With just over two weeks to go until Christmas, Squawka’s advent calendar moves along another spot.
We here at Squawka decided to celebrate the festive season by launching our own advent calendar, comparing players based on their shirt numbers. Who was the best no. 3 in 2018, the best no. 8, etc. And today we’ve arrived at the big one; the no. 10.
While overall quality was obviously considered when ranking our top three players of the year, the deciding factors were obviously how well they performed during the year, with notable weighting being given to the World Cup.
No. 1: Marc-André Ter Stegen
No. 2: Kyle Walker
No. 3: Giorgio Chiellini
No. 4: Virgil Van Dijk
No. 5: Raphael Varane
No. 6: Paul Pogba
No. 7: Kylian Mbappé
No. 8: Saúl ÑÃguez
No. 9: Luis Suárez
There’s been lots of talent to choose from, but here are Squawka’s three best No.10’s in the world:
3. Eden Hazard (Chelsea/Belgium)
What makes him special? Chelsea’s dribbling sensation is a joy to watch with the ball at his feet. There’s few players who can reliably beat a man 1v1 as easily and graceful as Hazard. His fast start to life under Maurizio Sarri is encouraging; he’s been involved in more goals (7 goals, 8 assists) than any other player in the Premier League so far this season. But it was at the World Cup where Hazard shone brightest this year, helping to lift Belgium all the way to a third-place finish, winning the Silver Ball in the process.
Key stat: Eden Hazard won more take-ons (40) than any other player at the 2018 World Cup.
2. Luka Modric (Real Madrid/Croatia)
What makes him special? Luka Modric had a sublime 2018. He helped guide Real Madrid to their third consecutive Champions League win, and then at the World Cup put in a starring performance to guide tiny Croatia all the way to the World Cup final. Modric’s heroic feats have been richly rewarded; he’s the only player in history to win and hold the World Cup Golden Ball, UEFA Men’s Player of the Year, FIFA Best Men’s Player of the Year and the Ballon d’Or all at the same time.
Key stat: Luka Modric played more passes into the final third than anyone else at the 2018 World Cup (84).
1. Leo Messi (Barcelona/Argentina)
What makes him special? Modric may have had the best 2018 in terms of rising above median performance, but no player on the planet comes close to Leo Messi both in terms of overall quality (where he has reigned supreme since 2009) nor actual performance in 2018.
It’s easy to overlook Messi because of Barcelona’s embarrassing Champions League exit and Argentina’s frustrating World Cup; but he performed miracles to get Argentina out to Russia in the first place, and his displays for Barça in La Liga were nothing short of miraculous.
For Messi to lift that Barcelona side to within one game of an unbeaten league season (and had Messi started then they would have gotten an unbeaten league season) is such an incredible thing you’d swear he was wielding the Infinity Gauntlet.
The things this man has been doing week-to-week defy belief. Every other game he puts on a performance that would be the highlight of any other player’s season. The regularity of his genius is beyond compare.
When you absolutely, positively got to astound every footballer lover in the room? Accept no substitutes.
Key stat: Leo Messi has more goals (30), chances created (83) and take-ons won (149) than any other player in La Liga player in 2018.
Honourable Mentions:
Neymar (PSG/Brazil), Harry Kane (Spurs/England), Paulo Dybala (Juventus/Argentina), Sergio Aguero (Manchester City/Argentina), Sadio Mané (Liverpool/Senegal), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United/England), Angel Correa (Atlético Madrid/Argentina), Mesut Ozil (Arsenal/Germany), Dusan Tadic (Ajax/Serbia)
The post Squawka’s Xmas advent squad: who’s the best No.10 in Europe? appeared first on Squawka News.
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