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We're in the middle of quite a fascinating season of football in Europe. English clubs are dragging themselves out of the fatigue caused by a testing set of fixtures around the festive season. Top clubs across Europe are looking eagerly into the market with the January transfer window now open.
Luka Modric brought an end to the Ballon d'Or duopoly of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. He capped off an exceptional year where he won the UEFA Champions League with Real Madrid and took Croatia to the World Cup with perhaps the most prestigious individual honour in world football.
This year, however, it is once again starting to look like we are primed for a return to familiarity with several of the top guns in European football hardly showing any signs of slowing down as they continue to wreak havoc in their domestic leagues. We will surely have a better idea by the time the UEFA Champions League knockout stage begins.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the January 2019 edition of the Ballon d'Or Power Rankings.
#10 Jadon Sancho
Manchester City must be ruing their decision-making watching Sancho make waves in the Bundesliga. The teenager has been in spectacular form after joining Dortmund this past summer and has gone on to displace Christian Pulisic from the starting XI.
From 10 starts this term in the Bundesliga, Sancho has scored 6 times and set up a further 7 goals. He was in great form in December and impressed every time he played. He was Dortmund's best player against Freiburg. He capped off a good performance against Schalke with a goal.
He was once Borussia Dortmund's best player once again as they squared off against Monchengladbach and scored a goal to put the icing on the cake. The 18-year-old has been pivotal to Dortmund's exploits in the Bundesliga this season. They will hope that he can continue to power through the rest of the season as they sit 6 points clear at the top after 17 games.
#9 Virgil Van Dijk
Having a centre-back pop up on this list is a bit of a rare occurrence. When Liverpool shelled out £75 million last January to secure the services of Virgil Van Dijk in a bid to shore up their defence, even they wouldn't have expected the Dutchman to make the kind of impact he has inside a year at Anfield.
Van Dijk now captains the side in the absence of Jordan Henderson and is an absolute human roadblock that's helping Klopp greatly in his attempts to make Anfield a fortress. Van Dijk is, without doubt, one of the finest centre-backs in the world right now and has a huge role to play in the Reds being on top of the Premier League table right now.
He helped Liverpool keep 5 cleansheets in the month of December alone. If the former Southampton man kicks on in the same vein, he will eventually be regarded as one of the best centre-backs to have ever played in the Premier League and for that reason, Van Dijk becomes a surprise entrant in this list.
#8 Marco Reus
Marco Reus, when uninjured is one of the best that Die Mannschaft has to offer. As Dortmund continue their dream run in the league, Reus is leading from the front whilst firmly in control.
Reus put on impressive showings against Freiburg, Schalke, Werder Bremen and Borussia Monchengladbach and scored thrice whilst also picking up an assist. He was recently named the Best German player of 2018.
With 11 goals and 7 assists for Dortmund this term, one simply cannot understate his importance in the side. The Yellow Wall must be thanking the stars as Reus continues to enjoy a healthy run- something which has been a rarity in his career so far.
Reus' never-give-up attitude seems to have rubbed off on the youngsters around him and with Captain Fantastic marshalling the troops, this could very well go on to be Dortmund's year in the Bundesliga.
#7 Paul Pogba
Paul Pogba has effectively brought himself back into the race after the appointment of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and how! Pogba, who did not start against Manchester City, Arsenal or Liverpool under Jose Mourinho, proved just how influential he can be after showcasing some stellar back to back performances.
Though the magic of his feet can take our breath away, it's when he sticks to the basics and helps dictate the tempo of proceedings that he becomes complicit in some of the more scintillating football that we've seen Manchester United play in recent times.
Pogba scored 4 goals and registered 3 assists from a central midfield position and if that's not impressive, it's hard to figure what is.
#6 Kylian Mbappe
Kylian Mbappe is well on his path to becoming the successor to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. With 13 goals and 4 assists so far from just 9 Ligue 1 starts, at PSG, Mbappe is making mincemeat out of hapless defenders and giving opposition managers a nightmare.
Mbappe had a relatively quiet December. However, he was the standout performer for Paris Saint-Germain in their 1-4 drubbing of FK Crvena Zvezda in the UEFA Champions League as he scored once and set up two other goals.
His turn of pace continues to be a problem sans a solution for most defenders on the face of this planet and he will continue to be one of the greatest assets of the French national team as well.
