ESPN FC 100 is back, and our annual ranking of the best men's players and managers in the world right now made something abundantly clear: Liverpool rule.

The Merseyside club took home more than a few top honors, followed by Premier League defending champions Manchester City and, oh yeah, this Average Joe who plies his trade in Barcelona. (Three guesses who that is -- and the first two don't count.)

To compile the 2019 edition of ESPN FC 100, more than 40 ESPN FC experts from around the world were given a list of about 250 players and managers to make their selections.

Now here's the key: We didn't use one mega-list with all players mixed together -- such conceits inevitably favor attackers because everyone loves a good goal, don't they? But that isn't fair to those engaged in the dark arts at the back. So instead, we broke down the world's best players by position in a 4-3-3 formation, plus manager. Each expert then contributed a top 10 for each category: we crunched the numbers and did a final review with a select few writers.

Also new for this year: we presented the No. 1 players at each position with an FC 100 award. You can watch our presentations in the video atop this file. (And you thought emotions ran high for the Ballon d'Or.)

Agree with our picks? Disagree? ESPN FC 100: It. Is. On. -- James Martin

Jump to: Goalkeepers | Right-back | Centre-back | Left-back | Central midfield | Attacking midfield | Wing | Forward | Striker | Manager

Previous editions of the ESPN FC 100: 2018 | 2017 | 2016

All ages as of Nov. 20

The modern goalkeeper isn't just there to stop shots. They're also the first step in building attacks; whether with a long, accurate throw or a raking cross-field pass, it's the first major evolution for the position since the "sweeper keeper" became a thing thanks to Manuel Neuer. Agility and reflexes are a given but confidence, vision and assertive play are vital too.

Player capsules by Nick Ames

Club/country: Ajax/Cameroon

Age: 23

2018 Rank: Not ranked

Ajax's fairy-tale run to the 2018-19 Champions League semifinals might not have been possible without Onana, who at 23 is surely the most exciting goalkeeper in his age group. His education with the Dutch champions and, previously, Barcelona shines through in his composure on the ball and astute interpretation of the "sweeper-keeper" role.

Sharp reflexes and a commanding penalty box presence complete the package and a move to one of Europe's biggest leagues surely beckons before long.

Club/country: Manchester United/Spain

Age: 29

2018 Rank: 1

United's always reliable last line of defence would probably like to be called upon rather less often, and might often wonder whether it is high time he was back in the Champions League. De Gea is far too good a goalkeeper to be mired in the Premier League's midtable places, but his focus and application for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side, who he has bailed out with marvellous stops on numerous occasions, have never wavered.

After eight years at the club, how much longer should he stick around if he is to be remembered as a true great?

Club/country: Tottenham/France

Age: 32

2018 Rank: 8

It has been a troubled few months for Spurs and also for Lloris, who will not return until next year after dislocating his elbow in October's 3-0 defeat at Brighton. But when the France captain is at his best, Tottenham are too. His experience and leadership are essential, as is his range of distribution from the back.

Lloris is not immune to the occasional high-profile error, but he was resolute in helping France win the World Cup in 2018.

Club/country: Chelsea/Spain

Age: 25

2018 Rank: Not ranked

The world's most expensive goalkeeper of all time (€80 million) has been worth every penny for Chelsea since joining from Athletic Bilbao in 2018. His time at Stamford Bridge has not been blemish-free -- there was the infamous incident during the Carabao Cup final in March, when he refused to be substituted before a penalty shootout and the Blues lost, earning him a fine -- but nobody doubts that he has grown into the role and is thriving in Frank Lampard's vibrant, rejuvenated side. (He even won the Europa League semifinal with two penalty saves to redeem his Carabao controversy.)

Agile and imposing, he still has the best years of his career ahead of him as the anchor of a youthful Chelsea team.

