ESPN FC is counting down the 50 most influential men and women in football, as compiled by our editors and writers from around the world.
MOST INFLUENTIAL: 50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21 | 20-11 | 10-6 | 5-1
20. Nasser Al Khelaifi (PSG and Qatar Sports Investment chairman, beIN Media Group CEO)
An ex-professional tennis player, Nasser Al Khelaifi has made more of an impact on sport as an administrator and owner and is a man who can alter the world transfer market and the broadcast landscape. He's also a minister in the Qatar government, so, with the 2022 World Cup on the horizon, Al Khelaifi's influence spreads far and wide. Ongoing scrutiny over PSG's performances will continue, as will questions associated with his home country, where stadiums have been built with what Amnesty International describes as "forced labour" and "abuse and exploitation." BeIN, meanwhile, has only existed since 2012 but is a major player in Asia, Europe and beyond and is a major source of Al Khelaifi's influence.
19. Vitaly Mutko (Russia deputy prime minister, former FIFA ExCo member, World Cup bid committee head)
A former chairman of Zenit Saint Petersburg and president of the Russian Football Union, Mutko also served as Russia's Minister of Sport between 2008 and 2016 and chaired the successful bid to host next year's World Cup. However, any designs on a more international role within football are firmly on hold: In March he was barred from seeking re-election to the FIFA Council in light of his appointment as deputy prime minister. His immediate focus, though, will be to oversee a spotless World Cup in 2018; the trial-run Confederations Cup passed without a major hitch, but the biggest tests are ahead.
18. Neymar (Barcelona and Brazil player)
Neymar is still only 25, yet his achievements -- more than 100 goals for Barcelona in four seasons, as well as two Liga titles and a Champions League -- have been phenomenal. He won Olympic gold with Brazil last year and will carry his nation's hopes in Russia next year; his injury-induced absence for the ill-fated 2014 World Cup semifinal match with Germany was mourned as if something worse had occurred. He was the only footballer to make TIME magazine's 100 most influential people in 2017 and has a social media following of more than 165 million, yet he appears unburdened by expectation. However, he also faces a trial over alleged corruption regarding his move from Santos to Barcelona.
17. Pierluigi Collina (UEFA head of referees, FIFA referees' committee chairman)
His bald head made him a distinctive figure during a 17-year refereeing career, but far more impressive was Collina's command of the game's laws and ability to garner near-universal respect. He now brings his stature to bear in two positions designed to help officials. The fact that he gets to appoint and select referees represents massive influence at the World Cup and Champions League levels. Collina has backed the introduction of video assistant referees (VARs) and goal-line technology, which has now been widely rolled out in top-level football, was also a project close to his heart. His is an intelligent, authoritative voice that holds weight within the corridors of power.
16. 'John' from Football Leaks
Football Leaks has published thousands of private documents -- and have promised to leak more -- that offer everything from surface details and eye-popping but broadly inconsequential player salary figures, to information regarding agents' fees, right down to tax-avoidance details and illegal third-party ownership agreements. Ramifications of previous leaks have included a European ban for Dutch club FC Twente over its links to third-party ownership. In an interview with German newspaper Der Spiegel, "John," the anonymous figure behind Football Leaks, described the group of agents, players and owners draining money from the game as "the guys who are destroying football." On the flip side, there is concern that such information could lead to increased risk of extortion and blackmail.
15. Jose Mourinho (Manchester United manager)
There are signs that some of the old mystique has faded, but Mourinho remains one of football's biggest box-office draws and manages the most widely supported club in the Premier League. His reputation continues to draw the biggest names, as his signings of Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic show. Even if the on-pitch product is not always free-flowing, Mourinho creates narratives and antagonisms that pique the interest wherever he goes. That is unlikely to change this season, which will see United return to the Champions League; if they succeed, it will be portrayed as Mourinho's success. If they fall short again, it will be framed as ignominy.
14. Andrea Agnelli (Juventus president, UEFA ExCo member)
Andrea is the fourth member of his family, which has owned Juventus since 1947, to serve as club chairman and is also the man who oversaw the move to Juventus Stadium, which was already in construction when he arrived in 2010. He appointed Antonio Conte as manager the next year, triggering Juve's return to the top in Italy, a run that has included six straight Serie A title wins and two Champions League final appearances. But Agnelli wields influence well beyond Juve. As a member of the European Clubs Association executive board, he was a leading voice in the campaign to redraw the Champions League map, which saw Italian clubs guaranteed four places per season from 2018-19.
13. Zvonimir Boban (FIFA deputy general secretary)
Once a marvellous, firebrand midfielder with Dinamo Zagreb and AC Milan, Boban has become one of the most powerful figures in the game as FIFA president Gianni Infantino's right-hand man. He was appointed in May 2016, having spent time since his retirement in 2002 working in journalism and studying for a history degree. Boban is responsible for the football side of FIFA -- namely Competitions & Events, Member Associations, Technical Development and Women's Football -- and joined the organisation at a time of intensive reform. His playing history is very different from the business backgrounds held by the majority of those around him, but Boban's star is rising.
12. Sunil Gulati (U.S. Soccer president, FIFA Council member)
Not only is Gulati the United States Soccer Federation president (for which he doesn't claim a salary) and a member of the FIFA executive committee, but he is also a senior lecturer in economics at Columbia University in New York. Indeed, shortly after making the decision to sack Jurgen Klinsmann on a Sunday last November, he taught a class. A former MLS deputy commissioner, Gulati is arguably the most important figure in the development of soccer in the U.S., and his crowning achievement could be bringing the 2026 World Cup to the country as part of a joint bid with Canada and Mexico.
11. David Gill (UEFA Executive Committee member, ex-Man United CEO)
In partnership with Sir Alex Ferguson, Gill gave rise to an unstoppable Old Trafford juggernaut. Gill remains a nonexecutive director at the club, but, these days, his focus is within UEFA. As well as his role on the executive committee, he chairs the finance committee and is deputy chairman of the club competitions committee; he also serves as vice president of both the FIFA Council and the English FA. In May 2015 he threatened to step down from FIFA if Sepp Blatter served another term as president; Blatter was subsequently re-elected, but, upon his resignation, Gill reconsidered.
MOST INFLUENTIAL: 50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21 | 20-11 | 10-6 | 5-1