Cristiano Ronaldo

National side: Portugal

Club: Real Madrid

Ronaldo is a Portuguese forward who can play anywhere upfront and score goals in every possible way or position. From the starting of 2016, he has been in top form. Returning from his dribbling decline wasn’t the only change in him, Ronaldo now also has the trophies any footballer worth his salt wishes for.

Within three months, from May to July, Ronaldo won two of UEFA’s most prestigious tournaments, the Champions League with his club Real Madrid, and the Euro 2016 with his national team Portugal. He is the favourite for this year’s Ballon D’or, the prestigious award that is given every January to last year’s best player.

Lionel Messi

National side: Argentina

Club: Barcelona

Despite quitting his national team, Argentina, this July, Messi remains one of the greatest soccer players of all time. After winning his fifth Ballon D’or in January, Messi went downhill a bit. His amazing ability to dribble past defenders and get a shot to goal has not been as lively as before, but this year Messi became the king of another attribute – free kicks!

Till now Messi has won the Spanish League (La Liga) and the Spanish King’s Cup (Copa Del Ray) with Barcelona this year.

Luis Suarez

National side: Uruguay

Club: Barcelona

Astriker from Uruguay who plays for the Spanish club Barcelona and who surprisingly won the 2015/2016 Golden Boot for scoring the most goals of all the European leagues. Because he has scored so many goals, he became one of the best strikers in the history of the sport.

He also is known as “The Cannibal” since he had bitten a player during a match. Alongside Lionel Messi, he has won La Liga and the Copa Del Ray.

Neymar Jr.

National side: Brazil

Club: Barcelona

Neymar is a Brazilian winger with amazing control of the ball and mesmerising skills, who was voted third best player of 2015 after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Earlier he went a bit downhill because he didn’t score as much as he did in the beginning of the season, but his role in Brazil’s first ever football Olympic gold medal silences all his crictics. The victory was special also because it was the first time they won an international tournament at home, and finally added the Olympic gold medal to their five World Cup victories. Neymar scored the first goal of the Olympic soccer final, against Germany at the Maracana, an exquisite free kick and it was he again who gave the host nation its best Olympic moment with the winning kick in the decisive penalty shootout.

Earlier at Rio Olympics, Neymar set a new record for the fastest goal in an Olympic football match (male) by scoring a goal within just 14 seconds against Honduras!

Neymar plays equally well with both his feet, which is one of the reasons he is a highly envied player.

Toni Kroos

National side: Germany

Club: Real Madrid

AGerman midfielder who is amazing at passing and crossing, Kroos played an essential part in Real Madrid winning the UEFA Champions League this year. Listed in UEFA’s top 10 players alongside teammates Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale, he has been amazing.

Like Neymar Jr, he can play equally well with both his left and right feet. Despite losing in the Euro 2016 semi finals against France, he played a crucial part in Germany reaching the semi-final. In fact, he was the one who crossed a long range free kick against Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League final for Bale to head towards Sergio Ramos, who scored the goal by putting the ball through the keeper’s legs.

Antoine Greizmann

National side: France

Club: Atletico Madrid

Greizmann is a brilliant French forward who reached two UEFA finals, the Champions League with his club Atletico Madrid, and the Euro 2016 with his national team France. But both times he lost against Ronaldo’s team.

He was the top scorer in this Euro which earned him the Euro’s Golden Boot. He wasn’t always this famous and liked though. In the start of his career, he had been rejected by many clubs because of his short height, but he eventually proved himself to be a terrific striker on the pitch.

Gareth Bale

National side: Wales

Club: Real Madrid

AWelsh winger with tremendous speed and a brilliant left foot, Gareth Bale is a great player. Helping his national team, Wales reach their first ever major soccer tournament since 1958. He not only helped them qualify for it, but also reach the semi-final and lose to Ronaldo’s Portugal.

After the match, Ronaldo could be seen consoling Bale, his teammate from Real Madrid. Still, he had celebrated winning Real Madrid’s 11th UEFA Champions League with Ronaldo just a couple of months earlier in May. He is also the most expensive player in the history of soccer, though that might change since English giants Manchester United might sign French star Paul Pogba and make him the most expensive player.

Published in Dawn, Young World, August 27th, 2016