College football’s most disappointing players and best surprises as 2024 season nears midway mark

He posted a 92.3% passing accuracy in the attacking third, taking five shots and creating one chance in the process. The Portuguese midfielder has really come into his own over the last season, becoming an integral part of a Paris Saint-Germain team that made it to the semifinals of the Champions League while also winning Ligue 1 and the French Cup. The 24-year-old Portuguese international joined from Porto in 2022 and had a stellar campaign this season with nine goals in 46 games. His creativity on the ball and ability to shoot from a distance has made him PSG’s most dangerous player, arguably, behind Kylian Mbappe. He only needs a little bit of room to launch a rocket, and he seems to enjoy pulling the trigger from range over getting into the box.

Kylian MBAPPE, Real Madrid/France

By his own high standards, last season was a disappointing one for Son Heung-min, who was suffering with a hernia problem for several months. No longer inhibited by fitness issues, he’s spearheading a Tottenham team that’s been reinvigorated by the appointment of Ange Postecoglou. The departures of Hugo Lloris and Harry Kane have given him even more responsibility as captain, figurehead and chief goal threat.

Women’s Marathon Athletics Olympic Games Paris 2024

But Baltimore’s star playmaker continued to be a marvel with his impulsive act, leading all QBs with 821 rushing yards (5.5 yards per carry; five TDs) as he powered the Ravens to an NFL-best 13 wins. It resulted in Jackson, 27, winning his second Most Valuable Player award, which makes him the second-youngest player to accomplish the feat. Jackson’s 70-spot jump from last year’s Top 100 ranking is the biggest improvement in 2023’s edition, and his talent ceiling is only rising after an enhanced showing. Mahomes, two-time holder of the Top 100’s No. 1 spot, is seemingly chasing his otherworldly accomplishments of season’s past at this point. The two-time MVP’s 4,183 passing yards and 27 touchdowns this past season neared his career-low totals of 2019, but those figures would be the magnum opus for many NFL quarterbacks of today and yesteryear.

GER v DEN – Men’s Gold Medal Match Handball Olympic Games Paris 2024

The forward has been mightily impressive in South America, consistently producing goals for Palmeiras at youth and senior level. The tricky left-footed Belgian has already produced over ten goal contributions in Eredivisie this season, adding to the ten he managed last term. The 20-year-old has been linked with a move to Liverpool, eyed as a potential successor to Mohamed Salah. Bakayoko almost made the switch to the Premier League last summer, but rejected a £34m offer from Brentford. Instead, the winger has stuck around at PSV Eindhoven, sparkling in the Champions League this season with impressive outings against Arsenal in particular. With 2023 finally at an end, it’s time to look ahead to what’s in store for next year in the world of football.

Theo Hernandez — Left Back, AC Milan

• He’s won the World Cup and Copa America (twice) with Argentina and the Champions League, Premier League (twice again) and FA Cup with Manchester City.
• Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were the two greatest footballers of a generation, the former earning the Greatest of All Time tag in many quarters after capping off an outrageous career with the World Cup, the ultimate prize.
• Curious to see the Vols off the idle week and an emotional win at Oklahoma where the offense put up season lows.
• The left-arm finger spinner has made 159 appearances in all formats for England at only 25 years of age and has 126 wickets in 85 T20 internationals at an average of only 14.

The Sri Lankan captain is ranked fifth in the ICC’s Women’s T20 all-rounder standings and recently led her country to their first-ever Asia Cup title. The 34-year-old bowls accurate off-spin and can be an explosive batter in the shortest format of the game. Athapaththu has made 246 international appearances since her debut – at the age of 19 – in the T20 World Cup in 2006 and boasts a wealth of experience in franchise T20 cricket as well. Downs has returned from his ankle injury and has slowly gained work over the last two weeks. Last week he broke out, catching 8-of-9 targets for 82 yards and a touchdown against a good Steelers defense. Jacksonville ranks 30th in pass defense EPA and 28th in fantasy points allowed to wide receivers.

