Modric at No.1, Messi in 11th – are these the 25 best players of 2018?

Features editor Carlo Garganese is on the Goal 50 

panel – and he has revealed the players he voted for 

as his best 

of 2018

The 2018 Goal 50 is now just days away.


 On 

Tuesday, November 13, we will reveal the 

world's 50 best players of the past 12 

months.

 The prestigious annual award, which has 

been ranking the top performers on the 

planet since 2008, was last year presented to 

Cristiano Ronaldo after he helped Real 

Madrid retain the Champions League.

  The Portugal international has since moved 

on to Juventus but is one of the favourites to 

take the prize again this year after more 

European glory with his previous employers.

However, he faces stiff competition from the 

likes of Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, former 

Madrid team-mate Luka Modric, Liverpool’s 

Mohamed Salah and France’s World Cup 

heroes Kylian Mbappe, Raphael Varane and 

Antoine Griezmann.

Chief editors and correspondents from 

Goal's 

42 editions around the world all cast their 

votes, with candidates judged on their level 

of 

consistency over the previous season of 

action, their big-game performances, 

footballing legacy and the success of their 

teams at both club and international level.

As a little teaser ahead of the big 

countdown, we can reveal who one of the 

50 voters  – Goal features editor and 

Italian football expert Carlo Garganese – 

selected in his list.

  

 Each voter was required to name their

best 25 players of 2017-18, with their top 

pick earning 25 points and their last pick 

gaining one point. The points 

accumulated 

from all voters were then added up to 

form 

next week's Goal 50.

Carlo chose Madrid and Croatia hero Modric 

as his No.1, after the midfielder won the 

Champions League and led his country to an 

historic second-placed finish at the World 

Cup. He picked last year’s winner Ronaldo in 

second and Liverpool star Salah in third.

The winner of the 2015 Goal 50, Messi, only 

placed 11th on Carlo's list, after 

disappointing 

Champions League and World Cup 

campaigns overshadowed his brilliant 

domestic form. Meanwhile, Messi’s former 

Barcelona team-mate, Neymar, did not make

Carlo’s selection at all.

           

Position	Player	Club
1	Luka Modric	Real Madrid
2	Cristiano Ronaldo	Juventus
3	Mohamed Salah	Liverpool
4	Marcelo	Real Madrid
5	Diego Godin	Atletico Madrid
6	Kevin De Bruyne	Manchester City
7	Kylian Mbappe	PSG
8	Raphael Varane	Real Madrid
9	Sergio Ramos	Real Madrid
10	Antoine Griezmann	Atletico Madrid
11	Lionel Messi	Barcelona
12	Eden Hazard	Chelsea
13	Alisson	Liverpool
14	Harry Kane	Tottenham
15	Jorginho	Chelsea
16	Sadio Mane	Liverpool
17	Sergej Milinkovic-Savic	Lazio
18	Douglas Costa	Juventus
19	Samuel Umtiti	Barcelona
20	Gareth Bale	Real Madrid
21	Paul Pogba	Manchester United
22	Mario Mandzukic	Juventus
23	Milan Skriniar	Inter
24	Jan Oblak	Atletico Madrid
25	Sergio Aguero	Manchester City

Other eye-catching omissions include Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski, Barcelona’s Luis Suarez and Juventus’ Paulo Dybala.

You can see Carlo's full vote above. What do you think of his selections and who would you have in your top 25? Join the debate in the comments section