Performance Analysis of 2019 Ballon d’Or nominees for the period Jan to Oct' 19: Part-1: Strikers

Modified Nov 01, 2019 12:58 GMT

Lionel Messi (left) and Cristiano Ronaldo are two of 30 nominees for the 2019 Ballon d'Or

# 8: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool, Egypt)

Mohamed Salah scored a league-high 22 Premier League goals in 2018-19 (nine goals since the turn of the year) as Liverpool fell short in their bid to land a first top-flight English title in the Premier League Era. The highlight of the year for Salah was when he got on the scoresheet against Tottenham in the Champions League final helping Liverpool win their sixth Champions League title.

Salah's two goals in four games during the 2019 African Cup couldn't help his country as Egypt got eliminated in the round of 16. When we talk about the ongoing 2019-2020 season, Salah has already managed to score five goals in nine games.

In total, Egyptian striker has scored a total of 21 goals in 44 games for club and country during the first ten months of the calendar year.

7: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus, Portugal)

During this calender year, the Cristiano Ronaldo played 13 Serie A games in 2018-19, scoring seven goals and providing three assists helping Juventus win their eighth Serie A title in a row. He didn't score in the two Coppa Italia games he played, however, he did score four goals in four games across the Round of 16 and quarter-final stage of the Champions League, including a fabulous hat-trick against Atletico.

Ronaldo scored the lone goal in Juventus' 1-0 Super Coppa Italiana win over Juventus at the start of the 2019-20 season. In seven league games in the 2019-20 season, he has already scored four goals and provided one assist for the Bianconeri.

For his national team, Ronaldo scored a hat-trick in the Nations League semis against Switzerland as Portugal won the inaugral Nations League title. When it comes to the Euro 2020 qualifiers, the Portugal captain has netted seven goals, en route to becoming the highest scorer in Euro qualifying history.

In 39 games for club and country during the year, Ronaldo has scored 28 goals (0.71 goals per game), provided four assists, and has won three titles. By his own lofty standards, Ronaldo may have had a lukewarm year so far but in terms of goals scored, impact in games, or titles won, the Portuguese stalwart has had another stellar year. And the year is still some way from coming to an end.

# 6: Sadio Mane (Liverpool, Senegal)

The 18 games that Sadio Mane played since the start of the year in the 2018-2019 season, he managed to score 14 goals. However, what would have pleased him the most is his contribution during the knockout stage of the Champions League following which Liverpool went on to win the tournament for a sixth time.

The Senegalese international scored two goals in the 2019-20 UEFA Super Cup final against Chelsea, as Liverpool won the Super Cup through a penalty shoot-out.

Sadio Mane has scored a total of 30 goals in 47 games for club and country during the period January to October 2019.

Sadio ManÃ© in 2019 — Sadio Mané in 2019

# 5: Sergio Agüero (Manchester City, Argentina)

Sergio Agüero scored a 2018-19 Premier League high 22 goals as Manchester City staved off a strong challenge from Liverpool to retain their English top flight title.

After a disappointing Copa America campaign for Argentina which ended without any success, Agüero has started the 2019-20 season with a bang, scoring eight goals in nine Premier League games, two goals in as many games in the Champions League, and another two goals in the EFL Cup.

The Argentina international has scored 33 goals in 44 games in all competitions for club and country, during the period January to October 2019.

Sergio AgÃ¼ero in 2019 — Sergio Agüero in 2019

Edited by shekhar