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10
Luis Suarez - Barcelona
Luis Suarez is one of those players who you can't help but be thrilled by when you watch him. You don't necessarily want to be given his past indiscretions, but his astonishing and relentless style of play, along with adhesive control and a gossamer touch in front of goal, make him a remarkable sight to behold. Part of the reason that Liverpool have struggled so much since he left for Barcelona is not just that they lost one brilliant player, but two or three in a single man. Some players can chase down opponents with the ferocity of a starved hound, some can score, some can create; some might be able to do two of those things, but few can do all three. An infuriating, dislikable, thrilling polymath of a footballer.
9
Gianluigi Donnarumma - AC Milan
It's a little odd to include a goalkeeper on a list of exciting footballers, since their purpose is to stop the thing that excites us the most in the game, but it's worth making an exception for Gianluigi Donnarumma. Not just because he's 16 (16!), but because he's 16 (16!) and excelling in a role that many do not master until they are twice that age. Already first-choice at AC Milan after deposing Diego Lopez earlier in the season, Donnarumma has won praise from the best person to win praise from, if you're an Italian goalkeeper. "The thing I like most is that we are talking about a youngster who is doing all the right things," said Gianluigi Buffon recently. It doesn't get much better than that.
8
Zlatan Ibrahimovic - PSG
Still, even after all these years. It's easy to come to the conclusion that Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been coasting for the past couple of seasons, strolling to three virtually uncontested titles with PSG and picking up a handsome paycheck in the process. But there's always the potential there with the big Swede that he's about to do something extraordinary, to make everyone sit up and laugh at the absurdity of his talent. It's the anticipation that's the most exciting with Ibrahimovic. He'll be at the European Championship in the summer. Enjoy him -- you'll miss him when he's gone.
7
Romelu Lukaku - Everton
It's tricky to underrate a player in one of Europe's top leagues these days, being so exposed to the gaze of the world. It is possible to underrate a part of a player's game though, and that's certainly true of Romelu Lukaku. The Everton forward is seen as being all power and pace, which he certainly has plenty of, but his subtlety and delicate touches are often overlooked. One moment this season was particularly delightful, a chipped cross with the outside of his left foot to set up Arouna Kone against Sunderland. You'd imagine Lukaku is quite happy to keep things like this relatively quiet.
6
Antoine Griezmann - Atletico Madrid
The majority of Atletico Madrid's success has been down to their bull of a manager, Diego Simeone, but even the force of his personality wouldn't be quite enough. Antoine Griezmann provides the flair and incision to go with Simeone's grit, zooming along their forward line at will to create chances and, more often than not, finish them too. He has scored 45 goals in 81 games since arriving at the Vicente Calderon 18 months ago, so it's hardly a surprise that he's in demand from the richest clubs in the world. "Of course he's a very important player for us, but we can't hold him here with chains," said Simeone recently.
5
David Alaba - Bayern Munich
Perhaps the most exciting thing about David Alaba is that he has the potential to be a magnificent player in two or three positions. "David Alaba is our god," said Pep Guardiola last year. "He has played in nearly all 10 positions." He's spent plenty of time at left-back and also in the centre of midfield for Bayern, while for Austria he tends to operate as a No. 10. Alaba has said he would like to concentrate on a specific role, but the difficulty will be choosing which one. Nevertheless, if he can channel all of his considerable talents into one position, then his potential could be limitless.
4
Douglas Costa - Bayern Munich
A few eyebrows were raised last summer when Bayern Munich spent €30 million on yet another forward-winger, to go with the coterie of talent they already had at the sharp end of the pitch. However, Douglas Costa has been magnificent since his arrival from Shakhtar Donetsk, providing yet more pace and incision with their already pretty quick and incisive team. The way Costa barrels down the flank and hammers in crosses to Robert Lewandowski is a joy to watch, and effective too. Before he injured his thigh in November, Costa provided seven assists and two goals in his 12 games. It almost seems unfair that Bayern have yet another brilliant young talent.
3
Gareth Bale - Real Madrid
There's still a sense that Gareth Bale hasn't quite convinced the crowd at Real Madrid, which might indicate how absurdly high the standards are in the Spanish capital, or just the sense that they are often never satisfied. Still, there's little more thrilling sight in world football than Bale in full flow, combining that muscular pace with a power that is still slightly surprising if you'd witnessed him as a relatively lightweight left-back at Southampton years ago. The sight of him scoring a hat trick in Zinedine Zidane's first game as Madrid manager, two of which were unstoppable headers, was magnificent.
2
Paul Pogba - Juventus
At 22, Paul Pogba is still developing as a footballer. He is inconsistent, capable of drifting in and out of games, and can sometimes look like a vaguely interested passenger. But then he does something utterly extraordinary, whether that's a delicate touch, a mazy run, a brilliant shot, a superb pass or an ingenious contortion of one of his implausibly extended legs, that makes you wonder if you really had just seen what you'd just seen. There's nobody in football like Pogba, and while he's not yet the best player in the world, there's little doubt he could be.
1
Neymar - Barcelona
At some point soon, Messi and Ronaldo will be gone, their reign as the dual kings of world football a wonderful memory for those of us lucky enough to be around during their years of peak genius. Remarkably, it seems as if Messi's successor is playing alongside him, gradually learning with some of the pressure placed upon him in his homeland relieved. Neymar was a star before he became a brilliant player, the hope and expectation of Brazil sometimes weighing heavy. But when the pressure is off, there goes Neymar, not so much running but floating about an inch above the turf, trying tricks on the pitch that others would hesitate before even attempting in training.
