Top 10 Football Players 2021

Association football is sometimes referred to as football or soccer. It is regarded as the most popular sport in the world, with 250 million players engaged in more than 200 nations and territories.

Football is a team sport in which two teams each consisting of 11 players move a ball around a rectangular field known as a pitch largely with their feet. The aim of the game is just to obtain more goals than your opponent's team by advancing the ball into a goal with a rectangular frame that is being defended by the other team. Two 45-minute halves have traditionally been played in the game, making the entire contest last 90 minutes.

As in English-speaking world, association football has been often referred to as "football" in Great Britain and the majority of Ulster, the north of Ireland, as opposed to "soccer" in areas and nations where other football codes are more common, such as Australia, Canada, South Africa, the majority of Ireland (outside of Ulster), and the United States.

Here are the top 10 football players for 2021, as listed in this article.

Choosing the best footballer among them may not be that easy, as is it challenging when compared to other players, and determining who is the finest footballer.

In this case, they are rated according to the team they are playing for, how they perform in relation to the number of goals, their actions on the field of play, their position, and their ranking.

1. Robert Lewandowski

Football player from Poland and captain of the Polish national team, Robert Lewandowski, competes for Bundesliga club Bayern Munich. Lewandowski is a skilled football striker who has experienced scoring goals throughout the years and is accustomed to shifting playing styles. His statistics are really good, and this Polish player has a strong eye for goals in every circumstance. Robert Lewandowski, perhaps the finest player over the past two years, has had a stellar 2021.

Lewandowski began his professional career at the relatively young age of eight when he began training in Partyzant Leszno. He eventually transferred to Varsovia Warsaw, wherein he played for seven years as a teenager. With 15 goals in the 2006-07 season, Lewandowski led all goal scorers in the Polish third division, assisting Znicz Pruszków in their promotion. With 21 goals the next season, he was the leading scorer in Poland's second division. In July 2008, he made his Lech debut against Khazar Lenkoran in a first-round UEFA Cup qualifier, scoring the game's lone goal.

Robert Lewandowski excelled while playing for Bayern Munich. The Polish No. 9 scored goals against Bundesliga opponents just for pleasure. Due to his ability to score goals, Bayern was successful in winning 8 consecutive German leagues, which undoubtedly solidified the club's supremacy in the league.

Lewandowski also experienced European triumph with Bayern, as the squad competed in and won the 2019-20 UEFA Champions League together. Also, he scored 344 goals in 375 games throughout the course of his eight years with the Bavarians.

2. Lionel Messi

Argentina-born football player Lionel Messi represents FC Barcelona. He has seven times been the winner of the Ballon D'Or, which is granted annually to the finest player in the world. In 2008, he also earned an Olympic gold medal. He was born in Rosario, Argentina's third-largest city, in 1987. He played childhood football for his hometown team, Newell's Old Boys, and showed tremendous talent for the game. Messi's family agreed to send young 13-year-old talent to FC Barcelona so that the club would fund his medical care after realizing the growing costs associated with treating a growth hormone problem. Messi has since grown on to become one of the most celebrated footballers in history and also has broken several records for both his club and country.

Messi, who is just 5'7", has surpassed nearly all of his personal goals in terms of accomplishments. The Argentine attacker, who made his Barcelona debut versus Espanyol in 2004 and has since changed the club, has won 10 La Liga championships, 4 Champions League winners medals, and six Copa del Rey trophies.

The World Cup is the lone cherished possession Messi has failed to win with Argentina; his best result in this competition came in 2014 when Argentina barely lost to Germany in extra time. Messi's greater brilliance as an individual, though, has never been doubt. In 2012, he surpassed the record for the most goals scored in a year by scoring 91 goals throughout competitive games. Messi, who will turn 34 in the summer, may transfer to the Nou Camp. But before he does, he still has domestic and continental prizes to contend for. No player in the world promotes Argentina as much as he does

3. Kevin De Bruyne

Belgian footballer Kevin De Bruyne is a midfielder for Manchester City in the Premier League. He is the vice-captain of the Belgian national team and is the club's vice-captain. He is widely considered as one of the top players in the world, famous for his exceptional passing, shooting, and drawing abilities. De Bruyne's absence would change Manchester City for the worse.

In every second Premier League game, City scores a goal that goes to Belgium, making him the future king. Although De Bruyne's club benefits from having a stellar star lineup surrounding him, the 29-year-old also excelled for Belgium.

When Genk won the Belgian Pro League in 2010-11, De Bruyne was a frequent contributor. Genk was where De Bruyne started his career. He moved to Wolfsburg for around £18 million in 2014, wherein he quickly made a name for himself as one of the greatest players within the Bundesliga and played a key role in the team's 2014-15 DFB-Pokal victory. De Bruyne signed Manchester City in the year 2015 for a club-record £54 million.

Since then, he has assisted the squad in capturing 4 Premier League titles, 5 League Cups, and an FA Cup. He played a big part in helping Manchester City set a milestone in 2017-18 by becoming the first Premier League side to score 100 points during a single campaign. De Bruyne was named Premier League Player of the Season in 2019-20 after tying the record for the most assists in a single season.

