FirstTouch’s Top 10 Male Players of 2019

The Best FIFA Men's Player of the Year Lionel Messi poses with his family at the end of The Best FIFA Football Awards 2019 at the Teatro alla Scala on September 23, 2019 in Milan, Italy.

(Sept. 22, 2019 - Source: Emilio Andreoli/Getty Images Europe)

In no particular order, they are the following;

1. Lionel Messi

As we have learnt in the past decade or so, it's never a top players' list if Messi is not on it. Aside from his reputation, the Argentine captain actually deserved to be on the FirstTouch's best male players for the year 2019. Barcelona may have crashed out of the UEFA Champions League in the semi-finals after capitulating in the second leg, but the 32-year-old almost single-handedly carried them that far. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner famously bagged a brace in Barca's 3-0 first-leg win over eventual champions Liverpool and was Europe's top goalscorer with 36 for the season as Blaugurana also retained the La Liga title. Messi was named the 2019 FIFA Best Men's Player of the Year, a 6th such accolade for the Barca captain.

2. Cristiano Ronaldo

Talk about presence! The Italian Serie A certainly felt the arrival of the other five-time Ballon d'Or winner during the course of the year; both financially and in footballing terms. Age has proven to be just a number for the former Real Madrid striker and the all-time leading Champions League goalscorer as he bagged 21 goals in his debut Serie A season. After adding a Scudetto to his illustrious trophy cabinet, the 34-year-old also led Portugal to an inaugural UEFA Nations League title and reached a remarkable 700 career goals in the year, including 99 for his country as of 17 November.

3. Virgil Van Dijk

Mountain man, that's how some refer to the Dutch captain. The 28-year-old was just that for Liverpool, a mountain stuck in front of their goal. He was a central figure in the Reds' camp as they clinched a 6th UEFA Champions League title and their first silverware since 2012. Liverpool had a league-high 21 clean-sheets in their run up to finish second in the Premier League, a point behind champions Man City. He may have been the losing captain in the UEFA Nations League final but his performances building up to the finale was on show for everyone to see. Being named the 2019 UEFA Male Player of the Year was simply a befitting reward to an excellent player who also took home the PFA Player of the Year accolade.

4. Kylian Mbappe

Once upon a time a teenage prodigy, Kylian Mbappe is now dominating the big game, year after year. The 2018 World Cup winner continued his blistering goal-scoring form as he bagged 33 for the season, just 3 behind Messi in the whole of Europe. The 20-year-old's goals helped PSG retain the French Ligue 1 title while he also claimed the individual prize as the league's best marksman with 33 goals. Any chance that the Parisians have on challenging for the 2020 Champions League crown, also heavily hinges on the French international's goals.

Sadio Mane of Liverpool in action during the Group C match of the UEFA Champions League between Liverpool and FK Crvena Zvezda at Anfield on October 24, 2018 in Liverpool, United Kingdom.

(Oct. 23, 2018 - Source: Michael Regan/Getty Images Europe)

5. Sadio Mane

On record speaking to BeIN sport, Former Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger revealed that the Senegalese international was his preferred candidate for the 2019 Ballon d'Or prize. To add on to his point, Wenger praised Mane as an "efficient" player. Fellow candidate, Eden Hazard also made a similar comment later on. The 27-year-old was the joint top goal scorer in the Premier League as Liverpool finished second and bagged a total of 27 goals as Jurgen Klopp's men clinched Europe's top crown. Internationally, Sadio also helped Senegal come within touching distance of their first major title as they narrowly lost 0-1 to Algeria in the 2019 AFCON final. The flying forward had scored 4 goals in 7 matches for his country in the process.

6. Raheem Sterling

Don't be fooled by him not taking the golden boot prize. The England international has become somewhat of a goal-scoring wild card under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. Sterling, 24, was involved in a total of a second league-high 27 goals, with 17 goals and 10 assists, as City retained the Premier League title. Aside from his involvement at club level which helped the blue-half of Manchester secure a historic treble, Sterling also proved handy for Gareth Southgate and England who made the UEFA Nations League semi-finals.

7. Frenkie De Jong

The 22-year-old may just be the biggest midfield talent in Europe right now. Endowed with a rare ability to tirelessly labor throughout the 90 minutes, tackling and picking offensive passes, Frenkie became central for the young Ajax side that left everybody talking. He helped the Dutch club to win a domestic treble and most famously reach the Champions League semi-finals. With De Jong, who was also a key figure for the Netherlands as they reached the UEFA Nations League finals, it's not so much about goals and assists, just pure grit, passion and precision in the middle of the park.

8. Mohamed Salah

FIFA FIFPro Men's World 11 Players of the Year (L-R) Alisson, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo Vieira, Lionel Messi, Frenkie de Jong, Eden Hazard, Kylian Mbappe, Luka Modric, Virgil van Dijk and Matthijs de Ligt pose for a photo during The Best FIFA Football Awards 2019 on September 23, 2019 in Milan, Italy.

(Sept. 22, 2019 - Source: Emilio Andreoli/Getty Images Europe)

Repeating a crazily successful year as 2018 was always going to be a mountain climb for the Egyptian. Except you're a combination of Messi and Ronaldo, no one breaks as many records as Salah did in 2018, year-on-year, or repeatedly walks away with that bucket of awards. Just retaining the Premier League golden boot in 2019 was enough evidence that the Liverpool man is not a one-time wonder. The 27-year-old was unfortunate to see the hosting Pharaohs crash out of the Africa Cup of Nations in the round-of-16 but a Champions League win with the Reds could have been enough consolation.

9. Eden Hazard

It would have been extremely difficult for the football artist to miss our list of the top players. The 28-year artist to miss our list of the top players. The 28-year old may be taking time to establish himself as a Real Madrid player, but still owned the better part of 2019 in Chelsea colors. He was directly involved in a league-high 31 goals for the London club as he scored and assisted 16 and 15 times respectively. In the process, the Belgian captain helped Maurizio Sarri's men finish 3rd in the Premier League, win the Europa League title and got his big-money move to the Spanish capital.

10. Marc Andre Ter Stegen

The Germany international is arguably the best living goalkeeper and 2019 was no different. Reflex like superman saves for Barcelona and sweeper keeper moves ensured he retained his place as an internet sensation. It doesn't very much help his cause that Joachim Löw prefers veteran Manuel Neuer in goal for Germany or that Barca failed to win Europe's top prize, but his excellence is something that avid football fans of the game can never debate about. He made 85 saves for Barca in the 2018/19 season, averaging a remarkable 2.43 saves per game.