Harry Kane named 35th best player in the world

Spurs striker Harry Kane has been named the 35^th best player in the world in Goal.com’s annual Goal 50 poll. Kane’s place on the list follows an impressive 2015-16 campaign that saw the prolific striker finish the season as the Premier League’s leading goal scorer, helping Spurs to a third-place finish and qualification for the EUFA Champions League.

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 Griezemann 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: “Kane’s place on the Goal 50 is influenced not just by his 25 Premier League goals, but by how his overall play helped to take Spurs to a third-place finish and qualification for the Champions League. Few players manage to endear themselves to their club’s supporters as quickly as Kane has and we expect to see this support helping him climb the Goal 50 list in years to come.”

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.

Full Goal 50 2016 List:

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)

21 Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus)

22 Diego Godin (Atletico Madrid)

23 Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal)

24 Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)

25 Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)

26 Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich)

27 Toni Kroos (Real Madrid)

28 Paulo Dybala (Juventus)

29 Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid)

30 Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich)

31 Marcelo (Real Madrid)

32 Koke (Atletico Madrid)

33 Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich)

34 Sergio Busquets (Barcelona)

35 Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur)

36 Henrik Mkhitaryan (Manchester United)

37 Mesut Ozil (Arsenal)

38 Andres Iniesta (Barcelona)

39 Sadio Mane (Liverpool)

40 Saul Niguez (Atletico Madrid)

41 Casemiro (Real Madrid)

42 David Alaba (Bayern Munich)

43 Andrea Barzagli (Juventus)

44 Renato Sanches (Bayern Munich) 

45 David De Gea (Manchester United)

46 Douglas Costa (Bayern Munich)

47 Mauro Icardi (Inter Milan)

48 Ivan Rakitic (Barcelona)

49 Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain)

50 Lucas Alario (River Plate)