The best players in the world 2018

There was also a yearly 'golden boy' vote as well as the new one by France Football, although in the (small?) coverage it got over here it naturally received some criticism.


'Golden Boy'

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Boy_(award)

'Prix Kopa'


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kopa_Trophy


The 'Trofeo Bravo' hasn't been handed out since 2015
https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trofeo_Bravo


These young player reviews might be interesting or helpful:
http://inbedwithmaradona.com/2018-reviews

 

https://www.fourfourtwo.com/fft100
FourFourTwo top 100 of 2018

 

"Of the 18 players picked for my Premier League/La Liga mixed team, no fewer than 13 of them come from the Premier League".

'Team of the Year – Premier League & La Liga'

✍ @GuillemBalague / @FootballIndexUK https://t.co/XCGIvec3AE pic.twitter.com/uzejZzOTya

— Voicing Football ⚽️🌐 (@VoicingFootball) December 21, 2018

He gets some of the stats wrong, but since he is a prominent Spanish journalist and not English... (as per OP).

 

Nice descriptions in there

 

The bolded ones?

 

I wonder why would people rate Kane so high in their list? Is it because of the world cup golden boot which came from half a dozen of penalties?

Also why De Gea is the best keeper in the world? There are so many better keepers than him presently e.g; Alisson, Ter Stegen, Cillessen etc

 

You wonder why the best striker in 2018 is ranked 7th - 19th ?

 

Those penalties are mentioned in the Josimar discussion (just use the search function + his name).
http://josimarfootball.com/his-name-is-luka/

Yes I personally think the World Cup plays a massive part, that's also why Lukaku is in most top 50s despite his sub-par club form.

Kane has also a good case overall.

In the league only Aubameyang, Lewandowski and Suarez have been more productive by a somewhat respectable margin (see link on previous page, but since then Aubameyang has increased the margin).

Aubameyang hasn't quite the all-round game and didn't do anything at continental and international level.

Suarez is the #2 most productive player this calendar year in the league (and scored hat-trick against Real Madrid), but suffers from playing in the shadows of Messi and Cavani. His national team form was okay but not at Kane's level. His Champions League form, even with Messi out and Barca still winning, is far from great and also not at Kane's level. Only 1 goal the past two seasons...

Lewandowski ticks the same boxes as Kane, with the arguable exception of his national team performances (was also a 'flop' at euro 2016). Maybe his (athletic) level for the club is slightly ahead.

How do you see this?

 

Strange though that he hasn't been honored by ESM.... Compared to the others.

 

The only Strikers with selections in 2018 are Paco Alcacer (2), Piantek, Andre Silva and Aguero.
The first three had a hot streak month(s) obviously, don't remember what Aguero did in January '18. Spots get mostly locked by Messi, Ronaldo, Salah, Griezmann...

 

To be honest I have more allegation ranking him so high above Cavani and even De Bruyne in some of those lists. Cavani was the top scorer of Ligue 1 and scored some crucial goals in the world cup. Yet he fell so far behind.

A similar case is Griezmann who's rated unjustifiably higher for being in a world cup winning squad

 

Yeah, should he really be placed higher than Hazard in all lists?

Griezmann also won the Europa League of course, as goalscorer.

Yesterday they showed here (Ned tv) a very nicely edited compilation of Hazard his World Cup, with this as nice background music.

Was Deschamps really the best coach of this year? Guardiola cannot walk on water but surely he merits it?

 

I know I made a similar comment before (on how he used to be underrated but is now overrated) but Modric sweeping all of this feels like a correction - and then over-compensation to the other side - of previous wrongs.

https://www.marca.com/en/football/real-madrid/2018/12/04/5c065514e2704e2a178b4599.html

This is highlighted by him having only 4 ESM team of the month selections, which is a lot lower as many other central midfielders of the past 20 years, while there is a decent argument he was the best central midfielder since Xavi.

Among the reasons, I think a factual case can be made he was more important and crucial for his teams as for example Pirlo was, whose teams did about just as well with him out (not true for some of his colleagues like Gattusso et al.). Real Madrid did demonstrably a bit worse with Modric out, just falling a bit short in the Champions League and the league too.

