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#4 Lionel Messi - Forward (Barcelona)
Heading into the last few weeks of last season, Lionel Messi was the overwhelming favorite for all the individual awards, as he was the driving force behind Barcelona's quest for a third treble.
The 32-year-old had started the season in imperious form, scoring and assisting goals at will, but Barcelona's disappointing end to the season saw him lose his previously firm grip on the award.
This is not in anyway to suggest that the Argentine maestro had a poor campaign on an individual level; far from it, as with 36 league goals, he retained the European Golden Shoe for his sixth win overall while his 10 goals in the Champions League were also more than anyone else managed.
However, the fact that he was unable to inspire Barcelona to glory on the continent as promised at the start of the season rubbed some of the sheen off his individual accomplishments.
His disappointing displays and subsequent shenanigans at the 2019 Copa America further dampened his chances and Lionel Messi's 2018/2019 season can be summarized as one that promised so much but delivered so little (at least on collective terms).
