We are already in the final stretch of this exciting year 2018, which was full of good football. And to close it properly, I will make a recount of the 50 best players of the year. I want to clarify that only the calendar year will be taken into account, that is, what has been done from January to December 2018. In this fourth part we will reveal positions 20 to 11.
The 50 best footballers in the world 2018 (50-41)
The 50 best footballers in the world 2018 (40-31)
The 50 best footballers in the world 2018 (30-21)
20)Raphaël Varane (France, Real Madrid).
The still young French center back experienced in the 2018 World Cup the best performance of his career as a professional. Varane's performance in Russia was simply from another planet, he was virtually impassable and became the best central defender of the World Cup. He was key both defending and attacking, scoring key goals in the tournament. If Varane had had this level throughout the year, we would be talking about one of the best 5 players in the world; but unfortunately it was not like that. Despite winning the most important collective titles at the level of clubs and national teams, Varane could not keep his best version in La Liga with Real Madrid, where he has had a very poor start to the season. These inconsistencies where I experience a very high point, but also a very low point, justify their position this year.
19)Luis Suárez (Uruguay, FC Barcelona).
"Lucho" lately is not experiencing his best moments in Barcelona, he has gone through several very significant downturns of performance. But despite the fact that his best times have already passed, in 2018 he managed to score the not inconsiderable figure of 34 goals being one of the top scorers in the year. All these goals were decisive for Barcelona to achieve the double last season. And in spite of the fact that luck did not accompany him completely in Russia, he knew how to adapt his game to benefit his national team and to be key for Uruguay to reach the Quarter Finals of the World Cup. 2019 is presented as the biggest challenge of Suarez's career where he will try to recover his best level and continue demonstrating his worth in Barcelona.
18)Alisson Becker (Brazil, AS Roma/Liverpool FC).
18 months ago Alisson was the half-forgotten Brazilian goalkeeper of the Roma; Today he is one of the best three goalkeepers in the world and the one in the best shape state at present. The Brazilian has shown that it was not just a simple irruption, he came to stay in the elite of European football. Alisson is a very complete goalkeeper, with great reflexes and very good control of the area. During the first part of the year it was one of the main reasons why Roma could reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League. His fantastic performance with the Giallorossi earned him being the guardian of the Brazilian goal in the 2018 World Cup; In addition to becoming the most expensive goalkeeper in history after his transfer to Liverpool. Already in the Premier League Alisson has displayed all its attributes and immediately enshrined as the best goalkeeper in the league. When we see the unlikely saves of Alisson on Anfield Road, it is impossible not to think that if the Brazilian had been with Liverpool in the Champions League final in Kiev, the story would have been different.
17)Mario Mandzukic (Croatia, Juventus).
We can safely say that 2018 has been the best year in Mario Mandzukic's career. The Croatian is one of those brave players that I would like to have always in my team. Do not complain, do not create a superstar; he only limits himself to give his best anywhere in the field where the coach puts him. It will not be the fastest or the most technically gifted; but he is a tireless warrior who always yields when he is most needed. In Juventus he had to abandon his natural position as a center forward to get used to playing for the band since that is what Allegri required of him. And guess what? He does it perfectly. In addition, the Croatian has managed to appear at times when Dybala and Higuain simply hid, for example in the Champions League against Real Madrid. Not to mention his performance in the World Cup, Mandzukic was one of the indispensable players of the Croatian team throughout the tournament scoring important goals in key matches, such as the semifinal and the final. In hindsight, it is hard to imagine that Croatia could have made it this far in the World without the indispensable work that Mandzukic did with and without the ball. And in this new season the Croatian has become the ideal partner of Cristiano Ronaldo, forming a couple that will give much to talk about in 2019.
16)David Silva (Spain, Manchester City).
"The Chinese" is one of the fundamental pieces of the bulldozer that is the Manchester City of Pep Guardiola. It is that different and thinking player who gives the team a ball or a change of pace when necessary. Together with Kevin de Bruyne he has been in charge of organizing and maintaining the football harmony of one of the most dangerous attacks in the world. Sample of these are the 11 assists that the canary distributed last season. Although he could not have a good role in the World Cup (like the rest of the Spanish team), there is no doubt that David Silva is one of the best midfielders in the world.
