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#3 Virgil Van Dijk (Liverpool/Netherlands)
Virgil Van Dijk has transformed Liverpool's fortunes since arriving at the club in the summer of 2017.
The no-nonsense centre-back is renowned for his strength, positional awareness, tackling ability and impeccable reading of the game. Van Dijk is one of the shining exponents of a goalscoring defender as he also pops up at the other end and scores vital goals, thanks to his impressive aerial prowess.
Touted as one of the best active ball-playing centre-backs in the game, Van Dijk scored five goals last season as Liverpool won their first league title last season.
The Netherlands captain is also the leader of the rearguard with his national team, for whom he has scored four times in 38 games in various competitions since his international debut for the Oranje six years ago.
A fixture in both international and club football, the Dutch player did not miss a Premier League game since the start of the 2018-19 season before suffering an injury in the Merseyside Derby that has ruled him out for a few weeks.
#2 Lionel Messi (Barcelona/Argentina)
Lionel Messi is arguably one of the greatest players to have graced the game.
During an illustrious career for club and country, the diminutive Argentinian has scored goals and broken records galore and is still going strong more than one-and-a-half decades after making his professional debut.
One of the last vestiges of the true one-club man, Messi is the all-time top-scorer in La Liga, Barcelona and Argentina history. The six-time Ballon d'Or winner has won ten La Liga and four Champions League titles among a host of other domestic and international honours.
Even though success has been elusive in Argentina colours, Lionel Messi has been the best player in the Albiceleste set-up for quite a while.
The player has featured in a World Cup final and three Copa America title matches, coming out second-best on each occasion, for an Argentina team that is heavily dependent on their captain for creativity and inspiration.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus/Portugal)
Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the best players to have played the beautiful game of football.
During an illustrious career for club and country, Ronaldo has been the epitome of sustained excellence and longevity. The all-time top-scorer in Real Madrid, Champions League and Portugal history is one of a select few players to have won league titles in three different top-five European leagues.
After moving to Juventus in the summer of 2018 at the seemingly ripe old age of 33, Ronaldo continues to rack in the goals for the Bianconeri as he recently scored his 50th Serie A goal for the Italian giants while winning successive Scudetto titles for them.
The Euro 2016 winner has also shone in Portugal colours, for whom he has scored an astounding 101 goals to become the first European player and second overall to conjure 100 senior international goals.
To put it quite simply, when the Portuguese player is not on the field, his sides - be it Juventus or Portugal - massively miss his presence.
