Dribbling is the biggest asset in football. A team without dribblers is not complete, as dribbling gives teams more attacking flow. That’s why every successful club always has one or two incredible dribblers in their squad.
Dribbling, in its simplest form, is the ability to beat your opponents.
One of the greatest dribblers of all time, Ronaldinho, once said: “If you’re playing for five hours, you don’t want to score goals all the time. I loved dribbling. I could score a goal, but I preferred to dribble.”
Dribblers bring more entertainment and joy to watching football. The greatest players, like Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona, and Pelé, are just unbelievable dribblers.
So, we’ve ranked the top 15 best dribblers in the world right now.
The ranking is solely based on their statistics, dribble attempts, and completion rates.
15. Eberechi Eze
Eberechi Eze has showcased his exceptional dribbling skills, boasting a success rate of 57.1%. He skillfully evades defenders, creating scoring opportunities for his team. Eze’s vision, creativity, and dribbling prowess make him a valuable asset, and his continued development will be vital to his team’s success.
14. Rafael Leao
With a success rate of 63.1%, Leao has proven himself to be one of the most effective dribblers in the game, leaving defenders in his wake and creating scoring opportunities for his team. His speed, power, and agility on the ball have made him a dominant force on the pitch, and his dribbling skills will be crucial to his team’s success in the remainder of the season.
12. Leroy Sané
Sané’s dribbling is a symphony of precision and poise. His ability to effortlessly change direction and glide past opponents with minimal touches has made him a key player for Bayern Munich
12. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
A revelation in Serie A, Kvaratskhelia’s dribbling style is characterized by unpredictability and flair. His mesmerizing runs and ability to create scoring opportunities out of nothing have earned him a place on this prestigious list.
11. Kylian Mbappe
Kylian Mbappe has the same approach to beating a defender as he does when at the negotiating table; cold and efficient. Blessed with unrivalled acceleration, the French superstar rarely varies his dribbling technique, deliberately slowing his opponent down before bursting away in a blur of straight arms and high knees.
10. Nico Williams
Nico Williams is a skilled footballer who has made a significant impact in 2024, particularly during the Euro 2024 tournament
Dribbling skills: Williams attempted the most dribbles on record by a Spain player at an edition of the European Championship, with 37 dribbles (13 completed).
Nico Williams has demonstrated his exceptional skills and contributions to his team’s success, making him a highly sought-after player in the football world
9. Neymar
Neymar is the perfect description of a showman in football , as he focuses primarily on tricks and dribbles compared to Messi. He has the classic flair of a Brazilian and entertains fans with his array of tricks and flicks. From rainbows and stepovers to the “Rabona,” he executes each trick with audacious flair. Neymar’s dribbling is about entertainment as much as it is about progression. He relishes beating multiple defenders, leaving them dizzy in his wake.
8. Rodrygo
At 22 years of age, Rodrygo has emerged as a vital player for Real Madrid both in terms of unlocking defenses and creating goal-scoring opportunities and helping out on defense. He still has plenty to improve on, namely his shooting and his decision-making in the middle third, but his contribution to the team’s pressing, his work out of possession and his ability to glide past opponents, Rodrygo is one of the most intriguing young prospects in world football
7. Lamine Yamal
The talented winger who recently won the euro been the youngest best player of the tournament has shown his skill on the ball, completing 84 dribbles in 2024. His ability to beat defenders with his quick feet and close control has been a valuable asset to his team.
6. Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi when it comes to history , he is on the the greatest dribbler if not the best. Lionel Messi first emerged as a painfully shy winger at Barcelona in 2004, having more difficulty with his billowing shirt than the La Liga defenders strewn in his wake. Two decades later, the legendary Argentine is more sparing with his surges but remains just as evasive.
5. Doku
The figures behind Doku’s dribbling are staggering. Despite playing less than half of the available minutes in the 2023/24 Premier League season, City’s number 11 carried the ball into the 18-yard box on 147 separate occasions – more often than any other player in Europe’s top five leagues. Only one other individual on the continent hit triple digits and no one could come close to his average of eight penalty entries per game.
4. Jamal musiala
Everything about Jamal Musiala’s game is smooth. The slippery eel of a footballer glides across the pitch as though he has the benefit of a three-second delay while everyone else is crashing around in real time. Building up a collage of his surroundings with a constant stream of glances over either shoulder, Musiala’s mazy runs forward often begin when he receives the ball facing his own goal, leaving the first of many opponents in his wake with one spin.
3. Savio
Savinho loves to play on the right and cut inside. However, he’s equally as capable on the left wing, beating a man and digging out crosses for team-mates.
He completed 104 dribbles across the season, a whopping 18 more than anyone else in the division. That man in second was Nico Williams, who has lit up Euro 2024 with his direct running.
2. Mohammed kudus
West Ham fans will be already accustomed to the many marauding ball carries that Kudus has executed in his time at the club. The Ghanian regularly scans for opportunities to wave his magic dribbling wand, often mesmerizing opposition players and managers.
His dribbling exuberance has remained a constant theme this season when Kudus has played – averaging a remarkable eight dribbles per game, with an outstanding completion rate of 55%.
1. Vinicius Junior
His dribbling style is more direct than that of Messi or Neymar. He never shies away from taking on defenders with brute force, using quick changes of direction and his low center of gravity to exploit space. While Vinicius does not boast the same bag of tricks as Neymar, he is constantly improving his technical skills, adding more finesse to his explosive dribbling.
Vini is still growing, as he is now learning when to go on the inside and dribble centrally, rather than the touchline dribbling he is used to.
he’s up there as the favorite to win the 2024 ballon D’or . Full list of favorite here
