While football is the most popular sport in the world, some people are its avatars – they are the stars, the symbols of the sport, masters of the game on the field, and beyond its limits. 2025 is notable in many ways, but in the world of football, it is a year of the changing of the guard. The older stars (and sometimes even teams) have faded into the "respectable old-timer" status, and while still popular, they have ceased to amaze on the green playing fields primarily due to age. This is unfortunate, as none of the legends are truly immortal. Still, it allows us to see, analyze, and explore multiple new faces of football, and the year has been generous in introducing new faces and launching them into superstardom. Some of the people we’ll discuss in our article below, such as Mbappé, have achieved superstar status for a while, while others have started taking over the spotlight only recently. One individual from one of the entries shone the brightest this year, marking a first-time career highlight.
Who are the biggest stars in football today and tomorrow? How do they influence the game and everything that surrounds it? What are their most significant career achievements? Let’s assess everything about the top five footballers in the world at the moment and see how different they are from the stars of the olden days.
Let’s first set some limits – some of the footballers below aren’t as popular as others in terms of sheer popularity. They don't have hundreds of millions of Instagram followers, like Christiano Ronaldo, and don't move as much merchandise as stars like Beckham. However, they have become more than mere human beings – all of the players below symbolize resilience, tactical prowess, brilliant playmaking, scoring, and defending in their ways and styles. They are popular, yes, but first and foremost, they are masters of the game.
One of the best players of the last 10 years, Mbappé has been named every name in the world – from the top footballer of his generation to one of the most influential people on the planet, according to Time. This explosive goalscorer has been at the tip of the spear of Paris Saint-Germain since he was a teenager. He’s been (and scored) everywhere from the World Cup finals with France to the Champions League finale, and has been named the best player of the French Ligue 1 and Spanish La Liga. He achieved all of that before he even turned 27. Mbappé has transcended football in more ways than one, attracting lucrative sponsorships from companies like Nike and regularly posting for his millions of followers, only boosting his popularity with each season. He is a legend in the making, and we can’t wait to see what heights he’ll conquer next.
A Manchester City sensation, Haaland has come close to the status of the best player in the world in a single season – something that no one has done before. He broke the Premier League’s scoring record in his debut year with the club, showed the strengths, tactics, and sportsmanship of a footballer destined for greatness, and has become a sensation both in and outside the field. Lately, this 24-year-old sensation has been given the opportunity and has broken yet another record by scoring 100 goals in the Premier League in less than a hundred matches.
Another star from Real Madrid’s galaxy, this English footballer is one of the most versatile players on the planet. A fantastic midfielder, he can take up any role on the field, being proficient in both offense and defense, controlling the ball as if he owned it, scoring and assisting as if he'd been born to do so. And the best part? He's only 21, so the peak of his career is far from being even close.
Born in 2005 (!) Doue has risen to greatness at the age of 20. Taking the biggest trophy in European Football with Paris Saint-Germain the following year after the club’s biggest star, Mbappe, left for Real Madrid seemed like an impossible task, especially considering that PSG has never claimed a trophy that prestigious, and yet Doue not only helped his team to demolish Inter in the finals, scoring two goals out of five by himself but made it in such an impressive way to be awarded “Man of the match” trophy.
Another midfielder, this time from Manchester City, Rodri, is officially considered the best player in the world right now, having won the Ballon d'Or for his outstanding World Cup performance and strong presence for Man City in the Premier League. Powerful passer and tactician, he’s often considered the brain behind the success of the Spanish national team and Manchester City and is destined to become one of the best European players of this generation.
Football betting is the most significant industry related to sports wagering out there, which isn’t a surprise, considering football has been the most popular sport in the world over the last 100 years. Much of that popularity is driven by the key figures in the world of football, the stars we’ve discussed before. Many popular players skew the odds in their favor – superstars like Mbappé or Messi often directly influence betting markets, their mere presence increasing the odds of their team winning. One must read these odds correctly – star power might be necessary, but each team has eleven players, and the chances of victory are never tied up on a single person, only on teamwork. The last Championship League showed an astonishing display of sportsmanship. Still, despite the presence of Doue, we can’t say that the entire victory of the PSG was carried on his shoulders – beating the Melbet odds and surprising every bookmaker with such a victory, and this score was something that the entire team had brought together. And the lucky ones who could successfully predict that victory got their spoils by successfully evaluating the team beyond their biggest star, which is a tactic we'd recommend every sports betting aficionado to use.
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