Club/country: Juventus/Poland

Age: 29

2018 Rank: Not ranked

Szczesny was always mooted as a top-class goalkeeper at Arsenal and a two-year loan at Roma, but now that he is playing every week for Juventus, those predictions are coming to pass. The return of the old master, Gianluigi Buffon, has not fazed him and he is comfortably Maurizio Sarri's first choice between the posts, so much so that the club reportedly want to keep him for another five years.

Club/country: Bayern Munich/Germany

Age: 33

2018 Rank: 7

Neuer, 33, is still going strong for club and country. He broke Germany's clean sheet record in June with his 37th shutout, and he was instrumental in yet another league title for Bayern Munich. Neuer is one of the original "sweeper-keepers" and is not totally averse to rushes of blood; there have been lapses in form but they rarely last long, and the key theme in his career has been persistent excellence.

Club/country: Manchester City/Brazil

Age: 26

2018 Rank: 6

No goalkeeper can spray the ball around quite like Ederson, who is utterly fundamental to the style of play Pep Guardiola has imposed at Manchester City. Some of his swift, laser-like distribution from goal kicks is a joy to watch, but he also is a master of the more traditional facets of goalkeeping, fearless and assertive in 50-50 situations and open play. He is an outstanding shot-stopper and gives a significant degree of confidence to a City defence that, badly depleted of late, has struggled to match its past two seasons of invincibility in the Premier League.

Club/country: Barcelona/Germany

Age: 27

2018 Rank: 5

Ter Stegen played his 200th game for Barca in October, and it goes to show how much of a fixture he has become since arriving from Borussia Monchengladbach in 2014. He has felt overworked at times this season due to injuries in Barcelona's defence, but his form has kept his team on track in the Champions League, preventing a shock against Sparta Prague and repelling a spot kick at Borussia Dortmund. While Lionel Messi & Co. get the plaudits, Ter Stegen is as important as anyone in Ernesto Valverde's ranks.

Club/country: Atletico Madrid/Slovenia

Age: 26

2018 Rank: 2

The key to being a great goalkeeper is being consistent, and that's the best way to describe Oblak, who continues to perform with remarkable consistency for Atletico. You have to pinch yourself that the Slovenia international is still just 26. His standout attribute is perhaps the way in which he does not stand out at all: his efficient and unfussy style -- he barely makes an error -- is perfect for Diego Simeone's hardworking Atletico Madrid and perfect for the position too.

Club/country: Liverpool/Brazil

Age: 27

2018 Rank: 4

The world's best goalkeeper according to FIFA as well as the ESPN experts, Alisson is the ideal between the posts, oozing confidence and composure with the ball in his hands or at his feet. The 27-year-old underpinned the Reds' memorable Champions League victory in his first season at the club, making big saves at vital times -- they would have been knocked out early if he hadn't denied Napoli's Arkadiusz Milik from point-blank range in the final group game -- despite being untroubled for long periods.

Alisson kept 21 Premier League clean sheets in 2018-19 and when injury sidelined him for two months early this season, it was treated as a potential disaster for the team's title hopes. That says everything about the influence he wields, and it is a similar story for Brazil, with whom he starred in last year's Copa America triumph.

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At one point, right-backs were considered the least skilled players on the pitch, but the next generation brings boldness and unpredictability. Positional awareness, pinpoint crossing and breakneck pace separate the best from the rest.

Player capsules by Nick Ames

Club/country: Manchester United/England

Age: 21

2018 Rank: Not ranked

It was some vote of confidence from Manchester United when they paid £45 million this summer for the 20-year-old, who had played a relatively paltry 46 games for Crystal Palace. Wan-Bissaka still looks fairly raw at times but is a tremendous athlete whose defensive awareness has come on in leaps and bounds. He adds welcome thrust to United's attacking play down the flanks and has every chance of cementing a place among the best.

Club/country: Chelsea/Spain

Age: 30

2018 Rank: 8

The experienced Spaniard has spent seven years at Stamford Bridge and is rejuvenated under Frank Lampard's leadership. He captains the side these days, a responsibility he relishes: witness his fist-pumping reaction he made to a goal-saving challenge in October's Champions League win at Ajax, in his 350th game for the club.

