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An exciting month of January is now behind us. The winter transfer window afforded teams an opportunity to bolster their squads and they can hope to settle down over the course of February.
In January, we saw a lot of footballing action from England with the Premier League teams playing a ridiculous number of matches in the first half of the month while the other leagues went through a more relaxed set of fixtures.
Testing times separate the best from the rest and some players have really come to their own following the turn of the year and have played some scintillating football that kept football fans across the world on the edge of their seats.
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Luka Modric won the Ballon d'Or in 2018 and brought the Messi-Ronaldo duopoly to an end. The way this year is shaping up, we wouldn't be too surprised if something similar were to happen.
Without further ado, let's dive right into the Ballon d'Or Power Ranking for the month of February 2019.
#10 Jadon Sancho (=)
The fleet-footed Borussia Dortmund who is now turning heads and breaking ankles in the Bundesliga retains his spot in the top spot by virtue of two spectacular performances since returning from their winter break.
Sancho continued his impressive run and was particularly impressive against Hannover as Borussia Dortmund thrashed them by 5 goals to 1. Sancho set up two goals and was easily the best player on the pitch.
The former Manchester City man has now raised his tally of assists to a whopping 9 and has scored 6 goals to go with it. If he kicks on in the same vein, he'll end the season with stats that will leave quite a few jaws on the floor.
#9 Harry Kane (-4)
Harry Kane had a largely disappointing month of January. He suffered an ankle ligament injury in the dying embers of the game against Manchester United - a game that Spurs lost at home but it wasn't for a lack of effort from their side.
Kane is scheduled to return in March even though there are claims that he could make his comeback well before schedule. However, he has dropped 4 places in the rankings and now sits at 9th having scored 2 goals and bagged a singular assist from 3 games. But in his defence, he could have retained his spot had he been fully fit in January.
But the world leaves you behind if you slow down, doesn't it? And for that reason, Kane will have a difficult climb back to the top when he regains full fitness.
#8 Eden Hazard (-4)
Chelsea were flying just a couple of months back and Eden Hazard seemed to be in the form of his life. But things have been quite bad for the Blues as of late and their talisman Eden Hazard had a largely disappointing month of January.
His performances have seen him drop 5 spots and sit at 9th on the Ballon d'Or Power Rankings. Hazard failed to exert his authority over the games and had one notable performance and that came against Tottenham Hotspur where he bagged a goal and helped Chelsea win 2-1 in the Carabao Cup.
With an assist against Newcastle being his only other major contribution, Hazard is currently passing through a rough patch and Chelsea will need him back at his best if they are to secure a Champions League spot.
#7 Marco Reus (+1)
Marco Reus played very little football in the month of January but he showed all signs of kicking on in the same vein that has got him 12 goals and 6 assists from 18 Bundesliga games this season.
Easily one of Bundesliga's top players this season and enjoying an extended streak without injuries, Marco Reus is Dortmund's main man and scored and assisted in their thrashing of Hannover in the final game of January.
Reus has shown this season why he is a world-class talent and how injuries can often be the only impediment to greatness in the highest level of the game.
#6 Cristiano Ronaldo (-1)
Anybody else would be happy to find a berth in the top 10. But not Cristiano Ronaldo. However, January hasn't been that kind to him and if things don't change, he runs the risk of getting left behind.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored only 2 goals from 4 games in January but it's the timing and importance of those goals that really set them apart. He scored the lone goal of the game against AC Milan and then scored the winner in the 88th minute against Lazio.
His Serie A record, however, still looks ridiculously good. He has 15 goals and 5 assists to his name from 21 appearances and continues to inspire those around him with his fitness and desire to improve. With the Champions League knockout stages now approaching, Juventus will hope that Ronaldo can do even better and go the distance with them.
#5 Paul Pogba (+2)
Love him or hate him, you just can't deny that there are only a handful of players who are easier on the eye than Paul Pogba when he is in the mood and strutting his stuff. Brought back into life by the entry of Manchester United caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Pogba has been the master orchestrator of the harmony at Old Trafford.
