Rio Ferdinand reveals his list of THE 12 world-class players in football today with Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane all included - but who else makes the cut? And there's a debate over Jude Bellingham!

Rio Ferdinand has revealed his list of the 12 players he deems to be world-class in football today - but his inclusion of Jude Bellingham sparked some debate.

Several superstars tend to be name-dropped in conversations over the game's very best, with both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo dominating in recent years.

But with their careers now waning, the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah look to have usurped them as they perform wonders for their clubs.

Rio Ferdinand has now waded into the fierce debate and selected an exclusive 12-strong shortlist, although fellow pundit Martin Keown disagreed with one omission.

Speaking during TNT Sports' coverage of Arsenal's Champions League last-16 first-leg tie against Porto, Ferdinand looked to justify his selections. 

Manchester City's Ederson, Kyle Walker, Rodri, Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland have made the cut, showcasing the Treble winners' sheer domination.

Also on the list are Mbappe, Salah, Bellingham, Vinicius Jr, Harry Kane, Alisson and Virgil van Dijk - although Ferdinand admitted Bellingham could have just missed out.

Keown, conversely, believes Arsenal's Bukayo Saka should have been included. 

Reacting to the list, Keown said: 'I think Bellingham is one I question. He's in amazing form, what he's doing at Real Madrid right now, but we look at Saka. 

'Saka's been the England player of the year. Bellingham hasn't got a look in.'

Ferdinand replied: 'They've actually got that list a little bit wrong. Bellingham was on the list just below that on his own. He's edging into there.

'The thing that maybe stops him being on that list, for me, right now, is time. He will be there. He's in world-class form. He just needs that time.

'Saka's got that world-class potential, but he hasn't been exposed to the knockout stages of the Champions League and the longevity. That's the difference.

'All the other players on that list, you can see they've played in prestigious games and they're producing those moments.

'They've done ridiculous things over a long period of time.'