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    Numerous pundits claimed that Liverpool had overpaid when they signed Virgil van Dijk from Southampton in January 2018. In reality, £75 million ($94m) was a knockdown price for the most dominant defender in the game today.

    With his perfect blend of technique and physique, the imposing but elegant Dutch centre-half has transformed Liverpool's porous defence into one of the best back-lines in the world.

    Not a single player managed to dribble past Van Dijk last season, and the way in which he shut down Son Heung-min and Harry Kane during a man of the match-winning display in the Champions League final represented the crowning achievement of a truly regal campaign from the men’s 2019 Goal 50 winner.

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    After the World Cup final, Megan Rapinoe posed for photos with all her winnings; the Golden Boot, the Golden Ball and the World Cup trophy itself. It was some squeeze.

    The 34-year-old registered six goals and three assists over the summer for the USWNT, with whom she also won the CONCACAF Championship at the end of 2018.

    As well as lighting the NWSL up with Reign last season - her seven goals and six assists helping them reach the finals - Rapinoe’s use of her status to bring attention to important issues outside of football makes watching her succeed a real joy. She can now add the Goal 50 to her long list of successes in 2019.

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    Reports of Lionel Messi's demise were greatly exaggerated. If anything, the Argentine has become a more complete player than ever before.

    As well as top-scoring in the Champions League and winning another European Golden shoe - with 36 goals in 34 appearances during Barcelona's title triumph - the No.10 is now starting attacks, as well as finishing them.

    No player in Europe scored more goals in all competitions than Messi (51) but, even more significantly, no player created as many either (19). In short, one of the greatest talents the game has ever seen.

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    After winning the treble – the Division 1 title, the Coupe de France and the UEFA Women’s Champions League – with Lyon last season, it seemed like Lucy Bronze’s year couldn’t get any better.

    That was until the defender went to France and produced a string of world class performances for England, helping the Lionesses reach the last four, winning the Silver Ball and scoring one of the goals of the World Cup against Norway.

    Phil Neville repeats almost weekly that he believes the 28-year-old is the best player in the world, and it’s easy to see why.

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    There was no Premier League goalscoring record for Mohamed Salah last season but 2018-19 was an even sweeter campaign, a tale of redemption for the man whose Champions League dream had been dashed by a shoulder injury 12 months previously.

    After the agony of Kyiv came the ecstasy of Madrid, with the Egyptian coolly converting from the penalty spot in just the second minute of this year’s final to set Liverpool on their way to a sixth European Cup success.

    The winger also netted 22 times during the Reds’ remarkable Premier League title tussle with Manchester City, thus making a mockery of claims earlier in the season that he was suffering from a dip in form.

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    During the time period in which the Goal 50 is judged, Sam Kerr played 43 games for club and country, scored 41 goals and provided eight assists.

    Included in there are the 26-year-old’s first World Cup goals for Australia, as well as the 17 strikes that made her the W-League top-scorer last season for runners-up Perth Glory.

    That hot streak in her homeland came just months after she top-scored in the NWSL for Chicago Red Stars, earning her a spot in the 2018 season’s Best XI. No striker in the game is a more reliable and incredible goalscorer.

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    Having previously conquered English and Spanish football, Cristiano Ronaldo took the Italian game by storm after sensationally leaving Real Madrid for Juventus in the summer of 2018.

    The Portuguese superstar was crowned Serie A Player of the Season after helping the Bianconeri win an eighth consecutive Scudetto, with 21 goals and eight assists.

    Juve may have failed to end their Champions League drought but Ronaldo did all he could, scoring all of the Old Lady's goals in the knockout stage, including a fantastic hat-trick in the stirring second-leg fightback against Atletico Madrid in the last 16. He was also key as Portugal won the UEFA Nations League.

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    That Ada Hegerberg is still only 24 years old is terrifying. This year, the striker won her fifth successive Division 1 title, her fourth Coupe de France in five years and her fourth consecutive UEFA Women’s Champions League.

