20 Best Dribblers in World Football (2025)

There is a growing feeling that fun is fading out of football. The legendary Argentine coach Marcelo Bielsa lamented the sport’s supposed ‘decline’ this summer, claiming that the spectacle “is becoming less and less attractive”.

Manchester City’s all-conquering manager Pep Guardiola, a noted Bielsa disciple, has been blamed by some for this perceived drop-off. Guardiola’s positional, possession-heavy system serves as the inspiration for coaches across the globe. A common misconception is that this style turns mercurial individuals into mindless cogs in a winning machine, but he has made it his mission to sign talented dribblers like Rayan Cherki, Jeremy Doku and Savinho among others.

For all the doom and gloom, there is a fleet of wondrous weavers scattered across the elite level. You just have to know where to look. Here’s a rundown of the players who are railing against the misdirected idea of football’s decline right now in 2025.

Ranking Factors

• Quantity – The number of dribbles attempted and completed is a key factor when judging the world’s best.
• Level – Players who can dribble around elite defenders in the toughest competitions available have been ranked higher.
• Style – Beyond the cold, hard numbers, the most entertaining dribblers wriggle past their opponents with a balance of skill and speed.

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20

Mohammed Kudus

Tottenham

After a stellar first season with West Ham, Mohammed Kudus endured a difficult second campaign in East London, and some of the hype seemed to die down with him. But after Tottenham decided to splash the cash to sign him for big money in the 2025 summer transfer window, he appears to have refound his form.

The Ghana international has been at his electric best in the early stages of this Premier League campaign, and has already picked up a couple of assists with some trademark runs and crosses from the byline.

19

Morgan Rogers

Aston Villa

One of the fastest rising English talents right now, Morgan Rogers has developed into a superb player since arriving at Aston Villa. A former Manchester City academy product, Rogers’ skill as a dribbler is one of a powerhouse, bulldozing his way through the middle of the park and then timing the pass into his centre-forward.

It has been one of the most exciting parts of Villa’s attacking play to watch Rogers go through the gears, and he seems destined to play at the very highest level. Given his ability to play through the middle of the park, it makes him a unique profile compared to most of the wingers who feature on this list.

18

Rafael Leao

Milan

A mercurial talent, it’s safe to say Rafael Leao would have his pick of the clubs were he to leave Milan at any point. A tall, rather languid player, Leao often bursts into life and catches people by surprise with his pace, power and directness. The Portuguese star could do with adding a touch more consistency to his game, but there’s no questioning he remains a devastating player on his day.

Given his height and strength, it makes him a difficult prospect to knock off the ball, and there have been plenty of times where he’s been able to ride challenges after embarking on a dribble from well inside his own half. Leao is the very definition of going from 0 to 90.

17

Michael Olise

Bayern Munich

One of the best players in the world in the 2024/2025 season, Michael Olise has raised his game further since joining Bayern Munich. While he had already showcased his enormous talent while in the Premier League with Crystal Palace, Olise has arguably gone up a gear now that he is competing for trophies and playing with some of the other greats of the game.

His trademark cutting onto the left foot from the right-hand side seems predictable enough but has proven virtually impossible to stop for opposition defenders and teams, and it’s no surprise he has racked up the goals and assists for Bayern.

16

Jamie Gittens

Chelsea

A young English star who made waves at Borussia Dortmund. Where have we heard that one before? In this case though, the past doesn’t matter. Jamie Gittens has earned a big-money move to Chelsea and joins a squad that is already stacked with attacking talent.

Nevertheless, Gittens’ directness and dribbling skills marks him out as one of the most exciting players in the Premier League already, and the hope will be that the Englishman can give Chelsea a real boost and spark going forward.

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15

Savinho

Manchester City

Pep Guardiola, the apparent architect of modern football’s supposed demise, is more interested in deceptive widemen than most managers. “Today football is losing the dribble,” he lamented on Spanish TV in 2022. “Without players who dribble, nothing can be done.” City’s head coach has subsequently recruited some of the best weavers in the game, with Savinho the latest trickster to show his fleet feet since arriving at the Etihad in the summer.

Girona reaped the rewards of Savinho’s mercurial talent during the 2023/24 campaign, spending much of the season at the table’s summit before eventually finishing in a record-breaking third place. “I know this is a big statement,” Girona’s boss Michel said last term, “but I hadn’t seen anyone so effective in one-on-one situations since Vinicius Junior emerged.”

14

Jeremy Doku

Manchester City

Jeremy Doku skitters forward like a drop of water on a hot pan – a bewildering combination of chops and jinks and feints that leaves defenders dizzy. Playing for a team which bosses possession as emphatically as Manchester City, the Belgian winger has more opportunities than anyone else to take on his opponent.

The figures behind Doku’s dribbling are staggering. Despite playing less than half of the available minutes in the 2023/24 Premier League season, City’s number 11 carried the ball into the 18-yard box on 147 separate occasions – more often than any other player in Europe’s top five leagues. He has continued in this vein this term, and remains a unique member of the Manchester City dressing room due to his skills compared to the likes of Phil Foden and Jack Grealish.

13

Bukayo Saka

Arsenal

Arsenal’s main man, the Gunners suffered a lot when Bukayo Saka was out injured. The England international is crucial to Mikel Arteta’s team, and much of the north London side’s attack comes from the right-hand side and through him. Perhaps nobody in world football does it better than Saka when it comes to controlling the ball and shielding it from the opposition full-back before rolling them inside and spinning central.

Saka’s numbers speak for themselves, and the winger will feel like he can still go up a level or two. Given his temperament and work ethic, you wouldn’t put it past him doing just exactly that.

12

Florian Wirtz

Liverpool

While the previous three are examples of a more standard winger, who use their acceleration and direct nature to threaten, Florian Wirtz is of a slightly different mould. Usually operating in more central areas, the German doesn’t need a turn of pace to beat opponents. Rather, he relies on his close control and silky footwork.

What perhaps separates Wirtz from some of the other players on this list who are elite dribblers, is that the Germany international has an unbelievable end product to his game. Whethers it’s scoring goals or assisting them, Wirtz is always in the thick of the action, and his dribbles have a genuine purpose.

11

Rodrygo

Real Madrid

Rodrygo underscored his immense dribbling ability 94 seconds into his Real Madrid career. Taming Casemiro’s raking crossfield pass with the outside of his right boot, the fearless Brazilian dove infield, spun Jose Arnaiz around and picked out the bottom corner.

After a dream debut, Rodrygo shrugged: “I don’t really have the words for this. I’m lucky.” Based on how frequently he has put opposition defenders in a spin cycle before finding the back of the net, good fortune had little to do with it. For a player whose 10th birthday party was themed ‘Rodrygo Real Madrid’, the fleet-footed forward’s career in the Spanish capital has been a long time in the making. After racking up more than 50 goals, three league titles and two Champions Leagues, it’s gone pretty well so far.