Over the next 12 months, a fresh crop of footballers will establish themselves atop the men’s game. Here, theScore looks at some talented youngsters – aged 21 and under – who are set to flourish in 2022, while deliberately excluding those who made our lists in previous years.

Previous selections: 2019 | 2020 | 2021 (Part one and two)

Yacine Adli ??

Club: AC Milan | Age: 21 | Position: Attacking midfielder

AC Milan quietly executed a shrewd piece of business by signing Adli this past summer. You can see why. The Frenchman, who’s spending the season on loan at Bordeaux to continue his development, can take you by surprise with the kind of mesmerizing quick feet that you don’t typically associate with someone of his rangy physique.

Julian Alvarez ??

Club: River Plate | Age: 21 | Position: Forward

Alvarez trained with Real Madrid before he was a teenager, but it’s at River Plate where he’s exploded with 19 goals and seven assists over his last 16 appearances. The attacker seemed destined to use Major League Soccer as a stepping stone into Europe, but his influential role in River’s league triumph may mean he bypasses North America on his way to the top.

Ander Barrenetxea ??

Club: Real Sociedad | Age: 20 | Position: Winger

Alexander Isak (22) isn’t the only rising star at the Anoeta right now. Barrenetxea, a tricky dribbler who typically operates on the left wing, has caught the eye in limited action for Real Sociedad this season. Able to cut inside and beat multiple defenders with one mazy run, the Spanish youth international is the latest to emerge from the Basque club’s famed academy.

Antony ??

Club: Ajax | Age: 21 | Position: Winger

Ajax are one of the most exhilarating sides to watch in Europe thanks in part to the inventiveness and trickery of the left-footed Brazilian. Antony has made a habit of cutting in from the right wing and either finding the net himself or teeing up the likes of Sebastian Haller; the explosive youngster has racked up five assists in as many Champions League matches this season.

Armando Broja ??

Club: Chelsea | Age: 20 | Position: Forward

Broja had to bide his time for the first league start of his Southampton loan spell and his work ethic has been questioned by Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl, but he’s finally taking the chance to prove himself. He’s the club’s top scorer with six goals despite starting only nine matches across all competitions but needs to learn to use his 6-foot-3 frame more effectively when holding up the ball.

Maxence Caqueret ??

Club: Lyon | Age: 21 | Position: Midfielder

Caqueret has been one of the few bright spots for a struggling Lyon side this season. A product of the club’s fabled academy, he captained the team at every level before leaping into the senior squad. Though slight and diminutive in stature, the French midfielder is smooth as they come on the pitch, and he reads the game so well that he always seems to be in the right place.

Jonathan David ??

Club: Lille | Age: 21 | Position: Forward

David is already a star. The forward has scored 12 times in the 2021-22 Ligue 1 campaign – just one goal behind his tally from Lille’s 2020-21 title-winning season – and he powered Les Dogues to the Champions League round of 16 with three strikes during the group stage. David’s seven goals and three assists in World Cup qualification have also put Qatar 2022 in Canada’s sights.

Charles De Ketelaere ??

Club: Club Brugge | Age: 20 | Position: Forward

De Ketelaere is ready for the next step. After establishing himself in the Club Brugge senior side over the last two seasons, the young Belgian forward is enjoying a true breakout campaign, scoring nine goals – all from open play – and adding six assists, both career highs, through 21 matches. An opulent transfer, likely in the summer, beckons.

Conor Gallagher ?gbeng

Club: Chelsea | Age: 21 | Position: Midfielder

Gallagher is a contender for the 2021-22 PFA Young Player of the Year award. His aggressive work off the ball for loan side Crystal Palace can be overlooked due to the brilliance of his energetic, incisive play at the other end of the park. Chelsea have a real talent on their hands, though his style is arguably a better fit for a team like Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool.

Gavi ??

Club: Barcelona | Age: 17 | Position: Midfielder

Like compatriot Pedri before him, fellow teen sensation Gavi has enjoyed a meteoric rise at Barcelona. Controlling the midfield for one of the biggest clubs in world football is a herculean task, let alone for a 17-year-old, but with a mixture of poise and technique, Gavi makes it look frighteningly simple. His feel for the game is innate, and that’s something you simply can’t teach.

