Top Ten Footballers

Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro GOIH, ComM (European Portuguese: [kɾiʃˈtjɐnu ʁoˈnaɫdu]; born 5 February 1985) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Spanish club Real Madrid and the Portugal national team.

Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi[note 1] (Spanish pronunciation: [ljoˈnel anˈdɾes ˈmesi] ( listen); born 24 June 1987) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for Spanish club FC Barcelona and the Argentina national team.

Football at the highest level has become a lucrative business and the money sloshing around at the top of the game is eye-watering. Indeed, 2017 was a record-breaking year for transfers as Brazil icon Neymar moved to Paris Saint-Germain from Barcelona in a €222 million deal, while the Premier League as a whole has been buoyed by a flood of television money.

Andrés Iniesta Luján (Spanish pronunciation: [anˈdɾes iˈnjesta luˈxan]; born 11 May 1984) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Barcelona, the Spain national team and has a contract signed with Japanese Club Vissel Kobe to commence 1 July 2018.

Zlatan Ibrahimović (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈslaːtan ɪbraˈhiːmʊvɪtɕ], Bosnian: [zlǎtan ibraxǐːmoʋitɕ]; born 3 October 1981) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a forward for LA Galaxy and the Sweden national team.

Gareth Frank Bale (born 16 July 1989) is a Welsh professional footballer who plays as a winger for Spanish club Real Madrid and the Wales national team.

Luis Alberto Suárez Díaz (American Spanish: [ˈlwis ˈswaɾes]; born 24 January 1987), commonly known as Luis Suárez, is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a striker for Spanish club Barcelona and the Uruguay national team.

Paul Labile Pogba (born 15 March 1993) is a French professional footballer who plays for Premier League club Manchester United and the French national team. He operates primarily as a central midfielder, but can also be deployed as an attacking midfielder, defensive midfielder, and deep-lying playmaker.

Zinedine Yazid Zidane (French pronunciation:, born 23 June 1972), nicknamed "Zizou", is a retired French footballer and current manager of Real Madrid. He played as an attacking midfielder for the France national team, Cannes, Bordeaux, Juventus and Real Madrid.

Robert Lewandowski (Polish pronunciation: [ˈrɔbɛrt lɛvanˈdɔfskʲi] ( listen); born 21 August 1988) is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a striker for Bundesliga club Bayern Munich and is the captain of the Poland national team.

Agüero was married to Gianinna Maradona, the youngest daughter of Argentine footballer Diego Maradona. On 19 February 2009, Gianinna gave birth to their son, Benjamín, in Madrid. Diego Maradona was there for the birth of his first grandson, while Agüero, then 20, missed Atlético's training session earlier in the day.

Pelé started playing football at Bauru FC where he was trained by former international Waldemar de Brito. Soon all great clubs of Brazil were after him. He choice for de Brito´s former club Santos FC were he made his debut at age 15.

Antoine Griezmann (French pronunciation: [ɑ̃twan ɡʁijɛzman]; born 21 March 1991) is a French professional footballer who plays for Spanish club Atlético Madrid and the French national team. Born and raised in Mâcon, Griezmann began his senior career as a member of Spanish side Real Sociedad in 2009, with whom he won the Segunda División title in his first season.

Eden Michael Hazard (French pronunciation: ​; born 7 January 1991) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays for English club Chelsea and the Belgium national team. He primarily plays as an attacking midfielder and as a wide midfielder. Hazard's creativity, speed, and technical ability are widely acknowledged.

Gianluigi "Gigi" Buffon, Ufficiale OMRI (Italian pronunciation: [dʒanluˈiːdʒi bufˈfɔn]; born 28 January 1978) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Juventus. He is widely regarded by players, pundits and managers as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, and, by some, as the greatest ever.

Harry Edward Kane (born 28 July 1993) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and the English national team. Kane made his first-team debut for Tottenham on 25 August 2011 in a UEFA Europa League match against Hearts.

