With 2022 coming to a close, it’s time to celebrate the best that men’s soccer had to offer over the past 12 months of club and international action. Below, we count down the top 10 footballers of the year.
10. Neymar ??
Club: Paris Saint-Germain | Age: 30 | Position: Forward
Neymar still hasn’t reached iconic status in Brazil after failing to win it all at the 2022 World Cup. But he did manage to repair his image after ditching his reputation as a diver that he earned at the 2018 tournament. His bright start to the season at Paris Saint-Germain carried over to Qatar where he delivered strong performances and led a supremely talented Brazil outfit.
The 30-year-old etched his name in history after equaling Pele with his 77th international goal before bowing out of the World Cup in the quarterfinals. It was a bitter end to what might’ve been his best chance at winning the quadrennial event, but Neymar showed he still possesses the type of talent that could one day earn him his first Ballon d’Or award.
9. Rafael Leao ??
Club: AC Milan | Age: 23 | Position: Winger
Among the many gripes that Portugal fans should’ve had with now departed head coach Fernando Santos during the World Cup, omitting Leao from the starting lineup should be near the top of the list. The winger’s knack for finding an extra gear mid-run and contorting opponents with his dribbling would’ve made him a valuable weapon in a tournament with an overall weak contingent of full-backs. His performances in Italy have also proved he’s a reliable source of goals.
Leao was named Serie A’s Most Valuable Player for the 2021-22 campaign after tallying 11 goals and eight assists as AC Milan won their first Scudetto in 11 years. He’s been similarly potent this season with six goals and four assists over 14 Serie A appearances and will expect to make his mark in the Champions League knockouts as the Rossoneri prepare to face Tottenham Hotspur in the round of 16.
8. Sadio Mane ??
Club: Bayern Munich | Age: 30 | Position: Forward
Although 2022 ended on a sour note, there were certainly enough peaks to make it a memorable year for Mane. The 30-year-old continued to establish himself as one of the world’s top players and was pivotal in helping Senegal enjoy unprecedented success while arguably surpassing Mohamed Salah as Africa’s best player.
Mane started the year by breaking Salah’s heart twice in less than two months on the international stage. After leading Senegal to its first-ever Africa Cup of Nations triumph with a shootout win over Egypt in the final, Mane scored the winning penalty against Salah’s side again to secure his country’s place at the World Cup. Mane also left Liverpool after six years for a new challenge at Bayern Munich, where he scored 11 goals in all competitions before suffering a leg injury that ended his hopes of playing in Qatar.
7. Robert Lewandowski ??
Club: Barcelona | Age: 34 | Position: Striker
Different club, same result: plenty of goals. Lewandowski hasn’t skipped a beat since leaving the familiar confines of Bayern Munich for Barcelona this past summer. He closed out his bountiful spell in Germany by retaining the European Golden Shoe and scored 18 goals in just 19 appearances thus far between La Liga and the Champions League. Many things remain uncertain at Barcelona during a tumultuous time, but the guaranteed production of Lewandowski eases some fears and provides reassurance.
He’s the leading scorer in Spain’s top flight this season, sitting five goals clear of the nearest challenger. The Pichichi Trophy beckons. Some things never change. Lewandowski also realized a longstanding dream this winter by scoring his first World Cup goal, ticking off that outstanding box in what was almost definitely his final opportunity to do so.
6. Vinicius Junior ??
Club: Real Madrid | Age: 22 | Position: Winger
Vinicius Junior didn’t light up the World Cup like some might’ve expected. But, the 22-year-old won’t be affected by falling short of expectations; he’s been dealing with adversity ever since his high-profile move from Brazil to Madrid in 2018. Vinicius has made impatient critics look foolish in the past as the winger has developed – at his own pace – into one of football’s most electric players.
He’s become a potent finisher after overcoming early scoring struggles at Real Madrid, and his confidence with the ball is unmatched, regularly provoking defenders with fearless footwork and blinding speed. He has all the makings of a global superstar, and his eventual arrival at that level will be worth the wait.
5. Kevin De Bruyne ??
Club: Manchester City | Age: 31 | Position: Midfielder
Let’s get this out of the way: He wasn’t very good at the World Cup. Roberto Martinez’s peculiar tactical choices and misguided loyalty to some Belgium squad members may have contributed to De Bruyne’s subpar displays in Qatar, but witnessing the playmaker produce fewer key passes than Iran’s Mehdi Taremi at the tournament was perplexing.