Also at Tottenham, right or wrong, he was never nominated for the major player of the year things while a handful of his club buddies were in different seasons (Bale, VdV etc. even defensive player Parker), and also a howler machine as Joe Hart (who apparently performed worse as the expected goals for ten seasons in a row).

Even Cannavaro was more productive with goals and assists in the year he won the BdO. Every Ballon d'Or winner since Yashin was (slightly) more productive. It feels analogue to someone as Giggs in 2009 or Matthaus in 1999 really.

Then there is also the question, as I've seen two commentators doing, to what extent voters have read the instructions for the Ballon d'Or. His flirtation and personal invitation of fascist extremists is awful, I personally cannot completely ignore and for me it is 10x worse as the perjury case. If this is irrelevant: don't put it in the instructions.

Belated recognition or overcompensation is not new, and I also see it happening now with VvD after both WhoScored + SofaScore previously having rated him as best defender of the league for both Southampton seasons (Southampton coincidentally not doing as well after he left, dropping from 11th to 17th in 2nd half past season, where they still are).

At any rate, I'd personally have Modric between 10th and 20th for this particular year.

 

To be kind to him: current top scorer Aubameyang had only 13 touches against Liverpool today, 6 of them from kick off (in 70 minutes). Harry Kane came to only 22 touches back in september (no goals, 1 shot on target) although he wasn't in his best form around that time. Giroud for Chelsea 18 touches, Aguero 17.

For the national team Lukaku is very good & can do fine against the best teams. 45 goals in 79 games, with only one penalty.

 

Here is the Marca top 100:

http://especiales.marca.com/100-jugadores-2018/

 

For what's worth, the current national team manager Koeman was past week on the radio for an interview of an hour (that's kind of yearly tradition) and he thinks De Bruyne and Messi have been the overall best, but added it's unfortunate De Bruyne struggles with injuries now. He rates the all-round capabilities and presence of De Bruyne very high, that he can be a great defender if he wants to, and mentioned his moments/phases at the World Cup (vs Brazil, England).

I get from the Marca ranking they include many Mexicans again, and they'll put VvD in the top 10. Thought it is maybe nice/interesting to show how he is covered in his own country.

'Volkskrant' (Amsterdam)

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Symbol of resurgence

Virgil van Dijk (27), defender of the English leader Liverpool, is a model for the resurgence of Dutch football in 2018. Good and modest, with the look of a leader.

An hour after he beats Manchester United with Liverpool, Virgil van Dijk walks through the corridors of stadium Anfield with a leather ball under his arm, a ball with signatures of him and fellow players. "It goes to Nepal. They can play football there."

No matter how fast his fame grew, Van Dijk remains a normal boy from Breda with an eye for his surroundings. 'My wife and I are ambassadors of the Ombir Foundation, a foundation of a Dutch boy who has taken in eleven orphans at home, in Nepal.'

How exactly does he come to that foundation? "The story touched us. The elder of the eleven is going to study in the Netherlands. Magnificent. For us it is something small, but it can mean a lot. '

Virgil van Dijk, with his transfer fee of 85 million euros, was paid by Liverpool a year ago to Southampton, the most expensive defender in history, which gives the amazing story of his rise even more cachet. That goes like this: boy leaves in 2010 with a free transfer from Willem II to FC Groningen, because they do not believe in him in Tilburg. Eight years later, also ignored by the Dutch top clubs, he is world famous. And he is captain of the Dutch national team, while Louis van Gaal did not even call him four years ago.

Perseverance
In 2018 all lines of a life of perseverance come together in a mega transfer. Van Dijk makes the winning goal in his debut against fellow cityman Everton, in the cup tournament. He will be captain of the Dutch team under the new national coach Ronald Koeman. In 2018 he scores three times in the national team as a defender, the last of which brings the Dutch national team in the final of the Nations League.

