GOAL's World-Class Club 2026: Lionel Messi returns to football's most exclusive fraternity while two Arsenal stars earn membership - but Mohamed Salah among eight stars to drop out

Every year, GOAL publishes its exclusive list of the 25 players who have proven themselves truly elite by consistently producing top performances. World-class... It's an invisible but important tag, one that separates the good from the great. But it's such a subjective term. Every football fan has their own definition, their own set of criterion, leading to endless but thoroughly enjoyable debates in stadiums, dressing rooms, TV studios, cafes, bars, pubs and clubs all across the world.