    She scored plenty to win those trophies too, with 20 goals in the league - adding an impressive 11 assists - and seven strikes in Europe.

    Though her decision not to play for Norway splits opinion, it didn’t stop her winning the first women’s Ballon d’Or in November 2018 and her performances for Lyon were more than good enough to place her high on this list.

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    Sadio Mane remains a key member of the most exciting attacking trio in world football but there can be no denying that the Liverpool winger is now a superstar in his own right.

    The Senegalese repeatedly stepped up to the plate when the Reds were in trouble last term and he ended up claiming a share of the Premier League Golden Boot with a career-high 22 goals.

    Mane also netted four times during Liverpool's Champions League-winning campaign – as well as winning a penalty in the final – before striking thrice more as Senegal reached the Africa Cup of Nations final.

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    Denmark’s failure to qualify for the World Cup was a shame for all football fans, with Pernille Harder’s talents missing from the biggest stage.

    The forward scored 18 goals and bagged 10 assists for Wolfsburg in 21 Frauen-Bundesliga games last year, helping her team claim a league and cup double – scoring five goals in five games in the latter competition, too.

    Despite crashing out in the quarter-finals to eventual champions Lyon, Harder also top-scored in the Champions League, earning herself a place in the competition’s Squad of the Season and winning the UEFA Women’s Player of the Year award.

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    The best player in the Premier League last year, according to the Football Writers' Association, Raheem Sterling continues to go from strength to strength under Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola.

    As well as emerging as an English role model and an important figure in football’s fight against racism, Sterling was arguably the key man in his club’s treble triumph last term. The left winger – who is still only 24 – was directly involved in 40 goals in total, scoring 25 himself, and setting up a further 15.

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    This year saw France’s Amandine Henry once again assert herself as the best midfielder in the world.

    She showcased all aspects of her game at the World Cup; two goals, one assist, nine chances created, 12 of 17 tackles won, 25 of 34 headers won and possession regained 42 times.

    The 30-year-old also collected her third treble with Lyon, totting up four goals and four assists in the league while being named in the Champions League Squad of the Season.

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    In signing Alisson Becker from Roma last summer, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp removed the one weak link from a backline that had been betrayed by its goalkeeper in the 2018 Champions League final.

    Just one year on, Alisson was key as the Reds shut out Tottenham in Madrid to claim their sixth European Cup success. Less than four weeks later, the Brazilian was beaten just once in six games as the Selecao claimed the Copa America, completing a dream 2019 for Alisson.

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    When quizzed on who was the best player in the world earlier this year, Lucy Bronze didn’t hesitate.

    “In terms of football talent and ability, Dzsenifer Marozsan,” she said. “You rarely see players like that. The only player I could compare her to is Kelly Smith. She’s just got so much raw talent.”

    Another of Lyon’s treble-winners, who was involved in 16 goals in 15 league games, midfielder Marozsan was both a Ballon d’Or nominee and a member of the FIFPRO XI.

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    Barcelona pulled off a masterstroke in snapping up Frenkie de Jong in January, just before the commencement of the knockout stage of the 2018-19 Champions league.

    The Netherlands international had been impressive enough in the group stage for Ajax but he showed just why he's regarded as one of the best young midfielders in the world by helping the Dutch side reach the semi-finals, with his dominant display in the 4-1 rout of Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu the undoubted highlight of his commanding campaign.

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    After a very serious sepsis infection in late 2016, Abby Dahlkemper has fought back to become one of the best centre-backs on the planet.

    Since last summer, the 26-year-old has won the NWSL Championship with North Carolina Courage, and the CONCACAF Championship and World Cup with the United States – named in the Best XIs for the former two competitions.

    She was also decisive in the latter, saving team-mates’ blushes several times as the USA conceded just three goals in seven games.

