Who Were the Best Soccer Players in 2018? Our Definitive Ranking

As I sat watching that incredible WTA 125 match between Alex Eala and Varvara Lepchenko in Guadalajara last Thursday, I couldn't help but draw parallels to the soccer world. Nearly three hours of intense action that couldn't settle their match reminded me so much of those tightly contested football games where even after 90 minutes plus extra time, you're left wondering who truly deserved to win. This got me thinking about 2018's soccer landscape and which players genuinely stood out from the pack.

When I look back at 2018, what strikes me most is how we witnessed one of those rare transitional years in football history. The usual suspects were still performing, but new talents were emerging in ways that made ranking players particularly challenging. I remember having countless debates with colleagues about whether we were seeing the gradual passing of the torch from Messi and Ronaldo to younger stars. My personal take? We absolutely were, though not as dramatically as some pundits claimed at the time.

Luka Modrić's 2018 was something truly special, and in my view, he deserved every bit of that Ballon d'Or recognition. What many casual fans might not appreciate is how his performance transcended typical statistics. While he scored only 2 goals for Real Madrid in Champions League play that year, his influence went far beyond the scoresheet. His 92.3% pass completion rate in the World Cup, combined with covering nearly 12 kilometers per match, showed a complete midfielder at the peak of his powers. I've always believed that Modrić represented that rare breed of player who makes everyone around him better, much like how some tennis players can elevate their game during those marathon matches like Eala and Lepchenko's three-hour battle.

Then there's Kylian Mbappé, who at just 19 years old was absolutely electrifying. His World Cup performance against Argentina, where he became the first teenager since Pelé to score twice in a World Cup match, still gives me chills thinking about it. What impressed me most wasn't just his blistering pace – we're talking about reaching speeds of 38 km/h during matches – but his remarkable composure in big moments. He finished the year with 39 goals across all competitions, a staggering number for someone his age.

We can't discuss 2018 without mentioning Cristiano Ronaldo's transition to Juventus. While some argued he was declining, I saw it differently. His incredible overhead kick against Juventus in the Champions League quarter-finals, which earned a standing ovation from the opposing fans, showed he still had magic in his boots. He finished with 49 goals for club and country that year, proving that reports of his demise were greatly exaggerated.

Lionel Messi, meanwhile, continued to defy physics and logic with his performances. His hat-trick against Levante in December 2018, where he scored his 50th career hat-trick, demonstrated that he was still very much in his prime. What always amazed me about Messi was his efficiency – he averaged a goal every 84 minutes in La Liga that season, which is just absurd when you think about it.

The beauty of 2018 was that we had established legends performing at incredible levels while new stars were forcefully announcing their arrival. Players like Mohamed Salah, who scored 44 goals in his debut Liverpool season, and Kevin De Bruyne, who created 104 chances in the Premier League alone, made this one of the most competitive years in recent memory for individual accolades.

Looking back, what made 2018 particularly memorable was this fascinating intersection of generations. We had veterans like Modrić and Ramos delivering career-defining performances while young talents like Mbappé and Salah were establishing themselves as the future of the sport. Much like that marathon tennis match in Guadalajara that tested both players' endurance and skill, 2018 in soccer gave us countless moments where individual brilliance shone through, leaving us with lasting memories and plenty of debate material for years to come.