4. Cristiano Ronaldo

Portuguese professional footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, who was born on February 5, 1985, plays forward for Al Nassr in the Saudi Professional League and is the squad captain for Portugal. Ronaldo, who is recognized as one of the all-time best players, holds the most European player accolades with five Ballon d'Or victories and four Golden Shoes. 32 trophies have been awarded to him during the course of his career, including the UEFA European Championship, the UEFA Nations League, 5 UEFA Champions Leagues, and seven league championships.

Despite the fact that Madrid was unable to capture any trophies in the 2009-10 campaign, Ronaldo scored 33 goals in 35 games and came in second place for FIFA World Footballer of the Year. Ronaldo set a career record by scoring 53 goals in 54 games after taking up Raul's number 7 shirt before the 2010-11 season. He also twice took home the European Golden Shoe. Ronaldo signed a contract with Juventus in the 2018 season after he departed Real Madrid. The entire Old Trafford fan base was in a frenzy last season when the Portuguese legend returned after three seasons in Italy.

Ronaldo is one of the most marketable and well-known sportsmen in the world. From 2016 to 2019, ESPN named Ronaldo as the most renowned athlete in the world and the highest-paid athlete in the world, respectively. In 2014, Time magazine listed him among the top 100 global influencers. He is the third athlete to have a career income of $1 billion US dollars, and the first football player.

5. Erling Haaland

Norwegian football player Erling Braut Haaland is a striker for both the Norwegian national football team and Bundesliga team Borussia Dortmund. The highest scorer in Haaland, who was renowned for his speed, athleticism, and power, was given the nickname "The Terminator" by many of his admirers. Haaland has a remarkable scoring record.

Throughout his career, Haaland has earned several individual honors and broken numerous records. He set a record by scoring in five straight UEFA Champions League games for Salzburg during the 2019-20 season, becoming him the first youngster to do so.

The 2020-21 Champions League season saw him score the most goals. Haaland earned the Golden Boy award in 2020, was voted Bundesliga Player of the Season in 2021, and was nominated to the FIFA FIFPro World11 in 2021. He has set several records while with Manchester City in the Premier League, including the quickest person to record 2 & 3 hat-tricks and the only player to ever do so in three straight home matches.

Haaland has competed for Norway at several levels in youth tournaments. He set a record by scoring nine goals in one game at the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup, earning him the tournament's Golden Boot. He made his senior international stage debut in September 2019.

6. Kylian Mbappe

Born on December 20, 1998, Kylian Mbappé Lottin is now a French footballer who currently plays forward both for the France national team and Ligue 1 side Paris Saint-Germain.

He is recognized for his dribbling skills, outstanding speed, and finishing. He is said to be among the best football players in the world. Mbappé became the second-most expensive player and the most expensive adolescent player when he joined Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 at the age of 18. His ultimate permanent transfer to PSG cost €180 million. Besides being the team's second-highest goalscorer all-time and he has also received four Ligue 1 championships and 3 Coupes de France there. In the 2019-20 season, he guided PSG to its first-ever Champions League Final and assisted the team in winning the domestic treble.

Mbappé earned his senior debut representing France at the international level in 2017, when he was 18 years old. Moreover, he scored in the World Cup Final of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, becoming the second teenager, and the youngest French player, to do so. As France won the competition, he finished as the equal second-highest scorer, and for his efforts, he was awarded the French Player of the Year and FIFA World Cup Best Young Player awards.

In addition to being named to the FIFA FIFPro World11 in 2018 and 2019, the UEFA Team of the Year in 2018, and the UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season in 2016, 2019, 2020, and 2021, Mbappé also received these honors in 2018. He was named Globe Soccer's Best Player of the Year for 2021. He has also been awarded the Golden Boy in 2017, been named Ligue 1 Player of the Year 3 times, and ended as the league's top scorer for four seasons. In the 2021 season, he made history by being the first player to hold both of those titles.

7. Virgil van Dijk

Dutch footballer as well as captain of the Netherlands' national team, Virgil van Dijk, is a defender representing Premier League team Liverpool. He is regarded as one of the finest defenders in the entire globe and is renowned for his fortitude, leadership, and spiritual prowess.

If Virgil van Dijk hadn't been there, Liverpool would have not been crowned Premier League champions in 2020. Not only does the Dutch defender's play help Liverpool advance, but his presence on the field has consistently upped the level for the entire team. Since the defender joined Liverpool from Southampton in 2018, Van Dijk has been a vital component of all of Jurgen Klopp's successful initiatives for the club.

Van Dijk joined Groningen to start his professional career before transferring to Celtic in 2013. He spent both of his seasons at Celtic, winning the Scottish Premiership in the first season and the Scottish League Cup in the second. He was also selected to the PFA Scotland Team of the Year in both seasons. He moved to Southampton in 2015, then in January 2018 he signed for Liverpool for a then-record transfer fee of £75 million for a defender. He subsequently assisted in the club's 2019-20 Premier League victory, which helped break its 30-year league title drought.

