5 best ball carriers in world football at the moment
The emergence of data and statistics in football has placed more and more focus on the numbers accumulated by various top clubs.
Ball carrying is a key skill to have in football. Football is a simple game, where a team wins by outscoring the opposition. But in order to get the ball closer to the goal, one has to ensure the ball travels to the opposition box as quickly as possible.
Good ball carriers are able to evade pressure and progress the ball. These days, centre-backs are doing that more and more, as managers demand technically gifted defenders. Top-quality ball carriers do not come cheap, as evident by the prices clubs have paid for some of the players in this list.
On that note, here's a look at the five best ball carriers in world football at the moment.
#5 Adama Traore (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
Adama Traore is the best dribbler in the Premier League, and is capable of creating huge problems to opposition defences when he gets going.
Traore's dominating physique and brisk pace, alongside his dribbling prowess, make him a dangerous opponent. The Spain international has been criticised for being inconsistent, but he has been one of Wolverhampton Wanderers' most important players in the Premier League.
Predominantly a winger, Traore has been utilised as a wing-back on occasion. The former Middlesbrough man, who joined Wolves for £18 million in 2018, has been linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur recently, which would see him reunite with former Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo.
#4 Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain)
Arguably the best full-back in the world at the moment, Achraf Hakimi has enjoyed a good start to his Paris Saint-Germain career.
A product of the Real Madrid academy, Hakimi made his name as one of the best young players in the world during his two-year loan spell with Borussia Dortmund. Inter Milan signed him last summer from Los Blancos for nearly £37 million, and the Morocco international was everpresent as Inter Milan won the Serie A title last season.
Due to financial constraints, the Nerazzurri were forced to sell him to Paris Saint-Germain for £54 million this summer. The 22-year-old is excellent offensively and technically gifted, and could be a starter for the Ligue 1 giants this decade.
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