Ousmane DEMBELE, Paris Saint-Germain/France

Not sure if Al-Nassr negotiated some sort of contract in which Ronaldo gets a quid for every piece of Earth-orbiting space debris in existence, but it’s a nice thought. Just pipping Benzema into second place, Al-Hilal’s second entry in this list, Neymar Jr. Apparently he’s earning six times the amount he was making at PSG, which is a thought that barely touches the sides of our brain before slipping senselessly out into the ether. The greatest ever to do it, only the fourth-highest-paid footballer on Earth.

• Continuously evaluate your rosterContinuously evaluate your roster throughout the season and make adjustments as needed.
• Perhaps Mahomes’ latest campaign was more impressive under the right context.
• An excellent all-rounder, his distribution and shot-stopping are both truly elite.
• In 2023, the 30-year-old captained the youngest defense in the league to back-to-back Super Bowl glory, collecting 10.5 sacks, 39 QB pressures, 29 QB hits and 13 tackles for loss.
• Jude Bellingham’s stunning debut season at Spanish mega club Real Madrid has rapidly turned the attacking English midfielder into one of the hottest commodities in European football.
• With England also lacking a young and authoritative centre-back, Gareth Southgate will be keeping an eye on his progress.

Are The Best FIFA Football Awards and the Ballon d’Or the same?

• The 2023 award was won by the Club Atletico Colon de Santa Fe fan who was spotted bottle-feeding his baby during a game.
• A breakout tournament from Foden may be the extra weapon they need up front to finally end their Euros title drought.
• There are few better in Serie A than the Italy international, who played a key role in Inter’s run to the Champions League final in 2023.
• He should start seeing a bit more touchdown luck and he’s also been running more, giving him a shot at more rushing touchdowns.
• Most impressively, he harnesses that speed with quickness of feet and ball control to match any player in the world.
• However, since Messi and Ronaldo departed the grand stage of European football for farewell tours of the US and Saudi Arabia respectively, the position of ‘the best’ is yet to be unanimously filled.
• Injuries to star defensive players Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence hurt, but even with them healthy, the Cowboys have been weak against the run.
• Maqsood’s contributions could elevate the Scottish team to the next level, especially given the spinner-friendly conditions in the UAE.

Inter are known for their stubborn defence under Simone Inzaghi and key to that rigidity is Alessandro Bastoni. Capable of playing in a centre-back partnership or as part of a trio, the lanky Italian isn’t blessed with pace but has the intelligence to find himself in the right spot at the right moment. An underappreciated elite central defender, few strikers get the better of Bastoni in Italy, on the continent or on the international stage. If it wasn’t obvious enough that he’s the best player for the best team in the world, the stats back it up, with all four of City’s defeats this season coming without their key man, while their win rate drops from 75 per cent with him, to 33 per cent without him.

The Young English Supertalent Jude Bellingham

The Bears allowed just two passing touchdowns to five interceptions on the season and the sixth-worst completion percentage. Purdy has played well this season but just hasn’t put up the fantasy points we’d expect for how well he’s played. He should start seeing a bit more touchdown luck and he’s also been running more, giving him a shot at more rushing touchdowns. And this week he gets a Cardinals defense that ranks 29th at pressuring quarterbacks and 29th in pass defense EPA.

Lionel Messi (Inter Miami)

One of the most underappreciated attackers in the modern game, Rodrygo has often been left in the shadows by his Real Madrid teammates. Whether it’s Karim Benzema, Vinicius Junior or Jude Bellingham, the Brazilian hasn’t always claimed the plaudits he deserves. However, he remains an exceptional dribbler and scorer of big goals for Los Blancos, regularly popping up in the latter stages of the Champions League with crucial strikes. While criticism still comes in domestically, those on the continent are ready to anoint the right back as one of the best players in the world for his astonishing array of passing and attacking prowess. The relative mystique of foreign leagues can often inflate a player’s reputation as we are fed their many highlights and rarely see their 4/10s, the days they’d rather not remember, their misses, their failures.