During his under-19 and under-21 years, Van Dijk competed for the Netherlands. In March 2018, he fully acquired the captaincy of the squad after making his senior international debut for the Netherlands in 2015. Van Dijk led the Netherlands to their second-place finish in the first UEFA Nations League final the following year.

8. Joshua Kimmich

Joshua Walter Kimmich is a German football player who competes for both the German national team and the Bundesliga team Bayern Munich as a defensive or right-back. Another player whose Bayern experience under Hansi Flick has been clear and satisfying. Some might argue that the most dependable Kimmich has never required that, but by choosing to play as a midfielder rather than a right-back, Flick has given Kimmich the opportunity to improve and chuckle at the startling idea that the team's totem will be far better in the years to come.

One of the finest and most all-around midfielders in the world, he is renowned for his entire playstyle, adaptability, aggressiveness, and playmaking abilities. He is viewed as Philipp Lahm's heir and is frequently likened to the former Bayern Munich captain.

Kimmich began his football career at VfB Stuttgart. In July 2013, he subsequently joined RB Leipzig . He made 26 appearances and scored one goal before the end of the 2013-14 campaign. On March 1, 2015, Kimmich recorded his first goal of 2014-15 campaign in a 3-2 triumph against Union Berlin. Additionally, he scored twice in 29 appearances for the 2014-15 season. With 53 league matches under his belt, Kimmich finished the season with three goals.

Kimmich started playing for the club's first squad in 2013 after graduating from RB Leipzig's development program. He signed on with Bayern Munich two years later. After helping Bayern Munich win the continental triple in the 2019-20 season, Kimmich was named to the FIFA FIFPro Men's World11, the UEFA Team of the Year, and was named the UEFA Champions League Defender of the Season.

9. Neymar

Neymar, also known as Neymar da Silva Santos Junior, is a significant member of both the Brazilian national team and Paris Saint-Germain, a team that competes in Ligue 1.

Being one of the top players in the world, he is highly acclaimed. Although Neymar has been a topic of enthusiasm since he was a young adult, this world champion has not been able to surpass players like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as the best football player in the world. Due in large part to his poor performance at the international level, Neymar has devalued these roles in recent years. At 28, Neymar is still on his level because of his developing experience and improved connection game.

Neymar came into prominence at Santos, where he made his professional debut aged 17. He helped the club win two successive Campeonato Paulista championships, a Copa do Brasil, and the 2011 Copa Libertadores; the latter being Santos' first since 1963. Neymar was twice named the South American Footballer of the Year, in 2011 and 2012, and soon relocated to Europe to join Barcelona. As part of Barcelona's attacking trio with Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez, dubbed MSN, he won the continental treble of La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the UEFA Champions League. He then attained a domestic double in the 2015-16 season.

Neymar came in third place for the FIFA Ballon d'Or throughout 2015 and 2017; he has also received the FIFA Puskás Award, been selected twice for the FIFA FIFPro World11, the UEFA Team of the Year, as well as the UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season. He was listed by Time magazine as one of the top 100 global influencers in 2017 on its annual list.

Neymar was listed as the third best-paid player in the world by France Football in 2018. He fell to fourth place in 2020 from third place the year after, according to Forbes, who had him as the third highest-paid athlete in the world. Following his resignation as captain, he played in the 2018 World Cup and, after being sidelined with an injury for the 2019 Copa América he assisted Brazil in finishing second in the 2021 competition.

10. Mohamed Salah

Born on June 15, 1992, Mohamed Salah Hamed Mahrous Ghaly, commonly known as Mo Salah, is a professional footballer from Egypt who plays forward for Premier League club Liverpool and also captains the Egypt national team. He is renowned for his dribbling, finishing, and speed and is regarded as one of the finest football players of all time and among the finest African football players of all time.

After beginning his senior career in 2010 with Al Mokawloon, Salah left in 2012 to join Basel, wherein he went on to win two Swiss Super League championships. Salah reportedly paid £11 million to join Chelsea in 2014, but due to insufficient playing time, he was then loaned out again to Fiorentina and Roma before being permanently bought for €15 million by the latter.

Salah joined Liverpool in 2017 for a then-club-record transfer fee of £36.9 million. He established the record for the most Premier League goals scored in a 38-game season during his first season and assisted Liverpool in reaching the 2018 UEFA Champions League Final. Salah later played a crucial role in the club's Champions League and Premier League championship victories in the following two seasons. He has since also won the FA Cup and the League Cup.

Salah has won a plethora of individual honors, such as two PFA Players' Player of the Year awards, three Premier League Golden Boots, and the Premier League Playmaker of the Season, as well as placing third in the Best FIFA Men's Player poll in 2018 and 2021.

Conclusion

This article should assist you in learning about the top ten football players of all time most preferably in the year 2021, including Lewandowski or Neymar. Due to their talent, each of them provided us with the most captivating performances! All ten of the top players listed above are world-class athletes and goal scorers. They are all unstoppable record-holders!