As 2020 draws to an end, I thought I’d take a reflection on some of the best footballers we’ve seen this year. I will do a three-part countdown from 60 to 1, with this first part showing us the first 30 entrants. These rankings are based solely on their performances in the calendar year of 2020. Let’s begin…
Source: Bundesliga.com
All statistics are correct as of 25th December 2020
60: LUIS ALBERTO / LAZIO AND SPAIN
We start with a Liverpool connection, the former Red Luis Alberto has made a great career for himself in Italy. Now 28 years old, the Spaniard, who made just 12 appearances on Merseyside, he is one of Lazio’s key players. He broke Ronaldinho’s long-standing Serie A assist record in 2019/20 and was a major part in the Rome club qualifying for the Champions League.
59: MIKEL OYARZABAL / REAL SOCIEDAD AND SPAIN
Despite making more than 200 appearances for Real Sociedad, winger Mikel Oyarzabal is still only 23 years of age. He has enjoyed a stellar year, helping La Real qualify for the Europa League with ten goals and eleven assists last season, and is so often the man to provide the killer touch in one of the most exciting teams in Europe.
58: ALEJANDRO POZUELO / TORONTO FC
It’s been another impressive year over the pond for the MLS, with the competition celebrating its 25th year. Attacking midfielder Alejandro Pozuelo, formerly of Swansea City, was crowned the league’s MVP this season, his nine goals and nine assists helping Toronto to finish 2nd in the Eastern Conference.
57: DOMINIK SZOBZSOLAI / RB SALZBURG AND HUNGARY
30 goal contributions last season, 20 already this. Red Bull Salzburg just keep on producing the goods. This 20-year-old gem from Hungary has been catching the eye all over Europe in the last 12 months as a creative force with incredible set-piece prowess and a wand of a right foot. It is no surprise to see that parent club Red Bull Leipzig have snapped Szobzsolai up from January onwards.
56: KOKE / ATLETICO MADRID AND SPAIN
A player whose importance to his team will never be underestimated by its followers. He has zero goals or assists this season for Atletico, yet is still considered to be a key component of a team that currently sit top of La Liga. Despite being 28, he has already made 476 appearances for the club and his experience, knowhow and decision-making are all attributes of this top-class midfielder.
55: JAMES TAVERNIER / RANGERS
It’s a close call between Tavernier of Rangers and Celtic’s Odsonne Edouard for the best player in Scotland this year. Edouard has 21 goals and 6 assists, while Tavernier has 17 of each. Non-followers of Scottish football will be surprised to know that Tavernier is in fact a right-back. He is posting crazy numbers, ones that any striker would be proud of, from defence. He is also the skipper of a dominant Rangers side and sets the standard for the rest of his team.
54: JOAO FELIX / ATLETICO MADRID AND PORTUGAL
It’s difficult to imagine that 2019’s Joao Felix is the same person as the 2020 version. Atletico Madrid’s record signing no longer looks like a lost boy, but as a man who is determined to lead the charge and take Atleti to their first league title since 2014. The 21-year-old is delivering on his potential and his second season in Spain is looking like being a very special one indeed.
53: HUGO LLORIS / TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR AND FRANCE
So much attention at Tottenham is, rightly, directed the way of Harry Kane, Heung Min-Son and new signing Pierre Emile Hojbjerg, but French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris has enjoyed one of his most consistent years between the sticks in North London. His tendency for a moment of madness appears to have reduced dramatically, and he has helped Jose Mourinho’s team to a much-improved defensive record.
52: DAYOT UPAMECANO / RB LEIPZIG AND FRANCE
Bayern Munich. Liverpool. Manchester United. Just three of the teams circling around RB Leipzig’s star central defender, only 22 years old. Upamecano was sensational as Leipzig made it to the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2020, putting in a monstrous performance in the quarters against Atletico, and has been instrumental in his team’s title charge so far this campaign. No surprise that a defender so talented, and so young, is so sought-after.
51: DUSAN TADIC / AJAX AND SERBIA
Southampton are going really well this year, under the leadership of Ralph Hasenhuttl and with Danny Ings, James Ward-Prowse and Yannick Vestergaard all performing well. However, what kind of an animal would they be if they had Dusan Tadic back? The Serbian attacker was magnificent last season, racking up 25 goal contributions as Ajax won the title, and he’s on twelve already this campaign.
