The winner of the Ballon d'Or in 2023, world champion in 2022, striker of the MLS club Inter Miami and Argentina national team Lionel Messi was recognized as the best footballer in the world according to FourFourTwo.
Messi, 36, beat his direct rival, Saudi Arabia's Al-Nassr and Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo. Andres Iniesta, a former Spain midfielder who now plays for UAE championship club Emirates, took third place in the ranking.
The top ten also features Spanish midfielder Xavi (now head coach of Barcelona), Brazilian winger Ronaldinho (retired), French forwards Zinedine Zidane (retired) and Thierry Henry (head coach of the French youth national team), German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer (Bayern), Brazilian midfielder Kaka (retired) and Uruguayan forward Luis Suarez (Gremio, Brazil).