Tino Livramento ?gbeng

Club: Southampton | Age: 19 | Position: Right-back

Livramento has played the most Premier League minutes for Southampton this term despite only making his top-flight debut on the first weekend of the campaign. Such is his attacking threat, Livramento is the most-fouled defender in the division, and his excellent form has forced right-back Kyle Walker-Peters – one of the Saints’ standout players last season – onto the left-hand side.

Lorenzo Lucca ??

Club: Pisa | Age: 21 | Position: Striker

Lucca won’t be playing in Italy’s second tier for very long. The mountainous center-forward, who idolizes Zlatan Ibrahimovic, is the top scorer for Serie B-leading Pisa this season. Either via promotion or transfer, the striker dubbed the “Tower of Pisa” should get an opportunity to show off his devastating aerial prowess in Italy’s top flight in 2022.

Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty ??

Club: Toronto FC | Age: 17 | Position: Winger

Marshall-Rutty’s recent training sessions with Liverpool have earned the admiration of Reds midfielder Harvey Elliott, who urged the Canadian teenager to “sign” in an Instagram response. Through his rise up Toronto FC’s ranks and 12 MLS appearances thus far, the winger has proven he can deliver pinpoint crosses, accelerate in an instant, and often make the right on-pitch decisions.

Gabriel Martinelli ??

Club: Arsenal | Age: 20 | Position: Forward

The Martinelli hype has soared over his recent run in the first team. He’s scored three over his past four league starts and regularly gets more touches of the ball and completes more dribbles than his fellow attackers. “He’s come a long, long way because his energy, his passion, his commitment – it doesn’t get much better than that, ever,” Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said in December.

Cole Palmer ?gbeng

Club: Manchester City | Age: 19 | Position: Attacking midfielder

Palmer is expected to get more game time for Manchester City following the sale of Ferran Torres. David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne have given Palmer advice on how to play the No. 8 role in the past, but his early senior outings have mainly been in attacking positions. He impressed in a fluid frontline when he scored from 18 yards during a cameo against Club Brugge in October and was a false nine the following month for his first Premier League start in a 3-0 win over Everton.

Ricardo Pepi ??

Club: FC Augsburg | Age: 18 | Position: Striker

El Tren has already had his breakout year. In 2021, Pepi was named MLS Young Player of the Year for his team-best 13 goals for FC Dallas and U.S. Soccer Young Male Player of the Year for three goals and two assists since his international debut in September. In light of that success, the fearless and fiercely competitive striker completed a record-breaking move to Augsburg.

Yeremi Pino ??

Club: Villarreal | Age: 19 | Position: Winger

Nobody has appeared in more league matches for Villarreal this season than Pino, who continues to show why he’s regarded as a future superstar every time he gets on the ball. The Spanish club recently inked the exciting winger to a lengthy contract extension that, in true La Liga fashion, includes an €80-million release clause. That could eventually be a bargain.

Jesurun Rak-Sakyi ?gbeng??

Club: Crystal Palace | Age: 19 | Position: Winger

Rak-Sakyi may have to wait until next season for an extended run in the first team, but the departures of Wilfried Zaha and Jordan Ayew – and potentially Jeffrey Schlupp – to the Africa Cup of Nations could present chances for him to be an impact sub in the coming weeks. He’s scored 10 goals in 13 starts for Palace Under-23s this season, underlining his rapid improvement over the past 18 months.

Jacob Ramsey ?gbeng

Club: Aston Villa | Age: 20 | Position: Midfielder

Ramsey’s a courageous midfielder who always looks to move his team forward, and he’s thriving since Steven Gerrard identified him as a key player following the Scouser’s appointment as Aston Villa manager in November. Ramsey’s younger brothers are also at the club: Aaron, 18, made his senior debut in August and Cole is making an impression in Villa’s younger ranks.

Nicolo Rovella ??

