Under his third coach at Camp Nou -- his compatriot Ronald Koeman -- he looks more comfortable in a "double pivot" (a pair of deep-lying midfielders who shield the defense and share creative responsibilities), and Barca hope he can rule their midfield for the next decade. "Imagine the best teams in the world lose their best central defender. Liverpool followed up their remarkable Champions League win in 2018-19 with their first league title in 30 years, and Alexander-Arnold once again was vital to the Reds' success. Lille's Ligue 1 title challenge was fuelled in part by the goals of veteran striker Burak Yilmaz, with the Turkey international defying the march of time. He's started the new season in wonderful form and in October, he became the first player since Steven Gerrard to score 100 goals for the Reds. He tore apart Juventus and Manchester City in an advanced midfield role, setting up four of Lyon's five goals against the two European giants as they set up a final four meeting with eventual winners Bayern. Last season, only Liverpool and Manchester City conceded fewer goals, a huge part of why the Red Devils managed to finish third despite a poor start. Ramos is still indispensable for Spain at the international level, too, with Luis Enrique calling him a "unique, different level" defender, and he recently set a record there as well, with his 177th Spain cap against Germany, the most appearances at international level for anyone in the men's game in Europe. He also scored in four out of five Europa League games as Leverkusen reached the final eight, where they lost to eventual runners-up Inter Milan. While all great strikers have that ruthless determination to seize every scoring opportunity, the truly great are as adept at linking play as they are finishing it. He has faced a lot of criticism over the past nine years -- some fans think he should be dropped for 23-year-old Dean Henderson -- but De Gea is tied for the most Premier League clean sheets in United's history (112, shared with Peter Schmeichel) and made the second-most PL appearances (411) between the posts. That's why Zinedine Zidane still trusts him to deliver at the highest level. Not bad, right? The once-slender midfielder looks more like a bodybuilder than a soccer star these days, having put on a tremendous amount of muscle. In 14 Premier League appearances last season, he scored eight goals and created seven more, confirming that he could do in England what he'd done in Portugal, where he hit 20 goals in the Primeira Liga in 2018-19. "He's God. High point of 2020: Though Napoli finished second to Juventus again in the league, Koulibaly was superb in the Coppa Italia final as his side bested the league champions on penalties. Some of the modern greats are cultured in possession; others are the epitome of no-nonsense force. High point of 2020: Was instrumental in Man United's return to the Champions League and third-place finish in 2019-20. Vinicius still feels more like a bundle of raw attributes -- pace, trickery -- than a fully formed player. The weirdest thing about Haaland is that he's still finding his feet but is already up there with the very best strikers in the world. High point of 2020: A four-minute brace in Liverpool's 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge in September that showcased all of his qualities. The Austrian player's contract is up at the end of the season, and Bayern Munich are bracing for his exit -- expect the likes of Liverpool to be interested. Former Borussia Dortmund forward Alexander Isak has thrived in La Liga and managed to improve his scoring record in 2020-21. He even filled in at centre-back occasionally, though coach Hansi Flick prefers him in midfield, especially since the sale of Thiago to Liverpool. Wingers still have a role to play in the modern era. considers himself among the top five strikers in the world and he will be eager to back up that claim by challenging for top scorer awards into the future. Barcelona Keep or Dump: Will Messi stay? Coman joined PSG at the age of 10 and became their youngest-ever debutant at 16 before deciding to continue his career elsewhere. It's true. A prime example of their partnership. Well, maybe once. Top left-backs are as comfortable locking down an opposing winger as they are turning into one when their teams are in possession. Strasbourg forward Ludovic Ajorque enjoyed his best ever season in Ligue 1, cracking double figures in the goal charts and he will be eager to continue that form into 2021-22. Having moved to Sevilla from Bordeaux for £22.5m ahead of the 2019-20 season, he's since helped them to the Europa League title last season and is an important figure in their Champions League aspirations this term. His form early this season has dipped, with some speculation linking that swoon with a failed summer move to Manchester United, but there's no reason to think it's more than a temporary blip. He's the special one," former Leeds captain Lucas Radebe told ESPN. Agility and reflexes are a given, but confidence, vision and assertive play are vital, too. High point of 2020: Scoring the opening goal against Barcelona in El Clasico in March, a match that saw the title race start to tip in Real Madrid's favour. There's every chance he'll take another step up next summer and move to one of the European giants. He reappeared as a substitute in the CL semifinal win over RB Leipzig before