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Football is the biggest game on this planet and no other game involves as much excitement and fanfare as it. Therefore, footballers are the toast of the respective supporters of their clubs and enjoy unabashed admiration from them. However, every football season keeps producing some new talents as they make their mark in the world scene with notable performances.
The 2018-19 season began almost 3 months ago and some players have already made their presence felt with exceptional performances. Established stars like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar are still among the top players in the world, but there are some other names who have been gaining prominence gradually. Those are the players who have enhanced their reputation in the current season and should improve further in the coming days.
We would like to have a look at 4 such players:
4. Virgil Van Dijk (Netherlands and Liverpool)
The 27-year-old Van Dijk is the mainstay of the Liverpool defence now. He is into his 2nd season with the club and already made a name for himself in 37 matches.
Van Dijk has great positional sense and anticipation and is a clean tackler. Those traits allow him to defend very successfully inside his own penalty box and make him an asset for Liverpool. He can also play the offside trap pretty well and although Liverpool do not play the high line very often, this quality can be put to use very effectively at times.
Van Dijk is also very strong in the air and can be a threat from the set-pieces. In the match against Arsenal recently, he went close to scoring and hit the woodwork with one of his headers. This trait increases his overall utility as a player and he could go on to become one of the most complete centre-backs of recent times. However, he would have to improve his distribution skills, especially his short passing skills.
Van Dijk is a member of the Dutch national team too and remains one of the reasons behind their recent resurgence. He was part of the team that beat Germany 3-0 in a UEFA Nations League match in October.
3. Antonio Rudiger (Germany and Chelsea)
Rudiger was signed by Chelsea from AS Roma in 2017 and has been very impressive for them ever since. The 25-year-old centre-back has very good man-marking skills and is a strong tackler. He is also an exceptionally good header of the ball and poses an aerial threat to the opposition. Chelsea are at the 2nd position in the league and some credit for that should go to Rudiger too.
Rudiger has also become an intrinsic part of the German national team after having a very decent World Cup in 2018. He has already earned 27 caps for Die Mannschaft and remains one of their more dependable players. He has also played as a fullback for his national team and impressed with his crossing abilities too. Rudiger is likely to have a very successful career ahead of him and should remain one of the premier defenders in the world in the coming years.
2. Arthur Melo (Brazil and Barcelona)
Arthur Melo, the 22-year-old Brazilian defensive midfielder has had a sparkling season for Barcelona so far. He was signed from Brazilian club Gremio and has been a revelation in his first season in Europe. He is accompanied by the veteran Sergio Busquets and Ivan Rakitic in the Barcelona midfield but has managed to remain the pick of the lot in most of the matches. He dons the no. 8 jersey that belonged to Barcelona legend Andrés Iniesta and his playing style resembles that of another legend in Xavi Hernández and has done justice to the legacy of both so far.
Melo has decent passing skills and very good defensive acumen. He keeps winning balls in the midfield and spraying passes to the wings. He can play box-to-box at times too and has an exceptional work rate. He was exceptional in Barcelona’s 5-1 win against Real Madrid in LaLiga.
He has already featured in 13 matches for Barca. Moreover, he has earned 4 caps for the Brazilian national team and should become a mainstay in their midfield soon. He has a long career ahead of him and should inspire Barcelona to some trophies.
1. Paulo Dybala (Argentina and Juventus)
Dybala has been compared with fellow Argentine Lionel Messi for the past few years and it seems that he has managed to come out of the latter’s shadow now. Dybala has been in red-hot form for Juventus in the ongoing season and notched up 6 goals in 12 matches for them.
His exceptional strikes against Manchester United and Cagliari prove his undeniable talent and it is time for him to venture forward further as a player. He already has 74 goals in 152 matches for Juve.
Dybala is a forward who regularly drops down to the midfield and switches to the wing. Therefore, it is very difficult to mark him. Also, he has very good ball skills and a fine shot on him. Therefore, he is a constant menace to the opposition defence and always likely to score goals.
However, he has not yet replicated his club form for his national team. As Argentina move into a rebuilding phase with the imminent departures of the likes of Gonzalo Higuain and Sergio Aguero, Dybala needs to come to the fore and deliver for his national team as well. He has earned 16 caps for Argentina but not been able to score any goal yet. Still, one can hope that this record would definitely improve in the coming years.
