This season IMO Vinicius junior Kylian mbappe Harry Kane Jude Bellingham Florian Writz Antoine griezmann Rodri Phil Foden Jamal musiala Bukayo saka
Top 3 players in 23/24 month by month: August: 1-Bellingham 2-Olmo 3-Rodri September 1-Bellingham 2-Saka 3-Lautaro October 1-Bellingham 2-Kane 3-Griezmann November 1-Rodrygo 2-Kane 3-Griezmann December 1-A. Arnold 2-H. Son 3-J. Alvarez January 1-Lautaro 2-Vini Jr 3-Griezmann February 1-De Bruyne 2-Saka 3-Lautaro March 1-Rodri 2-Vini Jr 3-Musiala April 1-Wirtz 2-Vini Jr 3-Palmer Overall top 10 ranking: (5 points for 1st place, 3 points for 2nd and 1 point for 3rd) 1-Bellingham 15 2-Vini Jr 9 3-Lautaro 7 4-Rodri 6 5-Saka 6 6-Kane 6 7-De Bruyne 5 8-Wirtz 5 9-Rodrygo 5 10-A. Arnold 5
Top 10 Vinicius junior Kylian Mbappe Jude Bellingham Antoine Griezmann Harry Kane "the big game trash" Rodri Florian Writz Alejandro Grimaldo Toni Kroos Mats Hummels HMs: Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka
An alternative team of the season from the Times (one player per team) Pickford (Everton); Ait-Nouri (Wolves), Saliba (Arsenal), Van Dijk (Liverpool), Udogie (Spurs); Rodri (Man City), Barkley (Luton), Eze (Crystal Palace); Palmer (Chelsea), Watkins (Aston Villa), Gordon (Newcastle)
Nominations for player of the year in La Liga Bellingham (Real Madrid), Griezmann (Atletico), Dovbyk (Girona), Kirian Rodriguez (Las Palmas), Lewandowski (Barcelona), Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid), Isco (Real Betis), Sorloth (Villarreal), Take Kubo (Real Sociedad), Aleix Garcia (Girona) Nominations for young player (under 23) Lamine Yamal (Barcelona), Javi Guerra (Valencia), Rodrygo (Real Madrid), Couto (Girona), Savio (Girona), Johnny (Real Betis), Pau Cubarsi (Barcelona), Miguel Gutierrez (Girona), Take Kubo (Real Sociedad), Nico Williams (Athletic Bilbao)
Some observations (not just mine, manies say the same) : GK : could have been Bizot (Brest, Ned) or Chevalier (Lille, Fra). Marcin Bulka (Nice, Pol) achieved the 10th record of invicibilty since the 50's in the first half of the season but then, his team, coached by Farioli, lost it (they won many games by 1-0 and it did not last like that until the end of the season, quite obviously). Donnaruma was at his best in the middle of the season but not before, nor by the end of it... He's good on his line and that's it. The main revelations Zaire-Emery and Yoro are on the wane since some weeks. For WZE, it can be explained easily as he was overused in the first part of the season, sometimes repostioned at RB, while still studying and having exams, playing with the U-23, being capped for France A, getting injured with France against Gibralatar while scoring... Hakimi at RB, it's more for the offensive output (which really was very good). About Dembele (maybe more of a personal view since I did not come across many comments on his selection) there would have been other players playing more or less at the same position. From the top of my head, Golovin and Minamino at Monaco, Del Castillo at Brest... Zeghrova of Lille perhaps... but Dembele and Zeghrova is a bit the same : maybe a superior talent in skills but also the inconsistency, and very few to no defensive output. A problem of efficiency in front of the goals which was corrected only from time to time (Zeghrova did it significantly in the last part of the season). About the POTY, if Vitinha had not been cooked at all sauces by Luis Enrique in formations that changed at every game (that caused him a problem of adaptation at one moment, around half-way through the season, which is normal) maybe he would have had more chances to win this. But that's far to be sure. My vote goes for him hehe. Really. Vitinha did wonders. Great football player. Young player : that's just right (in spite of the last games). Another name would be Akliouche from Monaco (I'm not sure how and why Ben Seghir was nominated above him). About the Brestois included this season, it's completely justified, we can say that they were outstanding in their respective positions (Locko and the veteran leader Lees-Melou). As for Aubameyang, after some difficulties in the beginning, he gave his answer to the critics by carrying that OM team (which was overrated in the pre-season).