Sánchez debuted for Colo-Colo on 23 June 2006 in a 1–1 draw with Antofagasta; he scored his first goal on 29 October during the Chilean football derby against Universidad de Chile in a 4–2 win. His good performances allowed him break into the starting lineup after successfully challenging veteran striker Mario Cáceres, so that began partnering Humberto Suazo in the forward position.

Rooney's younger brother, John Rooney, is also a professional footballer who plays for Guiseley. He has previously played with Macclesfield Town, Barnsley and Bury, and in January 2011 signed a contract to play in Major League Soccer (MLS) in the United States.

Diego Armando Maradona Franco (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈdjeɣo maɾaˈðona], born 30 October 1960) is an Argentine retired professional footballer and manager. Many in the sport, including football writers, players, and fans, regard Maradona as the greatest football player of all time.

David Robert Joseph Beckham OBE (/ ˈ b ɛ k əm /; born 2 May 1975) is an English retired professional footballer. He played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, Milan, LA Galaxy, Paris Saint-Germain and the England national team for which he held the appearance record for an outfield player until 2016 when Wayne Rooney surpassed his total.

In 2008, Marcelo married his longtime girlfriend Clarice Alves and on 24 September 2009, they had their first child, a son named Enzo Gattuso Alves Vieira. Their second son, Liam was born on 1 September 2015.

Sergio Ramos García (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈserxjo ˈramoz ɣarˈθi.a]; born 30 March 1986) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for and captains both Real Madrid and the Spain national team.

Manuel Peter Neuer (German pronunciation: [ˈmaːnu̯ɛl ˈnɔʏ.ɐ]; born 27 March 1986) is a German professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for and captains both Bundesliga club Bayern Munich and the Germany national team.

Álvaro Borja Morata Martín (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈalβaɾo moˈɾata]; born 23 October 1992) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a striker for English club Chelsea and the Spain national team.

Toni Kroos (German pronunciation: [ˈtoːniː ˈkʁoːs]; born 4 January 1990) is a German professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Spanish club Real Madrid and the German national team. A member of Bayern Munich's first team at the age of 17, Kroos played in a 18-month loan spell at Bayer Leverkusen, before going back to Munich and winning back-to-back Bundesliga titles and the 2012–13 Champions League.

Mesut Özil (German pronunciation: [ˈmeːzut ˈøːzil], Turkish: [meˈsut ˈøzil]; born 15 October 1988) is a German professional footballer who plays for English club Arsenal and the Germany national team. Özil plays mostly as an attacking midfielder, but can also be deployed as a winger.

Radja Nainggolan (born 4 May 1988) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Italian club Roma. Nicknamed Il Ninja, he spent most of his professional career in Italy, representing Piacenza, Cagliari and Roma and making over 250 Serie A appearances.

Arjen Robben (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɑrjən ˈrɔbə(n)] ( listen); born 23 January 1984) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays for German club Bayern Munich. He usually plays as a left or right sided winger, known for his dribbling skills, speed, crossing ability and his accurate left foot long-range shots from the right wing.

Luka Modrić (Croatian pronunciation: [lûːka mǒːdritɕ]; born 9 September 1985) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays for Spanish club Real Madrid and captains the Croatia national team.

Ronaldinho scored two goals in five matches, including the game-winner in a quarter-final victory over England, and Brazil went on to defeat Germany in the finals to claim its fifth World Cup title.

Daniel Alves da Silva (born 6 May 1983), commonly known as Dani Alves (Brazilian Portuguese: [ˈdɐ̃ni ˈawvis]), is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a right back for French club Paris Saint-Germain and the Brazil national team.

Gerard Piqué Bernabéu (Catalan: [ʒəˈɾar piˈke βərnəˈβeu], Spanish: [ɟʝeˈɾar piˈke βernaˈβeu]; born 2 February 1987) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Barcelona and the Spain national team.

Pierre-Emerick Emiliano François Aubameyang (French pronunciation: [pjɛʁ ɛməʁik obaməjɑ̃ɡ]; born 18 June 1989) is a Gabonese professional footballer who plays for English club Arsenal and captains the Gabonese national team.