featuring for 25 minutes in the final against Bayern. FC 100: It. After excelling as the deepest midfielder at Ajax, he is playing a more attacking role under first Ernesto Valverde and later Quique Setien in Spain. Having won the Champions League and then the Premier League, Klopp's place is assured in the pantheon of Liverpool greats. High point of 2020: Superb in PSG's Champions League campaign, scoring two key goals against Atalanta and RB Leipzig to help the side into the final. Premier League 2020-21 season's strangest stats and facts . Even in a team full of elite performers that night, Gnabry stood out with a first-half goal and assist. Mendy established himself as Real Madrid's undisputed first-choice left-back this year after coach Zinedine Zidane requested his signing in the summer of 2019. Man United's No. No one doubts his world-class talent, though, and we might still see a player who was once the Premier League's best repeat that form in a Real Madrid shirt. Hernandez excelled on loan at Alaves in 2016-17, looked out of his depth at Real Madrid in 2017-18 and was decidedly average at Real Sociedad in 2018-19. High point of 2020: Notching two assists for Virgil van Dijk in the 2-1 win against Brighton in late November, both from set pieces. The Dutch centre-back completed his big-money, €75 million move to Juventus ahead of the 2019-20 campaign and, in doing so, followed in the footsteps of his idols, Alessandro Nesta and Fabio Cannavaro. His game is always elegant and efficient. High point of 2020: An impressive two-goal performance in the Champions League round of 16, first leg, against Valencia. Navas doesn't get as much attention as many of his colleagues on this list, but that doesn't make him less deserving. Being a great central defender requires more than size, assertiveness and strength. His goals and assists, including a diving header against Borussia Dortmund in the round of 16, were instrumental in taking PSG to the Champions League final, the closest they've ever been to reaching their dream of European glory. EDITOR'S NOTE: Neuer and Alisson finished tied on overall points after the tallying of ballots, but Neuer was awarded first place by virtue of receiving more first-place votes from the FC voters, with 19 to Alisson's 18. His set pieces are a constant threat, and his crosses cause havoc in the penalty area. That assist was classic Ter Stegen, a confident sweeper-keeper who's comfortable with the ball at his feet and can convert saves into counterattacks in a flash. High point of 2020: In a season when RB Leipzig got to the semifinals of the Champions League, he was at his commanding best in their quarterfinal win against Atletico Madrid. In July, he suddenly went on leave for personal reasons, later revealed to be depression after contracting COVID-19. At Real Madrid, his teammates used to call him "Keylor Paras" ("Keylor Stops"), and he's lived up to that name after moving to Paris. Rated as one of the world's best young centre-backs, Kounde's brilliant season led to a "magnificent" transfer offer from Manchester City, according to Monchi, the club's sporting director. To many, he is the best coach in the world. Club/country: Paris Saint-Germain/Costa Rica. As always, our list is broken down into 10 Top 10s for every position on the pitch as well as managers, making for the most meaningful and deep look at the talent across the men's game from goalkeeper to striker. In a modern game that is so often defined by rigid tactical discipline, his unpredictability can be priceless. Seven years since he most recently won a treble with Bayern, Neuer lifted the Bundesliga, German Cup and Champions League trophies in 2020 as club captain. Rashford notched 17 goals and eight assists last season to keep an uneven Manchester United team in the top four, but his biggest wins came far away from Old Trafford. The CIES Football Observatory ranks De Ligt as the most valuable central defender in the world, putting his current value at an eye-watering €105m. He netted 20 in the Premier League alone, more than teammates Sergio Aguero or Gabriel Jesus. Alaba started last season at left-back under previous coach Niko Kovac, only to finish it as a triple-winning centre-back. He's a striker who doesn't score as many goals as some on this list, but Firmino has put his name in Liverpool's history books with his contribution to LFC's first championship in 30 years. He also has developed a knack for scoring important goals: twice in the 2-1 win against Sevilla last season, and the winner in the 1-0 victory at Espanyol as Madrid closed in on the league title. Sancho's year was nothing short of extraordinary. In October, he kept his 200th clean sheet for Bayern, a club record. The latest team to chase the 6-foot-5 Senegal international was PSG in the summer, but Napoli were resolute in rejecting any offers that fell short of their €75m asking price. The information contained in Goal (United States) may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without the prior written authority of Goal (United States), The Bayern Munich man fended off competition from the usual suspects, including Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. The other goal was scored by Karim Benzema, but guess who set it up? High point of 2020: Scoring in 11 straight Europa League games -- a new record -- as Inter finished runners-up in the competition. Former Bayer Leverkusen