Club/country: Atletico Madrid/England

Age: 29

2018 Rank: 6

Trippier has been reborn in Spain after what was, by his own admission, a disappointing final season at Tottenham. He has embraced the culture both of Atletico and his new home country to become an instant hit at Wanda Metropolitano -- even if Diego Costa insists on calling him "Rooney."

The 29-year-old Trippier says he is enjoying his football again, having adjusted to the exhausting pace of training and conditioning; Atletico's forwards are certainly appreciating his unerringly accurate deliveries from the right too.

Club/country: Manchester City/Portugal

Age: 25

2018 Rank: Not ranked

The summer arrival from Juventus is still finding his feet in the Premier League but is sure to become the eventual No.1 for Pep Guardiola. For now, his quality is evident when spelling Kyle Walker in the team. Guardiola has been determined to ease him into the fray and will be hopeful of reaping the rewards: although English audiences have not seen much of him yet, Cancelo is a rapid, inventive proposition who is tailor-made for the champions' possession-based style of play.

Club/country: Sao Paulo/Brazil

Age: 36

2018 Rank: 5

Alves might be relatively out of sight this season given that he is winding down his career back home in Brazil for Sao Paulo, but that hardly makes him out of mind. His long-term body of outstanding work, as well as the fact he is still putting in all-action displays at the age of 36, makes him an example to emulate at the right-back position.

Don't think Alves is finished just yet: he played in both of the Selecao's October internationals, and having enjoyed an outstanding Copa America campaign over the summer, he still has a part to play at the highest level.

Club/country: Manchester City/England

Age: 29

2018 Rank: 3

It has been a strange 12 months for Walker, who has lost his England spot to Trent Alexander-Arnold and is out of favour with manager Gareth Southgate. Perhaps he is nearing the end of his peak years, but he retains the facets that have, over the past decade, made him one of the most exciting and adventurous right-backs around. His speed and work rate on both sides of the ball set him apart from his peers, but his defining trait might well be his intensity whether in possession or hustling to win the ball back.

Furthermore, he has learned how to play here and there as a third central defender in Pep Guardiola's fluid, ever-evolving system. His incursions on the flank remain indispensable to City, and it is far too early to write him off.

Club/country: Real Madrid/Spain

Age: 27

2018 Rank: 1

Real Madrid might not be the fearsome prospect they were earlier in the decade, but Carvajal remains one of their more consistent operators -- even if his own form has dipped at times too. Last season, he often seemed constrained under Santiago Solari, but he has been closer to his energetic, rampaging self under returning coach Zinedine Zidane in 2019-20.

Club/country: Leicester City/Portugal

Age: 26

2018 Rank: Not ranked

Pereira was already a class act when Brendan Rodgers arrived at Leicester, but like many of his teammates, he has stepped up a gear or two since then. He has touched the ball more times than anyone else in the Foxes' side this season, no mean feat for a right-back in such a possession-focused team and a demonstration of how integral he is to all aspects of their approach.

A scintillating prospect when in full flow, the €25 million Leicester paid for him in 2018 now seems a bargain.

Club/country: Bayern Munich/Germany

Age: 24

2018 Rank: 2

Kimmich is a delightfully astute, smart and perceptive footballer that could operate effectively anywhere in the team. That is not a million miles from the situation at Bayern: he is comfortable at centre-back or in midfield, where he has often operated since the arrival of Benjamin Pavard.

You rarely get a bad day's work out of Kimmich, who played every single minute of Bayern Munich's Bundesliga-winning campaign in 2018-19, and he packs a punch at either end of the field. At 24, his best is still to come.

Club/country: Liverpool/England

Age: 21

2018 Rank: Not ranked

There is no more thrilling prospect in his position, and it says plenty that many onlookers believe he could have a future dictating the play in midfield. There are few better strikers of a ball than Alexander-Arnold, whose crossing and set pieces pose a huge threat. There are also few quicker thinkers in the game: witness the deft corner routine that caught Barcelona napping for Liverpool's vital fourth goal in their Champions League semifinal, second leg epic win this past spring.