Gibbs-White looks at home with England

What’s a list of top players in the world without the current Captain America on it? Possibly the best American soccer player ever produced, Pulisic has won a Champions Leauge title with Chelsea, a DFB Pokal with Borussia Dortmund along with multiple honors for the United States men’s national team. Now, entering the prime of his career with Milan, it seems like Pulisic is enjoying his soccer while also producing results with it.

• In-line with other players sliding down the rankings due to the standard of their current league, Lionel Messi’s reign at No.1 has drawn to an end, though he still remains a worthy entrant in this esteemed list.
• Throughout the last month, we’ve bore witness to plenty of fantastic games, goals and individual performances.
• The dynamic midfielder has taken the move to Arsenal, and a world of much greater pressure and expectation, comfortably in his stride.
• Football is undoubtedly the most popular sport in world (even if some people call it soccer – we’ll forgive them).
• His performances directly inspired Argentina to Copa America and World Cup trophies, and he transformed rock-bottom MLS team, Inter Miami, into cup finalists in the space of a month.
• Watt returned with a vengeance in 2023 following an injury-riddled season that temporarily halted his historic sack-collecting pace.

READ MORE ON THE BEST 25 PLAYERS FOR EVERY POSITION IN WORLD FOOTBALL

Several players have had disappointing seasons bordering on disastrous (and some indeed have had disastrous seasons). A midseason ranking will also include true freshmen for the first time — so prepare for the slotting of studs like Jeremiah Smith and Ryan Williams. The 2024 college football season is flying by and we’re somehow just a few weeks away from the halfway mark, which means I’m hard at work in curating what a midseason ranking of the top 151 players looks like. His recent move to Al Nassr – a result of him having “won everything in Europe” – sees the player earning a staggering $200 million a year making the five-time Ballon d’Or winner the highest-earning football player in the world. Echeverri was one of the stars of the 2023 FIFA U17 World Cup, finishing the tournament with five goals – only sat behind Argentina teammate Agustin Ruberto in the rankings. The 17-year-old starlet has attracted attention as a result of his stellar performances, with a number of European giants knocking on his door.

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That means an exclusive list has been unveiled, detailing the 100 best young male footballers in the world right now. Nominees for the Golden Boy must be under the age of 21 and play in the top flight of a European nation’s football divisions, so those putting in the work in second and third tiers are unfortunately ineligible for consideration. Rafael van der Vaart was the inaugural Golden Boy winner back in 2003, being given the award while on the books at Ajax and soon after moving to the Bundesliga with Hamburg, followed by the dream transfer to Real Madrid.

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He’s an impressive player at everything from speed and dribbling to scoring goals. He is currently playing at the French club PSG, but his future at the club is quite uncertain, and the rumors are swirling. Even though it hasn’t been his most impressive season, he’s obviously still one of the best players in the world with meters. He came in 3rd at the Ballon d’Or and was the player of the season and top scorer at Ligue 1. It’s going to be interesting to see where Mbappe will go next and whether it’ll be this year he moves on to another top club.

Madrid teammate Jude Bellingham enjoyed a sensational first season at Madrid and is a contender, but struggled at the Euros despite scoring a brilliant bicycle kick against Slovakia. The shortlist of potential winners will not be revealed until later in 2024. Furthermore, recognition is also given to the top coaches in the men’s and women’s games. Catch up on “The Top 100 Players of 2024” — voted on by the players themselves — on NFL+! Trent Alexander-Arnold’s wizardry from right-back was a major feature of Jurgen Klopp’s dazzling spell in charge of Liverpool.The local lad is one of the most prolific assisters in the top flight with a truly generational passing range. There remain questions over whether he should be moved into midfield, but he offers something incredibly unique from defence.

Jack Grealish — Left Wing, Manchester City

The Ballon d’Or is a ceremony founded and run by France Football, whereas The Best FIFA Football Awards were founded and run by FIFA. They are two separate awards, although between 2010 and 2015, they merged together to form the FIFA Ballon d’Or. This award celebrates the work of the best coaches in world football, and it ultimately decides which manager is considered to have been the best over the past 12 months.

