The most impressive thing about the Englishman is his footballing brain. There are few centre forwards who anticipate play as sharply as he does. He makes himself available for the pass around the edge of the area. He then brings his teammates, who are often bombing forwards, into play before finding the position to finish in the box. Kane has an eye for some longer passes that many midfielders would fail to see.
It's a fair assessment of his quality that, despite the endless goals, there's so much more to talk about when it comes to Kane's game.
2. Kylian Mbappe, Real Madrid & France
8 of 9
A lot of people wanted to write Kylian Mbappe off.
While it took a few weeks to get going at Madrid, he finished 2025 having matched Cristiano Ronaldo's goalscoring record of 59 in a calendar year. He's done that on a team that currently doesn't match the quality of those who helped CR7 achieve such a feat.
The elephant in the room does need to be addressed: PSG won the treble as soon as he moved. Mbappe's absence wasn't the deciding factor in that. His individual quality continues to sparkle even though Madrid are a way off where they should be under Xabi Alonso.
1. Ousmane Dembele, Paris Saint-Germain & France
9 of 9
Be honest: did you think Ousmane Dembele would one day be the best player in the best team in the world? That's exactly what happened throughout 2025.
A man who once looked like he might fail to reach anywhere near his potential won the Ballon d'Or and wrote his name into PSG legend as they finally won the Champions League.
It turns out all Dembele ever needed was trust. Luis Enrique has helped the player grow alongside increasing responsibility. He's actually a senior in a PSG side that still has so much to learn, which makes his rise even more remarkable.
Dembele finally added an end product to the pace and dribbling skill we knew he had, making 2025 the year of the forgotten talent finally come good.
.jpg?w=600 "New Peter Schrager Mock Draft 📝")
.jpg?w=600 "Allen Wanted to Keep Bone 😅")