A recent analysis by the portal The Athletic, linked to the renowned The New York Times, revealed the updated list of the 50 main footballers of the World Cup after the conclusion of the initial phase. Among the names mentioned, two Brazilian athletes appear in the classification: Vinicius Júnior is in ninth place, and Gabriel Magalhães appears in 41st. The main highlight is Lionel Messi, who rose to the top after a spectacular performance with three goals in the opening game.
This survey represents a revision of the original classification published before the start of the world championship. Vinicius Júnior’s performance was remarkable, securing a jump of six positions, driven by his goal and convincing performance against Morocco, consolidating his presence in the top ten. Even with a “worrying debut” from the Brazilian team, the American outlet highlighted the player’s ability to act as the team’s main technical force.
On the other hand, Gabriel Magalhães had a sharp drop, losing 34 positions and leaving the seventh place he occupied before the tournament, after the opening round. The defender, who plays for Arsenal and arrived at the World Cup with great expectations, faced “constant emergency situations against Morocco”, as the report pointed out. The specialized website also highlighted that the athlete was surpassed in the play that resulted in the goal scored by Ismael Saibari for the Moroccan team, illustrating how a single performance can drastically change the perception in a high-level tournament.
Leading the rankings, Lionel Messi had an impressive rise of 24 positions. The article highlights that, despite having run the risk of being sent off in his first match against Algeria, the Argentine star proved on the field why he is seen as one of the greatest athletes of all time, finding the net three times. With this performance, Messi now has 16 goals in World Cups, equaling Miroslav Klose’s all-time record for overall goalscoring at the event.
The list continues with English striker Harry Kane in second place, followed by French talents Michael Olise and Kylian Mbappé, and Norwegian top scorer Erling Haaland. Completing the group of top ten finishers are: Luis Díaz from Colombia, Achraf Hakimi from Morocco, Joshua Kimmich representing Germany, and Jude Bellingham from England.
Other Brazilian names such as Raphinha (who was in 21st place) and Marquinhos (in 41st) lost their positions and are no longer part of the group of the 50 best. A total of 20 athletes were included in the ranking update due to their performances in the opening round. Among the newcomers, goalkeeper Vozinha, from Cape Verde, stands out, who reached 50th position after defending Spain’s strong attack, becoming one of the most striking characters of this World Cup.
Complete classification of athletes at the World Cup according to The Athletic
- Lionel Messi (Argentina) | +24
- Harry Kane (England) | equal
- Michael Olise (France) | +1
- Kylian Mbappé (France) | +2
- Erling Haaland (Norway) | +8
- Luis Díaz (Colombia) | +5
- Achraf Hakimi (Morocco) | +2
- Joshua Kimmich (Germany) | +8
- Vinicius Júnior (Brazil) | +6
- Jude Bellingham (England) | +9
- Declan Rice (England) | +1
- Bruno Fernandes (Portugal) | -2
- Pedri (Spain) | -5
- Dayot Upamecano (France) | +10
- Enzo Fernández (Argentina) | +11
- João Neves (Portugal) | +14
- William Saliba (France) | equal
- Yan Diomande (Ivory Coast) | +17
- Ousmane Dembélé (France) | -18
- Lamine Yamal (Spain) | -17
- Folarin Balogun (United States) | new
- Christian Pulisic (United States) | new
- Yasin Ayari (Sweden) | new
- Kai Havertz (Germany) | new
- Vitinha (Portugal) | -20
- Alexander Isak (Sweden) | new
- Crysencio Summerville (Netherlands) | new
- Florian Wirtz (Germany) | +6
- Bukayo Saka (England) | +2
- Virgil van Dijk (Netherlands) | -2
- Adrien Rabiot (France) | new
- Ryan Gravenberch (Netherlands) | new
- Elijah Just (New Zealand) | new
- Thibaut Courtois (Belgium) | -11
- Federico Valverde (Uruguay) | -15
- Hwang In-beom (South Korea) | new
- Désiré Doué (France) | -8
- Nuno Mendes (Portugal) | -24
- Jamal Musiala (Germany) | +9
- Felix Nmecha (Germany) | new
- Gabriel Magalhães (Brazil) | -34
- Lee Kang-in (South Korea) | new
- Nathaniel Brown (Germany) | new
- Daichi Kamada (Japan) | new
- Ramin Rezaeian (Iran) | new
- Chris Wood (New Zealand) | new
- Ismael Saibari (Morocco) | new
- Bradley Barcola (France) | new
- Nico Schlotterbeck (Germany) | new
- Vozinha (Cape Verde) | new