The last 40 names on the Golazo 100 are a celebration of the best of the best in men’s football, and the latest crop represents a broad cross-section of the game’s current elite teams and countries, as do the players.
While all but two players play in Europe’s top five leagues, the group comes from 16 clubs and 18 countries across four continents. It should also come as no surprise that the top 40 players of the Golazo 100 are a very distinguished group; a large proportion of them won the title in their domestic leagues during the 2023-2024 season, while a significant number of UEFA Champions League winners and a handful of World Cup champions made the cut.
Before the final 40 names are revealed over the next few days, with 40-21 Monday on Golazo Network’s Morning Footy and CBSSports.com, here’s a look at the top-ranked players by club, country and performance.
Golazo 100 schedule
Make sure you tune into the Golazo Network, including Morning Footy, to start your day with a round-up of each group of top players released each day. And of course, be sure to check out the full breakdown and analysis of who ranked where and why
Attackers take control
It’s no surprise that attacking players make up a large portion of the top 40, with nine forwards and eight wingers taking the top spots. There was quite a bit of love for central midfielders and attacking midfielders, fifteen of which are also in the top forty. The rest of the top forty consists of four central defenders, two goalkeepers and two defensive midfielders.
- 2 goalkeepers
- 4 central defenders
- 2 defensive midfielders
- 15 central midfielders
- 9 strikers
- 8 wingers
The Premier League reigns supreme
While all but two players play outside Europe’s top five leagues, one domestic championship stands above the rest: the Premier League. Seventeen of the top 40 come from six English top-flight teams, while ten players from three teams come from La Liga. Serie A and Bundesliga had five players each, with three Italian clubs represented and two German clubs in the mix. Ligue 1, MLS and the Saudi Pro League each had one player who played in their league last season – and it’s probably not hard to guess who they are, but we won’t spoil it for you.
- 17 Premier League players
- 10 La Liga players
- 5 Serie A players
- 5 Bundesliga players
- 1 Ligue 1 player
- 1 MLS player
- 1 Saudi Pro League player
Manchester City, Real Madrid at the top
Manchester City and Real Madrid, the last two Champions League winners, are essentially neck-and-neck when it comes to gathering the world’s best talent and that’s the case with the top 40 on the Golazo 100. Each team has seven players in the top 40 after winning their domestic titles, while Inter and Arsenal have four each. Three players each represent Liverpool and Bayern Munich, while two players each play for Bayer Leverkusen and Barcelona. Eight other clubs in six countries each have one player in the top 40.
- 7 Real Madrid players
- 7 Manchester City players
- 4 Inter players
- 4 Arsenal players
- 3 Liverpool players
- 3 players from Bayern Munich
- 2 Bayer Leverkusen players
- 2 Barcelona players
- 1 Paris Saint-Germain player
- 1 Tottenham Hotspur player
- 1 Chelsea player
- 1 Manchester United player
- 1 Atletico Madrid player
- 1 Napoli player
- 1 Inter Miami player
- 1 Al-Nassr player
The stacked squadrons of England and Germany
Most of the top 40 players will be at this summer’s European Championships and Copa America, with two national teams fielding 12 players: England and Germany, each with six players. Portugal are right behind them with five players in the top 40, while Brazil takes four to the Copa America. France is represented three times in the top 40. Argentina, Spain and Norway each have two players and 10 countries each have one player.
- 6 English players
- 6 German players
- 5 Portuguese players
- 4 Brazilian players
- 3 French players
- 2 Argentinian players
- 2 Spanish players
- 2 Norwegian players
- 1 Belgian player
- 1 Egypt player
- 1 Dutch player
- 1 South Korean player
- 1 Polish player
- 1 Nigeria player
- 1 Uruguay player
- 1 player from Italy
- 1 Turkey player
- 1 Croatia player
Winning mentality
Half of the top 40 finished at the top of the table thanks to winning their domestic titles, while 22 of them have Champions League winners medals. A small proportion of them have also achieved success on the international stage: four players have won the World Cup and four players have also won their continental championship. Three Ballon d’Or winners also reached the top 40.
- 22 UEFA Champions League winners
- 20 national champions during the 2023-2024 season
- 4 World Cup winners
- 4 winners of the continental championship
- 3 Ballon d’Or winners