Van Dijk is the symbol of the resurrection. But no matter how fast his career develops, he never forgets his background. "It is a cliche but we are no more than others. We footballers are paid for something that we like very much, but we have tough days like everyone else. We are sick like everyone else. And I think you should stay normal anyway. As I am, I remain, with the help of my wife. I did not start to float. I have had to work pretty hard to get where I am, but I will never forget where I come from. '

It is his primal force. Believe in themselves. With Willem II, in the youth, he had to wait every year to see if he could stay. He was too nonchalant and laid back, critics thought. Not an extreme talent. He never looks back in resentment. In fact, he follows Dutch football intensively. 'I keep a close eye on the Premier League and find it outrageous, for example, that there is still games played on artificial grass. On Fridays I regularly watch the circuit program of the Kitchen Champion Division. Then I see boys with whom I have played at Groningen or Willem II. Ricardo Ippel, now at MVV. Great guy. "

[note: he's born 8 july - PvH]

Van Dijk about then: 'I had a hard time and was almost sent away at the club. My growth spurt came later. You must always continue to believe in yourself. There are plenty of players who have undergone such a development. I am a late bloomer. I know that since my second season at FC Groningen. Then I got the feeling that I could make the next step. That step was Celtic, because the jump to the Dutch top was not possible. '

Ajax, Feyenoord and PSV informed, but were never concrete. 'At Celtic I had the feeling after two seasons that I could take another step. That was true again at Southampton. And in the end I can play for this beautiful club, and I feel that it can be even better. '

Playing football at Anfield is enchantingly beautiful, through tradition, the small, intimate field, the blistering in the stands and the craving for the national title, which was last achieved in 1990. People on the streets find 85 million euros for Virgil van Dijk with retroactive effect a bargain. "Virgil is probably the best defender in Liverpool history," says Tony Smith, a forty year season ticket holder.

He eats a cup of chips with his wife Barbara. Does not Smith exaggerate quite a bit here? "Well, when it is all done it will be between him and Alan Hansen." Barbara: "Virgil reads the game. He breathes confidence. He gives others confidence. "Tony:" He organizes the team, he is strong. No one can escape his presence." While they take their turn from the tray, as a team that has been playing for years, the couple says at the same time:" Virgil is really good."

Supporters sing a song about him, to the melody of the famous Dirty old town, played by, among others, the Dubliners and the Pogues. A stanza:

He's Virgil van Dijk

We watch him score.

He's a center half

He's our number 4.

He is praised for his empathy. At the Dutch national team, he gave his jacket at the national anthem in the Kuip with France to a cold-smelling girl. On this Sunday, before the duel with Manchester United, he sees a mascot running away too fast. He calls back the boy. "Sometimes such a boy does not know exactly what to do."

He has little to complain about in 2018. '2018 has been good for us, although I have not achieved really great successes.' The final of the Champions League against Real Madrid then? The equalizer against the Germans, which forced the Netherlands to take part in the final phase of the Nations League?

Modest: 'We are in the final to be the winner there. These are moments and experiences that have made me stronger and richer. I feel every day, every week that I get better, that I'm in a good phase. It is sometimes difficult to think about this, but there are moments of pleasure. That goal against the Germans was great and special, I'm aware it will be remembered alongside Abe and Marco. We are on the right track with Orange. We want to continue that and we need everyone. Also the media and everyone who is Dutch." He is too down-to-earth to admit that he is a symbol for the resurrection. "Haha. That is not the right word. We have all taken a different direction. Work hard, for each other. Show it to the Netherlands, to the world, that we are back on the road. Maybe we play differently at times than everyone else is used to, but at the moment it's going pretty well. We often train with Orange. Then you see what potential we have. "

Leader
In that game he is leader, at club and country. He points and gestures, claps his hands and picks up fallen teammates. At Liverpool he is the third captain, after the British Milner and Henderson. "Sometimes I say something that is not necessary. I want to communicate, ensure that everyone is well and stays awake. '

Especially in the busiest part of the club season in the Premier League, where physical and mental fatigue are threatening, it is important to stay sharp. "It goes on and on. Play, rest, prepare, play, rest. Once you are on the field, it is easy to do. But it is heavy, certainly mental. We are under a lot of pressure. Sometimes things go wrong, also because you are not well focused. You are always ready on the competition day, but you have to be able to play football with an empty head. When I play on Saturday and again on Tuesday, I have to work in the right food, recover with recovery drink, pills, and make sure my body is completely relaxed. "