We are dealing with a worldwide transition period and most players this season has been as whole inconsistent, many with great peaks and multiple weeks at great level but at some point having a dip in "form" (some more numbers related than actually playing badly). Rodri already an alltimer, such a great player I'm really looking forward to what Florian can become, maybe my favorite player nowadays. Hoping to see how Killian does in Madrid and how Madrid assembles their team. Hoping Declan, Jude, Macca and this sort of very modern all around players continue their great form next season. Vini to finally take the next step with an already great carreer. Waiting to see how such a kid like Yamal deals with his second season. Hoping in general for the arrival of more young dribblers and some of them with a more playmaking style in him, the world on the other hand is quite full of jake for all trades great mids. In an Argentina related stuff, hoping for Exe Palacios to have an entire season without injuries (same for Lisandro) and gain a place in this next Copa America, to Lautaro to finally become a trully more sellfish and more goal oriented player, he was great almost whole season, playing finally sthg closer to a trully goalscorer role, yet he isn't exactly there (quite a dip in form in his last months). Finally (sorry Spurs fans) I want Cuti to go to a Club with more exposure and chances to win silverware.
I don't think we can ignore the Bayer Leverkusen players in the list of the best of the season. Bayer are two games away from going through the year unbeaten, something that rarely happens. It may not have been in the UCL, but it was in the Bundesliga and the EL. Strong competitions. I think Mbappe is the best player in the world, because he scores a lot of goals and creates a lot of individual goals, but he's not in one of the top leagues. CR7 and Messi have been able to alternate over the last 15 years as the best in the world, not only because they really were the best, but also because they played for powerhouses like Real Madrid and Barcelona. Even so, it would be less absurd to reward Mbappe than Messi last year. The 2022 World Cup didn't count, so Messi was rewarded for his performances in the MLS. But I don't think they'll give it to Mbappe. Vini Jr grew up at the right time. He seems to be the favourite. Bellingham perhaps played as much as Vini Jr, but at the start of the season. Not at the right time to compete for awards. City's best player this season has been Rodri, but as he hasn't won UCL and is also a defender, he's at a disadvantage.
Haaland on Premier League 23/24 Champion Top scorer Second with the most G/A Performance vs big six: Arsenal: - Liverpool: 1 goal United: 3 goals, 1 assist Chelsea: 2 goals, 1 assist Tottenham: 2 goals, 1 assist Underrated season
An alternative team of the season from the Athletic using one player per 10 bottom team (plus another from one side). Note, this was recorded before the final day when Brighton dropped into the bottom 10. Mark Carey: Pickford (Everton); Assignon (Burnley), Pinnock (Brentford), Branthwaite (Everton), Robinson (Fulham); McAtee (Sheffield United), Barkley (Luton); Olise (Palace), Gibbs-White (Forest), Neto (Wolves); Solanke (Bournemouth) Michael Cox: Pickford (Everton); Bogle (Burnley), Zabarnyi (Bournmouth), Anderson (Palace), Robinson (Fulham); Jannelt (Brentford), Berge (Sheffield United), Lemina (Wolves); Barkley Luton), Gibbs-White (Forest); Solanke (Bournemouth)
What? The goal is the "goal" of football. You have to OUTSCORE the opponent to win. So why should I stop thinking about football in terms of goals? Haaland is a striker right? Should I blame him cause he has minimal impact outside of goals when he actually is premier league top scorer and didn't just scored against minnows but also against the big six? He were the best player in what he proposes to do (and what Guardiola want him to do!)
