Who is the best player in world football? For the best part of two decades, the answer has been a coin toss. No longer.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were the two greatest footballers of a generation, the former earning the Greatest of All Time tag in many quarters after capping off an outrageous career with the World Cup, the ultimate prize.
However, since Messi and Ronaldo departed the grand stage of European football for farewell tours of the US and Saudi Arabia respectively, the position of ‘the best’ is yet to be unanimously filled.
Martinez may be a recent addition to the top 10, but for at least five years, he has been making defenders regret their choice of career.
The Inter Milan forward has a toughness that belies his height, a dogged and persistent approach, and clinical finishing ability that reminds him of his departed countryman Sergio Aguero.
The 26-year-old has been scoring 20 league goals a season for a number of years, but in a particularly difficult and competitive Serie A in 2023–2024, he has been averaging about one goal per game.
Rodri (Man City)
Rodri is Manchester City’s vital organ, an essential part of a magnificent machine. He is the orchestra conductor from midfield, a man of many facets.
Tall, strong, and physically commanding, Rodri possesses all the strength that City needs in a combative midfielder along with the poise, dexterity, and passion of an offensive midfielder who can dribble up the field.
He has a talent for finding the net at pivotal times—just look at the Champions League final—and he achieved a significant milestone in mid-January 2024 when he went 50 games without a loss for City. The best football squad in the world doesn’t lose when Rodri is on the field.