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

#4: Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain, France)

Since the turn of the year, in Ligue 1, Kylian Mbappe scored 20 goals,and provided three assists in 17 Ligue games helping Paris Saint-Germain win yet another French top flight championship. The Frenchman also scored two goals in his lone appearance in the Coupe de France as PSG romped to the title.

In the 2019-20 season, Mbappe has scored two goals and has provided three assists in five Ligue 1 games. However, his most impressive feet came in the Champions League where he became the youngest player to score 15 Champions League goals thanks to his brilliant hat-trick against Club Brugge.

For his national team, Mbappe scored three goals in four qualifying games for Euro 2020 and also provided three assists to teammates.

During the first ten months of the calendar year, the Kylian Mbappe has scored 32 goals in 35 games in all competitions for club and country.

Kylian MbappÃ©Â in 2019 — Kylian Mbappé in 2019

#3: Lionel Messi (Barcelona, Argentina)

Lionel Messi scored 21 goals in 19 Liga games in the 2018-2019 season, as Barcelona romped to the La Liga title. The diminutive Argentinian scored three goals and provided three assists in five Copa Del Rey games helping Barcelona secure a domestic double. In the Champions League, Messi did manage to score six goals in six games but unfortunately couldn't prevent his club from a semifinal exit at the hands of eventual winners Liverpool.

For Argentina, Messi scored a lone goal in six Copa America games as his long international trophy drought continued following Argentina's semifinal exit to eventual winners Brazil.

In the 2019-20 season, Messi has scored two goals and provided two assists in four games. While in the Champions League, the Argentinian became the first player to score in 15 successive seasons in the competition, when he opened the scoring in Barcelona's 2-1 win at Slavia Praha.

During the calendar year, Messi has scored 36 goals in 44 games for club and country, winning the La Liga and Copa Del Rey titles.

# 2: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich, Poland)

Robert Lewandowski has had a fabulous year for both club and country. The prolific striker scored 12 Bundesliga goals in 17 games and six DFB Pokal goals in four games enabling Bayern Munich to win both the domestic competitions last season.

Lewandowski's start to the 2019-20 season has been nothing short of sensational, as he became the first player in Bundesliga history to score in each of the first nine games of the season, and has also scored five goals in three Champions League games.

The lanky striker has also scored five goals in eight Euro 2020 qualifiers for Poland, in the process becoming the first player to score three Euro qualifying hat-tricks (two in 2016, one in 2020).

# 1: Raheem Sterling (Manchester City, England)

Raheem Sterling has come of age in 2019. The young Englishman scored eight Premier League goals in 17 games in the first half of the year, as Manchester City held on to win their second successive Premier League title. The England international also scored three goals in four FA Cup games helping the Citizens complete yet another domestic double.

Sterling has scored in each of the four competitions he has featured for his club in 2019-20, scoring a total of 13 goals and providing six assists in 14 games.

The 24-year-old has also found the back of the net for England on eight occasions in six Euro 2020 qualifier games during the year.

Edited by shekhar