The prestigious annual award, which has been ranking the top performers on the planet since 2008, was last year presented to Cristiano Ronaldo, after he inspired Real Madrid to another Champions League and Portugal to Euro 2016 glory.
Chief editors and correspondents from Goal's 37 editions around the world all cast their votes, with candidates judged on their level of consistency over the previous year of action, their big-game performances, footballing legacy and the success of their teams at both club and international level.
| Position | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid |
| 2 | Gianluigi Buffon | Juventus |
| 3 | Toni Kroos | Real Madrid |
| 4 | Sergio Ramos | Real Madrid |
| 5 | Leonardo Bonucci | AC Milan |
| 6 | Luka Modric | Real Madrid |
| 7 | Dani Alves | PSG |
| 8 | Paulo Dybala | Juventus |
| 9 | Lionel Messi | Barcelona |
| 10 | Neymar | PSG |
| 11 | Kylian Mbappe | PSG |
| 12 | N'Golo Kante | Chelsea |
| 13 | Dries Mertens | Napoli |
| 14 | Bernardo Silva | Man City |
| 15 | Isco | Real Madrid |
| 16 | Thiago Alcantara | Bayern |
| 17 | Marcelo | Real Madrid |
| 18 | Alex Sandro | Juventus |
| 19 | David Luiz | Chelsea |
| 20 | Zlatan Ibrahimovic | Man Utd |
| 21 | Dani Carvajal | Real Madrid |
| 22 | Mario Mandzukic | Juventus |
| 23 | Alexis Sanchez | Arsenal |
| 24 | Benjamin Mendy | Man City |
| 25 | Robert Lewandowski | Bayern |
As a little teaser ahead of the big countdown, we can reveal who one of the 55 voters - Goal senior editor and Italian football expert Carlo Garganese – selected in his list.
Each voter was required to name their best 25 players of 2017, with their top pick earning 25 points and their last pick gaining one point. The points accumulated from all 55 voters were then added up to form next week's Goal 50.
Carlo chose Real superstar Cristiano Ronaldo as his No.1, followed by Juventus legend Gianluigi Buffon and Madrid metronome Toni Kroos.
The winner of the 2015 Goal 50, Lionel Messi, only placed ninth, while his former Barcelona team-mate, Neymar, was selected in 10th.
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Eye-catching omissions include Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba, Real Madrid's Gareth Bale, Barcelona's Luis Suarez and Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann.
You can see Carlo's full vote above. What do you think of his selections and who would you have in your top 25? Join the debate in the comments section.
The Goal 50 is an annual award that both recognises and ranks the world's 50 best footballers of the preceding 12 months. Chief editors and correspondents from Goal's 37 editions around the world all cast their votes, with candidates judged on their level of consistency over the previous year of action, their big-game performances, footballing legacy and the success of their teams at both club and international level. Cristiano Ronaldo beat Lionel Messi and Neymar to retain his crown as the Men's Player of the Year at Fifa's Best Football Awards 2017 in London on Monday night. The ceremony - which took place at the London Palladium - is the second since the Fifa award once again split from France Football's Ballon d'Or prize last year. "Thank you a lot to the guys for voting for me," Ronaldo said. "(I want) To give a mention to Leo and Neymar to be here, Real Madrid supporters, my team-mates, my coach, my president - they support me all the year so I have to say thank you to them. "We are in England for the first time and I win consecutive awards. This is a great moment for me." Lieke Martens won the Women's Best Player award after a fine year in which the Barcelona star won Euro 2017 with Netherlands. The event was attended by a host of football stars past and present, including Diego Maradona, Ronaldo, Frank Lampard, Sergio Ramos and Harry Kane, with winners decided by a jury of club and international coaches, media representatives and fans. Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud has won the Puskas Award for goal of the year. Giroud's stunning 'scorpion-kick' scored against Crystal Palace in January beat off competition from Venezuela's Deyna Castellanos and South African goalkeeper Oscarine Masuluke. On accepting his award, Giroud said: "First of all I have to say it's an honour for me. "I'm delighted to receive this trophy today in front of legends of football. Now l'd just like to thank the people who voted for me. I would like to congratulate the 10 nominees who scored amazing goals too. "Obviously I would like to thank my team-mates, without them I couldn't score maybe this goal, and my family." Chelsea manager Antonio Conte was shortlisted for men's coach of the year but the Italian, who lifted the Premier League title in his first season in England, lost out to Zinedine Zidane. Zidane became the first ever coach to win back-to-back Champions League titles as Real Madrid beat Juventus in the final in May. He also led Los Blancos to their first La Liga title in five years. Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri was also shortlisted. Zidane beats Conte to Fifa Best Coach award The Italian club boasted their own winner in London, however, as their goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon won the best goalkeeper prize. Buffon guided Juve to a sixth consecutive Serie A title and managed 600 Champions League minutes without conceding a goal. The 39-year-old held off competition from fellow nominees Keylor Navas of Real Madrid and Manuel Neuer of Bayern Munich. "I am very happy, for me it is a great honour to receive this award at my age," Buffon said. "I think the last year has been a fantastic season for Juventus and for me personally. It wasn't enough to win in Europe and for this year I hope that we can play better and with the national team and Juventus." Celtic supporters won the Fan Award, recognising their celebrations in May for the 50th anniversary of the club winning the European Cup. In a ceremony attended by the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson and Kenny Dalglish, fans held up coloured cards that spelled out 'Lisbon Lions' in tribute to Celtic's 1967 triumph over Inter Milan in the Portuguese capital. The women's coach category was won by Holland boss Sarina Wiegman, who led the Dutch national team to the Euro 2017 title on home soil, while the Fair Play Award went to Francis Kone. Kone saved the life of goalkeeper Martin Berkovec, who almost suffocated by swallowing his tongue during a Czech league match in February. There was not one English player named in the FifPro World XI, nor even one from the Premier League. Buffon was the goalkeeper selected, while Paris Saint Germain's Dani Alves and AC Milan's Leonardo Bonucci were picked in defence, along with Madrid pair Sergio Ramos and Marcelo. Madrid's Luka Modric and Toni Kroos were included in midfield, together with Barcelona playmaker Andres Iniesta. The three nominees for the Men's Player Award - Ronaldo, Messi and Neymar - took the three attacking spots.
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