September 18, 2018
Player Profile: Gabriel Jesus
Have a read of our player profile on Manchester City and Brazil striker Gabriel Jesus.
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World Soccer 500 2018
World Soccer 500 2018 Edition – Who Made It Into Our List?
Another year, another World Soccer 500. As with previous years, it is not intended to be a list of the “best” 500 players in the world.
How We Compiled the List
It’s impossible to compare players from different leagues and continents; any list is inevitably subjective. We have endeavoured to compile
a list of the world’s most talked-about players – the most newsworthy who, by definition, are the most important.
As with previous years, we began by drawing up a list of the key players by league – starting with 60 each for the leading leagues in Europe (England, Germany, Spain), 50 for France and Italy, between 15 and 25 for middle-ranking leagues, and ending with between five and 10 for smaller leagues.
We tried to include players who fell into five different categories:
1 In-form players who have starred in their respective domestic league during the current 2017-18 season.
2 The young talents who have earned rave reviews in the past year.
3 The internationals who will be key figures for their respective national sides at the 2018 World Cup finals in Russia.
4 Players who are likely to be key figures in the summer transfer market.
5 Those who have made the headlines off the pitch.
Reaching the final list was not easy. There are many players who missed the final cut but who came very close.
A new element this year is the inclusion of players who could make an impact at this summer’s World Cup. So there are more players from likes of Morocco, Senegal and Serbia, and one from Panama, as well as fewer players from countries such as USA and Holland, who missed out on the finals.
This is not intended to be the definitive list – merely one to provoke debate and discussion.
Also check out our coverage of the 2018 World Cup where we have done team guides, and pages for friendlies, fixtures, TV Schedule and a Stadium Guide.
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September 18, 2018
Hugo Lloris – Tottenham and France
We wrote about the Tottenham shot-stopper back in September 2008. Check it out here.
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September 18, 2018
Thomas Muller – Bayern Munich and Germany
The Bayern Munich utility man was destined for great things for club and country back in November 2009.
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September 18, 2018
Antoine Griezmann – Atletico Madrid and France
Deemed to be too small to be successful, check out what we wrote on Antoine Griezmann in November 2011.
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September 18, 2018
Sadio Mane – Liverpool and Senegal
A big part of Liverpool's potent attack, we wrote about Sadio Mane back in May 2014.
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September 18, 2018
Giorgio Chiellini – Juventus and Italy
Published in October 2005, check out what we wrote on the legendary Juventus and Italy defender.
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September 18, 2018
Mats Hummels – Bayern Munich and Germany
Hummels has become a big part of the Bayern Munichs squad, but this was not always the case.
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September 18, 2018
Thiago Alcantara – Bayern Munich and Spain
Thiago was destined for great things early in his career. Check out this Talent Scout from November 2011.
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September 18, 2018
Sergio Busquets – Barcelona and Spain
Busquets has become the beating heart of hugely successful Barcelona and Spain teams. We wrote about him in December 2008.
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September 18, 2018
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – Arsenal and Gabon
A recent transfer has brought the Gabonese striker to Arsenal, but check out this Talent Scout post from 2009.
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September 18, 2018
Dries Mertens – Napoli and Belgium
Likend to Wesley Sneijder and Eden Hazard, take a look at what else we wrote about Mertens in this Talent Scout.
