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#3 Matthijs de Ligt (Ajax)
The Dutch starlet has witnessed such a successful season with Ajax despite his club crashing out in the Champions League semifinals. De Ligt started his career from the Dutch giant's renowned academy and has been with his boyhood club since.
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He has quickly established himself as one of the world's most prominent defenders and guided Ajax to the Europa League final in his second season with the senior team. He also became the first defender to win the Golden Boy award in 2018 thanks to his outstanding displays.
A tall and imposing defender who rarely makes mistakes, de Ligt has led Ajax to the league title with the second best defensive record in the league. Apart from his impressive defensive strength and exceptional fitness, the Dutch talent also has outstanding leadership qualities.
He became the youngest ever captain in a Champions League knockout game at 19 years and 186 days old, commanding a bunch of veteran players such as Dusan Tadic and Lasse Schone in the match against Real Madrid. The Ajax board recently confirmed his departure amid interest from numerous European superpowers such as Barcelona.