🚨 OFFICIAL: Jude Bellingham wins European Men's Young Player of the Season 2023/24 by @TheAthletic. pic.twitter.com/SLlrbPgBcF— Madrid Zone (@theMadridZone) May 21, 2024
Full selections from the Athletic: Premier League player of the season: Rodri PL young player of the season: Cole Palmer PL Team of the season: Martinez; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Udogie; Odegaard, Rodri, Rice; Palmer, Watkins, Foden European player of the season: Jude Bellingham Young player of the season: Jude Bellingham Manager of the season: Xabi Alonso European team of the season: Sommer; Frimpong, Saliba, Rudiger, Grimaldo; Wirtz, Rodri, Bellingham; Foden, Kane, Mbappe "Hipster" team of the season: Valles (Las Palmas), Frimpong (Leverkusen), Yoro (Lille), Calafiori (Bologna), Grimaldo (Leverkusen); Wirtz (Leverkusen), Aleix Garcia (Girona), Ferguson (Bologna); Del Castillo (Brest), Gyokeres (Sporting CP), Nico Williams (Athletic) La Liga Player of the season: Bellingham La Liga Team of the season: Marmadashvili (Valencia); Carvajal, Vivian (Athletic Bilbao), Rudiger), Gutierrez (Girona); Gundogan (Barcelona), Aleix Garcia (Girona), Bellingham (Real Madrid); Savio (Girona), Dovbyk (Girona), Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid) Serie A Player of the season: Hakan Calhanoglu Serie A team of the season: Di Gregorio (Monza); Calafiori (Bologna), Buongiorno (Torino), Bastoni (Inter), Dimarco (Inter); Koopmeiners (Atalanta), Calhanoglu (Inter), Gudmunsson (Genoa); Dybala (Roma); Martinez (Inter), Zirkzee (Bologna) Bundesliga player of the season: Florian Wirtz Bundesliga team of the season: Kobel (Dortmund); Frimpong (Leverkusen), Tah (Leverkusen), Mainka (Heidenheim), Grimaldo (Leverkusen); Stiller (Stuttgart), Xhaka (Leverkusen); Wirtz (Leverkusen); Simons (Leipzig), Kane (Bayern), Beste (Heidenheim) Ligue 1 player of the season: Mbappe Ligue 1 team of the season: Donnarumma (PSG); Hakimi (PSG), Singo (Monaco), Yoro (Lille), Locko (Brest); Savanier (Montpellier), Lees-Melou (Brest), Vitinha (PSG); Del Castillo (Brest), Mbappe (PSG), Golovin (Monaco)
A selection of the best players this season in Portugal: https://portugoal.net/club-news/3886-portuguese-primeira-liga-team-of-the-2023-24-season Ricardo Velho (Farese); Costinha (Rio Ave), Coates (Sporting), Otavio (Porto)/Inacio (Sporting), Nuno Santos (Sporting); Joao Neves (Benfica), Morten Hjulmand (Sporting); Angel Di Maria (Benfica), Pedro Goncalves (Sporting); Rafa Mujica (Arouca), Gyokeres (Sporting)
Best players in France: https://www.getfootballnewsfrance.com/2024/gffn-team-of-the-year-the-winners-2/ Lucas Chevalier (Lille); Wilfried Singo (Monaco), Jean-Clair Todibo (Nice), Leny Yoro (Lille), Bradley Locko (Brest); Vitinha (PSG), Denis Zakaria (Monaco), Pierre Lees-Melou (Brest); Edon Zhegrova (Lille), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Marseille), Kylian Mbappé (PSG)
Team of the season in France based on L'Equipe's ratings: Donnaruma (PSG); Hakimi (PSG), Dante (Nice), Brassier (Brest), Bard (Nice); Lees-Melou Brest), Golovin (Monaco); Del Castillo (Brest), Akliouche (Monaco), Minamino (Monaco); Mbappe (PSG) Lees-Melou was the best rated player overall.
