Welcome to World Class: The Top 5 Right Forwards of 2020 - Ranked
By Ross Jackson
Over the last few weeks we've treated ourselves by indulging in the talents of some of the finest right forwards on the planet.
Using our unique rating system, we've whittled them down from the top ten to the final five, and now the time has come to announce the definitive final ranking of the best right forwards on the planet.
We've adjudged the following players to be the best of the best, the players who can genuinely lay claim to being 'world class' right forwards. But enough of all the chit chat - it's time to get down to the nitty gritty.
Who is our number one right forward in the world?
5. Hakim Ziyech
Hakim Ziyech's qualities have never been in doubt, having produced some sensational figures during his time with Ajax in the Eredivisie and against
Europe's elite in the Champions League.
If you had to pick one player in the world to unlock a defence with one swipe of his left boot then Ziyech wouldn't be too far from the top of your list. The Moroccan truly has turned crossing into an art form, and he's already beginning to settle in the Premier League with Chelsea.
Some people will argue crossing isn't as important in modern day football as it used to be - Ziyech is proving otherwise.
4. Jadon Sancho
The majority of the players we've been lucky enough to single out in our Welcome to World Class series are at the pinnacle of their respective careers. Of course they are - to think a player could be considered a genuinely world class footballer years before his prime is ridiculous, right? Maybe not.
Jadon Sancho is beyond the stage of being brilliant considering his age, he's just brilliant, end of.
A mix of guile, creativity and pure finishing ability, the 20-year-old is on track to reach the top of the footballing world and it's honestly scary to think how good he could be once he reaches his prime.
3. Serge Gnabry
It might be a bit of a stretch to call the career of Serge Gnabry a 'footballing fairytale', but be honest, if you were going to write such a book then your protagonist would probably be told he wasn't good enough to play for West Brom and go on to become a European champion.
The German is a vital part of the best side on the continent right now and he's got the medal haul to prove it.
One of the scariest things about Gnabry is that at just 25 years of age there's still room for him to grow as a player - the sky genuinely is the limit for the Bayern Munich man.
2. Mohamed Salah
In a strange sort of way Mohamed Salah doesn't really fit in with the rest of his Liverpool teammates. While Jurgen Klopp's side are lauded for being so selfless and working for each other, the Egyptian is just a cold-blooded finisher who lives to score goals - and that's what makes him so brilliant.
Being the best is what drives Salah, and his ruthless nature has propelled him to a level which few others in world football can claim to have reached.
The 28-year-old's 32 goals in 2017/18 is a record for a 38-game Premier League season, and the numbers he's continued to churn out since his incredible maiden campaign with Liverpool make him truly world class.
1. Lionel Messi
It's utterly impossible not to consider this man the best right forward in the world.
Even at the age of 33, Lionel Messi is still producing the goods at one of the world's top clubs. Not only is he consistently brilliant but he's there when his team needs him most in the clutch moments, and that's what separates the good from the brilliant.
The Argentinian recently surpassed Pele's record of goals scored for a single club, and it's difficult to imagine any one individual ever having such an enormous impact on one of the biggest teams in the world for such a long period of time as he has.
Messi is world class, he has been for years, and he's our number one right forward.