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With the Ballon d'Or ceremony around the corner, football fans across the globe will have an opinion or two as to who the best player in the world is. Aside from a few controversial opinions, fans will unanimously agree on the greatness of a few players and the emergence of Liverpool and Manchester City over the last 18 months is sure to have a defining effect in this list.
Manchester City topped off their 100 points haul with a domestic treble in the 2018/19 season and fellow English club Liverpool were crowned European champions for the sixth time in their history as they beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 at the Wanda Metropolitano.
After much deliberation, where we had to make our fair share of tough decisions, here's our list of top-ten footballers in the world at the moment.
10. Jan Oblak - Atletico Madrid
Jan Oblak is the only goalkeeper in the top 10 and his inclusion should come as no surprise. The Slovakian goalkeeper is widely regarded as the best shot-stopper in world football at the moment and has continued to enhance his growing reputation since moving to the Spanish capital from Benfica.
As of October 2018, the 26-year-old had kept more clean sheets (73) than goals conceded (72) in all competitions since joining Atletico Madrid, a record that happens to describe his abilities perfectly.
Oblak stellar performances between the sticks have been instrumental in Atleti's stellar defensive record over the years and that fact Diego Simeone's side have continued to rack up the clean sheet after the departures of Filipe Luis, Diego Godin and Lucas Hernandez is a startling example of his outrageous ability in front of goal.
9. Neymar Jr - Paris Saint-Germain
Despite what's being said about in the media, Neymar Jr makes the list as when he plays, he's the best player on the pitch more often than not and has been involved in 24 goals and 13 assists in 33 appearances in all competitions since the start of last season. Since sealing a world-record to Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2017, the 27-year-old has been hampered by injuries but he's produced the goods when he's managed to keep himself fit.
Neymar was tipped to make a shock return to Barcelona this summer but the move failed to materialize despite the Brazilian's best efforts, as the Parisian club stood their ground and refused to budge on their valuation of the player.
The mercurial Brazilian, who was initially seen as Lionel Messi's heir at Barcelona, has time on his side to return to his destructive best and his form will be crucial if Thomas Tuchel's side are to compete in the business end of the Champions League this season.
8. Kylian Mbappe - Paris Saint-Germain
Kylian Mbappe is not only one of the brightest up and coming players around, his performances over the last two seasons means he is now amongst the best players in world football. Since his record-breaking move to Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2017, the Frenchman has been virtually unstoppable and established himself as an indispensable member for club and country.
Mbappe was one of the standout players as France won the 2018 edition of the FIFA World Cup and was named Young Player of the Tournament, for his exemplary performance throughout the tournament. The 20-year-old has racked up more than 190 appearances for club and country and has won numerous other accolades, both personal as well as for his team.
The Frenchman is well set to become one of the most decorated footballers of his generation and although the Parisian club have him tied down till 2021, he is believed to have keen suitors at Real Madrid and it looks inevitable at this point that Mbappe will ply his trade with Los Blancos at some point in the future.
7. Raheem Sterling - Manchester City
Raheem Sterling has been one of the most improved footballers in world football since Pep Guardiola took charge of Manchester City and the 25-year-old has continued to enhance his reputation in recent seasons with consistent displays for club and country.
Since moving to the Cityzens for £50 million in 2015, a fee that raised eyebrows at the time, Sterling has made a name for himself as one of the most potent attackers in European football and has played a key role in their recent success.
After narrowly missing out on the PFA Player of the Year award to Virgil van Dijk last season, Sterling has been one of the best players in the Premier League for Manchester City this time around and is also an indispensable member of Gareth Southgate's England set-up.
His tally of 80 goals and 73 assists in 208 appearances for Manchester City is a staggering return considering he is yet to enter his prime and in doing so, the former Liverpool man deserves to be placed alongside the best footballers in the world.
Also check out:Champions league top scorers La liga table 2019-20 Premier League Table
6. Mohamed Salah - Liverpool
Since his £36 million move to Liverpool in the summer of 2017, Mohamed Salah's goalscoring exploits for Liverpool have been nothing short of extraordinary. The Egyptian superstar shattered the Premier League record for the most goals scored by a player in a single season, as his stunning 32-goal haul in the 2017/18 season earned him the PFA Player of the Year award.
As Liverpool suffered a heartbreaking loss against Real Madrid in the Champions League final in 2018, Salah was one of the key players in their road to the final and the former Roma man was at it once again, as he played a pivotal role in their success the following season.
Jurgen Klopp's side won the Champions League and amassed 97 points in the Premier League and Salah lead from the front, as he shared the Golden Boot with teammate Sadio Mane after scoring 21 goals in the league last season.