His colleagues declared him the best player of the month in the Premier League in November. Last week he scored for the first time in the Premier League, the 0-2 against Wolverhampton. Who would have thought so for a footballer who was not international in the run-up to the 2014 World Cup? Under Van Gaal, Joël Veltman (Ajax) and Bruno Martins Indi (Stoke City) won the World Cup selection and Van Dijk did not. "I was not as far as I am now. It was Van Gaal's right not to call me. I was disappointed, because Brazil remains a special place."

Van Dijk could have made his debut under Hiddink after that. He was called up for duels with Italy and the Czech Republic. "I was called by Hiddink with an invitation. My wife gave birth. I've been there. The next day I went to Orange. That's what I told about during the mandatory speech debutants have to make." He did not play. "That was disappointing, because I had left my wife with the newborn baby."

He debuted under Blind and became captain under Koeman. Nobody is talking about the 85 million euros. Van Dijk himself does not: 'It does me pretty little. I know that is how the system works in football, it's not related to me. I scored on my debut against Everton, then you almost can do no wrong. Since then it has always been pretty tasty. It almost went automatically."

COUNTRY COACH RONALD KOEMAN
'With Virgil I worked intensively at Southampton, where I met him as a good, professional boy. Someone who also has an eye for others. That is important for the symbolic role of a captain. At my appointment I already had the feeling to give Virgil the band. He has a smart opinion about football and has a fine presence. Moreover, he is at a good time in his career, at a club moving towards the highest level, at a position that suits a captain. '

 

Second and last article - 'Algemeen Dagblad' (Rotterdam). On Ramos and Varane too.

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[...]

"I don't really care much about the figure, honestly'' says Van Dijk when he looks back at his year. "I can also do very little about it. It is, at most, something that people will start about when you play a lesser game. But that amount ... I know how it rolls in football. "

That it never became an issue forced the former player of FC Groningen, Celtic and Southampton by himself. With his game, but also with his behavior. Just assume how he took care of the little girl who accompanied him on the field as captain of the Dutch National Team and that it was visibly cold during the national anthem for the game against France. Van Dijk got off his trainingjack and an international match later (against Germany, the match in which he made the late 2-2) he comforted the Romanian referee who lost his mother. "I think it's not much more about that transfer amount since the moment I started playing", says Van Dijk, who made his debut in a cup match against the favorite club of Shane MacGowan. "Immediately against city rival Everton. I scored and you can not really break it here. I never had the thought 'if I play less later, they will of course start over all those millions'. That I would not be worth the amount or something. But even if that were to happen, frankly, it does not matter much to me. Actually, it all went by itself. And we went to the Champions League final, not unimportant, right? "

Talk about that. Do you still wake up sweaty as the blunders of your keeper Loris Karius pass by?
,,No, not that. But sometimes I sometimes think that we were very close to winning in the Champions League. If I will never play or win the final again, I will probably remember that match very often in Kiev. After the final, Georginio Wijnaldum and I had to report to Oranje quickly. And after the Dutch national team I immediately went on vacation, that helped. Although it certainly hurts. Hopefully we will once again be in the final. ''

Have you already been working on this year 2018? You became the most expensive defender on earth, you took Orange as captain in tow, at Liverpool you became immensely popular in a short time.
,, I know that 2018 has been a good year. I am a happy captain of my country. I play every game at Liverpool, at the international matches with the Orange squad we all have an excellent feeling. But it goes on and on. We play football in England every three or four days. There is little time. "

We in the press sometimes start with the fact that you are not always focused. Is that you?
"Not even at all. I am working on it and I have also taken steps. There are always times in competitions that it can be better in terms of concentration. But I think that has every player. The question then is: is it punished or not? But it does not bother me, everyone can have an opinion. No problem. And I take things from people I have high. My former trainer Dick Lukkien (now trainer of FC Emmen, ed.) For example, with whom I still have contact. And if Ronald Koeman says so, I'll take it sooner than if a journalist says it, hahaha. "

