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
5. Jorge Mendes (agent)
Mendes began his path to becoming the most powerful agent in the game by brokering Nuno Espirito Santo's 1997 transfer to Deportivo after meeting the goalkeeper in a bar. Now he has some of the world's most high-profile players and manager among his clients, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Jose Mourinho, Diego Costa and Angel Di Maria. Mendes has had outsized influence at clubs such as Porto, Valencia and Monaco, while a further symbol of his power might be developing in the English Championship with Wolves. Mendes' involvement has seen Nuno take over as manager and highly rated youngsters like Helder Costa and Ruben Neves move to the second-tier club.
4. Richard Scudamore (Premier League executive chairman)
It is debatable whether it is healthy for a single division to wield so much power and wealth but, from a purely business perspective, it's difficult to argue that Scudamore has been anything but a wild success. The last Premier League TV deal for English broadcasters alone was worth in excess of £5 billion and, despite subscription numbers falling, it's expected to rise in the next round of bidding. In his 18 years in charge, Scudamore has made England's top flight the envy of leagues around the world.
3. Aleksander Ceferin (UEFA president)
Among the challenges faced by Ceferin, who succeeded Michel Platini in 2016, is the growing power of a group of clubs that demand more influence, more money and a greater balance of resources in their favour. He took his current position just weeks after UEFA guaranteed four Champions League places to England, France, Spain and Germany from 2018-19. The same season sees the start of the UEFA Nations League, which will be contested by the senior men's national teams and is designed to enhance the status of the international game. Ceferin will be expected to help smaller federations that backed his candidature; the qualified lawyer faces a significant test of his diplomacy skills.
2. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (Bayern Munich CEO, European Clubs Association chairman)
Rummenigge would command a high position for his Bayern work alone. The serial Bundesliga winners are a global behemoth, nestled among the world's five richest clubs. But his ECA role grants Rummenigge even more influence and he is not averse to ruffling feathers: The organisation has been accused of putting the needs of the biggest and richest first. Changes to the Champions League, with the biggest leagues getting four guaranteed spots from 2018-19, have been viewed as a consequence of that. Rummenigge & Co. have more power than ever in bending governing bodies to their will, and will have the ultimate say in whether or not a breakaway European Super League ever comes to fruition.
1. Gianni Infantino (FIFA president)
The first person on the list is the man charged with restoring the reputation of the game's governing body. Infantino's January 2016 election to FIFA's top job wasn't quite by default, but the fall of Michel Platini and the significant stink around virtually every other presidential candidate certainly helped the man born six miles away from the hometown of Sepp Blatter. Infantino has championed a 48-team World Cup and video replay, while he has also overseen the creation of the FIFA Council in place of the Executive Committee. All three headline moves drew criticism, especially the latter, which ousted Ethics Committee members investigating him for possible wrongdoing.
MOST INFLUENTIAL: 50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21 | 20-11 | 10-6 | 5-1