Top 10 players in Europe this season according to ratings
The 2019/20 football season is set to come to an end soon, with Serie A being the only top-five league yet to be concluded. Players are set to return to training ahead of their UEFA Champions and Europa League commitments in August.
Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool ended their 30-year wait for a maiden Premier League title in England. Real Madrid, on the other hand, won their first league title in three years in Spain, and their 34th overall.
Elsewhere, it was a resumption of regular service for the likes of Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain, who won their eighth and third consecutive league titles respectively. Italian champions Juventus registered their ninth consecutive title win in the Serie A with a 2-0 win over Sampdoria.
Despite the unprecedented circumstances faced by professionals both on and off the pitch, many have stepped up and helped their teams achieve their goals — be it securing the title, a top-four finish, or a fight for survival. Here, we take a look at the ten highest-rated players in the top-five European leagues, as per Whoscored.com.
Note: Only players with a minimum of 20 appearances are eligible for this list.
#10 Timo Werner | RB Leipzig | 7.60
Chelsea's new German hotshot Timo Werner set the Bundesliga alight in the 2019/20 season with his blazing displays for RB Leipzig. Werner has been pivotal to helping the Red Bull-powered football giants establish themselves as Champions League regulars. Although they have a UCL quarter-final tie against Atletico Madrid on the horizon, they will be without their star striker.
His consistent performances for a handful of seasons in the German top-flight convinced Chelsea to part ways with €53m for Werner. The former VfB Stuttgart man was said to be on the brink of joining the English champions Liverpool for a long while until they eventually pulled the plug.
This season, Werner has played 34 Bundesliga games (33 starts) in which he registered a staggering 28 goals and set up a further eight. He scored a brace on the final Matchday of the season which made him Leipzig's highest-ever scorer with 94 goals. The 24-year-old has already linked up with his new club Chelsea at Cobham.
#9 Jadon Sancho | Borussia Dortmund | 7.64
Borussia Dortmund's English sensation Jadon Sancho has had impressive seasons at the Signal Iduna Park, but none more so than the 2019/20 one. The ex-Manchester City winger moved to Germany due to a lack of playing time at the Etihad, and with players such as Raheem Sterling, Leroy Sane, and more blocking his path.
Sancho has blitzed defences in Germany with his scintillating displays in the 2019/20 season. He has impressed with his ability to participate in intricate passages of play to pick teams apart along with the likes of Marco Reus, Erling Haaland, and others. The 20-year-old has registered 2.2 key passes and 2.4 dribbles per game to boot along with his pace and trickery in wide areas.
Sancho has registered a stunning 17 goals and 16 assists in the Bundesliga this season in just 25 starts, and a further seven appearances off the bench. Widely considered to be Manchester United's primary target heading into the summer, Sancho could soon return to his homeland ahead of the 2020/21 season.
#8 Josep Ilicic | Atalanta | 7.65
Atalanta's Josep Ilicic is, perhaps, the definition of a late bloomer. He has been central to Gian Piero Gasperini's high-flying side, who qualified for European football for the first time in their history.
Ilicic, along with the likes of Duvan Zapata and Luis Muriel, became the first trio of attackers to score 15+ goals in a Serie A season since 1951-52. Juventus' legendary attackers Ermes Muccinelli, Giampiero Boniperti and John Hansen, did so back then.
The Slovenian has proved to be a versatile attacker for Atalanta since his €5.5m move from Fiorentina. He set a few other records tumbling since his arrival at Gewiss Stadium as he became the oldest ever player to score four goals in a UCL game at 32 years and 41 days. His four-goal haul against Valencia also made him the only player to score as many in an away knockout tie in the UCL.
In just 21 starts and five sub appearances under Gasperini, Ilicic has racked up 15 goals and set up a further five goals. The 32-year-old has also averaged 3.1 shots per game as well as 2.1 key passes per game. Ilicic and Atalanta are set to face PSG in the quarter-finals of the UCL.
Also read: Top 10 U-21 English talents in football | Premier League 2019-20
#7 Dimitri Payet | Olympique Marseille | 7.73
One of the biggest cult figures in the Premier League's recent past, Dimitri Payet has been in fine form in France. The midfielder lit up the English top-flight with his mesmerising abilities on the ball, but pushed for a move back to his homeland in the winter of 2017. His former club Marseille spent €29.3m to bring him back to Ligue 1.
The former West Ham man, predominantly playing off the left-hand side of Marseille's attack, has revitalised his career after a relative dip in form. With Morgan Sanson covering spaces left behind by him and Jordan Amavi providing width, Payet has been given the licence to drift centrally to wreak havoc.
Due to the Ligue 1 season being curtailed due to fears over COVID-19, Payet has started 22 games for Les Phoceens and scored nine of their 41 league goals. Along with this, he's set up a further four and averaged 2.5 crosses, 2.7 long balls and a staggering four (!) key passes per game. It truly has been a revival in every regard for the magical Frenchman, who has been one of the best players in Europe this season.
#6 Angel Di Maria | Paris Saint-Germain | 7.75
It's hard to believe that this Angel Di Maria is the same UCL-winning winger who struggled miserably at Old Trafford not too long ago. Just a year after his disastrous move to Manchester, PSG came calling for Di Maria, and he has never looked back since. The Argentine has grown into a crucial figure for the capital club since his €63m move.
The former Real Madrid man registered his career-best figures of 10 assists and 18 goals in his first season in Paris. He has been utilised by Thomas Tuchel in no less than six different positions in 2019/20 alone, further highlighting his tireless running and work ethic.
This year, he was on course to break his personal best record with eight goals and 14 assists in just 23 starts and three sub appearances for PSG. The Argentine also registered three key passes per game, along with 2.6 dribbles and 2.8 shots per game. If not for the Ligue 1 being called off early, he could have gone on to break records for assists and goal contributions. His PSG side are set to face off with tournament debutants Atalanta in the UCL quarter-finals.
