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The 2018/19 season is done and dusted. The final piece of silverware up for grabs was taken home by Liverpool, and with that, every single top-flight title was decided.
Lionel Messi was comfortably on top in last month's Ballon d'Or Power Ranking, followed by Cristiano Ronaldo and Raheem Sterling. All that has changed this month.
One of the players from the top 3 has fallen outside the top 5 while a major change near the top has also taken place.
PS: The rankings are based on the players' performances in December 2018 onwards, and thus, the first 4 months of the season (August-November) will not be counted.
#10 – Sergio Aguero
Sergio Aguero missed out in the Premier League Golden Boot by a goal as he finished with just 21 this season. The winners, Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, scored 22 goals in the league and were all awarded the trophy on the last day.
While Aguero did not manage to win any individual honours this season, he was an invaluable member of the Manchester City starting XI. The arrival of Gabriel Jesus was signalled as the end of the Argentine's time at the Etihad, but he has turned the tables, played at his best and is now forcing the Brazilian striker to leave the club.
The Argentine's contributions helped City win the domestic treble, and that was another historic season for them. Last season they created history by winning the Premier League with a record points tally and this season, they won the league by winning all of their last 14 matches.
Aguero has been brilliant but just not good enough to win the Ballon d'Or this year. He's 10th right now, but if Neymar sizzles in Copa America, the City legend will be out of the ranking too.
#9 – Sadio Mane
For many, Mohamed Salah is still the best forward at Liverpool and arguably so. However, Sadio Mane has given him a run for his money and has proved to be one of the best in the world this season.
The Senegal man has been in top form this season, and the Liverpool fans will never forget his contribution against Bayern Munich. The first leg draw saw a lot of pundits question if the Reds had it in them to win the big trophy again and the players showed what they have got on the pitch.
Mane scored just 2 goals in 5 games during May but his contribution cannot be defined by just the amount of goals scored or assisted. Ranked outside the top 10 last month, Mane has broken into the rankings once again but is unlikely to win the award even if he helps Senegal win the Africa Cup of Nations.
#8 – Dusan Tadic
How and why did Southampton ever let him go? Dusan Tadic has been in sensational form this season for Ajax and is one of the main reasons why the Dutch side won the league title after a gap of 4 years.
The Dutchman not only helped them win the league title, but he also took Ajax to the UEFA Champions League semi-final. The forward scored at the Bernabeu, but failed to contribute vs Juventus and Tottenham in the first leg. He did assist a goal in the 3-2 loss to Spurs but it did not help him break into the rankings.
However, following an impressive show in May with 3 assists and 4 goals in 4 matches, the Dutchman has finally got a place in the top 10. Winning the Ballon d'Or will be a difficult thing for him and #8 might be the highest he gets to this year.
#7 – Mohamed Salah
It was only a penalty in the Champions League final, but it was easily the most critical moment of the game. Had Mohamed Salah missed or shot straight at Lloris, the momentum would have been in favour of Spurs and the result might have been totally different.
Salah has been decent this season, playing at a level 75-80% when compared to last season. However, he still finished with the Premier League Golden Boot, sharing it with his teammate, Sadio Mane, and Arsenal striker, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Ranked at #7 last month, Salah sees no change in the standings. He did have a decent month but it was just not enough to take him a step above.
With the Africa Cup of Nations coming up in the summer, the Egyptian has a good chance of climbing up the rankings.
#6 – Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo sees his ranking for the Ballon d'Or this year drop from 2nd to 6th this month. The steep drop is mainly because he played just 3 games while the others, who ran past him in the rankings, were playing regularly and contributing to their team winning trophies.
The Portuguese star had a very good debut season in Italy but wasn't able to win the Golden Boot. He did bag the Italian Serie A Player of the Year award but it sparked a debate among the pundits and fans as to whether he truly deserved it.
The good news for Ronaldo is that he still has months of football to get back to the top of the rankings. He has a chance to help Portugal win the UEFA Nations League and then July will serve as a break for him. August onwards, he would have to be back to his best to climb up the ladder.
#5 – Kylian Mbappe
Ranked at #5 last month, Kylian Mbappe sees no change in his ranking, just like Mohamed Salah. The French superstar, just like Ronaldo, played just 3 games in May but managed to contribute a lot more than the Juventus striker.
In the 3 games, Mbappe scored thrice and managed to keep his #5 place in the ranking. France have 2 UEFA Euro Qualifiers in June and those are the only 2 matches Mbappe has to improve his ranking. The striker will have a 2-month break after that and will return for the start of the Ligue 1 season with PSG.
Rumours suggest that Mbappe might be on the move this summer and his comments recently added fuel to it. However, PSG made it clear that they have no intentions of selling their prized asset and will not be entertaining any bids for him.
#4 – Raheem Sterling
Raheem Sterling was ranked 3rd last month but was not at his best in the Premier League in May. He did score twice and assist once in the FA Cup final to help City complete the domestic treble but that was not enough to see him retain his place in the top 3.
The Englishman won the PFA Young Player of the Year award and rightfully so. He has been on another level this season and deserved all the honours he has got. He's been impressive under Pep Guardiola and the English fans would be hoping that he can help them win the UEFA Nations League too.
England face The Netherlands on 6th June in the semi-finals of the tournament and the winner of that match will face either Portugal or Switzerland in the final.
#3 – Eden Hazard
The biggest jump in the Power Rankings this month belongs to Eden Hazard. Ranked at #8 last month, the Belgian star has done everything possible to end his time at Chelsea on a high.
Hazard first helped Chelsea make it to the Champions League next season by getting them to the 3rd spot in the Premier League. His 2 assists in the game against Watford at the start of May helped The Blues seal a place in the top 4.
The Belgian superstar then waved his magic wand in the Europa League final and outclassed Arsenal. He scored twice and assisted once to help Chelsea demolish their London rivals 4-1 in the final.
With a move to Real Madrid imminent, he now has a very good chance of winning the Ballon d'Or. With the help of Zidane, he is only going to get better.
#2 – Lionel Messi
The debacle at Anfield and in the Copa del Rey final sees Lionel Messi slip in the rankings. Ranked 1st for the past couple of months, the Argentine has lost his place in the June rankings.
He could not help Barcelona make it to the Champions League final despite going into the 2nd leg with a 3-0 lead. In the Copa del Rey final, he did manage to score a goal, but that wasn't enough to stop Barcelona from losing 2-1 to Valencia.
Now with the Copa America coming up, Messi will be hoping to finally win a trophy with Argentina. He has come close on several occasions but has just not got the support he needed to cross the line.
Even if he doesn't manage to get his hands on the trophy again this summer, he still has 4 months of football left and the gap isn't too big to cover.
#1 – Virgil van Dijk
Easily the best defender in the world right now. Virgil van Dijk has proved to be the one for Liverpool to finally get their hands on a big trophy after a really long time. While he could not help them win the Premier League, he was able to get the Champions League title back to Anfield.
Ranked at 4 last month, his performance against Barcelona in the 2nd leg was enough to give him a huge boost in the rankings. The 4-0 win did not see him contribute with a goal or an assist but his defensive work was key in stopping Barcelona from scoring and taking the tie away from the Reds.
Van Dijk will now be facing a couple of his teammates as The Netherlands face England in the UEFA Nations League semi-final and a win would help him retain his #1 ranking over the summer for sure.
