The Athletic published an early ranking of the top 50 players participating in the World Cup, confirming that the list is not only based on talent, but also takes into account the current physical condition, level of performance, and the prospects of actual participation with the teams during the tournament.

Dembele in the lead and Ronaldo in 50th place

Paris Saint-Germain's Ousmane Dembele topped the list, with analyst Liam Toumi describing him as a "legacy-based classification", adding: "Although he has played fewer minutes this season, he has been decisive in the important moments. He deserves this position."

On the other hand, Cristiano Ronaldo, the player of Saudi Arabia's Al-Nassr, came in 50th place, with Toumi saying of him: "If he plays for himself Portugal will fail, but if he plays for the team he will be able to score decisive goals. It's up to him."

Messi is in 25th place, Salah is falling back

The list saw the presence of Argentina's Lionel Messi in 25th place, as the most prominent player active outside of Europe, as the report described him as "still able to make a difference despite his age and lack of physical effort compared to his past."

Egypt's Mohamed Salah came in 42nd, Germany's Jamal Musiala came in 48th, and Turkey's Arda Güler 45th, indicating that the rankings depend more on the current situation than on historical reputation.

France's Kylian Mbappe came in sixth, Morocco's Achraf Hakimi in ninth, Brazil's Vinicius Junior in 15th, and Norway's Manchester City in 13th place

French and Portuguese dominance on the list

According to the rankings, France and Portugal shared the top of the list with seven players each, followed by Argentina and England with five players, then Brazil, Germany and Spain with four players each.

The list included three players from Ecuador, two players from Belgium, Turkey and Norway, as well as one player from Uruguay, Ghana, the Netherlands, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Morocco, and Colombia.

The order of the top five places was as follows: Ousmane Dembele in the lead, followed by England's Harry Kane, Spain's Lamine Yamal, France's Michael Ollies, and Portugal's Vitinha.

The report indicated that these rankings will continue to be subject to updating during the course of the tournament, as player levels change and the actual performance in matches is impacted.