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4) Thiago Alcantara (Bayern Munich)
Personal accolades almost always go to the goalscorers. Defenders rarely get a mention and only the best goalkeeper in Europe usually gets the nod. But one area of the pitch that is usually overlooked is central midfield.
N'Golo Kante and Toni Kroos have made the list this year for their stellar performances and deserve their nominations. However, one must wonder why Thiago Alcantara did not make the list.
Bayern Munich saw three players nominated (Robert Lewandowski, Manuel Neuer and Arturo Vidal) but the Spanish midfielder was sadly not among the nominees. The 26-year-old was a constant in midfield as Carlo Ancelotti experimented with various formations.
No other player in the Bundesliga made more passes as Alcantara (2,561 passes) and he was the only player to have completed more than 2,000 short passes (2,127 passes).
Couple that with a 90.2% pass success rate and Bayern had a lethal player who kept the ball ticking while also contributing defensively with 4.6 interceptions and 2.8 tackles per game. Alcantara also led the league with 125 interceptions.