Club: Juventus | Age: 20 | Position: Midfielder

The answer to Juventus’ longstanding midfield issues may already be in-house. Rovella, currently on loan at Genoa, is an assured central midfielder whose poise playing in front of the defense belies his youth. The feisty Italian is tidy in possession, has an impressive passing range, and balances that out nicely with significant defensive output.

Kamaldeen Sulemana ??

Club: Rennes | Age: 19 | Position: Winger

Sulemana has more successful Ligue 1 dribbles (50) than both Neymar and Kylian Mbappe this season, and he’s accomplished that feat despite touching the ball only 522 times; the Paris Saint-Germain duo come in at 756 and 877, respectively. That, in a word, is electrifying. The blossoming Ghanaian is nightmare fuel for full-backs.

Nico Williams ????

Club: Athletic Bilbao | Age: 19 | Position: Winger

The Williams legacy lives on at the San Mames. The younger brother of beloved ironman Inaki, Nico Williams is already establishing himself as a vital contributor at Athletic Bilbao; he’s one of only three players to appear in every league match for the club this season. The teenager is quick, skilled, clever with the ball, and plays with a passion that fans adore.

2021 was awash with huge stories in the world of soccer, with Lionel Messi’s departure from Barcelona arguably the biggest of them all. But what about the most impressive, heartwarming, or surprising developments of the year? Here, theScore selects 10 stories that provided some much-needed relief over the last 12 months.

10. Leicester City lift FA Cup for 1st time

Chelsea were seemingly unstoppable under Thomas Tuchel as they surged up the Premier League table, beat Manchester City in the FA Cup semifinal, and booked their place in the Champions League final (which they won). They were unsurprisingly heavy favorites heading into May’s FA Cup final, the United Kingdom’s biggest spectator event for 14 months.

But after Youri Tielemans’ long-distance screamer put Wembley at full volume, glory was within reach for underdogs Leicester. Chelsea twice came close to a dramatic late equalizer courtesy of ex-Foxes full-back Ben Chilwell: First, Kasper Schmeichel miraculously clawed away his near-post header. Then, VAR determined a Chilwell-engineered own goal for Wes Morgan was offside.

Leicester held on for the win and lifted the old trophy after losing each of the four previous FA Cup finals in their 137-year history.

9. That day Euro 2020 was drunk

The back pass that skipped over Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon’s foot and into the net in the 20th minute set the tone. This wasn’t going to be a run-of-the-mill Monday in Euro 2020’s round-of-16 clashes.

Spain rallied against Croatia and was cruising when Ferran Torres put La Roja ahead 3-1 in the 77th minute. However, the Croats weren’t done. They spirited away Spain’s two-goal advantage when they nudged the ball in during a goalmouth scramble and equalized through Mario Pasalic’s injury-time header.

But Simon made amends for his first-half error with a marvelous save to thwart Andrej Kramaric early in extra time, and this proved the springboard for Spain to eventually carve out a 5-3 victory.

Somehow, the next match was even crazier. Switzerland swarmed Didier Deschamps’ much-changed France side in the opening half but only took a 1-0 lead into the break after spurning a host of chances, including a Ricardo Rodriguez spot-kick that was pushed away by Hugo Lloris. And, of course, Switzerland was punished when Karim Benzema scored twice in under five minutes and Paul Pogba pocketed a sublime effort from distance.

But from nowhere, Switzerland was resuscitated. Haris Seferovic notched his second header of the game and Mario Gavranovic fired in a 90th-minute equalizer. France still could’ve won, though, but Kingsley Coman hit the bar in the final seconds of normal time and other chances went begging in extra time.

A high-quality penalty shootout followed until Kylian Mbappe stepped up for France’s fifth effort. Yann Sommer saved Mbappe’s strike, giving Switzerland the win in an all-time classic encounter.

8. Barcelona women take over

Barcelona are on course to dominate the women’s game once again in 2022. They’ve won all 15 of their matches in the 2021-22 La Liga campaign, scoring 86 goals and conceding only four, and have cruised into the Champions League quarterfinals after beating Women’s Super League leaders Arsenal 4-1 and 4-0 during the group stage.

Plus, Barcelona were devastating over the 2020-21 term as they secured the Primera Division, Copa de la Reina, and Women’s Champions League titles in the same season for the first time.