He is humble to a fault despite being a key cog in the best club team of 2019, while his speed, recovery and defensive awareness add to what is fast becoming the complete package.

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CENTRE-BACK

Alexander Wells

Being a great central defender requires more than size, assertiveness and strength. Some of the modern greats are cultured in possession, others are the epitome of no-nonsense force. The best central defenders combine timing and power with elegance and poise under pressure.

Player capsules by Nick Ames

10: Milan Skriniar

Club/country: Inter Milan/Slovakia

Age: 24

2018 Rank: Not ranked

Skriniar has emerged as one of Europe's most coveted centre-backs. Antonio Conte and Inter will do well to hold on to him and there are good reasons for that. He thrives on a central defender's primary duties: the bread and butter of winning headers, tackles and getting his angles right when chasing down opponents. He also is more than capable of creating play from deep positions.

9: Jose Maria Gimenez

Club/country: Atletico Madrid/Uruguay

Age: 24

2018 Rank: Not ranked

Gimenez could hardly have had a better education in defending, operating alongside his countryman Diego Godin at Atletico for five years. Now, at 24, he looks ready to carve out an identity of his own. He is an imperious, tough competitor in Godin's mould but perhaps more of an athlete, and quicker along the ground.

The sky is the limit, and a La Liga title this season is far from out of the question.

8: Marquinhos

Club/country: Paris Saint-Germain/Brazil

Age: 25

2018 Rank: Not ranked

There are few centre-backs with the all-round skill set of Marquinhos, who can slot into various other defensive and midfield positions while excelling at them all. He joined PSG six years ago as a raw but richly promising teenager, but has developed into a genuine leader and mainstay of Thomas Tuchel's team.

Another of Brazil's Copa America heroes, his place among this year's Ballon d'Or nominees is richly deserved.

7: Leonardo Bonucci

Club/country: Juventus/Italy

Age: 32

2018 Rank: 8

Bonucci, who returned to Juve after a disastrous season at AC Milan last season, traditionally provided some of the silkier moments in Juve's no-nonsense defence despite his reputation as one of the toughest tacklers around. His range of passing from the back can be a joy to watch, and his partnership with Matthijs de Ligt, a marvellous meeting of master and apprentice, forms a fascinating centre-half duo.

6: Giorgio Chiellini

Club/country: Juventus/Italy

Age: 35

2018 Rank: 5

Does any defender love the dark arts of defending quite as much as he does? The Juve stopper is a fiercely old-school player, an uncompromising figure who has revelled in the trenches as long as anyone can remember. Sadly his days might be numbered: he underwent surgery for an ACL injury in September and at his age, it would be a big ask for him to return to his best.

5: Sergio Ramos

Club/country: Real Madrid/Spain

Age: 33

2018 Rank: 1

Everyone's favourite pantomime villain is still going strong both for Real Madrid and Spain. Last month, he made his 168th appearance for his country, becoming La Roja's most capped player. It's an astonishing statistic and testament to his durability and competitiveness.

The latter has manifested itself in a near-peerless mastery of the dark arts at regular intervals, but make no mistake: Ramos is a class act in every aspect of the centre-back's trade, the living embodiment of Real's run of success over the past decade.

4: Aymeric Laporte

Club/country: Manchester City/France

Age: 25

2018 Rank: Not ranked

Laporte's importance to Manchester City can be summed up easily: when he picked up a long-term knee injury against Brighton in August, it was perceived as the end of their Premier League title hopes. He has quickly become a key figure at the Etihad, purring in possession while putting his body on the line when required, and his absence leaves a gaping hole in the centre-back position.

The France international has time to come back better than ever; if that is the case, City will have a Rolls-Royce of a defender on their hands.

