Argentina star Rodrigo De Paul has been crowned the most handsome footballer competing at the World Cup, according to a new study using the famous Golden Ratio formula.
The research analysed some of the biggest names taking part in the tournament across Canada, Mexico and the United States, ranking players based on facial proportions traditionally associated with beauty.
The Golden Ratio is a mathematical formula first developed by the ancient Greeks.
It measures how closely facial features align with the ratio of 1.618, also known as Phi. The closer a person's facial proportions are to this figure, the more aesthetically pleasing they are considered to be.
Conducted by Dream AI SRL, the study compiled a list of the 150 most Googled footballers competing at the World Cup before analysing them using a Golden Face Ratio tool.
Kai Havertz. Maciej Rogowski Photo, Shutterstock
The results placed Rodrigo De Paul firmly at the top of the rankings with a score of 74.18%, narrowly beating Germany's Kai Havertz, who achieved 74.10%.
Completing the top five were England's Noni Madueke (73.29%), Egypt's Mohamed Salah (73.27%) and Brazil wonderkid Endrick (73.25%).
Mohamed Salah. Vitalii Vitleo, Shutterstock
The rankings also featured several of football's biggest stars, including Bruno Fernandes, Alisson, Cody Gakpo and Son Heung-min.
Cristiano Ronaldo. Maciej Rogowski Photo, Shutterstock
Perhaps surprisingly, five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo failed to crack the top 20, ranking 45th overall with a score of 70.98%. Vinícius Júnior followed immediately behind in 46th place with 70.97%.
The full top 20 ranking is:
1. Rodrigo De Paul (Argentina)
2. Kai Havertz (Germany)
3. Noni Madueke (England)
4. Mohamed Salah (Egypt)
5. Endrick (Brazil)
6. Son Heung-min (South Korea)
7. Nick Woltemade (Germany)
8. Jonathan Tah (Germany)
9. Wout Weghorst (Netherlands)
10. Scott McTominay (Scotland)
11. Cody Gakpo (Netherlands)
12. João Neves (Portugal)
13. Nico Schlotterbeck (Germany)
14. Álex Grimaldo (Spain)
15. Lee Kang-in (South Korea)
16. Bruno Fernandes (Portugal)
17. Arda Güler (Türkiye)
18. Ivan Toney (England)
19. Alisson (Brazil)
20. Brahim Díaz (Morocco)
Son Heung-min, IOIO Images Shutterstock
The findings are likely to spark plenty of debate among football fans, particularly given the absence of several global superstars from the upper reaches of the list.
In other news, four in five football fans are prepared to sacrifice sleep to follow the 2026 FIFA World Cup, according to new research, as excitement builds ahead of the tournament’s opening match.
FIFA World Cup 2026.
A survey commissioned by Currys found that 79% of Britons plan to stay up late or wake early to keep track of results from the competition, which is being staged across the United States, Canada and Mexico for the first time.
The unusual scheduling means nearly half of the group-stage fixtures will kick off after midnight UK time, with some matches starting as early as 5am.
