Ballon d’Or Power Ranking: February 2020
UPDATE: Ballon d’Or Power Ranking for March are out!
An exciting month of January is now behind us and there were a lot of amazing performances. We are heading towards the business end of the football season and every team is looking to do their best in the final push to achieve these goals.
Lionel Messi picked up the 2019 Ballon d’Or award and now the focus of every top star is on the 2020 Ballon d’Or! Some of them have already set the tone and are doing all they can one month at a time to get their hands on the trophy in December 2020.
Here are the Ballon d’Or Power Ranking for the month of February 2020:
#10 Jordan Henderson
Jordan Henderson has been the heartbeat of this record-breaking Liverpool side, having undergone a mid-season transformation of sorts.
Henderson has provided assists, scored goals and kept Liverpool ticking all season and has been rewarded with a Player of the Year nomination.
#9 Erling Braut Håland
Norwegian striker Erling Braut Håland has taken European football by storm at the raw age of 19. Haaland rose to prominence with scintillating displays for Red Bull Salzburg, following which he secured a dream move to Borussia Dortmund in January.
Haaland has continued to impress since his €20 million move to the Bundesliga, netting a hat-trick on debut against Augsburg after coming on as a second-half substitute.
The Norwegian has struck seven goals in just four league appearances for Dortmund whilst also providing one assist and will shoot up this list if he can produce similar displays in the games to come.
#8 Casemiro
After a disastrous 2018/19 season, Casemiro has regained the form he showed in Real Madrid’s Champions League-winning campaigns of 2016/17 and 2017/18.
The Brazilian was named Real Madrid’s Player of the Month in January following a string of stellar displays in the heart of the Blancos midfield and will look to continue in the same vein and move up this list with important La Liga and Champions League games to come.
#7 Kevin de Bruyne
Manchester City may be having a disappointing season by their lofty standards, but Kevin de Bruyne has continued to shine.
The Belgian has provided a whopping 16 assists from just 24 games in the Premier League this season and has also netted seven times.
He also played a starring role in City’s victory over rivals Manchester United in the EFL Cup and will hope to inspire his side to wins over Real Madrid in their upcoming CL tie.
#6 Sergio Ramos
The Real Madrid captain has been instrumental in his side’s remarkable run this season, featuring in a defence that’s allowed just 14 goals in 23 league games.
Ramos has formed a formidable partnership with Raphael Varane at the heart of Madrid’s defense and the duo has ensured Los Blancos sit comfortably at the top of the table, three points clear of Barcelona.
Ramos played just three games in January but kept two clean sheets.
#5 Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi has continued from where he left off in 2019. Winning the Ballon d’Or for a record sixth time last year seems to have spurred him on and he’s continued to win games for Barcelona singlehandedly. He scored just once in the league in January, in a 1-0 win against Granada, but netted twice in Barcelona’s Copa del Rey R16 clash against Leganes and also once in their Super Cup defeat to Atletico Madrid.
#4 Ciro Immobile
Ciro Immobile has found a new lease of life this season and his performances have almost singlehandedly kept Lazio in the title race.
Immobile netted six goals in just four league games in January, taking his tally for the season to 25. He’s the Serie A’s top scorer by a fair margin and will fancy his chances of taking home the Capocannoniere award come May.
#3 Mohamed Salah
After a slow start to the new season, Mohamed Salah seems to have finally hit his stride. The Egyptian sparkled for Liverpool in January, netting in victories over West Ham United, Manchester United and Sheffield United to take his tally for the season to 14.
#2 Virgil Van Dijk
Many fans were surprised when Virgil Van Dijk did not walk away with the 2019 Ballon d’Or trophy considering the success he enjoyed with Liverpool last season. However, he has taken his game to new heights this year and is once again one of the favourites for the award.
With Van Dijk marshalling the defense, Liverpool kept four clean sheets in five league games in January to inch closer to their first-ever Premier League title.
The Dutchman also scored in the Reds’ victory against Manchester United to cap off an unbelievable month.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo looks like a man on a mission in 2020. Having fallen behind in the Ballon d’Or count following Messi’s victory last year, the Portuguese is keen to get back on equal footing by taking home the prize this year.
Ronaldo had a particularly fruitful January, scoring in each of Juventus’ four league games, as well as their Coppa Italia triumph over Roma.
He began with a hat-trick against Cagliari and followed it up with a goal against Roma, a brace against Lazio, and another goal against Napoli to take his tally to 20 goals from 20 games in the Serie A.
Ronaldo sits on top of the Ballon d’Or Power Ranking in February.