15)Roberto Firmino (Brazil, Liverpool FC).
Roberto Firmino is anything but a common '9'. The Brazilian is a perfect example of one of those modern forwards who feels like without the ball, coming and going from the area. It could be said that the Brazilian was the right forward to share the attack of Liverpool along with Sadio Mané and Mohamed Salah; that ideal partner who allowed the other two to exploit all their soccer. But this does not mean that Firmino did not have a role, since the Brazilian managed to score 18 goals this year. Firmino is another of those players who are not of my particular taste, but it is impossible to deny that he had a great year. The great performance he showed allowed him to be among those summoned by Tite to the 2018 World Cup.
14)Jan Oblak (Slovenia, Atlético Madrid).
Simply the best goalkeeper in the world. Few things remain to say about Jan Oblak, the truth is that he is a goalkeeper of another level. The Slovenian has become the life insurance of "Cholo" Simeone, a virtually unbeatable goalkeeper. Not in vain has he won the Zamora Trophy twice in a row, which distinguishes him as the least-beaten goalkeeper in La Liga. Oblak is everything you can ask for from a TOP goalkeeper: imposing physique, feline reflexes, good passing game, dominance of the area, good location in the goal and a shot that makes it fly to the furthest corner of the goal to stop the ball . He is also excellent at tackling penalties. Do not be surprised to hear that next summer becomes the most expensive goalkeeper in history.
13)Virgil Van Dijk (Netherlands, Liverpool FC).
I should start by saying that I was completely wrong about Van Dijk. In January, shout to the winds that it was crazy the amount that Liverpool had paid for the Dutch Central; that as much as he was a good defender, it would never be worth what they paid and would not fix the terrible defensive problems of Liverpool. Today, six months later, Virgil Van Dijk is undoubtedly the best central defender of 2018 and one of the best in the world. The Dutchman changed his face completely to Liverpool and gave him a defensive solidity that they did not experience for years, despite having a cone like Lovren next to him. It is practically impossible for a ball hanging in the Liverpool area to take effect, because Van Dijk clears them all. Not to mention that he is a danger in the rival area when he goes up to pitch. In addition, it has become one of the pillars of the new Holland of Ronald Koeman, in which he is also the captain of the team and fundamental piece. 2019 seems like a year full of success for Van Dijk, as he hopes to win everything with Liverpool and the opportunity to help the Netherlands to become UEFA Nations League champion.
12)Sergio "Kun" Agüero (Argentina, Manchester City)
After a difficult year 2017 where he had lost the title before Gabriel Jesus, the "Kun" managed to recover his best physical form in 2018. We must say that the Argentine lived one of his best seasons of his career where he managed to be one of the maximum scorers of the Premier League. The key was that in this year he did not have any serious injury; When the injuries respect him we are facing one of the best and most lethal strikers on the planet. But beyond the goals, the weight and the influence of Agüero in Manchester City is simply irreplaceable. The best thing is that the "Kun" is a striker of important goals, being a vital piece for City to be crowned champion of the Premier League. And although Argentina failed in Russia 2018, Agüero in general did not have a bad World Cup, being of the little rescue of that Argentine team. The truth is that if Manchester City plans to win everything in 2019, they will need Sergio Agüero to be in physical fullness and things will be much easier.
11)Sadio Mané (Senegal, Liverpool FC).
The Senegalese has had in 2018 the best year of his career. After arriving at Liverpool without a lot of press, he became a key player in the explosive and electric attack of Liverpool Klopp. Mané is a player with an amazing speed and an impressive change of pace, which is capable of breaking the opposing defenses with great ease. Throughout 2018 he managed to accumulate a 22-goal quota, the highest of his career. Thanks to its great season was intended by some of the largest clubs in the world, however preferred to stay at Liverpool where it has been one of the keys that the reds are today at the tip of the Premier League. In addition, in this beginning of the season has assumed the leadership of the team after the fall of performance of Salah. Do not be surprised that in 2019 Sadio Mané reaffirms himself as the best player of Liverpool over the Egyptian.
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