Published 18:18 IST, December 19th 2019
Lionel Messi named best footballer in Europe; Cristiano Ronaldo not even in top 10
Lionel Messi has been named Europe's best footballer this year, while Juventus striker Cristiano Ronaldo didn't even make it to the top 10. Read on for more.
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Barcelona star Lionel Messi has been named the Europe's best footballer this year. On the other hand, Juventus striker Cristiano Ronaldo didn't even make it to the top 10 which has raised plenty of eyebrows around Europe.
In a list made by the CIES Football Observatory, Europe's best players have been ranked based on their performances this year. Messi, who won the sixth Ballon d’Or award of his career on December 2, finished at the top of the charts with 413 points. At second place is Paris Saint Germain (PSG)’s Neymar Jr. with 391 points while AFC Ajax’s Hakim Ziyech surprisingly took the third place.
Although Lionel Messi has been considered the best player in the Europe this year, the two spots behind him are indeed surprising. Neymar hasn’t had his best year with Paris Saint-Germain. He has been struggling with injuries and off-court controversies. Ziyech, on the other hand, has been a great asset for Ajax. He has shown his quality every week. However, not a lot of people will name him the third-best player in Europe.
Cristiano Ronaldo not even in top 10 of World's best footballers
As for Cristiano Ronaldo, he finds himself at the 12th place, tied with Manchester City’s Riyad Mahrez. Ronaldo came third in the Ballon d’Or voting and doesn’t feature in the top 10. Mohamed Salah, who came fifth in the Ballon d'Or list, doesn't make the cut too.
It’s fair to say 2019 hasn’t been the best year for CR7, despite him winning the Serie A and UEFA Nations League. He managed to score only 21 goals in the league last season and has nine so far in this campaign.
The top ten list is as follows:
Lionel Messi (Barcelona) – 413 points
Neymar (PSG) – 391 points
Hakim Ziyech (Ajax) – 367 points
Kylian Mbappe (PSG) – 364 points
Angel di Maria (PSG) – 362 points
Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City) – 361 points
Timo Werner (RB Leipzig) – 355 points
Sadio Mane (Liverpool) – 354 points
Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich) – 351 points
Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool) – 350 points
12:39 IST, December 19th 2019