Alexia Putellas notched 27 goals and 19 assists last season through her intelligent and bewitching play in midfield, but it almost felt wrong to single out just one Barcelona star for praise when she won the 2021 Ballon d’Or. Certain players stand out in different games, of course, but the fluidity and sheer brilliance of this Barcelona generation is a stunning tapestry rather than a series of portraits.

“For me, it’s a collective success,” Putellas said upon receiving the award.

7. Lille outmuscle PSG to take Ligue 1 crown

Lille’s run to the Ligue 1 title was no Moneyball success story. It was built on youth and experience, and some damn good coaching.

Les Dogues held their own against France’s top five teams, going unbeaten against rivals Paris Saint-Germain, AS Monaco, Lyon, and Marseille while boasting the league’s best defense. Jose Fonte, then 37, and Sven Botman, then just 20, complemented each other in central defense, and goalkeeper Mike Maignan proved himself as France’s next great shot-stopper, keeping a league-high 21 clean sheets.

Galtier shortened his squad, calling on just 21 dedicated players in Ligue 1, the fewest of any team in the top flight, and did an impeccable job shielding his team from the distractions of a messy change in ownership in December 2020.

6. Norway protests human rights abuses in Qatar

As universal as human rights may be, few in the soccer community have taken a significant stand against the ongoing abuses in Qatar, where the 2022 World Cup will kick off in less than a year’s time. More than 6,500 migrants have died since the gulf nation won the right to host the World Cup in 2010, and while local authorities link 34 of those deaths to the construction of stadiums, watchdog groups believe the total death toll is significantly higher.

Players for Norway’s national team led a rare call for justice in March, revealing T-shirts with a simple but strong message: “Human rights on and off the pitch.” Erling Haaland, one of the sport’s rising stars, took part in a protest no other player of his stature had dared to front. His presence alone was enough for people to take notice.

Norway also held a vote among delegates in June over a potential boycott. The country’s football association opted not to do so – Norway failed to qualify for next year’s tournament anyway – but the display back in March prompted an important conversation that few in the game were comfortable having.

5. Canadian women win Olympic gold

Canada’s women’s team banished the ghosts of its unwanted past by winning the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Having settled for bronze at the 2012 and 2016 Games, the Canadians finally broke through in Japan, beating the United States for the first time in 20 years before defeating Sweden in the final. Goalkeeper Stephanie Labbe saved two of Sweden’s last three spot-kicks in a tense penalty shootout, and 21-year-old Julia Grosso buried the decisive kick to make gold medallists out of Canada for the first time.

It was a crowning moment for the team, but mostly for Christine Sinclair, the most prolific scorer in international soccer who, at 38 years old, was playing in the Olympics for the last time. She carried the program for two decades, elevating the profile of women’s soccer in a country that hockey long dominated and inspiring the very generation of girls that helped her win gold in Tokyo. Grosso wasn’t even born when Sinclair made her senior debut in March 2000.

4. Transfer window madness

Despite the financial effects of the coronavirus pandemic, clubs still managed to spend $3.72 billion on transfers between June and August. That doesn’t even include free transfers, such as Lionel Messi’s big move to Paris Saint-Germain, David Alaba’s switch to Real Madrid, Barcelona’s acquisition of Memphis Depay, and PSG’s deal for Euro 2020 star Gianluigi Donnarumma. Manchester City made Jack Grealish the most expensive signing in Premier League history, and Cristiano Ronaldo headlined Manchester United’s spending spree.

But not all teams had money to spend. Messi left Barcelona after 21 years because the club couldn’t afford to keep him, and Juventus sold Ronaldo because they couldn’t afford to keep him.

However, PSG trolled everyone with their ridiculous summer spending. On top of Messi and Donnarumma, the Ligue 1 giants rolled out Achraf Hakimi, Sergio Ramos, and Georginio Wijnaldum in a bid to upend the traditional order in European soccer.

3. Messi ends trophy drought with Argentina

Messi fell to his knees when it dawned on him that he’d finally, for the first time in his career, won a trophy with Argentina’s national team. The final whistle blew, signaling a 1-0 win over Brazil at the Maracana, of all places, and prompting Messi to lift the Copa America amidst a flood of tears.