3: Matthijs De Ligt

Club/country: Juventus/Netherlands

Age: 20

2018 Rank: Not ranked

Juve got a close look at De Ligt when, in their Champions League quarterfinal second leg against Ajax, the 20-year-old jumped higher than everyone else to thunder in a decisive header for the Dutch underdogs. It was the bullying, crashing leap and finish of a gnarled veteran, but his defensive work is the main reason the Italians promptly signed him for €75 million in the summer.

De Ligt's strength and power are, for a 20-year-old, incredible, and his leadership skills -- showcased in a remarkably eloquent speech he gave after Ajax won the league -- are the hallmark of a talent who is mature far beyond his years.

2: Kalidou Koulibaly

Club/country: Napoli/Senegal

Age: 28

2018 Rank: 9

Virtually every top side in Europe would love to sign Koulibaly, a colossus of a centre-back who was named Serie A's best defender last season. It's no wonder given his mix of speed, awareness, distribution skills and strength.

Koulibaly is one of those rare footballers who make everything look easy, and Napoli, who have underwhelmed so far this term, will do well to hang on to him much longer.

1: Virgil Van Dijk

Club/country: Liverpool/Netherlands

Age: 28

2018 Rank: 4

There are hardly enough superlatives to describe Van Dijk's consistently imperious performances. It is virtually impossible to get the better of him, and when somebody threatens to -- witness a relatively harmless run from Arsenal's Nicolas Pepe earlier this season -- it is quickly circulated online as an item of astonishing rarity.

His transformative impact on Liverpool's back line has been confirmed by their Champions League win and near-perfect start to the 2019-20 Premier League season, as well as their one-point-from-glory effort last year too. Dutch hopes will rest heavily on him at Euro 2020.

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LEFT-BACK

Alexander Wells

Top left-backs are as comfortable locking down an opposing winger as they are turning into one when their teams are in possession. Some aren't even left-footed, using their positional awareness to drift infield and be another central defender or midfielder if needed.

In the modern era, no positions touch the ball more than full-back, making the best of them simply indispensable.

Player capsules by Nick Miller

10: Nicolas Tagliafico

Club/country: Ajax/Argentina

Age: 27

2018 Rank: Not ranked

One of the most joyous things about Ajax's run to the Champions League semifinal last season was that there often wasn't one standout individual, but a lot of perfectly fitted cogs in a gloriously entertaining machine. Tagliafico often stood out regardless, a busy and diminutive player who scurries around the pitch, being a nuisance. He also has established himself as one of the key men in the Argentine national team.

9: Aleksandar Kolarov

Club/country: AS Roma/Serbia

Age: 34

2018 Rank: Not ranked

If nothing else, you have to admire his longevity. Not so long ago, he looked like a Manchester City reject, but since his move to Roma in 2017, he has gotten better, arguably the best left-back in Serie A at various points over the past three seasons. What's most remarkable is that he is 34 and still playing in a position that often relies on athleticism. And then there's that absolutely unstoppable shot of his too.

8: Alex Grimaldo

Club/country: Benfica/Portugal

Age: 24

2018 Rank: Not ranked

If you speak to some pundits, they will identify Benfica's Alex Grimaldo as the natural successor to Jordi Alba in Barca's left-back slot. That's partly because he started out at the Spanish giants, surprisingly sold to Benfica a couple of years ago; but he could be back sooner or later. He is a smart but ambitious left-back who makes intelligent runs both down the flanks and inside, plus he is a dab hand from the dead ball.

7: Ferland Mendy

Club/country: Real Madrid/France

Age: 24

2018 Rank: Not ranked

At 15, Mendy's first priority was to be able to walk -- never mind play football -- after having surgery on his hip that left him in a wheelchair and required more than six months of rehabilitation. Mendy caught Real Madrid's eye last season, but he is a relatively understated player, a minor anomaly in a world where full-backs are usually most valued for their attacking. Mendy, by contrast, is an excellent defender -- a fine tackler with a keen positional sense.

