- Riyad Mahrez named as the 7th best player in the world by Goal.com
- The Leicester City winger is the highest-ranked Premier League player
- Mahrez scored 17 goals last season as the Foxes won their first top-flight title
- Jamie Vardy was revealed as the 11th best player in the world on Thursday
Leicester City’s Riyad Mahrez has been announced as the 7th best player in the world by Goal.com, joining Jamie Vardy (11th) on the list and becoming the highest-ranked Premier League representative.The midfielder scored 17 goals last term as the Club lifted their first-ever top-flight title and has been integral to their maiden UEFA Champions League campaign, scoring three goals to fire help City to the top of Group G.
The Goal 50 list was contributed towards by over 500 journalists across the world, judging players on their consistency levels, big-game performances, their footballing legacy and the success of their team at both club and international level.
Cristiano Ronaldo, following back-to-back Champions League and EURO 2016 successes with Real Madrid and Portugal respectively, tops the list, above Barcelona’s Luis Suarez and Atletico Madrid midfielder Antoine Griezmann.
Vardy, who was revealed as the highest-ranked English player on the list, said of Mahrez: “He’s brilliant, isn’t he? If he’s on his game, then there’s no stopping him and, obviously, it was good for him to sign a new deal and stay here as well.”
Mahrez, meanwhile, added: “Jamie had a fantastic season last season and I think he’s deserved everything. It’s a good partnership. He’s a good player and he helps the team a lot.”
James Marley, Global Editor-in-Chief at Goal.com said: “This time last year the Goal 50 didn’t feature a single Leicester City player. 12 months later and Mahrez is in the top ten and Vardy just outside it.”
Goal 50 top 20 list 2016:
01 - Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)
02 - Luis Suarez (Barcelona)
03 - Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid)
04 - Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
05 - Gareth Bale (Real Madrid)
06 - Neymar (Barcelona)
07 - Riyad Mahrez (Leicester City)
08 - Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
09 - Gonzalo Higuain (Juventus)
10 - Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Manchester United)
11 - Jamie Vardy (Leicester City)
12 - Pepe (Real Madrid)
13 - N'Golo Kante (Chelsea)
14 - Dimitri Payet (West Ham)
15 - Paul Pogba (Manchester United
16 - Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund)
17 - Arturo Vidal (Bayern Munich)
18 - Luka Modric (Real Madrid)
19 - Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid)
20 - Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus)