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#3 Hakim Ziyech
Former teammates Matthijs de Ligt and Frenkie de Jong have made it to the honourable shortlist. As have current teammates Donny van de Beek and Dusan Tadic. Hakim Ziyech, however, for all his marauding runs down the wings, trickery on the ball, shots on goal, blistering bursts of speed and all-round displays, has been acrimoniously left out.
A lynchpin in the celebrated Ajax side of the 2018-19 season that impressed one and all, Ziyech proved to be a key supplier and goalscorer himself. On a repeated and consistent basis.
He returned with five goals in the UEFA Champions League and contributed with 16 more in the domestic league. Not to mention, the wily winger also recorded an incredible 13 assists.
More than just the numbers, Ziyech's guile and application separates him from the rest. He's got everything a conventional winger should possess and his ability to thread quick passes, fabricate interplay and take brave decisions alone should have merited him a place in the 30-man shortlist.
The 26-year-old is a real thinker, a student of the game; and for sure, he has it in himself to repeat last season's heroics this time around as well.