The 27-year-old's end product since joining the Merseyside club has been unbelievable, to say the least, and he'll look to lead from the front once again, as Liverpool aim to compete on all fronts this season.
5. Sadio Mane - Liverpool
Since the turn of the year, Sadio Mane has been in sensational form in front of goal and looks more determined than anyone to win the Premier League title with Liverpool, something that has eluded the Merseyside giants for 30 years now.
Mane has carried on from where he left off last season with 11 goals and 5 assists in all competitions this season and is set to be in the mix for the Golden Boot once again, after sharing it with Pierre-Emerick AUbameyang and teammate Mohamed Salah last season for his 21-goal haul domestically.
The 27-year-old is amongst the most explosive players in world football and has a wide range of abilities in his repertoire, ranging from his two-foot ability to his devastating pace. Since moving to Liverpool in 2016 as one of Jurgen Klopp's first big-money captures in the transfer market, Mane has been one of the most consistent players for Reds and is a major part of one of the deadliest frontlines in world football, alongside Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino.
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - Juventus
Cristiano Ronaldo's inclusion is controversial, to say the least, but the Portuguese international is still a serial match-winner on his day. Since moving to Juventus last summer, the Ronaldo has won his side a handful of games and his tally of 28 goals and 10 assists in 43 appearances last season is a respectable return for a 34-year-old.
It could be argued that the former Real Madrid man has become a victim of his own success and standards are lofty for a player of his calibre, and Ronaldo doesn't look like he's going to be finished anytime soon. Aside from his goalscoring exploits, his ability to come big for his side when they need him the most has seen him establish himself as one of the greats of his game and rivalry with Lionel Messi is widely regarded as one of the best eras in modern football.
At the age of 34, the fact that he's still an indispensable member of the reigning European Champions Portugal and Juventus, one of the biggest clubs in European football, is a startling example of his qualities as a player.
3. Robert Lewandowski - Bayern Munich
Robert Lewandowski's form since the start of the season is outrageous, even by his lofty standards. The Bayern Munich hitman's record of scoring in every Bundesliga and Champions League game at this stage of the season is quite simply stunning, and his tally of 23 goals in all competitions has put him in pole position in the race for the European Golden Boot.
The former Borussia Dortmund man has been Bayern's talisman since joining on a free transfer five years ago and is widely regarded as one of the greatest No.9's of his generation, alongside Luis Suarez and Sergio Aguero.
The Polish international has shattered a handful of records at this stage of the season and looks all set to finish his career as the most decorated goalscorer in Bundesliga history if he carries on like this for the rest of his career.
Lewandowski has aged like fine wine and is primed to have his best season yet, at the age of 31. Bayern haven't been at their best season but their talisman is at the peak of his powers, as they aim to overcome their underwhelming start to the season to retain their Bundesliga crown.
2. Virgil van Dijk - Liverpool
When Liverpool announced the capture of Virgil van Dijk from Southampton for a whopping £75 million fee in January 2018, eyebrows were raised as it was believed that the Reds paid over the odds out of sheer desperation.
22 months later, the Dutchman is quite comfortably the best defender in world football and his performances for club and country in that period has put him in contention for the Ballon d'Or, as he is one of the frontrunners for the award alongside Lionel Messi.
Van Dijk has been a mainstay of the Liverpool side that won the Champions League last season and he was rewarded for his exemplary individual performances, as he was named PFA Player of the Year and UEFA Player of the Year for his exploits last season.
The Dutchman's stature is there for everyone to see and aside from his defensive solidarity, his passing range coupled with his composure on the ball makes him the complete package at the heart of the defence.
Since moving to Liverpool, the former Southampton man's stock as grown exponentially and he could become the first defender since Fabio Cannavaro to win the Ballon d'Or, a fact that happens to describe his capabilities aptly.
1. Lionel Messi - Barcelona
Surprise surprise, Lionel Messi tops the list! The Barcelona talisman has been in sensational form in the past 12 months, even by his lofty standards and is well poised to become the first player in the history of the game to win SIX Ballon d'Or awards, a truly unbelievable number for one of the greatest players to grace the game.
Since his tally of 91 goals in 2012, the 2018/19 season was arguably one of his greatest individual seasons and the mercurial Argentinian capped off his league campaign with the LaLiga title, despite facing disappointment in the Champions League and the Copa del Rey.
Despite being injured for a sizeable chunk of the current season, Messi already has 9 goals and 5 assists to his name in 11 appearances in all competitions and has carried on from where he left off last season, after winning the Pichichi for his tally of 36 league goals, a staggering 15 goals behind his closest competitor.
Messi continues to defy the odds at the age of 31 and has shown no signs of slowing down, as he continues to carry Barcelona on his shoulders and covets a major international trophy for Argentina.