“I needed to remove the thorn of being able to achieve something with the national team,” Messi said. “I had been close for other years and I knew it was going to happen. I am grateful to God for giving me this moment, against Brazil and in Brazil. I was saving this moment for myself.”

Messi lost in the 2007, 2015, and 2016 Copa America finals and again in the 2014 World Cup final, complicating his already tense relationship with the Argentinian public. He quit on the national team after missing a penalty in the shootout against Chile in 2016 but returned with a mission.

Messi dominated this tournament, leading all players with four goals, five assists, and six big chances created. Many believe he won the Ballon d’Or specifically because of his heroics for Argentina.

2. Fans take down European Super League

The European Super League would’ve been a terrible spectacle. The 20-club system was only open to five teams on sporting merit, while the other 15 sides were assured of their Super League place regardless of performances in their respective domestic leagues and in the competition itself.

The 15 clubs would’ve taken the majority of football’s riches in their gated community and diluted the importance of matches in both domestic and continental football.

So, the fans fought back. First, protests outside Stamford Bridge forced Chelsea to pull out; then Manchester City followed, and then the rest of England’s rebels. The Super League died two days after it was introduced to the world, and most of the executives who signed up to the project were forced to acknowledge their pursuit of more money had overlooked what fuels the sport.

“What you’ve got is something created over 100 years ago that was fantastic,” Barnet owner Tony Kleanthous told theScore after the Super League’s collapse on April 20. “And you’ve got a few rich people today that think it’s theirs, that think they own it. They will never own it; the fans own it.”

1. Eriksen’s life saved after heroic response

When Denmark’s Christian Eriksen collapsed midway through his country’s Euro 2020 opener against Finland, referee Anthony Taylor took immediate action, signaling medics onto the pitch.

“I knew straightaway something was wrong because of how his face looked and how he fell to the floor,” Taylor told BBC Sport.

Thanks to their quick response, the medics eventually administered life-saving CPR on Eriksen, who suffered cardiac arrest and required a defibrillator to be resuscitated.

“He was gone,” team doctor Morten Boesen said at the time.

Simon Kjaer, Denmark’s captain and a close friend of Eriksen’s, was one of the first people to intervene. Within seconds, Kjaer rolled Eriksen onto his side to clear his airways and begin the process of CPR. Kjaer then stepped aside to console Eriksen’s partner on the sideline.

In a further display of unity and strength, Denmark’s players formed a human shield around Eriksen while he was receiving treatment, giving their fallen teammate the dignity and privacy he deserved.

As the teams awaited word on whether to resume the match, Finland supporters started chanting, “Christian! Christian!” The Danish fans answered by shouting, “Eriksen! Eriksen!”

What could have been a nightmare ultimately turned into a story of heroism, courage, and togetherness.

It’s officially time to start looking ahead. With 2021 finally coming to an end, here are five things we expect to happen in world soccer in 2022.

Italy misses 2nd straight World Cup

Not even a year after winning Euro 2020, Italy will have to grapple with the harsh and unexpected reality of missing the World Cup for the second time in a row. The misfiring Azzurri, whose existential crisis in attack cost them an automatic berth in Qatar, will fall to Portugal in the playoff final; manager Roberto Mancini, who guaranteed qualification, will resign.

It will be a crushing and cruel end to a hopeful cycle under Mancini. Italy did so well relaunching its program, trusting the country’s youngest talent to guide it back to the promised land. But winning the Euro brought about the same complacency that caused it to crumble to Sweden in the 2018 World Cup playoffs.

Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci will retire, paving the way for the next crop of defenders to step up; Italy’s FA will convince Antonio Conte to leave Tottenham Hotspur and return to the national team at the end of the 2021-22 season.

Manchester City finally win Champions League

Pep Guardiola will finally win the Champions League with Manchester City. They’ll beat his former rival, Real Madrid, in a tense final to complete the double, as City will run away with their fourth Premier League title in five years.

