'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAgb/2gAIAQEAAAAAih//xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAE/9oACAECEAAAAGf/xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAE/9oACAEDEAAAAG//xAAiEAABAwMDBQAAAAAAAAAAAAADAgQFAAERBgcTEjJBUZH/2gAIAQEAAT8A22jYqS1GRlKKdcTltxCsMY19Pu+Vdvj5Uvt1NMZZ60G/ZFQA6xJIq5E3XZKsZxX/xAAWEQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACIQD/2gAIAQIBAT8AcU3/xAAZEQEAAgMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACAQMABEH/2gAIAQMBAT8A3qhUyRHIz//Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
January is over and we're just about at the season's midway point. We have got a good gauge of how most teams are going to look and we have plenty of games to have a solid idea as to who is performing the best in world football this season.
We are far away from the actual Ballon d'Or vote but how does the field stand right now. In this article, we will try to take a crack at ranking the top 10 players in the race for 2018 Ballon d'Or award.
#10 Mauro Icardi
Before we get too far into it there are a number of players that have been left out for #10 on this list notably players like Eden Hazard, Dybala, and even Manchester United's De Gea.
They've all been phenomenal but since we get to choose only one of these for this spot, Icardi is the one who gets the nod. Inter Milan's Argentine hitman has been their most consistent player all season and if it wasn't for him they wouldn't even be close to Champions League qualification place.
Just 24 years old Icardi has scored 26 goals last season and it looks like he's gonna fly past that mark pretty easily this season as he has already scored 18 goals in the 2017/18 campaign. His on-pitch accomplishments may have been overshadowed by some messy off-field incidents but it's impossible to ignore just how good he's been.
Real Madrid keep sniffing around his doorstep and it might not be too long before Inter invite them in to have a nice little chat
#9 Luis Suarez (Barcelona)
Luis Suarez started the season pretty slowly looking out of the shape, off the pace and just plain rusty.
He didn't look like the same ruthless lethal Luis Suarez we knew but as they say, t form is temporary but class is permanent might and Suarez has proved jus that with his performances this season.
Since November, he's been on fire for Barcelona and his form alongside Messi has been a huge reason they're so far out in front of the rest of La Liga teams.
Suarez didn't find this form in time to do any damage in Champions League and he didn't even manage a goal in six appearances but in La Liga, he has 16 goals and 4 assists. With a marquee Champions League tie coming up against Chelsea, Suarez will be determined to leave his mark even in Europe's premier club competition.
#8 Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
Bayern Munich are comfortably leading the Bundesliga and probably no one has been more important for the whole team than Robert Lewandowski. He has got 19 goals in 19 League appearances. He has also scored 3 goals in the Champions League.
He's been absolutely unstoppable for yet another year. He leads the league in contribution to team goals with a ridiculous 36 percent of Bayern's league goals. He will probably win the Golden Boot this year after missing out on it last year to new Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
#7 Philippe Coutinho (Barcelona)
To most of the people, this will seem like a strange choice but Coutinho never stopped racking up goals and assists in a Liverpool shirt until the day he left. He racked up 12 goals and 8 assists in all competitions before signing for Barcelona.
He also added three goals in three appearances in Copa America - even with his back problems, he was on fire just about every time he stepped on the pitch and was a huge reason for Liverpool's push into the top four.
#6 Edinson Cavani (Paris Saint-Germain)
The biggest story coming out of Paris this year has been surrounding Neymar's transfer and the drama that was perceived by him and Cavani due to their penalty spat but all that drama surrounding the most expensive player on earth has been overshadowed by Cavani's stunning performances.
Without even taking a look at the numbers first we have to talk about just how much work Cavani puts into his team. One of the most unselfish players in Europe Cavani is someone who covers the offensive positions and also tracks back to help out in defence.
He never stops running on the pitch to create space for his teammates and even with that, he has maintained a saintly calm and positive public attitude towards Neymar.
Now we have to get to the numbers, 21 goals in 22 appearances in Ligue 1 and 6 goals in 6 matches of Champions League. He has also overtaken Zlatan Ibrahimovic as the all-time goalscoring leader of PSG and he is not going to stop there.
#5 Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur)
Spurs might have been slightly inconsistent this season sitting at 5th in the Premier League but their boy Harry Kane does not have inconsistency in his vocabulary.
Kane leads the league in both goals scored and contribution to total team goals. He has scored 23 goals in 25 appearances. Added to that. he has also scored 6 goals in Champions League.
He is currently the top scorer in Europe's top 5 leagues. To sum it all up, the man who was branded a one season wonder just keeps doing it season after season.
#4 Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Mohamed Salah was named Africa's Player of the Year and he keeps proving why he was given that award. Liverpool may have lost Coutinho but it doesn't look like impacting them much because they've got Salah.
Mohamed Salah signed for Liverpool at the beginning of the season and this was his second shot at the Premier League and he has taken off like an Olympic sprinter in his second chance.
Literally, no one can catch Salah when he is running on the right flank and he's been running circles around the Premier League's best defenses. Salah's goal tally of 22 is even more impressive considering he plays as a winger and his 7 assists alongside mean that he only comes in behind Harry Kane in the list of top scorers this season.
In Champions League - with 5 goals, he has helped Liverpool to progress to the knockout rounds. If he keeps it up, there's a legitimate chance he might become just the second African player in history to win the Ballon d'Or following in the footsteps of new Liberia President George Weah.
#3 Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain)
Brazil's golden boy stunned the world when he decided to abdicate his princely throne in Barcelona for Paris and he hasn't been out of the headlines since.
There's been plenty of drama to go around there whether it's the ongoing dispute between him and Barcelona or the penalty fights with Cavani. However, everything fades in comparison to just how incredible he has been in a PSG shirt.
In 18 league appearances, he's been responsible for 18 goals and added a further 11 assists. Aside from that whole penalty thing he's been wildly generous and he has extended that to Champions League as well.
In 6 Champions League appearances he's got 6 goals and 3 assists. He's got PSG looking like they finally might just be legitimate Champions League contenders.
#2 Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)
De Bruyne was always a sublimely skilled player but under Guardiola's guidance, he has turned into perhaps the most complete midfielder on the planet. He is the focal point of Manchester City's beautiful ever flowing and fluid attack.
Although his numbers don't necessarily jump off the page, it is his constant influence on proceedings that makes him so good.
He has 7 goals and 14 assists in the Premier League. Apart from that, he has 1 goal and 3 assists in the Champions League.
These numbers might not seem very impressive but Kevin De Bruyne represents the essence of this game. If Manchester City wins the title, he will be the reason behind it. He has been so good this season that he might be the one to break the Ronaldo Messi duopoly at the top of Ballon d'Or mountain.
#1 Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
There is no need to build up with words as to why Lionel Messi is on top of this list. Let us take a look straight at the numbers.
He is leading the league with 19 goals but that is not enough for him. He is also leading the assists list with 10 assists in La Liga.
He might not have been at his best in UCL with just 3 goals and one assist but he offers so much to the team that Barcelona cannot replace him with any other player.
After losing Neymar, most of the Football pundits predicted that Barcelona won't be winning the title this year but Lionel Messi has proved them wrong and they are sitting at on top of La Liga standings comfortably.
Note: Cristiano Ronaldo did not make the list due to his bad run of form but if he keeps scoring the goals like he is doing in February, he might make the list next month.