6: Lucas Digne

Club/country: Everton/France

Age: 26

2018 Rank: Not ranked

Possibly the most underrated player in the Premier League, Lucas Digne is solid in defence, but it's going forward that makes him so valuable. Last season, he created 71 chances, more than any other defender, and you get the feeling that if he were feeding some slightly more reliable attackers, people would pay him a lot more attention.

5: Lucas Hernandez

Club/country: Bayern Munich/France

Age: 23

2018 Rank: 6

If you wanted a neat summation of his ability and potential, ask Diego Simeone. "The exit that hurt us the most was Lucas, a boy from the academy," he said after Hernandez left Atletico Madrid for Bayern Munich on July 1. "More than [Antoine] Griezmann." Still just 23 and already with a World Cup winner's medal to his name, Hernandez might well end up as a central defender; for now, he is simply one of the best left-backs in the world.

4: Alex Sandro

Club/country: Juventus/Brazil

Age: 28

2018 Rank: 4

Juventus have changed a lot in terms of personnel and approach since Sandro signed from Porto in 2015; the sight of the Brazilian bombing up and down the flank has remained the same. The perfect modern full-back, Sandro could probably be a winger if he wanted to.

3: Jordi Alba

Club/country: Barcelona/Spain

Age: 30

2018 Rank: 3

Alba has been one of Barcelona's unsung heroes ever since moving from Valencia for €14 million in 2012. The role of the full-back at the Nou Camp often doesn't involve much defending, but while Alba impresses in that role when needed, the standout element of his success is his superb on-pitch relationship with Leo Messi. It probably isn't a coincidence that Barca's indifferent form this season has come when Alba has been out with injuries.

2: David Alaba

Club/country: Bayern Munich/Austria

Age: 27

2018 Rank: 2

For a long time, Alaba excelled in a number of different positions, including central midfield. But he is strongest at left-back, using the skills he learned elsewhere on the field -- awareness, smartness with the ball, speed -- to arguably become the greatest left-back in Bayern's history.

1: Andrew Robertson

Club/country: Liverpool/Scotland

Age: 25

2018 Rank: 8

The story is well told, but it's still remarkable that only seven years ago Robertson was working part time in the Hampden Park ticket office while playing semiprofessionally for Queen's Park. And now he is the best left-back in the world.

Very much a case of a team and player perfectly complementing each other, Robertson's seemingly limitless energy fits Liverpool's hard-pressing style, helping to win the Champions League in 2019.

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CENTRAL MIDFIELD

Alexander Wells

The key to playing central midfield is a good sense of rhythm: knowing when to speed up in transition and when to slow the pace. There are many forms too: the tough-tackler, box-to-box machine and the nimble playmaker. It's about seeing the whole field -- and exploiting it.

Player capsules by Nick Miller

10: Saul

Club/country: Atletico Madrid/Spain

Age: 24

2018 Rank: Not ranked

He is one of the breed of modern player who, because of the blurring lines between the roles, is equally happy as a central defender or a midfielder. That's not the end to Saul's versatility either: Having played on the right of midfield earlier in his career, his tenaciousness and technique are both at such a high level that he is perfectly equipped to perform in pretty much any role.

9: Marco Verratti

Club/country: PSG/Italy

Age: 27

2018 Rank: 10

Verratti is the closest thing football has seen to Andrea Pirlo since the great man retired. He has been in a constant state of flux for the past few years, with uncertainty over his future at Paris Saint-Germain overtaking his actual football. But there are many reasons the best and wealthiest teams in the world want him. "He plays fast and simple," his manager Thomas Tuchel said recently. "He's amazing. He's an extraordinary player."

8: Rodri

Club/country: Man City/Spain

Age: 23

2018 Rank: Not ranked

If defensive midfielders act as a team's gatekeeper, Rodri might as well have "Thou shall not pass" stamped on his forehead. And to think he initially was discarded by Atletico Madrid as a 17-year-old in part due to a lack of physicality. A weakling no more, Rodri was bought by Manchester City this summer as their long-term replacement for Fernandinho, and he has every chance of being even better than the Brazilian.

