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We are less than a month away from the official beginning of the 2019/20 season of football extravaganza and all of us can't wait for the entertainment to be started. Before we go into the new season, let's take a look at a slideshow containing the current top 10 best footballers in the world.
In this article, both club and international performances have been considered. So, before beginning with the fun, here is the summary of what happened last season. Starting with the UEFA Champions League which was won by Liverpool and the UEFA Europa League which was won by Chelsea. So, English clubs dominated Europe last season.
Manchester City, Ajax, Juventus, Barcelona were some teams who performed brilliantly well throughout the season, while there were some teams such as Real Madrid, Manchester United, Arsenal, etc who had miserable seasons respectively.
Now, we are going to take a look at the players who narrowly missed out from this list:
Honourable mentions: Matthijs de Ligt, Aymeric Laporte, Luis Suarez, Christian Eriksen, Ederson, and Sergio Aguero.
Statistics from: Squaka
This list is purely based on performances last season and not on reputation. So, with the formalities done, here are the top 10 footballers in the world:
Also See : La Liga Transfer News, EPL Transfer News, Manchester united Transfer News.
#10 Kylian Mbappe
The young French sensation, Kylian Mbappe is 10th on this list and the only reason why he isn't in the top 5 is due to the lack of competition he faces in France with Paris Saint-Germain.
If PSG would have been able to go a little deep into the Champions League, the 20-year-old would have been a little up on this list. Still, being counted among the best in the world at this age isn't a mean feat and his stats from last season back up his potential. He scored 29 goals and assisted another 17 last season for PSG, playing in all the positions in the front three.
Last season, both Edinson Cavani and Neymar were injured most of the time, and Mbappe took up the goalscoring mantle really well. All in all, it was an absolutely solid season for the young striker.
#9 Eden Hazard
The man who finally got his dream move to Real Madrid this summer, Eden Hazard lit up the Premier League last season and captained an amazing Belgium team. Hazard won the UEFA Europa League with Chelsea and his goalscoring contributions last season were absolutely phenomenal.
The little Belgian beast scored a total of 21 goals and assisted a further 17 last season for Chelsea. The left-winger is one of the best dribblers and creators in world football and his absence will be felt hugely at Stamford Bridge.
Nevertheless, his move to Real Madrid makes sense and he deserves everything coming his way.
#8 Mohamed Salah
Salah has now been on this list for the second consecutive year and not many can successfully say that barring Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The Egyptian won the UEFA Champions League with Liverpool and only if Egypt had gone further into the Africa Cup of Nations, he would have been further up on this list.
Nevertheless, last season, Salah didn't start scoring goals from the offset. He was struggling to find the back of the net and many people started speculating that he is just a one-season wonder but boy did he shut their mouths up. The Egyptian picked up the pace in the middle part of the season and didn't look back, scoring 27 goals and assisting a further 13 for Liverpool.
Salah has converted himself into a world-class player and the Reds are very lucky to have him.
#7 Raheem Sterling
What a season the little English wizard had for Manchester City. Finally, this season everyone in the footballing world recognized the potential of Raheem Sterling. He was in scintillating form for Manchester City as they conjured up a domestic treble.
In a season where Manchester City were utterly dominant, Raheem managed to impress both for the Skyblues and England. So much so, he might have been the best attacker for Manchester City this season. Playing both on the left and the right, Raheem dazzled oppositions with his brilliant movement, great control on the ball and finishing skills.
He has improved almost all aspects of his game. The biggest improvement has been his finishing and his dribbling ability has reached a whole new level. The 24-year-old scored a total of 25 goals and assisted a further 18 for the blue side of Manchester in his best season till date.
#6 Cristiano Ronaldo
This man is one of the two players who are always involved in this list. Everyone counted Cristiano out of the Ballon d'Or race and other not worthy awards when he stumbled out of the UEFA Champions League with Juventus but he is a master in shutting down the mouth of his haters. He captained Portugal to another European victory, this time the UEFA Nations League.
If there is a thing in which Ronaldo is better than Lionel Messi, it is being able to step up for his country and he has proven that time and again. Also, he was singlehandedly taking Juventus to where they ended in the Champions League as he scored all the 5 goals for the Old lady in the knockout stage of the biggest competition in club football.