Early season concerns over City’s production up front will end up looking foolish. The club will lead all Champions League and Premier League clubs in scoring, with Jack Grealish and Kevin De Bruyne coming to the fore in the second half of the season.

Guardiola will call it the greatest achievement of his career and City will end up commissioning a statue in his likeness to stand in front of the Etihad Stadium for eternity.

Haaland joins City from Dortmund

The huge windfall from the Champions League will give City the financial wherewithal to sign Erling Haaland in the summer. Haaland will announce his decision on social media, much like Eden Hazard did when he joined Chelsea from Lille in May 2012. Haaland will rave about joining his “childhood club.” City will reveal a touching video of the Norwegian playing alongside father and former City midfielder Alf-Inge at the club’s old Maine Road stadium.

Haaland will be an instant success in the Premier League and win the Golden Boot with close to 30 goals over his first season in the English top flight. City will become the fourth team in Premier League history to break the 100-goal mark en route to another title.

Real Madrid sign Mbappe on free transfer

Real Madrid will respond by signing Kylian Mbappe on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain. Mbappe will become the highest earner in football history as a result of the move, and Hazard will give up No. 7 so Mbappe can launch his new brand. He will have the highest-selling jersey in the sport’s history.

The Frenchman will line up alongside compatriot Karim Benzema and Brazilian star Vinicius Junior, completing the most fearsome triumvirate since the days of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and Neymar. Mbappe will narrowly beat out Haaland for the first Ballon d’Or of his career.

PSG will put up a huge fight and accuse Madrid of tampering in a dispute that will last several months and end up in court. But the Spanish side will be exonerated of all accusations.

Messi lifts World Cup with Argentina

At long last, Messi will cement his status as the greatest of all time by winning the World Cup with Argentina in Qatar. Coming off the most disappointing season of his career, Messi will snap back into form and inspire his country as the tournament’s top scorer.

Much like Italy at the Euros, Argentina will roar back from the precipice of disaster to win the World Cup for the third time. La Albiceleste will also extend their unbeaten run to three years and counting, with Messi saving his best football for the international scene.

Argentina will exact revenge over Germany in the final, having lost to Die Mannschaft in 2014 at the Maracana.

With 2021 coming to a close, it’s time to celebrate the best that men’s soccer had to offer over the past 12 months of riveting club and international action. Below, we count down the top 10 footballers of the year.

Honorable mentions: N’Golo Kante (Chelsea), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Joao Cancelo (Manchester City), Pedri (Barcelona)

10. Romelu Lukaku

Club: Chelsea | Age: 28 | Position: Striker

Lukaku restored his place among the game’s best strikers in 2021, leading Inter Milan to their first Serie A title in a decade with 24 goals and 11 assists in the Italian top flight. To put that into perspective, only one other Serie A player reached double digits in both categories last season. But Lukaku was the entire package, leaving defenders for dead on the counterattack, crossing in balls from out wide, holding up play with immovable strength, and plundering the penalty area for goals. Chelsea paid £97.5 million to re-sign the Belgian star in the summer, making him the second-most expensive signing in Premier League history.

9. Cristiano Ronaldo

Club: Manchester United | Age: 36 | Position: Forward

While debate rages about his ability to play in a pressing system and whether or not Manchester United were misguided in signing him, Ronaldo simply continues to deliver goals and rack up accolades. The Portuguese forward broke numerous records in 2021, including becoming the all-time leading scorer in men’s international football. He’s undeniably – and understandably – a lesser force than he was at his peak, but Ronaldo still finds the net with frightening frequency. The top scorer in Serie A last season, he’s already reached double figures in just 19 matches since rejoining the Red Devils. Say what you will, but he can still produce, particularly in key moments.

8. Ruben Dias

Club: Manchester City | Age: 24 | Position: Center-back

There was a sense of desperation in how Manchester City signed Dias two days after a 5-2 home defeat to Leicester City early in the 2020-21 campaign, but the Portuguese defender had a transformative effect on Pep Guardiola’s side. He helped City to 15 clean sheets in his 32 Premier League appearances, led the top flight in blocked shots and clearances, and completed the second-most passes in the division. He’s simply obsessed with the art of defending. “It gives me pleasure to make the other team feel powerless,” Dias said in January.