De Bruyne’s performances for Manchester City are another matter. After overcoming the remnants of COVID-19 and injury during the first half of the 2021-22 season, he was unfortunate to miss out on a Champions League final while helping City outmuscle Liverpool in the Premier League title race. He’s on course for a record-breaking campaign in 2022-23 – he already has nine top-flight assists – after instantly striking up a strong on-field understanding with Erling Haaland. De Bruyne habitually turns the tide for Pep Guardiola’s side on his own: The more irritated he gets, the better he becomes.
4. Erling Haaland ??
Club: Manchester City | Age: 22 | Position: Striker
Haaland is a one-man wrecking ball. He’s exploded with 20 goals over his first 14 top-flight outings for Manchester City, putting him in the hunt for the most goals in a debut Premier League campaign. (Sunderland’s Kevin Phillips scored 30 in 1999-2000.) He could also trouble the single-season scoring record: Salah hit an unrivaled 32 goals in a 38-game campaign in 2017-18, and Andy Cole and Alan Shearer struck 34 times when Premier League clubs each played 42 games.
Despite missing two matches and playing just 45 minutes on two other occasions, Haaland crammed in five goals during the 2022-23 Champions League group stage, taking his overall tally in the competition to 28. That puts the 22-year-old above Robin van Persie and level with Hernan Crespo in the all-time standings. Football appears primed for a head-to-head scoring battle between Haaland and the next player on this list for the next decade, and that should make for compelling viewing.
3. Kylian Mbappe ??
Club: Paris Saint-Germain | Age: 24 | Position: Forward
Heir to the throne as the best player on the planet, Mbappe continued his ascension in 2022. It was almost inconceivable to think that the French superstar could get even better this year, but somehow, that’s precisely what happened. There’s an inevitability about Mbappe now. Every time he touches the ball, fireworks follow in some form. In that way, he’s already unrivaled.
Mbappe was the top scorer in Ligue 1 in 2021-22. He’s the leading scorer this campaign, too, and nobody has found the net more times in this season’s Champions League. In 21 combined matches between the two competitions, he’s recorded 20 goals. Scoring goals is the hardest thing to do in the sport, and he makes it look pedestrian even when the opposition focuses so much attention and energy on trying to stop him. He almost ripped the World Cup title away from Argentina on his own, scoring a hat-trick in the final that punctuated his status as the ultimate game-breaker. Every scoring record that exists in world football could eventually belong to Mbappe.
2. Karim Benzema ??
Club: Real Madrid | Age: 35 | Position: Striker
It’s a shame an ill-timed injury robbed Benzema of his final opportunity to shine at the World Cup. Would France have defended its title with the Real Madrid striker leading the line? We’ll never know. But that shouldn’t take anything away from Benzema’s achievements in 2022, a wildly prolific year in which he captured the Ballon d’Or for the first time. Benzema’s scoring prowess in the first half of the calendar year was nothing short of legendary. He took home a maiden Pichichi Trophy after bagging 27 La Liga goals over the 2021-22 campaign, leading Real Madrid to the league title.
But it was in the Champions League where he moved mountains. Benzema delivered a pair of indelible hat-tricks in the round of 16 and quarterfinals – against Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, respectively – before tormenting Manchester City with three goals over two mesmerizing semifinal legs. He racked up a whopping 10 tallies in the knockout stage; in all, his tournament-best 15 goals powered Real Madrid to yet another Champions League crown. After so many years spent in Cristiano Ronaldo’s shadow, Benzema towered over everyone else in the Spanish capital in 2022.
1. Lionel Messi ??
Club: Paris Saint-Germain | Age: 35 | Position: Forward
Who else? Messi, back to his scintillating best with Paris Saint-Germain after a transitional first season in the French capital, is atop the football world after leading Argentina to World Cup glory. The minuscule magician put on a clinic in Qatar, dazzling every step of the way. He scored in each round of the competition, including twice in the instantly iconic final, to silence any remaining – and misguided – doubters by hoisting the only trophy that had eluded him. This isn’t a case of recency bias after his defining triumph in the desert, though. Messi has been conjuring up breathtaking moments throughout the calendar year for both club and country.
He’s either at the top, or very close, in virtually every statistical category that measures attacking contribution; he leads Ligue 1 in assists this season and is tied for top spot with four helpers in the Champions League. Between the two competitions, he’s already hit double figures in goals, too. But more than the raw numbers, nobody owned 2022 on the pitch like Messi. In any World Cup year, the tournament has an outsize impact on year-end reviews like this one. When we all look back on the past 12 months, Messi aloft with the golden trophy in his hands will be the defining image.
Breaking down thrilling EPL title race with 10 games left
Find the biggest stories from across the soccer world by visiting our Top Soccer News section and subscribing to push notifications.
One of the most intoxicating title races in Premier League history is, mercifully, ready to resume.
The quirks of the calendar – an FA Cup weekend succeeded by an agonizing international window – means the titanic tussle between Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester City will have been on hiatus for a full three weeks before it gets back underway on Sunday.