50: MARCEL SABITZER / RB LEIPZIG AND AUSTRIA
Austrian winger Marcel Sabitzer came alive for RB Leipzig in 2019/20, scoring 16 goals as his side advanced to the semi-finals of the Champions League. He scored twice against Tottenham in the last 16, delivering on the big stage. His energy and ability to disguise his intentions make him a midfielder who quite a few of Europe’s big boys are looking at.
49: MARCOS LLORENTE / ATLETICO MADRID AND SPAIN
Despite being born into a family of Real Madrid players – both football and basketball – Llorente is now making his mark across the city at Atletico. He was known as a defensive midfielder but has been redeployed by Diego Simeone in different roles, including as an attacking midfielder, right-winger or even as a striker. He has delivered – scoring twice at Anfield in the Champions League last season and netting five times already this term.
48: DOMINIC CALVERT-LEWIN / EVERTON AND ENGLAND
When he jumps, you know what’s going to happen. 14 goals in 16 appearances represents an unbelievable start to the season. His physical prowess in the air has proven to be too much for many a defender to deal with, and he has responded superbly to Carlo Ancelotti’s theory that Calvert-Lewin was doing too much outside of the penalty area. Scored on his England debut, too.
47: MEMPHIS DEPAY / LYON AND NETHERLANDS
It goes some way to describing how good the second half of Depay’s 2020 has been when you consider that he did not appear this year until July. The Dutch winger scored a crucial penalty to see Lyon past Juventus in the Champions League knockout stages and has started this season in phenomenal fashion: eight goals and four assists in 17 matches.
46: TIMO WERNER / RB LEIPZIG, CHELSEA AND GERMANY
German international Timo Werner scored 34 goals in all competitions for RB Leipzig last season and could’ve ended up even higher on this list if he had delayed his move to Chelsea in order to finish the Champions League campaign with Julian Nagelsmann’s team. Alas, he set sail for London, and while he has not yet got properly going for Chelsea, he is an exceptional talent with frightening speed, and will surely be a hit in the fullness of time.
45: ANGEL DI MARIA / PSG AND ARGENTINA
It is somewhat jarring to consider that Angel Di Maria is now into his sixth season at PSG. The Argentinian winger is now 32 yet is still perhaps best remembered for his ill-fated time in Manchester. However, he has just delivered his best year yet in France, his mesmerising performances being a huge factor in PSG’s run to the Champions League final and retaining the league title again.
44: JADON SANCHO / BORUSSIA DORTMUND AND ENGLAND
Sancho was in electric form last season, scoring 17 goals and registering 17 assists as Borussia Dortmund finished 2nd in the Bundesliga. His pace and ability to go past his opposition full-back make him a tantalising player, though he – and his team – have not started this campaign well. Perhaps good news for Manchester United, who may end up securing their long-term target at a cut-price.
43: KAI HAVERTZ / BAYER LEVERKUSEN, CHELSEA AND GERMANY
This young man was playing some ludicrous stuff for Bayer Leverkusen last season. 18 goals and nine assists as Leverkusen enjoyed a successful league campaign and a run to the quarter-finals of the Europa League. It was no surprise that Chelsea parted with such considerable amounts of money to secure the signing of Havertz, his versatility of being influential from central, wide or even attacking midfield roles. Like Werner, he hasn’t hit the heights so far in London, though.
42: SERGE GNABRY / BAYERN MUNICH AND GERMANY
Many often ridicule Arsenal – and West Brom – for not making better use of Gnabry when he was with them. If truth be told, though, no-one could’ve expected such a meteoric rise from the German winger. His electric pace marries up with his ferocious finishing ability. He was one of the most important players in Bayern Munich’s run to winning the Champions League, scoring in the last 16, quarter-finals and the semi-finals. Bayern have gone some way to replacing Arjen Robben.
41: ALPHONSO DAVIES / BAYERN MUNICH AND CANADA
There may not be a footballer who has enjoyed such a rapid rise to the top over the last year. He arrived at Bayern as a teenage winger from Vancouver Whitecaps, but was moved to left-back when Lucas Hernandez was injured. He impressed so much that he stayed there permanently. The 20-year-old is blazing a trail, his incredible acceleration and quality on the ball are making him one of the world’s best left-backs.
