It’s the oldest bar debate in sports: who’s the best? But what if we sliced it differently, by birth year? From the freshest faces lighting up academies to the grizzled veterans still dictating terms, every age group has its king. And some of these crowns are heavier than others.
Let's start young. For the 16-year-olds, Endrick Felipe is the obvious choice. The Brazilian wonderkid already has 6 goals in 29 appearances for Palmeiras, and Real Madrid shelled out €60 million for his future services. That kind of investment for a player barely old enough to drive is unprecedented. Lamine Yamal, born in 2007, is already a fixture for Barcelona. He became the youngest player to start a Champions League knockout game at 16 years and 223 days against Napoli in February. He's got 6 goals and 7 assists across all competitions for Barca this season.
Moving up a year, Warren Zaïre-Emery, a 17-year-old midfielder, is already a vital cog for PSG, with 3 goals and 6 assists this season. He became France's youngest goalscorer in over a century back in November. Jude Bellingham, at 20, has simply exploded. He’s bagged 20 goals in 32 games for Real Madrid since his summer move, a staggering return for a midfielder. His market value has soared to €180 million. Erling Haaland, 23, keeps shattering records. He scored 36 Premier League goals last season, breaking the single-season record. This year, he's got 29 goals in 34 appearances for Manchester City.
Then there are the players in their prime. Kylian Mbappé, 25, remains arguably the most electrifying player on the planet. He's got 38 goals in 37 games for PSG this season, and his 2022 World Cup final hat-trick against Argentina is etched in history. Harry Kane, 30, has found new life at Bayern Munich, with an astonishing 37 goals in 35 matches since joining last summer. He broke the Bundesliga record for most goals in a debut season.
Here’s the thing: while Mbappé is incredible, I still think Kevin De Bruyne, 32, is the world's best pure passer. His vision is unmatched. He’s already racked up 12 assists in just 16 Premier League games this season after returning from injury. His 31 assists in the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 seasons alone speak volumes. Robert Lewandowski, 35, continues to defy age, with 20 goals for Barcelona across all competitions this year. He led La Liga in scoring last season with 23 goals.
Real talk: the longevity of some of these guys is just wild. Cristiano Ronaldo, 39, is still a goal-scoring machine in Saudi Arabia, with 29 goals in 25 league games for Al Nassr this season. He was the first player to score in five different World Cups. And then there's Lionel Messi, 36. He won the Ballon d'Or for a record eighth time in October, a year after leading Argentina to the World Cup. He scored 10 goals in 14 games for Inter Miami last season, delivering their first-ever trophy, the Leagues Cup, in August.
But the real unsung hero of the older guard has to be Luka Modrić. At 38, he's still bossing games for Real Madrid, with 40 appearances this season. He won the Ballon d'Or in 2018, breaking a decade of Messi-Ronaldo dominance. His ability to control a midfield at his age, after all the miles on his legs, is nothing short of miraculous. My bold prediction? Modrić will play a crucial role in Real Madrid winning another Champions League title this season, silencing any whispers of him being past it.