FIFA Best Player Awards Power Rankings: August 2020
Both FIFA's The Best Award ceremony and Ballon d'Or has been cancelled. But FIFA have promised us that they're 'evaluating several other alternatives’ to reward the top players.
We have seen some incredible individual campaigns in the 2019-20 season and it would be unfair to not honour the cream of the crop as the world tries to cope with a pandemic. We could use some joy afterall.
We are in the midst of a very interesting transfer window and several players have increased their market value greatly after excelling this year in football. The Ronaldo-Messi duopoly seems to have run its course and we were almost certain to have a fresh face on top of the podium.
Let's take a look at the Power Rankings for the month of August.
#10 Raheem Sterling
Raheem Sterling has once again been one of Pep Guardiola's main weapons in attack. In a star studded team, it is always difficult to stand out. But the Englishman had an excellent campaign, outscoring both the strikers in his team- Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus.
Sterling scored 30 goals for Manchester City in the 2019-20 season from the flanks. He also has 4 assists to his name. The nimble footed winger loves to cut in from the left wing and run at defenders. Even if he might not make the podium as things stand, he is surely going to improve and get there in the near future.
Sterling had to content with winning just the Carabao Cup this term with City.
#9 Karim Benzema
Karim Benzema continues to deliver for Real Madrid at the highest level despite being 32-years-old. Benzema was at the forefront of Real Madrid's title-winning 2019-20 domestic league campaign.
While the new signings struggled to make an impact, Benzema scored 27 goals and assisted a further 10 from 47 appearances across all competitions. The Frenchman was at his clinical best this season once again and continues to be one of the best strikers in the world.
#8 Virgil Van Dijk
The world's best centre-back had yet another stellar season though he might not have reached the heights of his 2018-19 campaign. Van Dijk has been a colossus at the back of Liverpool as the Merseysiders ran away with the Premier League trophy in one of the most dominant domestic campaigns ever by an English side.
European glory eluded the Dutchman and the best defensive record in the English top flight and a league title is all he has to show for it. But Virgil Van Dijk's consistency has been paramount to Liverpool's becoming a force to reckon with in Europe.