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#3 Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)
It is hard to find a midfielder these days who affects the game as much as Kevin De Bruyne does. The numbers won't give you the full story but they will give us a picture of how good the Belgian has been over the years for Manchester City.
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De Bruyne is one of the most technically proficient players in the game today. His passing range is incredible and he is excellent with the ball at his feet. He also has a vicious strike on him and can hit the ball just as well with either foot. De Bruyne has been the creative force behind Manchester City's exploits under Pep Guardiola.
Similar to Salah, De Bruyne was also a Chelsea reject who became a sensation at Wolfsburg. He subsequently returned to the Premier League in the 2015-16 season with Manchester City. The 29-year-old has since established himself as one of the best midfielders of the modern era.
He has won the PFA Players' Player of the Year Award twice and the Premier League Player of the Season Award once. De Bruyne scored 10 goals from midfield and provided 18 assists across all competitions for the Cityzens in the 2020-21 season.
In the 2019-20 season, De Bruyne tied the record for most assists in a Premier League season with 20 to his name.
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
Cristiano Ronaldo continues to prove that age is just a number. The Portuguese legend has moulded his game over the years and usually plays as a centre-forward now. He has switched from a wider role after losing a yard of pace in recent years but was able to maintain his incredible rate of productivity.
Ronaldo has kept this up for a decade and a half now and it makes him one of the most consistent footballers we have ever seen. He won his first Ballon d'Or in 2008 and has since added four more to his collection. Ronaldo is currently tied with Ali Daei for the most international goals (109 goals) and is likely to break the record at Euro 2020.
Counting the records he has broken and the awards he has received could take all day. At the age of 36, he signed off on the 2020-21 season as the top scorer in Serie A. Ronaldo is currently the leading scorer at the ongoing Euro 2020. He has won five Champions League titles in the past 14 years and has truly cemented his status as one of the greatest to have ever graced the game.
#1 Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
The magical Lionel Messi has been a treat to watch ever since he broke onto the scene. He continues to exemplify greatness with his immaculate display of skill and intelligence on the football pitch. La Pulga has been at the top of football for years now and holds the record for the most Ballon d'Or wins. He has six.
Barcelona have been able to endure some really tough times of late and they owe a lot to Lionel Messi for that. The Argentine has kept things ticking for Barcelona. Having played alongside great players all his career, he has now taken up the mantle of being the leader of the team.
Messi is yet another player who has made breaking records a habit. He scored 38 goals and provided 14 assists across all competitions for Barcelona this past season. Messi has stacked up incredible numbers throughout. He has scored more than 20 goals in each of his 13 league seasons and is the only player in La Liga to do so.
Messi has also won the Champions League four times and the La Liga title a whopping 10 times. He has also won a record six European Golden Shoes.
