Manuel Neuer

Seen by most as the best goalkeeper in world football, Neuer has had an outstanding year both at club and international level. The 6ft 4in stopper broke numerous records en route to Bayern’s historic quadruple last season and became the youngest goalkeeper in history to keep one hundred clean sheets in the Bundesliga. Neuer also played every minute of Germany’s successful 2014 World Cup qualification campaign and is sure to be among the star performers in Brazil next summer.

Philipp Lahm

Arguably football’s best-ever fullback, Lahm has displayed another facet of his game this season after being moved into a central midfield position by new Bayern coach Pep Guardiola. Despite much initial scepticism, the 30-year-old has flourished in his new role, prompting Guardiola to say of Lahm: “[He] is perhaps the most intelligent player I have ever trained in my career. He is at another level.”

Vincent Kompany

The Manchester City skipper is arguably the most influential player at the Etihad Stadium and is now recognised as one of the best central defenders in the world. Comfortable on the ball and dominant in the air, the Belgian is a class act in a team of superstars and played a pivotal role in his country’s successful 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign. Kompany has recently helped City into the knockout phase of the Uefa Champions League for the first time in their history, and is looking to guide the club to a second Premier League title in three seasons over the next few months.

Thiago Silva

Silva completed an outstanding first season in French football by helping Paris Saint-Germain clinch their first Ligue 1 title in almost two decades. The Brazilian international also had an outstanding European club campaign, typified by two imposing displays against Barcelona in the quarter finals. Silva has picked up where is left of this season, ensuring PSG go into the second half of the 2013/14 campaign top of the pile in France and through to the knock-out phase of the Uefa Champions League.

David Alaba

The young Austrian international has had an incredible year at Bayern, picking up winners medals in the Champions League, Bundelsiga and DFB-Pokal, making the left back position his own in the process. Alaba’s outstanding form has been recognised by his club and the 21-year-old was handed a new bumper deal earlier this month – keeping him at the Allianz Arena until the end of the 2017/18 season.

Gareth Bale

Bale has hit the ground running at Real Madrid after the Spanish giants paid Tottenham Hotspur a record £85 million fee for the Welsh international’s services during the summer, and has taken his place among the best in the game. Awarded the PFA Players’ Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year in April after a splendid season at White Hart Lane, Bale was handed the FWA (Football Writer’s Association) Player of the Year Award weeks later – joining Cristiano Ronaldo as the only player to hold all three awards at once. Bale’s time in Spain has been just as impressive and the 24-year-old has scored nine goals in 17 appearances for los blancos.

Bastian Schweinsteiger

If one player encapsulates Bayern Munich, it is Bastian Schweinsteiger. The 29-year-old is the heartbeat of the Bavarian side and was voted Germany’s Player of the Season for the first time in May – completing a memorable 11th season at Die Roten. Schweinsteiger scored the goal that clinched Bayern the Bundesliga crown against Eintracht Frankfurt and also picked up his 100th cap as Germany concluded their successful 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign with a 5-3 victory in Sweden.

Mesut Ozil

Ozil enjoyed a splendid 2012/13 season for Real Madrid, picking up a record 26 assists as his side finished second in La Liga behind bitter rivals Barcelona. Despite his impressive statistics, Ozil was allowed to leave the Bernabeu over the summer as Arsenal broke their transfuser record to take him to the Premier League. The German international has flourished in North London and has already notched up nine assists and five goals as Arsene Wenger’s side set the early pace in the English top flight.

Lionel Messi

It is easy to forget just how good Lionel Messi is. By his standards 2013 has been a fairly quiet year, however the Argentine maestro still broke numerous records as he helped Barcelona clinch the 2012/13 La Liga title. Messi began the year by picking up his fourth consecutive Ballon d’Or award and went on to become the first player to score against every opponent in one season as he scored in 19 La Liga games in succession. Messi has scored 46 league goals for Barca in 2013.

Cristiano Ronaldo

The only word to describe Cristiano Ronaldo’s year is incredible. So long in the shadow of Lionel Messi, the Real Madrid forward has been the stand-out performer of 2013 and is surely set to beat his nemesis to the coveted Ballon d’Or award next month. Ronaldo has struck a staggering 56 goals for his club this year and has also bagged 10 for his country, almost single-handedly taking Portugal to next year’s World Cup in Brazil.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Ibrahimovic was the main driving force behind PSG’s title triumph last term and the enigmatic Swede was named Ligue 1 Player of the Season after bagging an impressive 30 league goals for the club from the French capital. The 32-year-old took up where he left off at the start of the 2013/14 campaign and ‘Ibra’ has already helped himself to 27 goals in just 28 games for club and country this season.

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