7: Miralem Pjanic

Club/country: Juventus/Bosnia & Herzegovina

Age: 29

2018 Rank: Not ranked

The deep-lying playmaker is one of the trickiest roles in football to pull off, particularly when you have to compensate for a relative lack of athleticism by bringing that extra bit of skill and composure. Pjanic manages that perfectly, though, all the more impressive considering he was largely an attacking midfielder and sometimes even a second striker earlier in his career. If a team can't find a role for Pjanic, it's almost certainly their problem, not his.

6: Fabinho

Club/country: Liverpool/Brazil

Age: 26

2018 Rank: Not ranked

The Brazilian has been so brilliant for Liverpool that it's easy to forget the concern over his move in the summer of 2018: Fabinho didn't start a game for the Reds until mid-October of last season, but he has been consistently classy ever since. He is an imposing figure but plays with a subtlety and flair not normally seen in that "destroyer" holding role. Since settling at the base of Liverpool's midfield, Jurgen Klopp's side haven't lost any of the 30 starts Fabinho has made in the Premier League.

5: Casemiro

Club/country: Real Madrid/Brazil

Age: 27

2018 Rank: 7

The thick wall of granite that has formed the basis of Real's multiple Champions League-winning sides over the past 10 years, Casemiro is theoretically the midfield destroyer that facilitates the more artistic work of Luka Modric or Toni Kroos, but he is much more than that. Always a smart distributor, Casemiro combines brain with brawn to the point that Spanish paper Marca dubbed him "The Tank."

4: Fernandinho

Club/country: Manchester City/Brazil

Age: 34

2018 Rank: Not ranked

Fernandinho could be the best pound-for-pound signing Manchester City have made in the Sheikh Mansour era. Bought when they needed a little sense in their XI after a limp 2012-13 season, Fernandinho has been a midfield nucleus around which the electrons of David Silva and Kevin de Bruyne spin. His value can be most often seen in his absence: Even this season when he has been used in defence, there remains a big hole in midfield.

3: Sergio Busquets

Club/country: Barcelona/Spain

Age: 31

2018 Rank: 5

Busquets has been around for so long that it's difficult to believe he is only 31. Of course, the man who has been at the base of Spain's and Barcelona's midfield for basically a generation is probably not far from being eased out, but his class remains clear when he does play. Every great team needs someone who can do the simple things well, and for the past decade, nobody has done that better than Busquets.

2: Frenkie De Jong

Club/country: Barcelona/Netherlands

Age: 22

2018 Rank: Not ranked

There are some players who make a mockery of their youth as soon as they arrive on the scene. De Jong is one of those, an imperious midfielder who looks like a grizzled 15-year veteran in a 22-year-old's body, and he has done so since day one. He will perhaps need a little time to settle at Barcelona, but such is his maturity and clarity of thinking that it feels inevitable he'll be pulling the strings in their midfield for years.

1: N'Golo Kante

Club/country: Chelsea/France

Age: 28

2018 Rank: 2

Kante is that rarest of players, a selfless contributor who seems to be in a state of perpetual motion, the sort of man you could drop into just about any team and make many times better mostly because he can fill so many different roles, often at the same time. Ask Leicester and Chelsea how they feel: He won the Premier League title in back-to-back seasons with these two teams.

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ATTACKING MIDFIELD

Alexander Wells

The best attacking midfielders have a sense of mischief, capable of cracking a robust defensive set with improvisation or magic. Greats make the most of their free roles to entertain, create and convert.

Player capsules by Nick Miller

10: Bruno Fernandes

Club/country: Sporting CP/Portugal

Age: 25

2018 Rank: Not ranked

A live wire of an attacking midfielder whose forte isn't quite so much creating opportunities for others as banging them in himself, Fernandes scored a whopping 31 times from midfield last season. That's why he has caught the eye playing for Sporting and also why he could be fully entering the upper echelons of the game very soon.

