South American star surpasses Messi and Ronaldo in prestigious award

Two stars, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, have been surpassed by Luis Diaz in the respected ranking of the top footballers of 2025.

The year 2025 has truly been transformative and groundbreaking for Luis Diaz. His decision to leave Liverpool was driven by the desire for a salary that reflects his on-field performances. After just half a season at Bayern Munich, he has surpassed names such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the year-end rankings published by The Guardian.

More and more football legends, once considered the greatest in history, are now ranked lower in these lists, showing how time affects all careers. Thanks to consistent performances, Luis Diaz has risen, according to one of the world's most respected football newspapers, which releases the list of the top 100 players annually based on journalists' votes.

The Colombian player is currently ranked 31st, ahead of Messi at 34th and Cristiano Ronaldo at 51st, clearly reflecting his influence during the past season.

“This has been a fantastic year for Díaz, achieving the highest ranking of his career, reflecting a season where he won the Premier League with Liverpool and is making significant strides to conquer the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich. He is a key but often underrated part of coach Arne Slot’s impressive debut campaign and perhaps has always been undervalued; Liverpool were unwilling to pay a high salary to renew a contract for a 28-year-old player, while many in Germany questioned Bayern’s decision to invest heavily in a striker nearing 30,” analyst Andy Brassell from The Guardian commented.

Diaz’s first half-season at Bayern Munich was explosive. The 1997-born star scored 13 goals and provided 7 assists in 22 official matches across all competitions, fully deserving the praise.

Bayern Munich’s current form is inseparable from Diaz’s impact. The team has dropped points in only 3 official matches since the season began. In the Bundesliga, they have secured 41 out of a possible 45 points, marking the best start in the club’s history since the league adopted the 18-team format and 3 points per win.

Only Arsenal in the Champions League has managed to earn points against this thriving European team, where Diaz’s goal and assist to teammates like Harry Kane have helped Bayern achieve the best start ever recorded in the top five European leagues since records began.

In the rankings of The Guardian, Diaz also surpasses many other prominent South American players, including Moises Caicedo (32), Alexis Mac Allister (35), Federico Valverde (37), Jamal Musiala (43), and Kevin De Bruyne (73). Among South American players, he ranks fifth in influence, only behind Raphinha, Lautaro Martínez, Vinicius Junior, and Julian Alvarez.