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Last season, we witnessed outstanding performances from the world's leading footballers such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. However, many Liverpool players were considered the best performers in their respective positions following the club's Champions League triumph.
Still, there are plenty of huge debates regarding which player deserves to be named as the world's best. Liverpool stars such as Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson were impressive. On the other hand, Manchester City star Bernardo Silva also received plenty of praise.
Major international tournaments such as the Africa Cup of Nations, Copa America and UEFA Nations League have ended. Thus, the results of these international competitions will significantly affect the standings of this list. Without further ado, let us take a look at last season's top-performing footballers.
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#5 Cristiano Ronaldo
The former Real Madrid superstar had a somewhat mixed season with Juventus. Bought for a club-record fee of €100 million last year, Ronaldo was expected to win the Champions League title with his new club. Unfortunately, the Old Lady lost to impressive Ajax side in the quarter-finals of the competition.
Nevertheless, Ronaldo managed to slot all of Juventus's goals in the knockout phase. The Portugal talisman also impressed in the domestic league, amassing 21 goals and provided 8 assists. He was named as Serie A Player of the Year and won the UEFA Nations League.
Ronaldo appeared twice in the international competition, scoring a hat-trick against Switzerland in the semi-finals. Despite managing to make some positive records, Ronaldo was arguably far from his best last season. He was even outscored by 36-year-old Fabio Quagliarella in Serie A.
The 34-year-old also failed to outscore arch-rival Lionel Messi in the Champions League. Thus, he is ranked at the bottom of this list.
#4 Sadio Mane
The 27-year-old has been unstoppable since he joined Liverpool in 2016. The Senegalese superstar seemed to hit the peak of his career last season, contributing 22 goals and an assist from 36 matches in the Premier League. He was also a Premier League joint-top scorer alongside teammate Mohamed Salah and Arsenal forward Pierre Aubameyang.
Mane was also excellent in the Champions League, scoring 4 goals, including 2 against German champions Bayern Munich in the Round of 16. He has further cemented his reputation as one of the best forwards after sending Senegal national team into Africa Cup of Nations final.
The Liverpool star was unarguably Senegal's most important player in the international tournament, contributing 3 goals and an assist from 6 appearances. Thus, he is slightly ahead of Ronaldo in this list at the moment. However, Mane was still well below the likes of Lionel Messi in terms of performance last season.
#3 Alisson Becker
Many thought that the Reds paid a bit too much after the club signed Alisson for a massive €62.5 million in 2018. The former AS Roma goalie conceded massive seven goals over two legs against Liverpool in the 2017/18 Champions League semi-finals. Fortunately, the Brazilian has turned into the club's cult hero since he arrived at Anfield.
He was Liverpool's impregnable fortress at the back last term, amassing 76 saves and claiming the Premier League Golden Glove award. Alisson also excels in playing out from the back, as he recorded 82.2 percent pass accuracy in all competitions. Many knew that Virgil van Dijk's impressive form contributed a lot to Alisson's outstanding records at Liverpool in the last campaign.
However, the Brazilian has stepped out of Van Dijk's shadow after winning the Copa America with Brazil. The 26-year-old conceded just a goal (from a penalty) over 6 appearances as a starter, and this remarkable record could be enough to make voters think twice before naming either Messi or Van Dijk as the best player.
#2 Lionel Messi
No player could match Lionel Messi in terms of scoring goals last season. The Argentina talisman played a key role in Barcelona's LaLiga triumph, contributing massive 36 goals and 13 assists. The 32-year-old also became the Champions League top scorer with 12 goals. Unfortunately, Messi was unable to save Barcelona from losing in the Champions League semi-final.
The Argentinian star scored against Liverpool at Camp Nou but was unable to do the same in the return leg. The Argentinian's below-par performance in the Copa America has also become a huge disappointment for the Barcelona superstar. He scored just once (from a penalty) over 6 games, and Argentina lost to Brazil in the semi-finals.
Nevertheless, Messi managed to do his play-making job perfectly, making 3.7 dribbles and creating 1.8 key passes per game. He also assisted twice and was arguably Argentina's best player in the tournament. Thus, the 32-year-old still deserves to be one of the leading candidates in this list.
#1 Virgil van Dijk
Liverpool did nothing wrong when they decided to splash €84.5 million for the former Southampton man. The imposing defender took no time to settle into Jurgen Klopp's squad, reaching the Champions League final in his debut season as a Liverpool player.
The 28-year-old has further established himself as Europe's best center back since he won the 2018/19 Champions League. He also played a critical role in Liverpool's impressive Premier League run. No player was able to dribble past Van Dijk in both the Champions League and the Premier League last season.
He was named Netherlands's captain and led the national team to UEFA Nations League final last month. The imposing defender recorded excellent stats in the international competition, amassing 4.8 clearances and winning 3.2 aerial duels on average per game. Overall, Van Dijk is still slightly ahead of Lionel Messi due to the defender's impressive UEFA Nations League spell.