Xavi wears Adidas Ace 16.1 football boots. In November 2014, Xavi appeared in FIFA's "11 against Ebola" campaign with a selection of top football players from around the world, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Gareth Bale and Didier Drogba.

Mohamed Salah Ghaly (Arabic: محمد صلاح غالى ‎ Egyptian Arabic pronunciation: [mæˈħam.mæd sˤɑˈlɑːħ ˈɣæːli]; born 15 June 1992) is an Egyptian professional footballer who plays as a forward for English club Liverpool and the Egyptian national team.

Johan Cruyff Institute, an educational institution, founded by Johan Cruyff, aimed at educating athletes, sport and business professionals in the field of sport management, sport marketing, football business, sponsorship and coaching through a network that currently has five Johan Cruyff Institute (postgraduate and executive education), three Johan Cruyff Academy (graduate education) and five Johan Cruyff College (vocational training).

José Mário dos Santos Mourinho Félix, GOIH (born 26 January 1963), known as José Mourinho (Portuguese pronunciation: [ʒuˈzɛ moˈɾiɲu]), is a Portuguese football manager and former football player.

Kevin De Bruyne (Dutch pronunciation:; born 28 June 1991) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays for English club Manchester City and the Belgium national team. De Bruyne plays mainly as an attacking midfielder but can also play as a winger or second striker.

David de Gea Quintana (Spanish pronunciation: [daˈβið ðe ˈxea kinˈtana]; born 7 November 1990) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Premier League club Manchester United and the Spain national team. He is regarded by many as the best goalkeeper in the world.

Franck Henry Pierre Ribéry (French pronunciation: [fʁɑ̃k ʁibeʁi]; born 7 April 1983) is a French professional footballer who plays for German club Bayern Munich. He is a former France national team player.

Alfredo Stéfano Di Stéfano Laulhé (Spanish pronunciation: [alˈfɾeðo ði esˈtefano]; 4 July 1926 – 7 July 2014) was an Argentinian footballer and coach.

Thiago Emiliano da Silva (Brazilian Portuguese:; born 22 September 1984), commonly known as Thiago Silva, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a central defender for and captains both, Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and the Brazil national team.

Karim Mostafa Benzema (Arabic: كريم مصطفى بنزيما ‎; born 19 December 1987) is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker for Spanish club Real Madrid and the France national team.

Franz Anton Beckenbauer (German pronunciation:; born 11 September 1945) is a German former professional footballer and manager. Early in his playing career he was nicknamed Der Kaiser ("The Emperor") because of his elegant style, dominance and leadership on the field, and also as his first name "Franz" is reminiscent of the Austrian emperors.

David Josué Jiménez Silva (Spanish pronunciation: [daˈβið ˈsilβa]; born 8 January 1986) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for English club Manchester City and the Spain national team.

Sergio Busquets Burgos (Catalan: , Spanish: [ˈserxjo βusˈkets]; born 16 July 1988) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Barcelona and the Spanish national team. He arrived in Barcelona's first team in July 2008, and eventually made a name for himself in a relatively short period of time.

Kylian Mbappé Lottin (French pronunciation: [kiljan (ə)mbape]; born 20 December 1998) is a French professional footballer who plays as a forward for Paris Saint-Germain, on loan from fellow Ligue 1 club Monaco, and the France national team.

Dybala made his debut for the club in a Serie A match against Lazio. He scored his first and second goal in Italy on 11 November 2012 when Palermo defeated Sampdoria at home, 2–0.

Robin van Persie (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈrɔbɪn vɑn ˈpɛrsi] ( listen); born 6 August 1983) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a forward for Feyenoord. He has played over 100 times for the Netherlands national team.

Fàbregas starred in his own one-time only television programme, called "The Cesc Fàbregas Show: Nike Live", that aired on 19 May 2008. The programme was sponsored by Nike and was shown on Sky Sports.

Andrea Pirlo, Ufficiale OMRI (Italian pronunciation: [anˈdrɛ:a 'pi:rlo]; born 19 May 1979) is an Italian former professional footballer.