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    For some unknown reason, Bernardo Silva still doesn't draw the plaudits his outrageous ability and ridiculous work-rate deserves, but the past 12 months have hammered home the point that the attacking midfielder is one of the very best players on the planet.

    The 25-year-old was integral to both Portugal's victory at the inaugural Nations League finals – at which he was named Player of the Tournament – and Manchester City's stunning treble triumph in England.

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    When Vivianne Miedema netted the Netherlands’ third goal against Cameroon in June, she became her country’s all-time top-scorer – all one month before her 23rd birthday.

    It was the perfect way to cap off a season in which she had helped Arsenal win their first league title for seven years, registering 22 goals and 10 assists in 20 league games.

    Throw in a World Cup final and the PFA Player of the Year award, and it’s been an incredible 12 months.

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    It is crazy to think that World Cup winner Kylian Mbappe is still only 20 years of age, meaning the France international is highly likely to develop into an even more devastating attacker during the next decade.

    Only Lionel Messi (70) was directly involved in more goals in all competitions last season than the jet-heeled Mbappe, who scored 39 goals and created a further 15 as he claimed a third consecutive Ligue 1 title, and a second with Paris Saint-Germain.

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    There are few greater centre-backs in the history of the game than Lyon captain Wendie Renard.

    The 29-year-old, named in the 2018 FIFPRO XI, was crucial to her team’s treble-winning season, scoring eight goals in the league and earning a place in the Champions League Squad of the Season.

    She also bagged her first World Cup goals over the summer – four to be exact – and was one of FIFA’s The Best Women’s Player nominees for her troubles.

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    Last season may have been a turbulent one at Chelsea but Eden Hazard enjoyed the most productive campaign of his seven-year stay at Stamford Bridge, with 21 goals and 17 assists in all competitions earning him a long-desired move to Real Madrid.

    Essentially, the Blues had their brilliant Belgian to thank for their top-four finish in the Premier League, while Hazard also came up trumps in the Europa League final, striking twice in a man of the match-winning display against Arsenal.

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    Another of Lyon’s treble-winners, Eugenie Le Sommer was involved in 16 goals in 18 league games last season, while her six Champions League strikes earned her a place in the Squad of the Season.

    An injury prevented her from shining for France at their home World Cup, but, even so, the forward still managed two goals this summer.

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    It has been a remarkably rapid rise to prominence for Matthijs de Ligt, who showed just why he was being spoken of as a once-in-a-generation talent by leading Ajax to the last four of the Champions League last season.

    As well as showing off his rare mix of grit and elegance as the Amsterdam outfit won a domestic double, the Netherlands centre-half also demonstrated his ability at the other end of the field with a European Cup quarter-final winner against Juventus, who then promptly went out and bought him!

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    No one was more crucial in the United States’ World Cup victory this summer than Julie Ertz. After picking up the Golden Ball as the USWNT won the CONCACAF Championship at the end of 2018, her performances earned her a nomination in FIFA’s The Best awards.

    The irreplaceable 27-year-old was also key for Chicago Red Stars last season as they reached the NWSL play-offs.

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    One of the great goalscorers of the modern era, Sergio Aguero has arguably taken his game to a whole other level under the tutelage of Pep Guardiola.

    The Argentine fired Manchester City to a historic domestic treble last term, with a whopping 32 goals in just 46 appearances in all competitions, including a record-equalling 11th Premier League hat-trick in February.

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    Caroline Graham Hansen’s stats last season were mind-blowing. The forward scored 14 goals and provided 29 assists in 33 games in all competitions for Wolfsburg, helping them complete a domestic double as they lifted the Frauen-Bundesliga title and the DFB-Pokal.

    The 24-year-old also inspired Norway to the quarter-finals of the World Cup, completing more dribbles than any other player at the tournament.

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    Son Heung-min has long been a household name in his native South Korea but the Tottenham forward is now a global superstar after his Champions League exploits last season.