#5 Cristiano Ronaldo | Juventus | 7.85
Cristiano Ronaldo has had one of the most decisive campaigns of his career with Italian champions Juventus. After a relatively underwhelming debut season in Serie A where he managed 21 goals and eight assists in 31 games, he's taken his performances up by a significant margin.
The Juventus striker has had a record-breaking season, having scored a ludicrous 31 goals and five assists in just 32 games averaging 6.2 (!) shots per game. He surpassed his 2018/19 tally by early February and set his sights on numerous achievements for the Bianconeri. Ronaldo became the fastest-ever player in Serie A history to score 50 goals, having done so in just 61 games — seven quicker than record-holder Andriy Shevchenko.
With the title already in the bag, the Portuguese legend would hope to beat his Capocannoniere rival Ciro Immobile as Ronaldo is three goals behind the Italian. More importantly, the 35-year-old is set to lead Juventus into the knockout stages of the UCL as they look to overturn a one-goal deficit against Olympique Lyon at home.
#4 Kevin De Bruyne | Manchester City | 7.97
Despite former champions Manchester City's embarrassing attempt at a title defence, Kevin De Bruyne has undisputedly been the best player in England. The majestic Belgian has run the show from midfield, putting up one breathtaking display after another for the Cityzens.
De Bruyne came painfully close to breaking Thierry Henry's longstanding record for most assists in a Premier League season. The Frenchman's 20 assists has been the record tally for just under two decades, and the Belgian looked all set to break it, but only managed to level it. Nonetheless, on an individual note, De Bruyne has had one of the most exceptional campaigns in Premier League history.
In his 35 games for Pep Guardiola's side, the 29-year-old has registered a stunning 13 goals and 20 assists in the Premier League. De Bruyne has also averaged four key passes, 2.1 crosses and 3.5 long balls per game. The Belgian is now set to lead City's charges as they host Real Madrid in the second leg of a UCL knockout tie, where they would hope to preserve their 2-1 lead.
Premier League 2019-20 Golden Boot, Golden Glove, and Playmaker Award winners for the season
#3 Robert Lewandowski | Bayern Munich | 8.13
Robert Lewandowski's goalscoring prowess was never in question over the last decade or so. The Polish striker will go down as one of the greatest strikers in the 21st century based on ability and goalscoring alone. His career has been filled with iconic moments, most notably his five goals in nine minutes against Wolfsburg, and an infamous four-goal haul against Real Madrid.
If there was one thing he did not have, it was a season to etch his name into the record books alongside the biggest names in the game. Lewandowski come close on a few occasions, having hit 30 goals for two back-to-back seasons in Munich, but could not go beyond that. All of that has changed with what has been an absolutely glorious 2019/20 campaign where he's been at his devastating best.
The Pole has smashed a career-best 34 goals in 31 Bundesliga games for Bayern Munich en route the Bavarians' eighth consecutive league title. Additionally, he's currently the highest scorer in the UCL with a whopping 11 goals in just six games, and a further seven goals in five DFB-Pokal games.
His overall tally of 52 is not only his best-ever return, but is the most number of goals scored by anyone in 2019/20. Lewandowski was widely tipped as the favourite to win the Ballon d'Or until it was controversially called off. Regardless, he would hope to guide his side to UCL glory in August.
#2 Kylian Mbappe | Paris Saint-Germain | 8.14
Despite Lewandowski's record-breaking campaign, Kylian Mbappe takes the #2 spot on this list by the finest of margins. The French superstar picked up right where he left off with another stellar goalscoring season in the capital city. Alongside other world-beaters such as Neymar Jr and Angel Di Maria, Mbappe has been relentless at the tip of PSG's attack.
Primarily having played in his preferred central role this year under Thomas Tuchel, Mbappe has been at the heart of PSG's unforgiving frontline. His razor-sharp finishing and an unbelievable understanding of the game, have been on full display against opposition defence. In the curtailed Ligue 1 season, the 21-year-old started 17 games for the champions and scored 18 goals, setting up a further five. He's also averaged 4.4 shots and 2.8 dribbles per game.
The World Cup winner was also able to replicate his domestic performances on the European stage, registering five goals and four assists in just four starts in the UCL. However, he, unfortunately, is set to miss out on the upcoming quarter-finals against Atalanta after a freak injury against St. Etienne in the final of the French Cup. Nonetheless, the mercurial Frenchman has had another remarkable season with the French champions, and would hope to return to action before the 2020/21 season commences.
#1 Lionel Messi | FC Barcelona | 8.71
Who else but Barcelona's imperious captain was expected to top this list? 2019/20 has been just another one of Lionel Messi's remarkable seasons in LaLiga Santander. Although the Blaugrana have had a season to forget due to several reasons, none more so than losing their Spanish crown, Messi has been their beacon of hope.
Messi was the driving force behind Barcelona's attempts to seal their third LaLiga title in as many years. Despite Messi's 25 goals being the least he's scored over the last decade, the Argentine skipper registered a stunning 21 assists to go with it — making him the first player to hit 20+ goals and assists in LaLiga history. His total goal contribution of 46 goals and assists is at least eight more than anyone else on this list, with Lewandowski coming in next at 38 (34 goals, four assists).
The Barcelona #10 would hope to improve on his UCL tally, having scored just two goals and three assists in Europe this year. The Blaugrana's hopes for European glory are pinned on Messi as they are set to host Gennaro Gattuso's Napoli in August. Regardless of the outcome of their UCL campaign, Messi's marvellous domestic season has helped him claim the top spot as the highest-rated player in Europe.
Also read: Ranking Barcelona's 2019/20 signings from worst to best
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