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Football is replete with all kinds of players.
Some produce insane statistics every season. Some always come up clutch in big games. But there are some who do everything with flair.
It's an ability which cannot be quantified, but makes a player stand out from the crowd and win over fans.
Flair is something which players inherently possess; which makes every facet of their game stylish and elegant.
There are quite a few such names presently active, but these
5 players truly make football all the more fun to watch with their flair
Honorable mention: Cristiano Ronaldo, until a few years back, exuded more flair in his actions than any other player. Step-overs, dribbles and eye-popping tricks, you name it, he did everything. But in more recent times, he's transformed into more of a prolific penalty-box scorer.
#5 Manuel Neuer
It's tough to find a goalkeeper with flair as most of them stick to their task of stopping goals. Manuel Neuer, though, does more than just stop goals.
Popularizing the 'sweeper-keeper' role, the German is renowned for his convention-defying performances in charging out of the penalty area to clear opposition attacks.
He takes on his opponents and passes with the composure of any outfield player, and stands on the halfway line during set-pieces whenever his side press for a late goal. Talks about cojons.
Neuer is also capable of producing some amazing reflex saves while his distribution skills are second to none either, playing a key role in starting attacks from the back.
At 35, he's currently in the twilight of his career, but is showing no signs of slowing down. Neuer still displays his youthful exuberance between the sticks which once made him the world's best goalkeeper.
#4 Memphis Depay
A Premier League flop, Memphis Depay resurrected his career in Ligue 1 with Lyon and is now taking the Spanish top-flight by storm with Barcelona.
Confident, pacy, skilled and menacing at full pelt, Depay has come to define flair as perfectly as anyone can. Just watch him play!
Whether it's breaking into some step-overs or executing mazy dribbles, the Dutch striker does it all with supreme grace and elegance.
He combines great use of his feet, wonderful poise and immense trickery to get the better of his opponents, and is currently the chief goalscoring talisman for the Netherlands too.
#3 Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi's greatest weapon has always been his extra-terrestrial dribbling skills. He's used the same to ghost past defenders and score many outrageous goals too.
Now, at 34 years of age, he's no longer capable of running as fast as he used to, but the Argentine talisman still exudes enormous grace, flair and elegance in everything he does.
How Messi cut a swathe through Real Madrid in the 2011 UEFA Champions League clash, or dragged Jerome Boateng across the Camp Nou turf in 2015, are just some of the examples of Messi's stylishness.
He officially made his Paris Saint-Germain debut last night, coming off the bench in the second-half. And while it offered no great shakes, Ligue 1 fans will be hoping to see Messi's best form in the near future.
#2 Kylian Mbappe
The label 'once in a generation talent' has been used for a lot of young players. But someone who's really lived up to that reputation is Kylian Mbappe, whose accomplishments at 22 will put that of seasoned professionals to shame.
A precociously talented youngster who combines speed, ridiculously good dribbling skills and excellent ball-control, the Frenchman has scored all types of goals in his relatively short career so far.
His best, or most valuable strike, is obviously the one in the finals of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. It helped France to their second title, while he became the first teenager to score in the showpiece since Pele in 1958.
Mbappe has got some neat tricks up his sleeve too, demonstrating fancy footwork to evade his markers and retain possession, something which always leaves the fans in complete awe.
#1 Neymar
It's not surprising to see a Brazilian at number one considering Selecao has produced so many incredibly gifted footballers throughout history.
Neymar is the king of stepovers, slaloming runs and fancy dribbles, all of which we have seen in abundance since he first came to European shores in 2014.
Like a certain Ronaldinho in the past, the PSG winger too has the ability to make the ball dance to his tunes.
He can be frustrating to watch at times, given his penchant to go down under the easiest of challenges. But when at full pelt, there are very few players more esthetically pleasing.
Also Check Out: List of he Most Valuable Players