The Guardian asked fans of the PL clubs to review the season: https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...3-24-fans-verdicts-part-one-arsenal-to-fulham Arsenal Stars/flops The obvious stars are Saliba, Gabriel, White, Rice, Saka, Havertz and Trossard, but it’s the team as a unit which has excelled, inspired by the boundless energy and bravery of Ødegaard, our self-effacing captain. No real flops, but I’d have loved to see some more from Smith Rowe, Vieira struggles to impose himself and Zinchenko’s had some costly lapses. Aston Villa Stars/flops It’s 9s and 10s all around. It’s hard to pick people out but Martínez has justified his grand status as the world’s No 1, 40 goal contributions (no pens) is an incredible effort from Watkins, and Bailey has shone bright. Torres is such a lovely footballer and Konsa deserved his England call-up. The midfield core have been tireless, and Tielemans and Rogers have had brilliant runs since Christmas. Bournemouth Stars/flops Much of the talk will rightly be about Dom Solanke and his goals and all-round play, but the midfield combo of Lewis Cook and Ryan Christie has been a revelation. So, too the defensive qualities of Zabarnyi and Senesi. And both Semenyo and Kluivert have also made huge contributions. Flops? Ryan Fredericks – in the squad but permanently injured. And the goalkeeping situation needs resolving. We have four in the squad but no definitive No 1. Brentford Stars/flops Mbuemo was magnificent despite his four months out. Pinnock showed how much we missed him during his layoff. Janelt cost us 50p and starred again. But Frank “The Tank” Onyeka was close but no cigar. Brighton Stars/flops The standout star is João Pedro, whose coolness with his penalty to draw us level in the cauldron of Marseille gave everyone belief that we could compete in Europe. Then there’s the brilliant master of assists Pascal Gross; academy graduate Jack Hinshelwood, who came storming into the first team only to sadly get injured; and Valentín Barco, who gets more confident by the minute. No flops, though Ansu Fati hasn’t lived up to expectations – perhaps due to injury. Burnley Stars/flops Sander Berge and Dara O’Shea are the only two coming out of the season with much credit, and it is probably no surprise that they were the two new signings with some Premier League experience. The flops are too many to mention really, but some of our players just looked out of their depth. This has been our worst ever Premier League squad. Chelsea Stars/flops Cole Palmer absolutely oozes class. A big shout also to Conor Gallagher, who has given 100% and really stepped up. He deserves a new contract – sort it out Chelsea. The big disappointment was Mudryk: it’s only been in the last two or three games has he started to show his potential. Crystal Palace Stars/flops Andersen has been a rock at the back and played every league game. Doucouré was magnificent until his injury. Mateta’s metamorphosis into a lethal striker has been a joy, and Eze and Olise’s wizardry is the most exciting thing we’ve seen at Palace for a long time. It will be an absolute scandal if neither of them goes to the Euros. Wharton’s signing at £18m was the bargain of the decade, with Muñoz at £6.8m not far behind. Matheus França struggled to make an impact, but will surely improve. Everton Stars/flops Branthwaite: a new Bobby Moore, Franz Beckenbauer or (more locally) Brian Labone. Mentions also for Tarko and Pickford. “Flop” is harsh but Harrison failed to take his chance. Fulham Stars/flops Bassey, Palhinha and, ultimately, Muniz stood out as Silva shuffled his pack, particularly in midfield. “Rabona” Raúl and “Barren” Broja barely troubled the scorers. Liverpool Stars/flops With so many starters injured, the young players did brilliantly. Elliott, Bradley and Quansah excelled; Clark, Koumas, McConnell and former ballboy Danns gave starry cameos. In goal, Kelleher again proved his class. The flop was the collective inability to find the net in the run-in. Luton Stars/flops Ross Barkley, maybe the best ever player to pull on a Luton shirt. Thomas Kaminski in goal has also been exceptional, while the front two, Elijah Adebayo and Carlton Morris, both reached double figures despite injuries. There were no flops, the whole side starred. As the former manager John Still once said, the stronger the team, the stronger the team. Manchester