    The 27-year-old, who scored 20 goals in all competitions in 2018-19, repeatedly carried the Spurs attack in the absence of the injured Harry Kane, most memorably of all in Spurs' epic quarter-final win over Manchester City, in which Son netted three times.

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    After missing out on the 2015 World Cup win, Lindsey Horan got her hands on the trophy this year and it was long overdue.

    Winner of the NWSL Shield, runner-up in the Championship, named in the Best XI and crowned the league’s MVP at the end of 2018, the midfielder finally got to showcase that world class talent on the world stage this summer.

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    The youngest player ever to start in consecutive Champions League finals, Trent Alexander-Arnold has firmly established himself as one of the best right-backs in the world over the past 12 months.

    The 21-year-old Liverpool ace posted 12 Premier League assists last season – a new record for a defender – and his ingenious corner in the comeback win over Barcelona was one of the pivotal moments in his hometown club's triumphant European Cup campaign.

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    Few, if any, players can combine pure skill and creativity with tenacity and grit like Arsenal midfielder Danielle van de Donk.

    The versatile 28-year-old scored 11 goals and created six more as the Gunners won the title last year, before being a stand-out performer for the Netherlands as they reached an unlikely World Cup final.

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    There is an argument to be made that, at 31, Robert Lewandowski is playing the best football of his illustrious career.

    The prolific Pole fired a far-from-vintage Bayern Munich side to a domestic double with a whopping 40 goals in 47 appearances in all competitions, winning the Bundesliga's Golden Boot for good measure. He also chipped in with nine assists, thus hinting at a more complete Lewandowski than ever before.

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    For most players, a leg fracture would ruin their season. Most players aren’t Kim Little.

    The midfielder still finished the season with eight goals and six assists in 14 league games, won the title and was named in the PFA Team of the Year. For the icing on the cake, she then went to Scotland’s first World Cup and scored her first World Cup goal.

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    After years working away in the shadows, Roberto Firmino is finally getting the credit – and trophies – his industry and innovation has long merited.

    The archetypal modern No.9 played a pivotal role in Liverpool's Champions League triumph – the 28-year-old contributed 16 goals and seven assists in all competitions for the Reds – before leading the line for Brazil in their Copa America success on home soil.

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    Alex Morgan’s form for club and country is incredibly contrasting. One goal from nine games for Orlando Pride between August 2018 and 2019 doesn’t warrant a place on this list, but 18 goals and four assists from 25 appearances for the United States does.

    The striker’s general play was crucial to their World Cup triumph, from which she also went home with the Silver Boot.

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    The first of what is sure to be many appearances in the Goal 50 for Jadon Sancho, who ran riot during his first full season at Borussia Dortmund.

    The former Manchester City youth-team star racked up more assists (14) than any other player in the Bundesliga last term, while at the same time scoring 12 goals himself. The winger’s sensational form also earned him an England debut at just 18 years of age.

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    After a superb club season primarily further forward, Amel Majri shone at left-back at the World Cup.

    The France international won the treble with Lyon, grabbing 10 goals and nine assists in the league as well as four goals and three assists in the Champions League. No one created more chances at the World Cup than the 26-year-old, who also ranked second for assists.

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    Antoine Griezmann turned Barcelona down in the summer of 2018 but the Catalans came calling again this summer, after another productive season for the Atletico Madrid forward.

    The 28-year-old bagged 21 goals in all competitions as the Rojiblancos finished second in La Liga, while he also struck four times for France, including a match-winning double against Germany in the Nations League.

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    One of the greatest players to ever grace the game, Marta added to her legacy this summer by becoming the all-time World Cup top-scorer, male or female, before delivering a spirited speech to the next generation.

    The Brazilian magician scored twice before her country crashed out to France, and continues to be Orlando Pride’s best player in a star-studded but underperforming squad.

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    Arsenal's recent record in the transfer market is patchy at best but the £56 million ($70m) paid to Borussia Dortmund in January 2018 for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was a bargain.

