Wednesday 20 December 2017 15:57, UK
Sky Sports have been counting down the top 100 players of 2017 this week - here's a look at who ranks 60-41.
Using the Sky Sports Power Rankings, we have crunched the numbers to calculate which players have enjoyed a stellar year across Europe's top five leagues.
N'Golo Kante, Marco Asensio and Cesc Fabregas are just a handful of players to already feature in our top 100, and you can view previous lists below:
But who makes the cut from 60 down to 41? Find out below...
60. Pedro - Chelsea
An unsung hero of Chelsea's title success last season, Pedro's work-rate and versatility was a real asset to the team, while his defensive capabilities cannot be overlooked. Only four forwards won more tackles in the Premier League than Pedro last season.
59. Joshua King - Bournemouth
With Harry Kane, Alexis Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku leading the way in the 2016-17 Premier League goalscoring charts, it perhaps went under the radar that King netted 16 times as Bournemouth secured a ninth-placed finish - the highest position in the club's history in what was only their second season in the top tier.
58. Olivier Giroud - Arsenal
Arsene Wenger is starting to see his compatriot as an impact player off the bench but he is still thriving in the role, even if he would like more time on the pitch, scoring 16 goals for Arsenal in 2017.
57. Raul Garcia - Athletic Bilbao
Garcia's 14 goals and nine assists in the 2016/17 season outlined his importance to Bilbao, and the Spaniard already has seven goals to his name this campaign, though the club are currently languishing in the wrong half of the table as far as they are concerned.
56. Toni Kroos - Real Madrid
Alongside Luka Modric, the German midfielder is at the centre of things for Real, as he helped them to domestic and continental glory, with his 12 assists in the league being crucial.
55. Filipe Luis - Atletico Madrid
An underwhelming season at Chelsea is a long way behind Luis now, who has gone on to re-establish himself as one of the top left-backs in the world since his switch back to Atletico in 2015. The Spanish club may have suffered the disappointment of an early exit from the Champions League this season, but they've had a good season in La Liga so far, going unbeaten in 16 games and conceding just seven goals.
54. Alvaro Morata - Real Madrid/Chelsea
After ending the 2016-17 season with 15 La Liga goals for Real Madrid, the striker was heavily linked with a move to the Premier League. Manchester United appeared to be frontrunners for the Spaniard, but after signing Romelu Lukaku, it was Chelsea who bought the striker for £70m. And he is certainly proving his worth at Stamford Bridge, scoring nine league goals and assisting a further four in 16 games to date.
53. Henrikh Mkhitaryan - Manchester United
The Armenian settled into Jose Mourinho's side after a tough start at Old Trafford but five assists and a goal in 12 Premier League appearances in 2017/18 have not been sufficient to make Mkhitaryan a regular in the United team.
52. Dani Alves - Juventus/PSG
Alves decided against joining Pep Guardiola's revolution in the summer after losing to Real Madrid in the Champions League final, but he has slotted in well in the French capital, quickly becoming integral as Paris Saint-Germain dominate Ligue 1 and make steady progress in Europe.
51. Gylfi Sigurdsson - Swansea/Everton
Swansea might have gone down if it wasn't for the influential Icelandic midfielder who scored nine times to help the Welsh side stay up. His form earned him a move to Everton where he has struggled to recapture what he offered at the Liberty Stadium.
50. Thiago - Bayern Munch
The annual Bundesliga title was collected, with the Spaniard's contribution being six goals and five assists in the 26 games he featured in. Thiago has also become a regular for Spain thanks to his fine form and will be targeting a key role at the World Cup.
49. Marc-Andre ter Stegen - Barcelona
It says everything about ter Stegen's performances for Barcelona this year that he is the highest-ranked goalkeeper on the list. The German stopper has conceded just 28 goals all year and his speed off his line and agility are the base from which the team's attacking stars can do their thing.
48. Radja Nainggolan - Roma
A dynamic midfielder, Radja Nainggolan has been linked with a move to Chelsea in recent months, but he remains committed to staying in Italy. His leadership, after the club lost several players in the summer, helped Roma finish above Chelsea and top of their Champions League group and they remain in touch in the Serie A title race.
47. Paul Pogba - Manchester United
Without Pogba in the team, United are never the same. He helped the team to Europa League and FA Cup success in his first season back with the club and started 2017/18 by netting three and setting up five in his opening eight games of the Premier League.
46. Marek Hamsik - Napoli
If this is the year that Juventus' stranglehold on Serie A is finally broken, then Marek Hamsik is one of the men who can play a key part in it. Napoli are one of the two clubs, along with Inter Milan, that are challenging fiercely for the title this season. His goal in the 3-1 victory over Torino on December 16 was his 115th for the club, matching Diego Maradona's record as the club's highest goalscorer.
45. Aleksandar Kolarov - Man City/Roma
After spending seven seasons with Manchester City, Kolarov signed for Roma in July, where he has scored three goals and assisted a further eight already this season. He also netted in two World Cup Qualifiers against Moldova and the Republic of Ireland in 2017 as Serbia sealed a place in Russia next year - where they will face Brazil, Costa Rica and Switzerland.
44. Iago Aspas - Celta Vigo
Nine goals and two assists already this season in La Liga shows Aspas could follow up an impressive season with an even greater one this time around. His 19 goals in 2016-17 came as Celta could only muster a 13th-placed finish in the league.
43. Nicolas Otamendi - Manchester City
Few thought Otamendi would grow into the role of a consistent Premier League defender but he is arguably City's main man at the back now. He has smoothed his rough edges and has added goals to his game, scoring five in all competitions so far.
42. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - Borussia Dortmund
Dortmund may have finished third in the Bundesliga last season behind champions Bayern Munch and surprise-package RB Leipzig, but Aubameyang enjoyed another outstanding season in Germany, finishing as the league's top goalscorer on 31. He helped Dortmund get one over Bayern too - scoring in the DFB Pokal semi-final win - before netting the winning goal from the penalty spot to help them lift the cup at the expense of Eintracht Frankfurt.
41. Ciro Immobile - Lazio
The Italian striker's name is a misnomer - Immobile is a rapid, versatile forward who has scored 15 goals in 15 Serie A appearances. His hat-trick in September helped Lazio to a 4-1 win over AC Milan and in October the 27-year-old signed a new deal with the club that will keep him in Rome until 2022. In a dark year for the Italian national team, he is one of the bright spots.
