Who is the best soccer player in the world?

There are many ways to determine who the best soccer player is at the current time.

Some would say that the Ballon d'Or award does that job for us, labeling the best player in the game at the current time. At this juncture, that is Karim Benzema of Real Madrid, who won the 2021/22 award after leading Los Blancos to the La Liga and Champions League double.

Others would say that the highest-paid player is the best. That would be Kylian Mbappe whose new PSG contract could see the French side shell out an eye-watering €630 million over the course of his new three-year contract he signed in the summer of 2022. Mbappe is thought to be the best young player in the game now, gracing the cover of the popular FIFA video game for the last two years.

Still more could argue that the player with the most goals scored would be the best player. That would make Cristiano Ronaldo the top player in the world, with his all-time record of more than 800 goals for club and country. Right behind him is his rival Lionel Messi, who also has collected far more assists than his Portuguese counterpart. Young striker Erling Haaland may have something to say about that, however, as his incredible start to the Premier League season has seen him on pace to shatter the league's single-season goalscoring record.

However, that seems to discount those who play other positions, like 2018 Ballon d'Or winner Luka Modric, whose midfield brilliance led Croatia to the last World Cup final, or 2022 Yashin trophy winner Thibaut Courtois, whose goalkeeping heroics earned him Man of the Match in the 2022 Champions League final.