There are 32 different nationalities represented in the Guardian’s list of the Top 100 best male footballers in the world for 2023. The top spot is claimed by a player from Norway – a country of just 5 million people – who also have another player inside the Top 20. In the Top 100, there’s a Georgian, a Guinean and even a Canadian. There isn’t, however, an American anywhere in sight.
In one sense, that isn’t surprising. Plenty of American soccer players have made a name for themselves at a high level, and continue to do so, but the country has famously – or infamously – never produced a true superstar of the sport. The USA is still waiting on its billboard icon. For now, the country’s biggest soccer star is Lionel Messi. But why? Surely it’s reasonable to expect to see just one American in a list of the world’s best 100 players?