Jude Bellingham — Midfield, Real Madrid

Back in the summer of 2021, he became the highest-paid player in the history of the English Premier League when he signed a two-year deal with his old club Manchester United. With three goals in 12 games for Israel, Gloukh has claimed that Barcelona tried to sign him while he was still with Maccabi Tel Aviv. Yet another youngster plucked from the Benfica academy of excellence, Neves is the latest starlet making waves in Lisbon. The 19-year-old central midfielder has already managed three caps for Portugal, impressing in a deep-lying role.

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The Frenchman exudes a similar effortless calm in the way he shuts down opposition attacks and brings the ball forward. It took him longer than expected to break into the Arsenal team after his move from Saint-Etienne but it was certainly worth the wait. Still just 22, Bukayo Saka has already made more than 200 competitive appearances for Arsenal.

Analyze matchupsAnalyze the upcoming matchups for your players and opponents to determine which players to start in your lineup each week. Look for favorable matchups and take into account the strength of the opposing team’s defense. Last year was tough for Liverpool, as the system that had worked so well for them under Jurgen Klopp started malfunctioning. It was reinvented with the help of new signings and a different role for Trent Alexander-Arnold.

The Premier League, in all its hyper-exposed, tribal glory, is often not a place where rival fans can appreciate world class talent when they see it. When Kane moved to Germany and made such a mockery of the Bundesliga, everyone finally saw the plain truth. Mohamed Salah’s consistency remains remarkable with 31, 31, 30 goals in his last three seasons respectively across all competitions. He is rarely injured, rarely suspended and usually always available, proven by his 51 appearances in each of the last three campaigns. He has lost fractions of his blistering pace but his intelligence and manipulation of the football means his control over the result of games remains as strong as ever. He is not an all-action terrier, he won’t pitch in with the dirty work, but to count that against him is to miss the point entirely.

The FIFA Fan award was created in 2016 and celebrates the best fan moment or event across the calendar year. The 2023 award was won by the Club Atletico Colon de Santa Fe fan who was spotted bottle-feeding his baby during a game. The location for The Best FIFA Football Awards 2024 has not been announced yet. The 2023 awards ceremony took place in London, while the 2022 edition was hosted in Paris.

Most sports journeys, though, are not linear but a lengthy road to landing in the right place at the right time can be a triumphant one. Look no further than their UEFA Champions League campaign, when they made a surprise run to the quarterfinals despite drawing Serie A champions Inter in the round of 16. Oblak was one of the best goalkeepers in Europe last season, making 38 saves — the fourth-most in the competition — and posting a 74.5% save percentage, behind only Borussia Dortmund’s Gregor Kobel. It was not just his stability that helped Atleti reach the last eight, either. He was arguably one of the heroes of their round of 16 triumph, making two stops in a penalty shootout as the Spanish side overcame a 2-0 aggregate disadvantage to force spot kicks.

Lois Openda has had no issues adapting to the Eredivisie, Ligue 1 or the Bundesliga during his career so far.Now bossing it with RB Leipzig in Germany, the Belgian striker is going from strength to strength. With searing speed matched with clinical finishing, Openda could earn a move to a European giant in the coming years. With Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo having entered the twilight of their careers, debates regarding the best footballer in the world are now much more complicated. Mbappe is back to his best this term, which is his last as a PSG player, with Real Madrid his next club, according to reports. Categorically one of the greatest players in Premier League history, Salah’s now getting the recognition he deserves, and is doing his best to add even more trophies to his legacy. His first act after single-handedly winning the Spanish Super Cup was to criticise his antics that upset opponents, suggesting there’s growth to come on and off the pitch.

The race is now hotting up as we head into the second half of 2024, with the eventual winner being crowned in December this year. With the race hotting up and journalists needing to vote, the nominees for the 2024 award have been established. Introduced by Italian outlet Tuttosport in 2003, the award is given to one exciting young male footballing talent annually, https://st-bet.net/mobile/ as a recognition of both their achievements thus far and the potential they still have to unlock. It is voted on by a number of different groups of people within football and ultimately awarded after the shortening of an original shortlist. The Best FIFA Men’s Player award is exactly that – the award given to the best men’s player of the given year.

