With Messi in the lead and the presence of 10 other Argentine footballers, The Guardian has chosen the 100 best of 2022

Rankings and distinctions in soccer are very arbitrary. They also respond to commercial or marketing questions, you know. However, they remain a sign of how good or bad they are doing, and this is demonstrated by the election published by The Guardian, the renowned English outlet, which from the cradle of the most popular sport in the world has put together its own list with the 100 best footballers of 2022. And there is the Argentine dominance.

Lionel Messi, champion and decisive figure of the World Cup in Qatar appears in first place, surpassing Kylian Mbappé, Karim Benzema, Erling Haaland and Luka Modric, in order, according to the consideration of the 206 voters.

“After a low-key 2021-22 season, his first at PSG, nobody knew what to expect from Messi in this World Cup-interrupted season. However, he’s back firing on all cylinders,” describes The Guardian. And he adds: “He has scored goals or assists in all but four Ligue 1 games played before the World Cup, and in Qatar he led Argentina to glory for the first time since 1986.” All the voters chose it among the top 100, of course, and 156 out of 206 put it in the first step.

Messi was last elected number 1 in 2019, and has finished second to Robert Lewandowski in the last two editions.

The international top 10 is completed by Kevin De Bruyne, the aforementioned Lewandowski, Vinicius Jr, Thibaut Courtois and Mohamed Salah. To find the next Argentinian on the list, you need to move 10 more places down, where Emiliano Dibu Martínez appears at position 20.

Sadio Mané, Neymar, Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Casemiro, Achraf Hakimi, Antoine Griezmann, Federico Valverde and Pedri precede Dibu, author of one of the most important saves in the history of the World Cup and chosen by FIFA as the best goalkeeper of the contest.

Of Dibu they wrote: “By emulating Fillol and Pumpido as the winning goalkeepers of a World Cup with Argentina, Martínez has become a legend. None of his predecessors was forced to be the decisive player in the penalty shootout, and Martínez it was against the Netherlands and in the final. His ability to play under pressure earned him cult status.”

They also recalled his interruption against Kolo Muani, when 123 minutes of the decisive match against the Roosters were played. “He made a vital contribution when Kolo Muani looked ready to score in the last minute of extra time.”

Enzo Fernández (21), Julián Álvarez (32), Ángel Di María (38), Alexis Mac Allister (47) and Rodrigo De Paul (48) entered the first half of a list with particularities, such as Cristiano Ronaldo’s position at 51st place, far from the 8th place it obtained in the poll carried out a year ago by the same media.

Lautaro Martínez (70), Cristian Cuti Romero (72), Lisandro Martínez (81) and Nicolás Otamendi (100) complete the ranking, which takes into account not only their work in the national team but also what they do Sunday after Sunday in their respective teams of Europe.

There are 11 Argentines, all registered and protagonists of Lionel Scaloni’s team in Qatar. However, it is not the country with the most representatives in the standings.

There are 13 Brazilians and 12 French, with names like Alisson, Ederson, Richarlison, Olivier Giroud, Christopher Nkunku and Aurélien Tchouaméni among the top voters. Below Argentina, there are 9 Britons included in the ranking.