Before the season began, I ranked the top 50 players in the Premier League. Early last week, the No. 1 player on that list, Rodri, suggested that players could go on strike if they continue to be forced to play an ever-increasing number of matches. A few days later, he suffered a serious ligament injury while playing against Arsenal and is likely out for the season.
Arsenal, meanwhile, were without arguably their best player, No. 3 on our initial list, Martin Ødegaard, after he injured his ankle while playing for Norway earlier this month. No. 8 on the list, Kevin De Bruyne, also missed the Arsenal-City game with a thigh injury suffered in the first half against Inter Milan last week.
While I don't think this is actually a curse, I do think it is a symptom of a larger issue: the best players in the world are more likely to play the most games, so the best players in the world are more likely to get injured. That's why nearly a third of our preseason top 10 have already been felled.
So, with all those injuries plus 450 minutes of game time, let's reassess that initial top 50 and rerank the best players in the Premier League. Welcome to the second edition of the Premier League Top 50 for the 2024-25 season.