Writers 
You see, the greatest football skill isn't dribbling.
But because it appears to be the most fanciful and optically entertaining thing in the eyes of viewers, almost everyone is so fixated on its artistry that it's mistaken as the greatest luxury skill in the game, which it's not. Football has always had a way of rewarding what is most visible, while quietly overlooking what is most influential. The spectacular often overshadows the subtle, even when the subtle is what truly wins matches.
Which shows, however, that with the evolution of football, a lot of people don't seem to understand or rather appreciate what the greatest skill in the game is. It's not dribbling. If it was, it's no longer so.
It's decision-making.
In every game, every minute of play, elite players are required to make thousands of decisions. Some are made in a split second, others are made before the ball even arrives at their feet. The difference in those decisions is simply quality, and that quality is what informs us about a player. Great footballers don't just react to situations—they anticipate them, manipulate them, and consistently choose the most effective option.
For instance, the thing that heavily distinguishes Yamal from other kids out there isn't his dribbling skills, but his decision-making. That's what astounds the world: how he manages such grip on the game at this young age where most players are still trying to recollect their thoughts when they've the ball. But he moves like a veteran who knew every corner of the pitch many years ago. His actions rarely look rushed because his mind is already a step ahead of everyone else on the pitch.
Madueke would be almost as obliterating as Yamal if he had a tiny fraction of Yamal's level of decision-making ability. So are other players. The gap between Doku and Yamal is nothing but decision-making. In fact, there are better dribblers in the streets of Brazil than Yamal who are not elite players. That alone tells you that technical ability, while important, is not enough to reach the highest level of football.
Neymar is often one of the first names that comes up when we talk about dribbles. But there are moments you watch Neymar after his youth, you'd get really riled up with his trickery that simply ends with just the art and no decisive end moments. Watch him at PSG and Barca. There were games where the entertainment was undeniable, yet the final product lacked the efficiency expected from a player of his calibre.
What polishes dribbling as a skill isn't dribbling itself, it's decision-making. Every successful dribble is based on the decision that informed the move. Knowing when to dribble is just as important as knowing when not to. Some said it's the most difficult skill. They're wrong. Nothing is more tasking than mentally outfoxing your opponent before the moves.
Without decision-making, most defenders and goalkeepers will not be in the field. The likes of Sergio Busquets, Thiago Silva, Rodri, Kevin De Bruyne, Lampard, Gerrard, Mohamed Salah—the list is endless—didn't conquer football with dribbling but with the ability to get the ball to be at the exact place they or their teammates wanted it at the most exact or precise time. Their greatness was built on reading the game better than everyone else.
In all, football IQ is what separates basic players from good players and then from legendary players. Dribbling is a child of decision-making which happens to be so under the rug that the child is over-extolled. The mind has always been football's greatest weapon; the feet merely execute what the mind has already decided.