Lionel Messi may have won the Ballon d'Or once again, but in 2023 football fans witnessed a changing of the guard at the top of the beautiful game.
The next generation of talent ascended to superstardom during 2023, with Erling Haaland breaking goalscoring record after goalscoring record, Jude Bellingham dominating La Liga despite being just 20, and Kylian Mbappe continuing to be Kylian Mbappe (AKA bloody outrageously good at football).
After a significant year of change in the footballing world, we at footballboast have decided to rank the 20 best footballers of 2023.
20. William Saliba
Thanks to his consistently exceptional performances, William Saliba has become one of the best defenders in the world in 2023.
Had he not suffered a season-ending back injury near the end of the 2022/23 campaign, there's a very good chance he'd be a Premier League champion, too.
19. Julian Alvarez
Julian Alvarez is 23 years old and has already won 12 major trophies and club and international level.
That is obscene.
What makes it even more obscene is that Alvarez, despite his age, has been a key player in each of those successes.
In 2023 he made vital contributions for Man City on their way to winning the Premier League, FA Cup, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.
18. Declan Rice
Forking out £100m+ for a player doesn't always guarantee success for their new club.
But after guiding West Ham to a European trophy in 2022/23, everyone knew Declan Rice would be a surefire hit at Arsenal. Lo and behold, he has been exactly that.
The England international has been mesmerically good at the Emirates Stadium, popping up with crucial goals while providing a consistently solid base to their midfield.
17. Jamal Musiala
Jamal Musiala has long been touted for superstardom and in 2023 it's fair to say he began to come good on his potential.
The attacking midfielder was key for Bayern throughout the calendar year and even popped up with a Bundesliga title-winning goal on the final day of the 2022/23 season.
The 20-year-old is on his way to becoming one of the very best footballers in the world.
16. Bukayo Saka
15 goals and ten assists from the right flank in 2023 tell you all you need to know about Bukayo Saka.
Arsenal's 'Starboy' is the club's most consistent goal getter and creator and one of the Premier League's very best attacking talents.
15. John Stones
Had he not been injured for much of the current campaign, John Stones would be much, much higher on this list.
The defender was utterly exceptional during City's run to the treble, even garnering some Ballon d'Or buzz at the end of 2022/23.
14. Antoine Griezmann
It wasn't too long ago that Antoine Griezmann was a Barcelona player and looked utterly washed.
Fast forward to 2023 and Griezmann is back at Atletico Madrid and back to his brilliant best.
13. Vinicius Junior
There are very few more joyous things in football than Vinicius Junior squaring up to a defender on the left-flank.
More often than not in that situation, Vini makes mince meat of the opposition player before scoring or assisting a teammate.
That trend continued in 2023, with the Brazilian bagging 37 goal contributions for Los Blancos.
12. Lautaro Martinez
Lautaro has long been touted as one of the future superstars of the game and over the last 12 months he has become exactly that.
The Inter captain has developed into a genuine game-breaking player for his team. Martinez's star turn against AC Milan in the Champions League semi-finals is already the stuff of legend at San Siro.
11. Lionel Messi
The greatest footballer of all time doesn't even make the top 10?
Despite the Ballon d'Or triumph and move to Inter Miami, 2023 was a pretty quiet one for Messi by his own lofty standards.
10. Cristiano Ronaldo
The year is 2023, Cristiano Ronaldo is 38 years old, and he scored more goals than anyone else during the calendar year.
That most of those goals were scored in the Saudi Pro League is the reason he's not higher on this list.
9. Mohamed Salah
If he hadn't already, Mohamed Salah cemented his place among the Premier League's greatest ever players in 2023.
The Egyptian was back to his brilliant best for Liverpool during the last 12 months and, as a result, the Reds are back challenging for the league title.
8. Victor Osimhen
The man who fired Napoli to their first Scudetto in over three decades, Victor Osimhen won the Capocannoniere during their historic 2022/23 campaign, becoming a true club legend in the process.
7. Bernardo Silva
When your manager is Pep Guardiola and has compared you to Lionel Messi, you know you must be a pretty damn good footballer. And that's exactly what Bernardo Silva is.
The diminutive wide player provided Man City fans with some memorable moments in 2023, including a brilliant brace against Real Madrid en route to the Champions League.
6. Kevin De Bruyne
If Kevin De Bruyne had played a single full game of football at the start of the 2023/24 season, he'd be much higher on this list.
The midfielder didn't due to injury, but he did enough at the tail-end of last season to secure sixth place in these rankings.
When he was fit in 2023, there were very, very, very few better footballers in the world than KDB.
5. Kylian Mbappe
His final full year at Paris Saint-Germain?
Probably.
Was it a good one?
Mbappe scored 52 goals in all competitions, won his fourth Ligue 1 player of the year award, his fifth league golden boot and finished third in Ballon d'Or voting. Yes, it was definitely a good one.
4. Harry Kane
After years of speculation, Harry Kane finally left Tottenham Hotspur in 2023. joining Bayern Munich.
And while living in a hotel for most of the year, Kane continued to score for fun, becoming only the third player ever to bag 20+ Bundesliga goals in the Hinrunde. Kane has the capacity to fire Bayern to Champions League glory in 2024.
3. Rodri
The best football team in the world's most important player - that tells you all you need to know about Rodri.
The midfielder was both the anchor at the heart of Man City's midfield and a player who popped up with crucial offensive contributions, scoring the goal that won Man City their first ever Champions League.
2. Jude Bellingham
In 2023, Jude Bellingham became a superstar.
Having impressed at Borussia Dortmund, the England youngster earned a blockbuster move to Real Madrid and has taken his game to a completely different level ever since.
With 17 goals and five assists to his name this season already, Bellingham is set to be leading candidate for the Ballon d'Or award in 2024.
1. Erling Haaland
Of course Erling Haaland is number one on this list.
Having broken the single season Premier League goalscoring record, won the treble, and looked genuinely unstoppable for 99.9% of 2023, it's easy to see why, too.
