The winner of one of the most prestigious awards in the football world, the Golden Ball of 2019, will soon be determined. Who it will be remains intrigue for now. In anticipation of this exciting event for football fans, we decided to recall the best players - applicants for the popular award. We present to the attention of readers of the top 10 best football players in the world in 2018-2019. When compiling the rating, the data from the report of the Football Observatory agency on the performance of participants of five prestigious football championships this year were taken into account.
10. Emir Spahich
In 10th place in the top of the best football players of 2018-2019 - Bosnian athlete Emir Spahich. According to the Football Observatory, he became one of the outstanding central defenders of past football championships. He played for such Russian clubs as Shinnik, Moscow Lokomotiv and Torpedo. In 2007, he became one of the best football players in Russia. Now Spahich plays in the German “Hamburg”.
9. Igor Akinfeev
Russian goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev on the ninth position of the top of the best football players of the year. The holder of a large number of awards, a five-time champion of Russia, he takes 15th place in the ranking of the most outstanding goalkeepers of the 21st century. The season began for Akinfeev very successfully - CSKA, in which he acts, won the Russian Super Cup. During a guest match with the Montenegrin national team, the athlete received neck burns and a head injury from a fire throwing on the football field.
8. Diego Forlan
Uruguayan ranked 8th in our ranking Diego Forlan. Over his long sports career, he has become a champion many times. He is the first football player to play for the Uruguayan national team one hundred matches. In 2010, he was recognized in South Africa as the best player in the World Cup.
Forlan comes from a sports dynasty. His father and grandfather were famous football players. Despite the good success in tennis, Diego still decided, following the example of his immediate family, to become a football player. Going to the Spanish team “Villarreal”, Forlan helped the club for the first time to get into the Champions League. Then he changed several teams, and even managed to spend a year and a half as part of the Japanese club “Cereso Osaka”. In May 2015, the football player decided to continue his sports career in the Uruguayan club Peñarol. Interestingly, Forlan, not being a lefty, plays equally well with both legs.
For skill and extremely correct behavior on the field, the Uruguayan striker deservedly is among the outstanding football players in the world.
7. Robin van Persie
The seventh position is occupied by the Dutch athlete Robin van Persie, until recently, playing for Manchester United, and since 2015, playing for the Turkish Fenerbahçe. The footballer is known as the top scorer in the history of the Netherlands national team. For eight years, from 2004 to 2012, van Persie played for the Arsenal club.
6. Andres Iniesta
Andres Iniesta ranks sixth in the top 10 best football players of 2019. An outstanding midfielder is one of the most titled athletes of our time. In 2012 he became the best European player. In 2010 he was recognized as the second player in the world. Iniesta six times entered the symbolic national team according to FIFA. Iniesta received the nickname "Illusionist" for his virtuoso game on the field. He never changed club colors - having entered the Barcelona school at the age of 12, the footballer continued his career in this club. In 2014, the football player became the owner of the Golden Foot (Golden Foot) - an award given for high sports achievements.
5. Frank Ribery
Frank Ribery, Bayern Munich midfielder, in fifth place among the top 10 best football players in the world in 2018-2019. His biography is a story about a man who achieved fame and respect with his work and determination. The French midfielder is one of the most famous football players in the world and now his career is on the rise. In 2013, Ribery was recognized as the best football player in Europe. He played first as part of semi-amateur football clubs. The meeting with the Metz coach was a fluke - a promising player was able to jump several steps and ended up in the elite football division of France. After this, Ribery’s career took off - he became one of the leaders of the club. Having joined the Munich Bavaria, the eminent midfielder showed his talent even brighter.
4. Arjen Robben
Netherlands soccer player Arjen Robben stands for Munich's Bavaria. He distinguished himself at the 2014 World Cup in that he set a speed record (37 km / h). No wonder he wears nicknames such as "Meteor" and "Rocket."
Robben scored 17 goals in the 20 matches that the 4th-place footballer played in the Bundesliga. As a result, in most cases he was the best at Bavaria. This season he spent four matches, for which he can be praised for his skill and excellent game.
3. Luis Alberto Suarez
Luis Alberto Suarez, Uruguayan footballer and striker of the Barcelona team, in 3rd place in our ranking. His career can be called swift - just starting to play in the Nacional, Suarez became the champion of Uruguay in 2006. Passing to the Ajax Amsterdam, he became the champion of the year of the Netherlands and for some time led the team. Has many prestigious awards. In 2014, he won the Golden Boot for 31 goals scored in a season.
In 2014, he joined the Barcelona. The player’s transfer cost the club an astronomical figure of 81 million euros and became the most expensive in its history. Suarez turned out to be an extremely successful acquisition for Barcelona - in the first season he helped the team make a “golden hat-trick” and entered the top 10 best football players in the world in 2018-2019. Suarez is considered the strongest striker in the world.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo
Ronaldo played 7 games with the highest rating this season. The match with Granada was recognized as his best game. In it, the famous Portuguese footballer scored 5 goals. He is one of the three most likely applicants for the 2019 Golden Ball Prize. Recall that one of the most expensive athletes in the world three times has become the owner of the coveted award.
1. Lionel Messi
The top 10 most outstanding football players of 2018-2019 are headed by the Argentinean Lionel Messi.
This season he has 43 goals. By the number of goals scored, he lost to his main rival Ronaldo, but in other indicators was better than the Portuguese football player. Messi played 10 games this season with a high score and became the best European football player in terms of the number of accurate passes - 1902 were on his account.