The Portuguese again stepped up in big games as he always does and he scored a hat-trick against Switzerland in the UEFA Nations League semi-finals. He was also named the player of the season in the Serie A as his 21 goals and 8 assists helped Juventus win the league.
#5 Alisson Becker
When Alisson Becker was signed by Liverpool for a fee of over €60M, many fans had their doubts over the Brazilian but the 26-year-old has cleared all their doubts in style. What a season he has had, winning the UEFA Champions League with Liverpool and then the Copa America with Brazil. Becker had a season to remember last year and he is deservedly in the top 5 of this list.
Alongside Virgil Van Djik, Salah and Mane, Alisson is arguably one of the biggest influencers in this team and it is safe to say that he is currently the best goalkeeper in the world. The Brazilian won the golden glove in the UEFA Champions League, Premier League, and the Copa America.
While it can be said that he had world-class defenders up ahead of him, that should not take anything away from how good the 26-year-old was last season.
#4 Sadio Mane
Another Liverpool player on this list, the third to be precise, Sadio Mane made his presence felt for the European Champions. Not only that, his performances with Senegal have been nothing short of extraordinary. Although Senegal lost the AFCON to Algeria, they had a terrific campaign .
At the start of last season, Mohamed Salah was finding ut difficult to hit the back of the net and there he was, Mane, stepping up the plate and taking over the burden of scoring. We all know Roberto Firmino is more of a creator than a scorer, so, Mane really had to step his game up. The Senegalese international scored a total of 26 goals and made a further 5 for Liverpool.
It's not his stats that make him one of the best in the world, it's his ability to score on big occasions that make him the footballer he is.
#3 Bernardo Silva
In comparison to all the players that have been mentioned in this slideshow, Bernardo Silva has won the most trophies this season. The little Portuguese midfielder won the domestic treble with Manchester City and also the UEFA Nations League with Portugal. Also, he was named Manchester City's player of the season and the UEFA Nations League player of the competition.
When you consider how Luka Modric won the Ballon d'Or last year, you might realize there is a huge chance that Bernardo Silva might end up winning it this year. He has been brilliant to say the least, so much so that Pep Guardiola even mentioned him as being undroppable.
Bernardo is a player that every manager would want in his team and one of the biggest reasons for that is his work rate. He never gives up chasing a ball and he is always honest with his challenges. The Portuguese also showed his tremendous ability to adapt as he played in almost every attacking position and also in the midfield. He scored a total of 13 goals and made a further 14 for Manchester City in what was his best season till date.
#2 Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi became Barcelona's full-time captain this season and while they only managed to win the La Liga, the little Argentine had a terrific individual year. Seems like he didn't take being placed 5th in the Ballon d'Or standings last year very well.
Playing mostly as a right-winger cum false-nine, Messi again showed this year why he is considered to be one of the very best to ever step foot in this game. He already won the golden boot and he also has the most assists this season. He has a total of 70 goal contributions and that is astonishing in itself.
The Argentine produced one of the best individual performances of this season in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-finals against Liverpool regardless of what happened in the second leg. Also, his set-piece ability reached another level.
The 31-year-old almost singlehandedly dragged Barcelona to victories on some occasions and only if he had won the Champions League, he would have been the favorite to win the Ballon d'Or.
#1 Virgil Van Djik
If there is a man who has the strongest claim to the Ballon d'Or this year, it is Virgil Van Djik. The Dutch center halve has completely transformed Liverpool's back line within a year and that is no mean feat. If you look at Virgil's influence on Liverpool, it is no less than Messi influence on Barcelona. Just because Virgil doesn't have those goalscoring contributions, it doesn't mean he doesn't deserve to win the award.
Already named the PFA Player of the year, the Dutchman played an important part in Liverpool winning the UEFA Champions League. Also, he led Netherlands to the UEFA Nations League final when nobody expected them to reach even the semi-finals.
If you look at the Ballon d'Or winners from recent years, you would recognize that winning the Champions League goes a long way in winning the Ballon d'Or and that is the single biggest reason that makes the Dutchman favorite for the Ballon d'Or and the best player in the world.