But there are no more impending interruptions. With 10 matches remaining for each title contender, we’re barreling toward a resolution to the type of three-way battle that’s exceedingly rare in England’s top flight. There’s never been a season in the Premier League era where three teams went into the final day with a chance to hoist the trophy. This could be it. The last time it happened was the 1971-72 campaign, when Derby County won an incredible four-team fight, narrowly beating Leeds United and, ominously, Liverpool and Man City to the crown. We’re overdue for that kind of drama.
That three sides have converged this way at all is, frankly, remarkable.
These are the three best teams in the country by an enormous margin. They’re the only ones with an expected goal difference per game of plus-1.0 or greater this season. The next best mark, surprisingly, belongs to Mauricio Pochettino’s erratic Chelsea team at plus-0.36. So, yeah, it’s not close.
The three of them are also on a tear and show no signs of slowing down. Arsenal have won all eight of their league games in 2024, scoring 33 goals in the process; Liverpool have collected 22 of a possible 27 points in that time; reigning champions Manchester City have racked up 23 of 27 points. They’ve combined for just one loss since the calendar flipped – Liverpool’s 3-1 defeat against Arsenal in early February.
The only sides that look capable of halting their progress are each other, which makes this weekend’s clash between Manchester City and Arsenal at the Etihad all the more significant.
Euro 2024 playoffs: Miraculous Ukraine comeback, big result for Wales
Find the biggest stories from across the soccer world by visiting our Top Soccer News section and subscribing to push notifications.
Wales, Greece, and Poland registered statement wins Thursday, joining three other teams in next Tuesday’s playoff finals for the three remaining places at Euro 2024.
Ukraine staged an incredible late comeback against Bosnia and Herzegovina in its semifinal to keep its Euro dream alive.
The highest-placed team in FIFA’s rankings that’s no longer in contention to reach the tournament in Germany is 60th-placed Finland.
Here’s how the playoff semifinals across Path A, B, and C played out.
Path A
Mateusz Slodkowski / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Poland 5-1 Estonia
Estonia barely stood a chance. Down to 10 men as early as the 27th minute, the northern Europeans could only muster a consolation goal in a 5-1 loss to Poland. The Polish achieved the rout without Robert Lewandowski getting on the scoresheet and remain unbeaten in 21 Euro qualifiers at home, a magnificent run dating back to September 2006. Poland is trying to make up for a poor qualifying campaign in which it finished third in Group E, four points behind the Czech Republic and Albania. The country hasn’t missed the Euros since 2004.
Wales 4-1 Finland
The Red Wall might descend on Germany this summer. Wales’ raucous supporters have legitimate hopes of traveling to another major tournament after the Dragons scorched Finland without the retired Gareth Bale and with Aaron Ramsey, 33, on the bench after more injury problems. Teemu Pukki gave the visiting team some hope just before halftime following well-taken finishes from David Brooks and Neco Williams. But Wales needed just 73 seconds of the second period to restore its two-goal cushion via Brennan Johnson’s tap-in. Daniel James took advantage of a defensive error before rounding the goalkeeper in the 86th minute to give the host a resounding victory.
Playoff final: Wales vs. Poland, Tuesday 3:45 p.m. ET
Path B
David Balogh – UEFA / UEFA / Getty
Israel 1-4 Iceland
Iceland’s Albert Gudmundsson stole the show with an emphatic hat-trick against Israel on Thursday. His stunning free-kick into the top right corner canceled out Eran Zahavi’s opening goal for Israel, and he created a nice cushion for his country with a pair of markers in the final 10 minutes. Just before that, Zahavi blew an incredible opportunity to equalize the match at 2-2, missing a penalty awarded for handball against Iceland’s Gudmundur Thorarinsson. A red card to Israel’s Haim Revivo didn’t help the trailing side. Iceland is now a game away from making only its second-ever appearance at the Euros following its quarterfinal run in 2016.
Bosnia and Herzegovina 1-2 Ukraine
Ukraine scored twice with just minutes remaining in regulation to snatch what seemed to be a sure victory from Bosnia and Herzegovina on Thursday. Bosnia controlled play for most of the match and took the lead in the 56th minute when Mykola Matviyenko turned in Amar Dedic’s shot into his own net. But a colossal defensive lapse cost the Bosnians a chance to make it a record four countries from the former Yugoslavia at Euro 2024. Roman Yaremchuk came off the bench to equalize in the 85th minute and teed up Artem Dovbyk’s sensational winning header three minutes later to turn the playoff semifinal on its head. Ukraine now faces Iceland with a third consecutive Euro appearance at stake.