City Stars/flops There have been two clear standouts: Foden and Rodri. Plenty have made big contributions (KDB when fit, Haaland, Gvardiol), others have been consistent (Akanji, Aké, Ortega), but none have got close to Phil and Rodri. The latter is unbeaten in his last 73 (!) games for City in all competitions, while Foden has been the best player in the league. Flops? Nunes doesn’t look at the required level. Manchester United Stars/flops Mainoo, Garnacho and, more recently, Amad have had excellent breakthrough seasons and offer genuine hope. Hats off to Maguire, who showed real guts to re-establish himself. The rest, bar Evans, Bruno and Højlund, were a constant source of disappointment. Newcastle Stars/flops Ice-cold Alexander Isak is the most exciting striker we’ve had in years – the guy now looks like a bargain, as does Anthony Gordon. Bruno Guimarães has continued to cement his status as an NUFC legend and Fabian Schär is a model of consistency. Flops? Miguel Almirón didn’t match last season’s exploits, and, off the field, director of football Dan Ashworth bagged some nice gardening leave after seemingly making little impact. Nottingham Forest Stars/flops Not many of us expected Murillo to play, let alone to be the most Des Walker-like defender since the maestro himself. Mu is far from complete, but he is brilliant, and probably won’t be here next season. Sob. Honourable mentions for Morgan Gibbs-White, Neco Williams and Ola Aina, with good spells for Callum Hudson-Odoi and Antony Elanga, whose combined fees were less than Amad Diallo. As for flops – with such a high turnover, it’s inevitable – step forward Vlachodimos, Santos and Origi. Sheffield United Stars/flops Gustavo Hamer has been a beacon of excitement compared with the rest, ably supported in recent months by academy product Oli Arblaster – it already feels like next season hinges on both of them still being here. Vinícius Souza’s attitude is worse than his footballing ability and Ivo Grbic was so astonishingly bad in goal that he swiftly found himself dropped for the man he was signed to replace. Tottenham Stars/flops Micky van de Ven has been the poster boy. His pace, touch, intelligence and awareness; a kiss from the heavens. Destiny Udogie is another bright star shining. Special mention for Cuti Romero and his pulsating drives into the final third, a true inspiration and leader on the pitch. I’m not sure anyone has flopped, but there have been disappointments, mostly thanks to injuries. West Ham Stars/flops Jarrod Bowen was on fire. Mohammed Kudus scored the goal of the season against Freiburg and impressed with his mazy dribbles and celebrations sitting on the hoardings. Álvarez did a decent job of replacing Rice until he tired towards the end, while a liberated Soucek weighed in with 10 goals. Ward-Prowse proved a bargain at £30m, though strangely he hasn’t managed to score a free kick. Biggest flop was poor old Kalvin Phillips, who at times looked like the Frank Spencer of football, but had no luck either. Wolves Stars/flops Neto has dazzled when he’s not been injured; Hwang and Cunha have ensured we’ve carried a threat in his absence. Mario Lemina and Gomes have been excellent in a more proactive midfield setup. Nobody really flopped, but I hoped for more from Bellegarde after strong early showings.
For all the usual doubters (yes, I've seen Titanlux his typically disrespectful and dismissive take on the 1994-95, 1995-96 seasons now... a team that set unbeaten records back then): Since we started collecting data in 2009/10, Virgil van Dijk is the Premier League's highest rated centre-back with a rating of 7.28 (200+ apps). 🧱 https://t.co/LgMwyJDUwY pic.twitter.com/2ngfE6oIxk— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) February 26, 2024 Virgil van Dijk is the highest rated centre-back in the Premier League this season 🧱(h/t @WhoScored) pic.twitter.com/CyxCsazAqc— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) May 14, 2024 Also once again the CB with the highest points above replacement (and 7th overall among all players with 2000+ minutes): https://macro-football.com/iso/2324/ Either way, as a whole we have become really bad at football but luckily there is in a broader perspective also good news, our government will move the embassy to Jerusalem. Among the fews things I've always liked about Ajax is their friendship with Israel.
