Top 10 players in Europe this season according to ratings
The 2019/20 football season is set to come to an end soon, with Serie A being the only top-five league yet to be concluded. Players are set to return to training ahead of their UEFA Champions and Europa League commitments in August.
Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool ended their 30-year wait for a maiden Premier League title in England. Real Madrid, on the other hand, won their first league title in three years in Spain, and their 34th overall.
Elsewhere, it was a resumption of regular service for the likes of Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain, who won their eighth and third consecutive league titles respectively. Italian champions Juventus registered their ninth consecutive title win in the Serie A with a 2-0 win over Sampdoria.
Despite the unprecedented circumstances faced by professionals both on and off the pitch, many have stepped up and helped their teams achieve their goals — be it securing the title, a top-four finish, or a fight for survival. Here, we take a look at the ten highest-rated players in the top-five European leagues, as per Whoscored.com.
Note: Only players with a minimum of 20 appearances are eligible for this list.
#10 Timo Werner | RB Leipzig | 7.60
Chelsea's new German hotshot Timo Werner set the Bundesliga alight in the 2019/20 season with his blazing displays for RB Leipzig. Werner has been pivotal to helping the Red Bull-powered football giants establish themselves as Champions League regulars. Although they have a UCL quarter-final tie against Atletico Madrid on the horizon, they will be without their star striker.
His consistent performances for a handful of seasons in the German top-flight convinced Chelsea to part ways with €53m for Werner. The former VfB Stuttgart man was said to be on the brink of joining the English champions Liverpool for a long while until they eventually pulled the plug.
This season, Werner has played 34 Bundesliga games (33 starts) in which he registered a staggering 28 goals and set up a further eight. He scored a brace on the final Matchday of the season which made him Leipzig's highest-ever scorer with 94 goals. The 24-year-old has already linked up with his new club Chelsea at Cobham.
#9 Jadon Sancho | Borussia Dortmund | 7.64
Borussia Dortmund's English sensation Jadon Sancho has had impressive seasons at the Signal Iduna Park, but none more so than the 2019/20 one. The ex-Manchester City winger moved to Germany due to a lack of playing time at the Etihad, and with players such as Raheem Sterling, Leroy Sane, and more blocking his path.
Sancho has blitzed defences in Germany with his scintillating displays in the 2019/20 season. He has impressed with his ability to participate in intricate passages of play to pick teams apart along with the likes of Marco Reus, Erling Haaland, and others. The 20-year-old has registered 2.2 key passes and 2.4 dribbles per game to boot along with his pace and trickery in wide areas.
Sancho has registered a stunning 17 goals and 16 assists in the Bundesliga this season in just 25 starts, and a further seven appearances off the bench. Widely considered to be Manchester United's primary target heading into the summer, Sancho could soon return to his homeland ahead of the 2020/21 season.
#8 Josep Ilicic | Atalanta | 7.65
Atalanta's Josep Ilicic is, perhaps, the definition of a late bloomer. He has been central to Gian Piero Gasperini's high-flying side, who qualified for European football for the first time in their history.
Ilicic, along with the likes of Duvan Zapata and Luis Muriel, became the first trio of attackers to score 15+ goals in a Serie A season since 1951-52. Juventus' legendary attackers Ermes Muccinelli, Giampiero Boniperti and John Hansen, did so back then.
The Slovenian has proved to be a versatile attacker for Atalanta since his €5.5m move from Fiorentina. He set a few other records tumbling since his arrival at Gewiss Stadium as he became the oldest ever player to score four goals in a UCL game at 32 years and 41 days. His four-goal haul against Valencia also made him the only player to score as many in an away knockout tie in the UCL.
In just 21 starts and five sub appearances under Gasperini, Ilicic has racked up 15 goals and set up a further five goals. The 32-year-old has also averaged 3.1 shots per game as well as 2.1 key passes per game. Ilicic and Atalanta are set to face PSG in the quarter-finals of the UCL.
Also read: Top 10 U-21 English talents in football | Premier League 2019-20