40: ALEJANDRO GOMEZ / ATALANTA AND ARGENTINA
The wonderful story that is Atalanta is one that has been co-written by Papu Gomez. The Argentinian forward is 32 yet has still been pivotal to their ascent. His 16 assists last season broke the Serie A record as they qualified for the Champions League for the first time. His time in Burgamo is coming to an end though, with the player likely to leave in January after an argument with boss Gian Piero Gasperini.
39: LEON GORETZKA / BAYERN MUNICH AND GERMANY
Goretzka has enjoyed a fantastic year, going from bit-part player to key midfielder at Bayern Munich. His energy and new-found strength have enabled him to secure a place in the Bayern midfield alongside partner Joshua Kimmich. Arguably one of the most underrated parts of Bayern’s treble-winning season last year, but there is immense belief in Goretzka, so much so that the Bavaria club opted against signing a direct replacement for Thiago Alcantara.
38: GEORGINIO WIJNALDUM / LIVERPOOL AND NETHERLANDS
When you think of the archetypal characteristics of a Jurgen Klopp team, you think of energy, fast movement, personality, putting everything on the line for the team, consistency and tirelessness. Georginio Wijnaldum personifies those traits. He is a marvellous midfielder and despite Liverpool’s plethora of midfielders, none of them started more games than him in the Reds’ title win last season. He has arguably been even better this season, continuing to be magnificent at resisting the press and being an automatic first pick more often than not.
37: THIAGO SILVA / PSG, CHELSEA AND BRAZIL
Thiago Silva may be 36, but he is performing as well as he ever has done. 2020 has been a year in which he has proven his quality time and time again. His leadership from the centre of defence was key as PSG reached the Champions League final in August and was one of their better performers in the final. Any fears that he would be past it by the time he arrived at Chelsea on a free transfer this summer have been allayed, for he has oozed class and brought about a marked improvement in the Blues’ defensive record.
36: PIERRE-EMERICK AUBAMEYANG / ARSENAL AND GABON
An interesting one. If this list had been done in August, there’s a good chance that Aubemayang would’ve been in the top ten. He carried Arsenal for much of 2020 and took them to an unlikely FA Cup win – scoring both of their goals in the semi-final against Manchester City, and then both against Chelsea in the final. Since receiving a lucrative new contract though, his form has derailed and he has just three goals to his name so far this season – a far cry from his all-conquering form in 2019/20.
35: TONI KROOS / REAL MADRID AND GERMANY
Kroos’ close control and precision have been hallmarks of his game for years now. In truth, it was Real Madrid’s old guard of Ramos, Kroos, Modric and Benzema (with a little help from Thibaut Courtois and Casemiro) that carried them to the league title last season. The 30-year-old is an impeccable midfielder when firing on all cylinders and is still a key component to Zinedine Zidane’s team.
34: JAMIE VARDY / LEICESTER CITY
It really is about time that Jamie Vardy got the recognition he deserved, as one of the most consistent and unique strikers in football over the last decade. In hitting 23 goals last season, he won the Golden Boot for the first time, though has scored 16 or more for the last five campaigns. The Englishman is so reliable in front of goal and rarely wastes a chance. He’s 33, but is arguably better than ever, with eleven goals and four assists so far this season.
33: LUKA MODRIC / REAL MADRID AND CROATIA
Vintage would be the word to best describe Luka Modric’s performances since football restarted in June. It looked like his time as an automatic pick for Real Madrid was coming to an end at the start of the year, with Federico Valverde often preferred to him. However, when it came down to the business end of the season, he was restored to the team, and was key to their revival as they won the La Liga title.
32: FABINHO / LIVERPOOL AND BRAZIL
Fabinho was an important part of Liverpool’s defensive solidity and creativity from midfield in last season’s league title, but it is the first part of this season where he has been most impressive. He started the campaign in his regular role in midfield, but in the absences of Virgil Van Dijk and Joe Gomez, has found himself more recently at centre-back. He has been commanding there and has helped Liverpool to an excellent start to the season – it is a credit to him that Van Dijk hasn’t been missed as much as people thought he would.
31: ROMELU LUKAKU / INTER AND BELGIUM
It seems perverse to describe a 27-year-old as having a breakout year, but 2020 has felt like that for Romelu Lukaku. After swapping Manchester for Milan, he became the top performer for an Inter side that were runners-up in both the Europa League and Serie A. The Belgian, who captained his country for the first time this year, scored in every single one of Inter’s Europa League matches, and has netted eleven in Serie A already this term.
Join me for Part Two in the coming days…
Daniel (@daykind19)
Daniel Daykin
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