7. Mohamed Salah

Club: Liverpool | Age: 29 | Position: Forward

Salah isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. After being labeled by some as a one-season wonder, the Liverpool star came roaring back this year. He scored at a rate similar to his record-breaking 2017-18 campaign when he broke Alan Shearer’s single-season scoring record. Despite a dip in goals after setting the new Premier League mark, the Egyptian king has re-established himself as one of the world’s best players this term by netting a league-leading 15 goals in 19 matches.

6. Erling Haaland

Club: Borussia Dortmund | Age: 21 | Position: Striker

Haaland has set lofty standards for himself. He scored two or more goals on 18 occasions in 2021, finishing the year with 41 in 43 appearances in all competitions for Borussia Dortmund. He’s averaging nearly a goal per game, and he’s doing it on a team that’s struggled to compete both domestically and in Europe. He’s the true heir to Ronaldo’s throne, a throwback center-forward with a singular focus and ruthless efficiency in front of goal. Haaland’s served his apprenticeship and is looking as ready as ever to make the leap to megastardom.

5. Kylian Mbappe

Club: Paris Saint-Germain | Age: 23 | Position: Forward

Some players would’ve struggled to pick themselves up after such a disappointment. Mbappe wasted two big chances in extra time before he missed the decisive penalty in France’s shootout defeat to Switzerland at the European Championship. But he ensured that was merely a blip as he racked up 49 goals and 22 assists over 66 matches for club and country in 2021. Mbappe finishes the year as a more mature player and appears destined for a huge move to Real Madrid in the summer.

4. Jorginho

Club: Chelsea | Age: 30 | Position: Midfielder

Let’s address the elephant in the room: Yes, Jorginho is an excellent penalty taker. He converted 12-of-14 spot-kicks in 2021 and turned in the deciding penalty kick in Italy’s shootout win over Spain at Euro 2020. Yes, he’s an excellent passer, but he isn’t Gareth Barry with penalty-taking prowess. Jorginho protects the backline and kick-starts sweeping moves that result in goals. He anchored Chelsea’s midfield this year, particularly when N’Golo Kante was out injured, and won the Champions League title a month before winning the Euros with Italy. Jorginho wasn’t a passenger, either, having played an astounding 73 times for club and country in 2021.

3. Karim Benzema

Club: Real Madrid | Age: 34 | Position: Striker

Now that Benzema is out from under Ronaldo’s shadow, the Real Madrid forward is finally getting the recognition he deserves. After playing a prominent role in Real Madrid’s push to win La Liga last season, France manager Didier Deschamps surprisingly rewarded the 34-year-old with his first call-up in years. The prolific striker finished behind Lionel Messi in scoring in each of the last three seasons, but Benzema appears on his way to picking up his first La Liga scoring title after more than a decade in Madrid.

2. Lionel Messi

Club: Paris Saint-Germain | Age: 34 | Position: Forward

Messi hasn’t hit the dizzying highs we’re accustomed to since his sensational move to Paris Saint-Germain – just give it some time – but don’t let that obscure what was yet another exquisite year for the iconic Argentine. He led his country to a Copa America triumph, finally getting that King Kong-sized weight off his back, and extended his own record by capturing a seventh – if contentious – Ballon d’Or. He was the top scorer in La Liga last season, holding together an otherwise rotten Barcelona team that relied on him to do everything; it’s no coincidence Barca has totally fallen apart in his absence. Leading that hopeless side to a Copa del Rey title should have been impossible, but not for Messi.

1. Robert Lewandowski

Club: Bayern Munich | Age: 33 | Position: Striker

Lewandowski obliterated numerous records in 2021. He surpassed Gerd Muller’s 49-year-old mark of 40 goals in a single Bundesliga campaign with a 90th-minute tap-in on the final day of the 2020-21 season. Lewandowski then demonstrated his continued brilliance by achieving an all-time high of 43 Bundesliga goals in a calendar year. For many, he should’ve beaten Messi to the Ballon d’Or. “I am like good wine, and I hope to become even better,” he warned in September.