Highlights CIES Football Observatory has revealed who the 10 most impactful players have been this year.
Phil Foden, Ruben Dias, and Bukayo Saka are included on the list.
It’s another of City’s stars that comes in as the most impactful player, though.
Even the best teams in the world have players that they simply cannot replace. Would Manchester United have won the treble if not for the leadership of Roy Keane? Would Arsenal have managed their invincible season if Thierry Henry wasn’t leading the line?
Strength in depth has allowed coaches to find ready-made replacements that fit their system should one of their star players get injured. But some people’s importance is unmatched and without them, their teams drop off massively.
As for who those players are, the experts at CIES Football Observatory have managed to whittle individuals down to a top 10 based on their ‘impact score’ out of 100 over the course of the 2023/2024 season.
CIES Footballer Impact Ranking Rank Player Club Score 1 Rodri Manchester City 98.5 2 Granit Xhaka Bayer Leverkusen 92.3 3 Martin Odegaard Arsenal 89.9 4 Florian Wirtz Bayer Leverkusen 89.2 5 Toni Kroos Real Madrid 89.0 6 Jude Bellingham Real Madrid 87.9 7 Alexis Mac Allister Liverpool 85.0 8 Bukayo Saka Arsenal 84.2 9 Ruben Dias Manchester City 83.9 10 Phil Foden Manchester City 83.7
10 Phil Foden
Impact Score – 83.7
One of the favourites to win the PFA Player of the Year award, Phil Foden has had the best individual season of his career. The Englishman has stepped up to another level and more often than not been Manchester City’s talisman as they won a record fourth consecutive Premier League title.
With 27 goals and 11 assists in all competitions, the 23-year-old has had his most productive season to date. The timing is perfect for him to stamp his authority on this summer’s Euros as he looks to guide England to their first trophy since 1966.
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9 Ruben Dias
Impact Score – 83.9
Just ahead of Foden is his Manchester City teammate Ruben Dias. While the diminutive playmaker takes charge further up the pitch, the Portuguese machine leads the back line with some dominating performances.
Holding down a spot at the heart of Pep Guardiola’s defence is no easy feat. The likes of Aymeric Laporte, Nicolas Otamendi and even John Stones have found themselves in and out of the team during the Spaniard’s reign. Yet Dias’ performances has ensure he remains one of the first names on the teamsheet and one of City’s most important figures.
8 Bukayo Saka
Impact Score – 84.2
From starboy to leading man. There is perhaps nobody who has embodied the transformation that Arsenal have gone through under Mikel Arteta than Bukayo Saka.
The winger has gone from a makeshift left-back to the Gunners’ leading attacker. This season, the 22-year-old has notched up 22 goals and 14 assists as the North Londoners came so close to ending their 20-year league title drought. If Saka, as well as one or two others, continue their upward trajectory, it is only a matter of time before Arsenal finally sit atop the Premier League once more.
7 Alexis Mac Allister
Impact Score – 85.0
Jurgen Klopp’s departure from Liverpool will usher in a new era when Arne Slot arrives at Anfield. It may be one of the German’s final pieces of transfer business that ends up shaping the future of the club if his performances in his debut season are anything to go by.
Alexis Mac Allister arrived from Brighton for £35m last summer. Having been a key part of Argentina’s World Cup-winning side, the midfield entered an engine room that was undergoing a lot of change. Despite that, he managed to show his quality on numerous occasions and his impact score of 85.0 makes him Liverpool’s most important player from the last campaign.
6 Jude Bellingham
Impact Score – 87.9
Win the Champions League and the Euros and surely Jude Bellingham becomes the front-runner for the 2024 Ballon d’Or. It has been the most incredible debut season for the former Borussia Dortmund man, who has been unphased by the enormity of his move to Real Madrid.
For all of Los Blancos’ attacking talent, Bellingham finished the season as their top scorer with 23 goals. From midfield, that is a ridiculous set of numbers. For all his strikes, though, there is one other Real Madrid player who ranks slightly higher than him.
5 Toni Kroos
Impact Score – 89.0
If there was ever any proof that Toni Kroos was retiring too soon, it’s right here. At 34 years old, the German’s fingerprints remain all over everything good that Real Madrid has done this season. However, his decision to finish his career at the top of his game will mean his last match for the club is the Champions League final.
There is perhaps no better place for the midfield maestro to call time on his legendary run in the Spanish capital. With an impact score of 89.0, it is going to take some doing for another player to fill the large shoes that Kroos is set to leave, even with all the talent that Carlo Ancelotti has at his disposal.
Related 14 Top Footballers That Retired Too Early Toni Kroos becomes the latest world-class footballer to announce a premature end to his incredible career.
4 Florian Wirtz
Impact Score – 89.2
It wasn’t meant to be for Bayer Leverkusen in Europe, with their incredible unbeaten season falling at the second to last hurdle in the Europa League final. Take nothing away from what they have achieved this season, though, as the German side have exceeded everyone’s expectations and could now become a dark horse for next season’s Champions League.
In order for that to be the case, they will need Florian Wirtz to pick up from where he left off this campaign. With one game still to play, the creative midfielder has produced 38 goal contributions in 48 games. It is this form that makes him one of the hottest prospects in the world, but it’s not enough to make him Xabi Alonso’s most important player.
3 Martin Odegaard
Impact Score – 89.9
Arsenal’s captain gave a powerful and mesmeric speech following the Gunners’ final-day disappointment in the Premier League. This act of defiance is the embodiment of why Martin Odegaard is perhaps Arsenal’s most influential man, both on and off the pitch.
Gone are the days of wondering whether or not the Norwegian would fulfil the promise that many saw in him. At the Emirates, Odegaard has found his home and is playing his game at the highest level. At just 25, there is room for even more growth, and he will be looking to add to the 11 goals and 11 assists he finished on this season.
GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Martin Odegaard is Real Madrid’s youngest-ever player, making his debut at 16 years 5 months and 6 days old.
2 Granit Xhaka
Impact Score – 92.3
Above both a current and former teammate is Granit Xhaka, whose summer move back to Germany could not have worked out any better.
Fans got a glimpse of the Swiss international in a role that finally suited him at Arsenal during his final season. While many wanted him to continue, it seemed apparent that a deal had been struck between Xhaka and Arteta that it would be the 31-year-old’s final year at the club.
From the moment he arrived at the BayArena, Xhaka continued to evolve, with his experience and leadership becoming vital in a team that was full of exciting young talent.
Related 8 Key Players From Leverkusen’s Bundesliga Title-Winning Season After winning the Bundesliga title for the first time since their inception in 1904, GIVEMESPORT have listed eight of their leading stars.
1 Rodri
Impact Score – 98.5
When the only time your team loses throughout an entire season is when you’re not playing, it means you are irreplaceable. That adjective is the perfect one to describe Rodri for Manchester City.
For all their amazing players, it is the Spaniard that allows this well-oiled machine to operate smoothly, anchoring the team down. He’s even popped up to score goals at the biggest of moments, namely the 2023 Champions League final and the goal that sealed the Cityzen’s fourth consecutive Premier League title.
With an impact score of 98.5/100, it is a near-perfect rating for a near-perfect player.