Playoff final: Ukraine vs. Iceland, Tuesday 3:45 p.m. ET
Path C
GIORGI ARJEVANIDZE / AFP / Getty
Georgia 2-0 Luxembourg
Two clever finishes from Budu Zivzivadze in Tbilisi assured Georgia of a place in Path C’s final – and all without the help of suspended talisman Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. But it wasn’t that simple for the host. Luxembourg thought it equalized during the second half, only for the goal to be eventually snatched away due to Maxime Chanot’s apparent foul 45 seconds earlier. Luxembourg’s Chanot was controversially sent off for denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity, and Zivzivadze effectively ended the match six minutes later with his second strike. Kvaratskhelia is available for the final.
Greece 5-0 Kazakhstan
Anastasios Bakasetas lashed home a penalty, Dimitrios Pelkas headed into the net’s roof, Fotis Ioannidis tapped in from close range, and Dimitrios Kourbelis added another header. And that was all before halftime. Kazakhstan’s impressive 2022-23 Nations League campaign and notable Euro 2024 qualifying wins over Denmark, Northern Ireland (twice), and Finland suddenly seemed ages ago, as Greece recorded its biggest halftime lead since October 1978 (5-0 against Finland). Aleksandr Marochkin’s embarrassing own goal in the 85th minute made Kazakhstan’s day even worse.
Playoff final: Georgia vs. Greece, Tuesday 1:00 p.m. ET
Look: Nike unveils beautiful kit selection for Euro 2024, Copa America
Find the biggest stories from across the soccer world by visiting our Top Soccer News section and subscribing to push notifications.
Nike released a stunning batch of threads ahead of Euro 2024 and Copa America on Monday.
Days after Adidas launched its lineup for the summer’s top two tournaments, Nike followed suit with an array of colorful designs.
The U.S. manufacturer also announced redesigns for Canada and Poland, even though they’ve yet to qualify for their respective tournaments. The Canucks face Trinidad and Tobago in a one-off Copa America qualifier on Saturday, while Poland must navigate a four-team playoff to reach Euro 2024.
(All images courtesy of Nike)
Euro 2024
Croatia
Home
The square-shaped design that gives Croatia its unique look gets a slight upgrade. The home shirt features larger squares than ever before.
Away
Croatia’s away shirt plays on the national flag, with the traditional checkered pattern now on a slant.
England
Home
Influenced by England’s 1966 training gear, the home shirt has a classic feel with a rich blue collar and gorgeous trim along the cuffs.
Away
England embraces a deep purple hue for its away selection. The crest stands out with a contrasting off-white tint that makes the three lions pop.
France
Home
France’s home shirt may have the biggest crest of all of Nike’s offerings. The oversized rooster defines this shirt as much as the royal blue that’s made France’s kits a crowd-pleaser.
Away
The pinstripes mirror the colors of France’s national flag and span the width of the shirt in a simple, yet elegant design.
Netherlands
Home
Nike could’ve offered anything orange here, and it would’ve been perfect. But the Netherlands has something bolder and better to wear. The zig-zag pattern adds edge.
Away
The orange collar and cuffs pop alongside the three shades of blue Nike has chosen to create the abstract design on this work of art.
Poland
Home
Poland dedicates premium real estate on the country’s home shirt to its imposing crest.
Away
Poland’s away shirt is a daring choice. The graphic treatment adds texture, giving it a rugged feel while separating from the red tones of years past.
Portugal
Home
With possibly the best home shirt in Nike’s collection, Portugal leans heavily into its traditional red-and-green motif with a polo collar and thick cuffs. The logo sits prominently as well. A smash hit.
Away
Here’s another winner. Portugal’s away strip has a stunning textile imprint that gives off a cool summer vibe.
Turkey
Home
This is a menacing look. Turkey will look like a whirring red army with these imposing shirts.
Away
The classic red band returns to Turkey’s away uniform. Like the others, it features an oversized crest in the middle of the shirt.
Copa America
Brazil
Home
Nike goes big with Brazil’s crest and adds an intricate design to the same yellow hue the Selecao have used for decades.
Away
Brazil’s secondary strip feels like the beach. A horizontal wavy pattern covering the entire shirt mimics the country’s picturesque coastline.
Canada
Home
The only blemish in Nike’s lineup. Why is there a circle around the swoosh? And why are the shoulders so much darker than the body? None of it makes sense.
Away
The 13 pinstripes are supposed to represent the 10 provinces and three territories that make up Canada. Unfortunately, the rest of the shirt looks incomplete.
United States
Home
The United States men’s national team gets a classic home shirt with patriotic detailing along the color and sleeves.
Away
The gradient works perfectly with the red shorts the U.S. will wear at the Copa America.