Lukkien and Koeman are trainers who saw it immediately in you. That does not apply to everyone. In the run-up to the 2014 World Cup, coach Louis van Gaal sent regular scouts from the KNVB to Celtic, but they never really got excited about you. How is that possible?
,, I was just not as far as I am now. I have never spoken to Louis van Gaal, but it was his right to not select me. Although of course I was disappointed that I was not there in Brazil. That World Cup was very special, I would have loved to have that. But Terence Kongolo and Joël Veltman also performed really excellently during that period. ''

Did they just not take Celtic and the Scottish competition seriously in Zeist?
,, After FC Groningen there was no interest in me from the top clubs in the Netherlands. I thought about a good next step. Celtic is a great club, I really had a great time. In the Champions League played against Barcelona and AC Milan, later in Europe against Inter. I learned a lot in Glasgow, in retrospect it was the perfect intermediate step to go to the Premier League afterwards. But if the KNVB did not take the Scottish competition seriously, I could have understood that a bit too. The Scottish league is also a bit below par. ''

No, in the premier division the level is great ...
,, No, but the players of Ajax and PSV can show it internationally. I can really enjoy the current Ajax in the Champions League. But also how they perform weekly in the premier division, which I really still follow closely. PSV was a bit unlucky and nervous in Europe, but that team has also played excellent matches. It is a pity that the gap is getting bigger between the top five and the last eight in the premier division. But despite all the weaknesses it is not a coincidence many great attacking players have used the Eredivisie as catapult.''

How good is Matthijs de Ligt in your eyes?
,, A very good defender and a very good, quiet boy. He knows what he wants. If he takes a step, he hopefully makes the right choice. "

Do they ever ask you about him at Liverpool?
"No, we're not talking about him at Liverpool. It does not work like that. A big club like Liverpool has so many scouts walking around, they will keep an eye on him. "

The best scout was all those foreign countries besides him. You.
"If they want to know something, I'll hear it."

How much would you actually pay for De Ligt?
"Well, less than that for me, hahaha. But Ajax is in a luxurious position. We will see.''

So we are back at that huge transfer fee of yours. If you are the most expensive, is Sergio Ramos from Real Madrid actually the best central defender?
,, No, I do not think Ramos is the best of the moment. I naturally have a lot of respect for everything he has achieved as a player. Ramos is a good player and a great defender. But it is not my type of central defender. I'm not trying to get into those situations he often comes in. ''

Like in the final when he eliminated your teammate Mo Salah with an arm clamp. Did he do that consciously, in your eyes?
,, I dare not express my opinion about it. I really do not know if he did that consciously. The question is what happened if Mo had been on the field in the final. I know that mentally this did something to Real Madrid when he had to get out. At one point I saw Marcelo, Benzema and Ronaldo standing on one side of the field. There was no one on the other side. I thought then 'if Salah had been there, you would never have all standing and moving there like that. Then you would have taken more account of the residual defense '. With Salah the whole match on the field it would have been different, no doubt. ''

If Ramos is not the best, who is that according to you?
,, Raphaël Varane has had a great 2018. And he is still young, will become steadier with time. One of the very best. I find him a class person and class player, but who am I?''

Varane, however, was eliminated without merit by France in the Nations League. What was the recipe for the turnaround with the Dutch national team?
,, It is just clear to everyone that we have to do it together. We all want to go the same way, to get the European Championship of 2020. It has often been said in recent years that it was very bad for the national team. We now know as a group of players that it has to be even better. Oranje has a decent team with many players who can take many more steps forward. That is something for 2019. ''

 

11 - Here is the best Serie A XI in 2018 based on Opta data. Top.#Opta2018 pic.twitter.com/ZSGwgnzUx7

— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) December 31, 2018

 

Sorry, I see now he's actually at #65 and actually some places below his countryman De Ligt.


Anyway, here another 'statistical' article by WhoScored:

https://www.whoscored.com/Articles/...ard-and-Salah-feature-in-all-star-XI-for-2018