“Victor is a very commanding and difficult-to-handle center-forward who will be a challenge for every defender with his physicality,” Leverkusen’s sporting director Simon Rolfes said. He has had an impressive season at Inter Milan and was, of course, a vital part of the Argentinian World Cup victory. He scored an impressive 20 goals in 44 appearances for Inter Milan and Argentina. His impressive level contributed to Inter making it all the way to the Champions League final, where they came in 2nd. Even though they lost the Champions League final, the team won the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana.

“I hate playing as a number nine,” has been Rodrygo’s constant plea to Carlo Ancelotti, his manager, and the media, but on the pitch you can hardly tell. Unexpectedly helping Aston Villa to a Champions League push, manager Unai Emery’s high-risk high-reward tactics have left Martinez as a key last line of defence, and his one-on-one mastery is among the best in the world. Previously projected to be a future Ballon d’Or winner at Manchester City, Sane appeared to have run out of tricks, but manager Thomas Tuchel has revitalised him. Bayern Munich finally did exactly that last season in response to Manuel Neuer’s skiing accident, and while things didn’t quite work out for a shambolic Bayern side, Inter are now reaping the benefits. Considered the best of the rest for much of his career, many goalkeeping experts were continually baffled that no one tried to poach Sommer from Borussia Monchengladbach earlier.

Bradley Locko was signed by Brest from Reims for an absolute snip in the current market, making the journey across Ligue 1 after a €500,000 deal was agreed. Although Miller has played only 47 snaps, CU has tried to find ways to get him the ball. The young group is led, of course, by left tackle Jordan Seaton, a five-star recruit from IMG Academy in Florida who was the No. 1-rated offensive lineman in the 2024 class. Seaton had played every offensive snap this season until the Buffs put in a backup group to run out the clock at the end of Saturday’s game at UCF. While Miller hasn’t made a significant impact this season, he represents a talented group of youth that has earned playing time for the Buffaloes (4-1, 2-0 Big 12), who are on a bye this week. Each week through the NFL season, we’ll look at our fantasy football rest-of-season rankings (ROS) to help you make roster decisions.

Averaging 0.93 sacks per game, Watt is on pace to hit 100 career sacks in his 108th game, which would make him the second-fastest player in history to the milestone behind Reggie White, according to NFL Research. Kane did nothing but score and assist goals consistently with 44 goals and 12 assists in all competitions. There is no one in the world who can find the back of the net like Kane while also setting up their teammates and even with chaos surrounding him he was consistently excellent for Bayern Munich. Antoine Griezmann is back is the top after his transfer to Athletico Madrid.

It took Anthony Gordon a while to get going after his acrimonious departure from Everton for £40 million last January. A reset over the summer served him well and he’s been Newcastle’s best player this season, flying down the left flank at will and delivering 14 attacking contributions. Alongside fellow countryman Yunus Musah, Pulisic has taken to Serie A with ease this season and has been one of the club’s most consistent performers, lining up on the right flank with Rafael Leao on the opposite side.

Although yet to score a fifty for her country, the fast-bowling all-rounder has scored a minimum of 20 runs in her last six international innings. The young captain will look to add more wickets to her 31 in dismissals in T20s if Pakistan are to make a mark on tournament. We can’t expect the volume Kraft saw last week in a game Jordan Love threw the ball 52 times, but it was good to see Kraft take over the TE1 role and command a 17 percent target share on the day. We’re all trying to figure out the best way to get fantasy points out of tight ends this season and going with a guy who has gradually gained snaps and routes and is going up against a weak defense is about as good as you can get. I can’t fade Nico Collins, as he is just too good, but this Bills pass defense is not one you want to mess with. Stefon Diggs can still get you some PPR points due to his route running and lowered depth of target, but Dell is going to have trouble getting deep on this team.