9: Ever Banega

Club/country: Sevilla/Argentina

Age: 31

2018 Rank: Not ranked

If it's possible to have a "low-key" talent in a football world that is increasingly brash and in-your-face, Banega is your man. It's always been slightly baffling that Banega, a playmaker of serious repute, has never settled at a really big club, as he is the sort of player who can bring calm to a midfield and dictate things at his pace. Perhaps that day will come, but for now, Sevilla are glad he is their metronome and not someone else's.

8: Kai Havertz

Club/country: Bayer Leverkusen/Germany

Age: 20

2018 Rank: Not ranked

Havertz has been anointed by some as a near-genius already despite being only 20 and with mere handfuls of games under his belt. "In terms of his talent, there's no limit," said Havertz's Leverkusen colleague Jonathan Tah. And Havertz will have a long time to establish himself as one of the true greats in the world.

7: Koke

Club/country: Atletico Madrid/Spain

Age: 27

2018 Rank: 9

Koke has been the cornerstone in the Atleti side for the best part of a decade, playing on the right, left and centre of midfield, often all in the same game. Koke was described not long ago as "Simeone's aspirin," the man who could be relied upon to solve whatever headache was troubling the Atleti manager. "Tactically, he's extraordinary," Diego Simeone said earlier this year after a win.

6: Paul Pogba

Club/country: Man United/France

Age: 26

2018 Rank: 4

Pogba's place on this list is hard to figure out: he is easily one of the best box-to-box midfielders in the game, but debate rages over how much, or how little, he puts his talent to good use. The other question: does he make teams better? Regardless of which side you take, his progress since leaving United for Juventus is undeniable. So is his World Cup winner's medal as the anchor of that French midfield.

5. Christian Eriksen

Club/country: Tottenham/Denmark

Age: 27

2018 Rank: 5

If Eriksen's time at Tottenham really is coming to an end -- he is out of contract at the end of 2019-20 -- then these will be the last days of an extraordinary player in North London. He carries himself like a languid, aloof creator but has a fearsome engine and has pressed and ran with the best of them under Mauricio Pochettino. The compelling question is whether he would fit so neatly at another club and re-create his finest form away from the team that have grown around him.

4: David Silva

Club/country: Man City/Spain

Age: 33

2018 Rank: 3

The old master, a player of such supreme guile and subtlety who has been delighting Premier League fans for a decade, Silva has announced that he will be leaving City at the end of this season. That's a shame for those of us who appreciate the finer things in football but terrific news for easily baffled defenders. "You can play a good season, but he's done it for 10 seasons, it is almost incredible," Pep Guardiola said recently.

3: Donny van de Beek

Club/country: Ajax/Netherlands

Age: 22

2018 Rank: Not ranked

One of the biggest surprises over the summer was that Ajax managed to keep hold of Van de Beek as the richest clubs in the world circled for his signature. But keep him they did, and he hasn't lost his mojo in the wake of the exits of Matthijs De Ligt and Frenkie De Jong to Juventus and Barcelona, respectively. If anything, he has continued to prove why he is one of the most promising midfielders in the world. "Many players have grown, and Van de Beek is the best example of this," Ronald Koeman said of the next great Ajax star.

2: Kevin De Bruyne

Club/country: Man City/Belgium

Age: 28

2018 Rank: 1

De Bruyne's troubled 2018-19, in which he played just 19 of 38 league games due to complications around a knee injury, served as a period of rest and reflection, helping him get ready for a 2019-20 season that has seen him get back to his best. Probably the best and most decisive passer of the ball in the world, as well as a formidable physical presence, De Bruyne is part footballer, part act of God.

1: Bernardo Silva

Club/country: Man City/Portugal

Age: 25

2018 Rank: 7

If ever there was a player you could use to measure the influence of Pep Guardiola, it's Bernardo Silva. The man many thought was just another flighty wide player when City signed him became a relentless midfield presser under Guardiola, while crucially losing none of his skill and creativity. "Right now it's Bernardo and 10 more players," Guardiola said earlier this year. Who are we to argue?