CBS Sports' first annual Golazo 100 may be nearing its final rounds, but our thoughts are already turning to who will be among the centurions for our 2025 rankings. Here are 10 players who missed this year's list due to form, fitness or other reasons, but could make the top 100 in 12 months' time:
1. Gregor Kobel, Borussia Dortmund
We start with the player who finished 101st in the Golazo 100, Borussia Dortmund's number 1 Gregor Kobel. A few players from the Westfalenstadion may have been pushed past their upper limits by our voting panel in light of an excellent run in the final weeks of the season, but curiously the star of his side to the Champions League final did not. does not entirely appeal to the imagination of our voting panel. He was ranked as the ninth best goalkeeper in the world and yet over the past two seasons he is ahead of Thibaut Courtois, Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Emiliano Martinez in terms of goals prevented per 90 minutes of league play.
If a goalkeeper's statistics are difficult to understand, a quick examination of his performances should provide convincing confirmation of his qualities. Kobel has played the biggest games for his club, so hardly a week goes by without him being linked to the likes of Paris Saint-Germain or Chelsea. Whether or not he gets his move, there is little about him that suggests he has benefited from the hot hand in recent years. Expect Kobel's quality and fame to grow in the coming years.
2. David Alaba, Real Madrid
Place this firmly in the category of players whose chances were curtailed by injuries. Over the past four years, David Alaba has been one of the best central defenders in the world. Before that he was one of the best left backs in the world. Had his career developed along a different trajectory, he might as well be among the elite as a central midfielder. The technical qualities that made him so prized by first Bayern Munich and then Real Madrid will not have disappeared once he has recovered from the torn cruciate ligament he suffered in December. The unanswerable question for now is whether Alaba's athleticism will last; players who return from a long-term injury at the age of 32 are often not the forces they were. However, if Alaba is what he was, there is no doubt that he will play a role in the Golazo 100.
3. Warren Zaire-Emery, Paris Saint-Germain
The CV of Zaire-Emery, another representative of what we call the Golazo 110, might ultimately have been too short to push him that little bit higher. Certainly for me, the Paris Saint-Germain midfielder was one of the most painful late cuts because the form of the player he is becoming is so convincing. In just a few weeks' time, we may have been too late in our attempt to board the Zaire-Emery hype train, as France's youngest international has been called up to Didier Deschamps' squad for Euro 2024.
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It may seem too early for the French team to make room for an 18-year-old, but much the same was said when Zaire-Emery broke into the Paris Saint-Germain team. has been the champion's major problem position for so long. With Kylian Mbappe leaving, there is a vacancy in Parisian affections. Zaire-Emery could well claim it, and with it a place in our Top 100.
4. Ben White, Arsenal
With six names on the Golazo 100, Arsenal fans could hardly feel numbed by the sheer number of reps given to Mikel Arteta. Still, it felt like a few more names could have been difficult. If we had started this process a year ago, Gabriel Martinelli would certainly have been ranked high. If the season had lasted another month, Leandro Trossard might have snuck in. The most surprising omission, however, would have to be Ben White.
At a time when the demands placed on full-backs are only becoming more varied, the 26-year-old is a true archetype. Few players in his position can function in all three key roles that will be asked of them in 2024, but White can be the third defender in possession, the touchline-hugging overlapper and the one who turns into midfield. If he needed to, he could probably do any task in the same game. Given that Arsenal only look set to improve next year, they may well have quite a few more than half a dozen names on the 2025 Golazo 100. If that is indeed the case, you can expect White will be one of them.
5. Jonathan David, Lille
The goals for Canadian international Jonathan David have been pouring in since the day he arrived in Lille. Over the past two years he has seen an impressive flurry of goals: 43 goals in 71 games in Ligue 1. Perhaps it was nothing more than the level of opposition he faced that ultimately prevented David from making the list , which could change this summer as the 24-year-old enters the final 12 months of his contract. There are plenty of candidates for David in Serie A, the Premier League and La Liga; Should Erik ten Hag stay at Manchester United, he is an admirer of the Canadian, according to CBS Sports sources.
Of course, David could still see out his final year at Lille, after which he would be an extremely intriguing option on the free agent market, but it's hard to shake the feeling that the young striker has proven all he can do in the Ligue 1. Only with a move to one of Europe's top four leagues could he put together an overwhelming case for the next Golazo 100.
