The top 10 players in the world for every position in 2019 have been named

It’s been another hugely eventful year in the world of football. We witnessed some of the greatest Champions League comebacks of all time towards the end of last season; we were treated to a classic Premier League title race between Liverpool and Manchester City, and we also saw Jurgen Klopp’s thrilling team lift the European Cup. Elsewhere, Brazil won the 2019 Copa America, Barcelona triumphed in both La Liga and the Copa del Rey, Cristiano Ronaldo won his first Serie A title with Juventus, and so much more has happened that we could be here all day. As we approach the end of 2019, ESPN have released the latest edition of their annual rankings: the ESPN FC 100. More than 40 ESPN FC experts from around the world have made their selections and come up with top tens for every position on the pitch. Let’s take a look at which players have come out on top... David de Gea has dropped from first place to ninth in the latest ESPN FC 100, but that’s not a shock - the Man Utd shot-stopper has been below-par for the past 12 months. Separating Alisson, Oblak and Ter Stegen this year can’t have been easy - all three ‘keepers have been magnificent - but Liverpool’s Brazilian takes it after winning both the Champions League and the Copa America. Trent Alexander-Arnold only turned 21 last month but is already considered by many as the world’s best right-back. Now that’s impressive. The Liverpool and England star beats Joshua Kimmich to top spot, while Ricardo Pereira is recognised for his excellent calendar year with Leicester and Portugal. Dani Alves also gets in despite the fact the veteran Brazilian has made quite a few appearances in midfield for his current employers Sao Paulo. No contest, this one. Virgil van Dijk has been the best central defender since January 1 by a country mile. The Dutchman, who won the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year award in August and also stands a chance of winning the 2019 Ballon d’Or, beats Kalidou Koulibaly and Matthijs de Ligt to pole position. Yet another Liverpool player finishes in top spot - and again, you can have no complaints about this one. Andrew Robertson has taken his game to a new level over the course of 2019 and is now, in the eyes of most football fans, the best left-back in the world. N’Golo Kante is a player that every manager in the world would love to have in their starting line-up - but has Chelsea’s Frenchman really been the best central midfielder in 2019? Frenkie de Jong can consider himself a little unlucky to finish in second spot, while the same can be said of Fernandinho in fourth and, in particular, Fabinho down in sixth. Perhaps Fabinho would have finished higher up the list had he been part of the Brazil squad that won the Copa America. A deserved win in this category for the brilliant Bernardo Silva, who lifted the Premier League and UEFA Nations League trophies with Man City and Portugal this year. The 25-year-old finishes above Kevin De Bruyne, who has been excellent at the sta