We rank because we want power. We want to assess, evaluate, contextualize. We want to tell ourselves (and others) that there's meaning in sports beyond winners and losers, beyond statistics and emotion.
We can all read a box score but, as fans, we want more. We want meaning. We want context. We want an alternate narrative to the statistical tyranny of the numbers found in league tables or scoring charts. Rankings give us a sense of power.
You can't say, for example, that Kylian Mbappé scored more goals than Harry Kane in 2025-26 and, therefore, is a better center forward. But you can say (if you so choose) that Mbappé scored bigger goals in key moments and/or against tougher opponents and/or with a weaker supporting cast and therefore is better.
Your starting point may be irrational or emotional but that's OK. It's sports, it's about irrationality and emotion. But then you go from the initial vibe to a process where you take into account facts and context and what comes out at the other end isn't just finger-in-the-air vibe, it's opinion fortified by fact. And it's opinion that can't be denied. It can be argued against, sure, it may be silly, but it's personal and it's real.
The 2026 FC 100, position by position
Go to: Goalkeeper | Fullbacks | Center backs | Defensive/central midfielders | Attacking midfielders | Wingers | Center forwards
Go to: 2025 | 2024 | 2022-23 | 2021-22 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016
That's the spirit of the FC 100, now in its 10th year. We gather votes from our ESPN family across all our regions, from Brazil to Australia, from the Americas to Africa, from Asia to Europe: editors, journalists, ex-players, commentators. One person, one vote. And we ask them to rank, taking into account where they play, the levels of success they have achieved (both individual and with their clubs) and the gravitational pull they have accomplished.
Disagree with the outcomes? No problem. That's kind of the point. I certainly do. That's sort of inevitable with rankings of this kind... just ask the folks at France Football who give out the Ballon d'Or. (Though, perhaps, if you don't like the ranking, take it a little better than Real Madrid did when Vinícius Júnior lost out to Rodri in 2024.)
Don't take it as gospel, but as a measure of popular sentiment among those of us fortunate enough to make a living by watching this sport. And looking back over these past 10 years, there are plenty of talking points, reflecting the way the sport has gone.