After finishing second to Cristiano Ronaldo last year he reclaims first place in the Guardian’s top 100 male footballers list for 2017. Messi finished only 42 points ahead of Ronaldo (6,582 to 6,540) and yet again the pair were miles ahead of the rest. Messi and Ronaldo have, between them, won all six years of the Guardian’s top 100 footballers and while some may find that tedious I find the battle between the two fascinating. Messi has won the award four times (2012, 2013, 2015 and 2017) with Ronaldo claiming it twice (2014 and 2016). He is the youngest player on our top 100 list, having turned 19 on 20 December, with Christian Pulisic, who is three months older, also a new entry at No77.

Source: The Guardian December 22, 2017 11:03 UTC