Aubameyang and Lacazette make the FFT100 2018 – but Ozil misses cut
Two Gunners make the cut in our annual list of the planet's finest players
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette are Arsenal's representatives in FourFourTwo's 100 Best Players in the World 2018 list.
Aubameyang is the highest-ranked Gunner in the list at No.45 following a bright start to life at the Emirates Stadium, and 2019 will likely see the Gabonese speedster leap higher should he continue his impressive scoring feats for Unai Emery's team this season.
The 29-year-old currently joint-tops the Premier League scoring charts alongside Liverpool's Mo Salah, and claimed his biggest scalp yet at the Emirates with two goals in Arsenal's derby demolition of Tottenham earlier this month.
Lacazette, meanwhile, was expected to be a victim of new management in north London but has instead risen to the challenge with a similarly impressive start under Emery.
The Frenchman managed 14 Premier League goals last season after starting only 26 of his new team's 38 Premier League games, and is on his way to surpassing that tally in 2018/19 despite a similar recent run on the bench. Like Aubameyang, Lacazette endeared himself with a goal against Spurs in the thrilling 4-2 win.
There is no place this year for Mesut Ozil, however, who has endured an inconsistent year for club and country. His World Cup with Germany was disastrous, leading to a self-imposed retirement in protest at treatment he had received from fans and those in the DFB "with racially discriminative backgrounds".
The midfielder is being linked with a move away from Arsenal too, having been left out for "tactical reasons" by Emery for Wednesday night's EFL Cup defeat to Spurs.
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Lionel Messi claimed top spot in the FFT100 after another sensational season, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappe making up the top three.
Joe was the Deputy Editor at FourFourTwo until 2022, having risen through the FFT academy and been on the brand since 2013 in various capacities.
By weekend and frustrating midweek night he is a Leicester City fan, and in 2020 co-wrote the autobiography of former Foxes winger Matt Piper – subsequently listed for both the Telegraph and William Hill Sports Book of the Year awards.