Oh wait, I read this now Player of the Season Alexis Mac Allister pushed him close but Liverpool’s captain has to be crowned the club’s player of the season for 2023-24. The commanding Dutch defender made a mockery of suggestions that he was a fading force. Embracing the extra responsibility after being handed the armband by Jurgen Klopp following the exit of Jordan Henderson last summer, Van Dijk was a model of consistency. So alert to danger around him and so adept at dealing with it, he led by example as Liverpool stayed in the title race until their challenge faded in April. It wasn’t always easy with a new-look midfield in front of him and his defensive partner regularly changing, but the 32-year-old, who only missed two league matches all season, was back to his brilliant best with a succession of composed displays. Van Dijk produced a man of the match display at Wembley in February when his header late on in extra time secured a memorable Carabao Cup final triumph over Chelsea – the final piece of silverware of Klopp’s reign. Mac Allister grew in stature, especially after being freed up to operate further forward, and Mohamed Salah once again delivered with 25 goals in all competitions. Harvey Elliott also deserves a mention given his eye-catching progression, but Van Dijk was in a class of his own. https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5506790/2024/05/23/liverpool-season-review/ The 23/24 PL season, Virgil van Dijk is ranked first in:• aerial duel success rate - 85%• ground duel success rate - 80%Virgil is the only defender to have won:• 100 aerial duels• 100 ground duels• 100 clearances• 100 ball recoveriesVirgil is a brick wall 🧱💪🏻 pic.twitter.com/ohz8VN2owO— Turbo (@LFC_Turbo) April 3, 2024 Only two center backs in Europe’s top 5 leagues rank in the top 10% for ground duel success rate and aerial duel success rate:-Virgil van Dijk-Leny Yoro[@DTFootball_] pic.twitter.com/IrdVGkpZw1— Zach Lowy (@ZachLowy) November 5, 2023 Fair enough...
https://www.espn.co.uk/football/sto...drygo-lead-2024-best-south-american-xi-europe A South American team of the season in Europe: E Martinez; Aquipo, Bremer, Gabriel, Hincapie; Valverde, Palacios, Mac Allister; Rodrygo, L Martinez, Vinicius
Best players in the Netherlands according to VI: Veerman’s ratings are off the scale this season. Also player of the year according to VI: https://t.co/KT4xHls88r pic.twitter.com/sPIGMimgBC— Rob Fielder (@ademir2z) May 24, 2024
Searched a bit for myself now and deleted the ones already posted. OPTA analyst EPL team of the season Martinez; White, Saliba, Akanji, Ake; Rodri, Rice; Palmer, Odegaard, Foden; Watkins SofaScore EPL team of the season Areola; Tarkowski, Van Dijk, Gvardiol; Odegaard, Rodri; Saka, Palmer, Foden, Eze; Fernandes Whoscored EPL team of the season Areola; Alexander-Arnold, Tarkowski, Van Dijk, Gvardiol; Rodri; Saka, Palmer, Eze, Foden; Haaland BBC EPL team of the season (Garth Crooks) Pickford; Saliba, Van Dijk, Akanji; Saka, Odegaard, Rice, Palmer; Watkins, Foden; Haaland Goal.com EPL team of the season Pickford; White, Saliba, Van Dijk, Robinson; Odegaard, Rodri, Rice; Foden, Watkins, Palmer Daily Telegraph EPL team of the season Martínez; Saliba, Van Dijk, Van de Ven; Rodri; Palmer, Rice, Odegaard, Foden; Watkins, Haaland The Independent EPL team of the season Martinez; White, Van Dijk, Saliba; Rodri, Rice; Odegaard, Foden, Palmer; Watkins, Haaland