BEST OF THE BEST SOCCER PLAYERS

Brush Stroke By: CHANDRASEKHAR Artist Story

[{"selector":"#anim-d0099c4e-b47b-4ad2-9202-34f039465792","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":250,"duration":1500,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-7b556edc-3ca2-43ac-86be-4e0ffd7fe38a","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":250,"duration":1500,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] LIONEL MESSI Lionel Messi has netted 96 goals in 171 international matches in his career, making him the top goal scorer of all time for Argentina.

CRISTIANO RONALDO

[{"selector":"#anim-8e3ec36e-63c4-4965-a830-da240ea8385f","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":2400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-b2068bd1-560d-4812-a1ba-ab09a877c4d7","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, -99.59318%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Brush Stroke Cristiano Ronaldo has scored a staggering 118 international goals for Portugal

NEYMAR

[{"selector":"#anim-2d75438c-c315-470e-abe3-aa6ac24f0397","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":7000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-96011f88-8de9-4c61-9c9a-f159061fe0c5","keyframes":{"transform":["rotate(105deg) translate3d(0px, 134.36168%, 0) rotate(-105deg)","rotate(105deg) translate3d(0px, 0px, 0) rotate(-105deg)"]},"delay":0,"duration":7000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Brush Stroke Neymar lining up for Brazil's friendly match against Austria in 2018. He has scored 77 goals in 124 caps for Brazil. Emily Smith, Art Historian

ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI

[{"selector":"#anim-6f6294d8-0c12-4db7-8212-b1b598922358","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-99.72527%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-728309a2-9d8d-436b-8753-18f49a01f7ca","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-dda7dfe9-2fdd-4b48-8bd2-26962c039c72","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.15)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-77363948-317e-4cf9-bfa1-64729f2b980f","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(100.00000%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-a799f6c5-9ba0-4fe9-a9a8-062554c7a6a7","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-6920883d-a5ee-4360-b320-3ec423e500e7","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.15)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"forwards"}] Brush Stroke Robert Lewandowski is the all-time top goalscorer for the Polish national football team. As of 4 December 2022, he has scored 78 goals in 138 appearances since his debut

KYLIAN MBAPPE

[{"selector":"#anim-cf56d5e4-ee5d-433e-b39b-fefae6774e68","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-8e817fa3-4c46-4802-9eaf-e7fa8ca0ca91","keyframes":{"transform":["rotate(-120deg) translate3d(0px, -57.61225%, 0) rotate(120deg)","rotate(-120deg) translate3d(0px, 0px, 0) rotate(120deg)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Brush Stroke Mbappe has 65 caps for his country, but only scored three goals in his first 12 matches , which means his next 30 have come in just 53 games.

KEVIN DE BRUYNE

[{"selector":"#anim-fb21ed50-ffa0-40a1-88ef-c49468fe3c10","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-d852129b-23f6-4cca-b823-c59b1d3191ff","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 16.98018%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Brush Stroke De Bruyne made his full international debut in 2010, and he has since earned over 90 caps and scored 25 goals for Belgium.

VIRGIL VAN DIJK

[{"selector":"#anim-393cad16-b4f7-4b96-ae53-467016cb0307","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-337ca07a-94bf-4974-bf64-f9c9ea9a4bcc","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, -20.59193%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Brush Stroke Virgil van Dijk's remarkable 70-game record comes to an end with Liverpool's loss to Leeds. Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk's remarkable 70-match unbeaten record at Anfield in the Premier League came to an end in Saturday night's loss to Leeds United.

SADIO MANE

[{"selector":"#anim-36127619-d062-40bf-818c-d68bdced78cb","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Brush Stroke At international level, Mané has registered 34 goals in 93 appearances for Senegal since his debut in 2012, and currently ranks as his nation's all-time top goalscorer, and third in all-time appearances.

RIYAD MAHREZ

[{"selector":"#anim-a87ea64b-80a4-45ee-8b51-b9dd0bf5edc8","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-c426701e-2778-4091-809c-0de1504e0726","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-114.74926%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Overall, in his Premier League career, he has appeared in 263 matches in the competition, with 78 goals and 51 assists.