Germany World Cup squad 2022: Which players will be representing Germany this World Cup?
Football
Lionel Messi Snubbed in List of Best Dribblers of 2022: Dembele, Mbappe, De Bruyne, Bellingham Included
Martin Moses
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:25 PM
In this article:
- Lionel Messi has missed out on a report of the best dribblers in the world
- Ousmane Dembele tops the list where successful crosses have also been used as a metric
- Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe and Kevin De Bruyne are among the high-profile stars who dominate the top 20
Lionel Messi has been snubbed from the list of the best dribblers in the past year according to research done by International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES).
Messi has often been lauded for his close ball control, a feature he used to devastating effect during Argentina's run to World Cup glory in Qatar.
Source: Getty Images
He however did not make it to the top of the CIES list with his former teammate at Barcelona Ousmane Dembele ranking first. The criteria used by CIES includes also the number of crosses whipped in, and Messi rarely sends crosses, save for the lobbed passes over the defence.
It also looks at the frequency of successful dribbles, playing time, and the sporting level of matches played.
Exciting feature: Check out news exactly for YOU ➡️ click on "Recommended for you" and enjoy!
Vinicius Junior comes in second after Dembele with Kevin De Bruyne third. Messi's teammate Kylian Mbappe is also among the best 'take ons' according to the report.
Best dribblers in the world 2022
Rank | Player | Club | Index |
1 | Ousmane Dembele | Barcelona | 100.0 |
2 | Vinicius Junior | Real Madrid | 98.7 |
3 | Kevin De Bruyne | Manchester City | 98.4 |
4 | Filip Kostic | Juventus | 97.9 |
5 | Rafael Leao | AC Milan | 97.4 |
6 | Kingsley Coman | Bayern Munich | 96.9 |
7 | Kylian Mbappe | Paris Saint-Germain | 95.5 |
8 | Sebastian Villa | Boca Juniors | 95.5 |
9 | Cody Gakpo | Liverpool | 94.8 |
10 | Phil Foden | Manchester City | 94.8 |
11 | Allan Saint-Maximin | Newcastle | 94.5 |
12 | Jude Bellingham | Borussia Dortmund | 94.4 |
13 | Gabriel Martinelli | Arsenal | 94.3 |
14 | Sheraldo Becker | Union Berlin | 94.2 |
15 | Dusan Tadic | Ajax | 94.1 |
16 | Bukayo Saka | Arsenal | 94.0 |
17 | Luis Diaz | Liverpool | 93.7 |
18 | Ivan Perisic | Tottenham | 93.6 |
19 | Ivi Alejo | Cadiz | 93.2 |
20 | Nabil Fekir | Real Betis | 93.2 |
What happened to Santi Cazorla? Where is he playing now?
Football
Defensive players were ranked differently with Joao Cancelo, who recently joined Bayern Munich, coming out on top. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Celta Vigo's Javi Galan, new Spurs recruit Pedro Porro and Worl Cup winner Marcos Acuna wrap up the top five.
Most skillful players on FIFA 23
At the same time, Sports Brief reported that Lionel Messi has, over the years, built his reputation around his quick feet, vision and proficiency in front of goal. In fact, it is his dribbling skills that have always helped him evade attackers with such poise and elegance.
He is mentioned in the same breath as Ronaldinho when mentioning the best dribblers of all time in world football.
It is, therefore, a surprise when FIFA 23 snubbed the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner in its list of the 5-star 'skillers.'
Trending news