#5 Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Kane
Cristiano Ronaldo has kept himself in the reckoning with a few masterful performances for Juve. Playing either as a centre-forward or a left-sided striker, Ronaldo has come to the Old Lady's aid several times, chipping in with timely goals and by just about reinvigorating the troops with his sheer presence.
Ronaldo has silenced all detractors who said his time at the top is up. He has taken to life in Italy like a fish to water and already has 14 goals for Il Bianconeri from 19 appearances, 4 of them coming in the month of December. He has also set up a further 5 goals.
Juventus will hope that he will hit top gear in the UEFA Champions League as well as they walk on into the knockout stages. If his past record in the competition is anything to go by, we expect him to start firing on all cylinders pretty soon.
With 6 goals and 4 assists in the month of December, Harry Kane has got back to form and is growing in reputation as one of the best strikers in the world right now. Kane was exceptional in the past month for Tottenham Hotspur, excelling in his new semi-number 10 role where he's starting to build a deadly partnership with Son Heung-Min.
Kane is being eyed by top clubs across Europe. A striker who has hardly been sidelined over the past few years, Harry Kane has rarely suffered from a dip in form, delivery goals in abundance for Spurs. He continues to be a menacing presence in and around the final third and is a strong contender going into 2019.
#4 Eden Hazard
Eden Hazard is having a ball at Chelsea. Unfortunately enough for Chelsea, he is perhaps their only forward who has hit top gear. With Giroud and Morata continuing to disappoint, Hazard has had to shoulder the burden of goalscoring as well in addition to creating a ridiculous number of chances.
The Belgian scored 4 times and provided a further 5 assists across all competitions for Chelsea in the month of December. He is being increasingly linked with Real Madrid. However, such high-profile business is unlikely to happen in January but thanks to his performances, Los Blancos will have no second thoughts about making a move for him in the summer.
Hazard has been Chelsea's standout player all season and he continues to terrorize opposition defences with his quick feet and explosive pace.
#3 Son Heung Min
Surprised? You shouldn't be if you've been following the Premier League over the month of December. Son Heung-Min has been absolutely untameable and was easily Tottenham's most important player as they struggle to stay relevant in the title challenge.
The South Korean scored 7 goals and provided 3 assists in the month of December. He has managed to kick on in the same vein in January so far. He has racked up 2 goals and 3 assists from 2 matches this month.
Son has been in the form of his life and has scored a handful of stunners that took Wembley by surprise. Son has also managed to bring out a different facet to Kane's game with the English striker now dictating more of the play upfront and looking revitalized up top.
Spurs have also performed better as a team whenever Son has started. Spurs have scored at a rate of 1.6 goals per game when Son hasn't started. This number rises to a whopping 2.9 on occasions when Son has started for the Lilywhites.
#2 Mohamed Salah
Any theories that ruled Salah to be a one-season wonder can rest in the bin now. The Egyptian is in fine form for the Merseysiders as they top the Premier League table, coming largely unscathed after a suffocating set of fixtures towards the end of December.
Salah scored 7 goals and provided 4 assists in the month of December. He's now being quite frequently used as a central striker and thanks to his poaching instincts, Klopp hasn't had to reconsider his decision. He continues to be a threat every time Liverpool regain possession and break on the counter.
If Salah can kick on in the same vein, he'll end up with an enviable amount of goals that will quite easily place him in the reckoning for football's biggest individual honour.
#1 Lionel Messi
Visibly frustrated by the fact that he ended up 5th in the Ballon d'Or race in 2018, Lionel Messi has come out swinging and is landing most of his punches, much to the delight of the Barcelona fanbase. Lionel Messi has a point to prove and we're ready to sit back and watch him do it because when the little magician hits his stride, there are few things more beautiful to watch unfold on a football ground.
Messi was in unbelievable form in December. He had 4 assists and 6 goals in the UEFA Champions League and LaLiga combined, from a grand total of 6 games (5 starts).
Messi was outstanding against Espanyol when he scored 2 goals and provided an assist. However, even that performance looked weak compared to what he did against Levante where he secured a hattrick and racked up 2 assists.
Several stars are going through a rough spell at Barcelona. However, Messi's stumps don't seem bothered at all.