6. Benjamin Sesko, RB Leipzig
Is Benjamin Sesko the next standout titan, set to conquer the Premier League after moving from Germany in a manner not dissimilar to the man he is so often compared to, Erling Haaland? It's a little hard to be sure right now. The Slovenian international ended the 2023/24 season with the kind of goal-scoring run that befits a player long regarded as one of Europe's best young strikers, but there may be some air in a 0.82 Bundesliga return goals per 90 from a more regulation 0.45 expected goals per 90. That number isn't all that bad for a 21-year-old playing his first season in one of Europe's top five leagues. That includes the 2.77 shots he averaged in an RB Leipzig side that has plenty of options to complete moves.
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Whatever Sesko's current abilities (and his potential ceiling), he'll almost certainly be a name you'll hear a lot more about in the coming months. Arsenal are big admirers of the young forward and top contenders for his signature, albeit Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain are among those keeping a close eye on his form at RB Leipzig this season. A move away from the Red Bull lineup could be enough to propel him further up the rankings… or he could be swallowed up at a bigger side in the depth chart.
7. Christopher Nkunku, Chelsea
What ultimately turned out to be a 2023/24 of relative progress for Chelsea could have been so much more had they gotten more than 437 Premier League minutes out of a player who, upon his arrival from RB Leipzig in the summer of 2023, many would have achieved. had expected to be their main attacker. In Germany, Christopher Nkunku had been an output machine, providing a total of 36 goals and 17 assists in his last two seasons in the Bundesliga. The France international was a chance-creating machine for both himself and others before moving to London and at the age of 26. There is plenty of time for him to regain the form and fitness of his prime.
8. Antonee Robinson, Fulham
Left back may not be a position overloaded with top talent at the moment – the only player who can even vaguely be classified as someone who also made our top 50 was Alejandro Grimaldo – and especially in the Premier League, Robinson has the opportunity to to prove his worth, even at a club that is not competing at the top of the table. The US international has long looked a threat when carrying the ball up the pitch, but this season the Fulham defender has taken significant steps off the ball. One of his best performances came when he played against Mohamed Salah. In the top five European leagues, no one made more interceptions than Robinson.
It may not be giving away much in the way of trade secrets to say that many in our voting pool are more live progression of USMNT stars than most; If Robinson continues on his current trajectory, it seems eminently likely that you'll find him in the lower reaches of the 2025 Golazo 100.
9. Matias Soule, Juventus
Considering the relatively limited level of the teammates who surrounded him on loan at Frosinone last season, Matias Soule made quite an impression in Serie A at the age of 20. His chances of 2.35 per 90 were the eighth highest return in Italy's top division and he was also in the top 40 in terms of goal frequency, not bad for a player who only played a handful of games for parent club Juventus this season. He may well have a long shot at making the Golazo 100 next year and much will depend on whether he ends up in a side in 2024/25, Juventus or otherwise, that can offer him a bigger platform to showcase his seriously impressive to show talents.
10. Joao Felix, Atletico Madrid
Why not end this with what, on the current trajectory, seems like quite a gamble. Joao Felix had an eminently decent year on loan at Barcelona, providing ten goals and six assists in all competitions, but it may not have been enough to get the Portugal international back on track after what seemed like years of unfulfilled potential. Atletico Madrid and Diego Simeone do not seem to be the right choice for Felix. Barcelona may not have the money to bring him back. Would anyone else be willing to go big in the kind of permanent, long-term role that Felix is expected to star in?
These aren't exactly circumstances that call for a threatening place on the Golazo 100, but it's worth noting that Felix is still only 24 and that even after so many difficult seasons at club level he's managed to average over three shots per 90 and just shy of 0.5 non-penalty xG in a secondary or even tertiary role with a disappointing Barcelona side. A talented creator, a strong runner with the ball and blessed with an eye for the pass, there is something truly special that can be unlocked if the $135 million man can find the right spot.
Golazo 100 schedule
Make sure you tune into the Golazo Network, including Morning Footy, to start your day with a round-up of each group of top players released each day. And of course, be sure to check out the full breakdown and analysis of who ranked where and why