    In his first full season in the Premier League, the Gabon international netted 22 times to claim a share of the Golden Boot, while he also propelled the Gunners into the final of the Europa League with eight goals.

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    Few can claim to be one of the world’s best in two positions. Crystal Dunn can.

    First, she won the NWSL Championship and was named in the competition’s Best XI in 2018 as a winger. Then she was victorious at the CONCACAF Championship with the United States, being named the tournament’s top left-back – a position she became a World Cup winner in.

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    Harry Kane's 2018-19 campaign may have been twice interrupted by injury but the striker still managed to find the back of the net 24 times in 40 appearances, which is testament to his impressive goalscoring prowess.

    The 26-year-old’s goals helped Tottenham reach the Champions League final and pip Arsenal to fourth in the Premier League, while he also played his part in England finishing third in the inaugural Nations League.

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    A Copa de la Reina and Copa Catalunya winner, as well as a runner-up in the Primera Division, Champions League and World Cup – Lieke Martens had an exceptional year.

    The winger struggled with injury at the World Cup, but she scored 11 goals and provided seven assists for Barcelona in the league and starred as they reached their first continental final.

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    Less than a year after leaving Southampton, Dusan Tadic was tearing Real Madrid apart at the Santiago Bernabeu with a performance that prestigious French paper L'Equipe deemed worthy of a 10/10 rating.

    The Serb's season was remarkable. He netted 38 goals in all competitions as Ajax pulled off a domestic double and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League, with the resurgent 30-year-old creating more chances in the tournament (37) than any other player.

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    Ewa Pajor exploded onto the big stage in incredible fashion this year, scoring 24 goals in just 19 league games for Wolfsburg – three of those appearances coming from the bench.

    The 22-year-old ended the season with a German league and cup double, scoring twice in the latter competition as well as bagging two Champions League goals.

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    Jordi Alba remains a wonderful attacking threat but there is no more complete left-back in the world right now than Andy Robertson.

    A pivotal player in Liverpool's Champions League-winning side, the Scotland international is a tenacious defender and just as fearsome going forward, as his record of 13 assists in all competitions last term illustrates.

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    Rose Lavelle was unknown to most going into the World Cup, but three goals in the United States’ 2018 CONCACAF Championship win meant she made Jill Ellis’ squad and was outstanding as they retained their title.

    Rightly recognised for her efforts with the Bronze Ball award, the 24-year-old’s semi-final performance against England was outstanding and her goal in the final sublime.

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    A fully-fit Marco Reus is always a joy to behold, so football fans around the world were delighted to see the attacking midfielder enjoy a period of sustained good health last season.

    Borussia Dortmund may have fallen short in their brave bid to dethrone Bundesliga kings Bayern Munich but their captain was crowned as the best player in Germany's top flight after scoring 17 goals and creating a further eight.

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    Injuries meant there wasn’t much expectation on Ellen White going into the World Cup, with her playing just eight league games for Birmingham last season.

    But she scored six goals in those games – the same number she would score for England in France, firing them to the semi-finals. She took home the Bronze Boot and became her country’s all-time Women’s World Cup top-scorer.

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    Luis Suarez may now be 32 but he remains one of the world's best No.9s, as he underlined with 25 goals and 10 assists in all competitions for Barcelona last season.

    Five of those goals came in Clasicos, too, with the Uruguayan hitting a hat-trick in the 5-1 rout of Real Madrid at Camp Nou, before bagging a double as the Blaugrana booked their place in the Copa del Rey final with a 3-0 win at the Bernabeu in February.

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    Jennifer Hermoso was crucial to Atletico Madrid’s third successive title win last season, scoring 24 goals and providing seven assists in 28 appearances.

    She then went to the World Cup with Spain and continued that form, scoring three times in four games as they reached the last 16 – eliminated only by champions the USA – before sealing a move to Barcelona.

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