striker Kevin Volland has been enjoying his time in Ligue 1 since signing for Monaco ahead of the 2020-21 campaign. There's a popular school of thought that if Laporte hadn't suffered a knee injury that ruled him out for four months, the Premier League title race would have been far closer last season. Indeed, his goal return so far suggests that he has even taken it up a notch. It almost seems wrong to call him "left-back" given how prolific he is in attack, racking up 23 assists in the past two Premier League seasons from a defensive position. The dynamic defender started all but one of Leicester's 29 Premier League matches before the pandemic, but we're still waiting to see him back in action. High point of 2020: Came within two late Paris Saint-Germain goals of taking Atalanta into the Champions League semifinals. High point of 2020: Was superb in both Clasico clashes last season, results that played a key role in Real Madrid's title challenge. And that's a development I'm pleased with." I'm not saying it for the sake of it. "I was almost ashamed of how happy I was after scoring, because it was 99% his goal," Kimmich said afterward, and it was hard to disagree. With the race now complete, Goal tallies up all the top goalscorers from across Europe's top leagues in 2020-21... *Note: list includes only top scorers from Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1. Atletico Madrid found this out to their cost in last season's Champions League quarterfinals, when Leipzig quashed Diego Simeone's team's hopes of progressing. He is arguably the frontman for this band of unfashionable players who have turned into European powerhouses under Gian Piero Gasperini. High point of 2020: A Premier League title, anyone? Laporte is so important to City that Guardiola had to warn against his return back in January being seen as the single answer to solving all of their defensive worries. Former Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher says Mane is pushing John Barnes for the title of Liverpool's best left winger ever. Kroos is into his seventh season with Madrid and remains as important to Zinedine Zidane's side as ever. City eventually went for Nathan Ake and Ruben Dias, but Manchester United are also interested in the man who now has his sights on supplanting Raphael Varane and Dayot Upamecano with the France national team. However, while staying fit remains a problem, his absences from Thomas Tuchel's side serve only to highlight his importance. In June, after he heard the British government had decided not to provide free school meals for low-income kids over the summer, the 23-year-old wrote an open letter to Parliament urging them to change course. He scored one and created four of his side's goals in the quarterfinal stage, including assisting the winner in the final for Kingsley Coman. Having spent over a billion euros to get within touching distance of the trophy they crave above all others, they were denied by a headed goal from Coman -- one of their own, discarded youth products. He made a shaky start, but despite battling a shoulder injury in 2020-21, he's become an integral part of the Juventus defence. The Brazilian won the Champions League in his first season with Liverpool and the Premier League title in his second. The young Frenchman has been linked with just about every European giant after another strong season, with Manchester United and Bayern Munich reportedly at the front of the queue. Having seemingly scored at will between 2014 and 2018, Tottenham's Harry Kane failed to crack the 20-goal mark in the Premier League in the previous two seasons. Kathleen McNamee and Tor-Kristian Karlsen, FC 100: Liverpool, Bayern dominate, USMNT stars break into our annual ranking of soccer's best players, Man United miss another opportunity to prove Solskjaer's progress, De Gea misses pen in Man United UEL final loss, Sources: Zidane resigns as Real Madrid manager, Sources: Barca eyeing Belgium boss Martinez, Conte shocks Inter Milan, leaves after title win, Barca, Juve, Madrid snap back at UEFA threats, Mexico boss: El Tri players key to stopping chant, Sources: Liverpool to sign Konate on 5-yr deal, Transfer Talk: Man Utd want Donnarumma to replace De Gea, How Chelsea, Man City dominated English football and why that will continue. He's already a World Cup winner, a four-time French champion and has been the leading scorer in Ligue 1 for the past two seasons. Luckily for Gunners fans, he signed a new three-year deal in September. The efficient, reserved Slovenian is the perfect keeper for Diego Simeone's hardworking, disciplined side. Each expert then contributed a Top 10 for each category, and we crunched the numbers and did a final review with a select few writers. The race for the 2020-21 Golden Shoe is over after the best strikers from across Europe bolstered their goal tallies in the bid to be crowned the contintent's No 1 sharp-shooter. Sasa Kalajdzic was in fine form for Stuttgart in the Bundesliga in 2020-21. Despite his age, Ramos would still walk into most sides and will be a top free agent if he opts against extending his stay at Real Madrid after this season. High point of 2020: A crisp, volleyed finish in a 3-2 win over Udinese in January. When he doesn't play, Madrid struggle. The best central defenders combine timing and power with elegance and poise under pressure.
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