Payet MakesTop15 in Poll Of The 50 Best Players In The World

Dimitri Payet’s show stealing performances at Euro 2016, coupled with him being one of last season’s Premier League surprise packages, has helped the West Ham midfielder finish 14th in Goal.com’s annual Goal 50 list, which ranks the best players in the world. Payet’s position is the highest achieved by a West Ham player in the history of the Goal 50. The top spot of this year’s Goal 50 has been taken by Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo, with Barcelona’s Luis Suarez finishing second and Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Greizemann coming in third. Last year’s winner, Lionel Messi, finished fourth.
The Goal 50 list is compiled by over 500 of Goal.com’s journalists from around the globe. Goal’s football experts have given a thorough examination of players in every territory, judging them on their level of consistency, their big-game performances, footballing legacy and the success of their team at both club and international level. James Marley, Global Editor-in-Chief at Goal.com said: “Payet’s ability to be provide standout individual moments of brilliance, as well as being the engine room for both West Ham and the French national team has endeared him not just to the Goal 50 panel, but football fans across the world. We’re sure there’s much more to come from him and expect to see him place even higher next year.”
Ronaldo’s place at the top of the list was cemented by a 12-month period, which saw the player lift both the Champions League and European Championship trophies. He finished the 2015/16 season with 51 goals in all competitions, while at Euro 2016 he became the first player to score at four consecutive European Championship finals. The majority of the Goal 50 play their football in Europe’s five biggest leagues, with 19 playing in La Liga, 14 in England’s Premier League, nine in Germany’s Bundesliga, six in Italy’s Serie A and one in France’s Ligue 1. Outside of Europe, River Plate’s Lucas Alario makes the list by placing at number 50.
Leicester City’s surprising Premier League title win helped Riyad Mahrez (7) make his first appearance in the annual countdown. Mahrez is joined by fellow Goal 50 new-boys Dimitri Payet (14), Paolo Dybala (28) and Jan Oblak (29).
Fans can view the Goal 50 in its entirety at Goal.com.