He continued to impress from a midfield position. After playing a knockout pass to help Rashford score the only goal in their upsetting win over Spurs at Wembley, Pogba scored against Brighton and Burnley to help the Red Devils secure some very valuable points.
Pogba now has 9 goals and 7 assists in the Premier League from 21 appearances and what's even more impressive is that these come from a midfield position. If Pogba can keep this up, Manchester United will have a great chance to finish in the top 4 and secure Champions League qualification for the next season.
#4 Neymar (=) and Mohamed Salah (-2)
A terrible injury has struck again and Neymar will be gutted at the prospect of missing both Champions League knockout games against Manchester United. He had been in stellar form as the front 3 of PSG ran riot once again in the month of January.
Before getting sidelined with an injury, Neymar was one of the standout players in their historic revenge against Guingamp. Having scored in their defeat to Guingamp in the Coupe de la Ligue, Neymar scored twice and assisted another as PSG exacted revenge and gave Guingamp a 9-0 thrashing.
They were absolutely unstoppable that day and Neymar was ruthless in attack. He is expected to return from injury by March. Will that be too late for PSG and their Champions League prospects? We can only wait and find out.
Mohamed Salah, on the other hand, has continued to be pivotal to Liverpool's exhilarating domestic campaign. However, he has not been at his free-scoring best. Salah has upped his tally of goals to 16 in the Premier League and has 7 assists to go with it. Those are spectacular numbers.
However, there are suggestions that Salah has not been as good as he was in his debut season and with the second half of the season getting underway, we could be in for some special performances from the Egyptian.
#3 Son Heung Min (=)
After being a right menace against Cardiff, Tranmere and Manchester United in the first half of January, Son Heung Min had to join his national side to play in the Asia Cup and boy, have Spurs missed him!
Son Heung Min has truly come to his own this season and armed with the freedom to roam about in the final third, he has been in great touch providing goals and assists aplenty this season.
In just 4 games in January, Son Heung Min scored thrice and bagged 3 assists. He also helped the South Koreans beat China and Bahrain before crashing out against Saudi Arabia. It is the absence of Son and Kane at the same time that gave Spurs a headache and now they'll be buzzed that one of their main men is back.
He returned and scored against Watford in the final game of the month to ease the nerves at Wembley.
#2 Kylian Mbappe (+4)
If you were ever a doubter, now's your chance to change your stance. This boy is magic through and through. With enough pace to chase down trains and fleet-footedness to inflict injuries without making contact, Mbappe continues to be a nightmare for defenders in Europe.
Mbappe has shown no signs of slowing down and has been putting the ball in the night like some kind of weekend hobby. From 4 games in the month of January, Kylian Mbappe has scored 5 goals and laid out 2 assists.
With sterner tests to come in the form a rejuvenated Manchester United in the Champions League in the absence of Neymar, the time has come for Kylian Mbappe to truly step up and lay down a marker on this year's Ballon d'Or. And if what we've seen so far is anything to go by, he will definitely have booked a spot on the podium.
#1 Lionel Messi (=)
At this point, we are just grateful to the almighty for helping us witness the absolute marvel this lad is, has been and will be. Reigning supreme in the LaLiga, Lionel Messi has made sure that the poor form of some of those around him will not dictate Barca's chances of pulling off a domestic coup.
He has scored for 8 games running and has been as deadly as ever in the final third. Messi was Barcelona's best player on most occasions and scored 6 goals from 6 games in January. However, that does not reflect the impact he has had. He has been at his very best, running at defenders, creating chaos inside opposition boxes and keeping goalkeepers on their toes.
Lionel Messi is definitely leading the race for the Ballon d'Or as it stands. To put things into perspective, this is how his stats read, a little more than halfway through this season.
In the LaLiga, Messi has scored 19 goals and bagged 10 assists from 19 appearances. He also has 6 goals and an assist from 4 Champions League appearances. And there are 2 goals from 2 Copa Del Reys as well. What's that? A 100% goalscoring record? At 31-years-old. You have got to be kidding me.
