In the past few weeks, Liverpool were crowned Premier League champions after football’s restart, while Bayern Munich won the Bundesliga.

Real Madrid won La Liga, Juventus took the Serie A title, and Paris St-Germain were named Ligue 1 winners back in April after their league season was declared over.

Some peerless footballing talents ply their trade in Europe currently. Couple this with a few veteran footballers who have carved an unmatchable impression in the sport and continue to do so and the continent comes up as a hotbed of prodigious players of the game. We have set out on a task to form an appropriate line-up that comprises of the best European footballers.

The team that we have drawn out consists of a sturdy yet adventurous backline, a versatile midfield and a few extremely potent goalscorers. Without further ado, let us get into the details of the same

We all have our own different opinions about who have been the best players in Europe so far this season. However, we are about to end the debate once and for all, with some cold, hard facts.

Courtesy of the good people at Opta, here is the best XI from Europe’s top five leagues in the recently concluded 2019-20 season, from a statistical point-of-view. We have used statistics to build our team because it gives us enough to prove why each of these players have been named a part of the XI.

We have adopted the 3-4-3 formation with four midfielders and three players each in defence and attack. Take a look:

Goalkeeper

Alisson Becker (Liverpool FC, Brazil)

Alisson Becker saved a whopping 80.4% of the shots that he faced this season, more than any other goalkeeper in Europe. He has also kept a clean sheet in 50% of his league matches in 2019/20 and on average, he concedes a goal only every 158 minutes.

To top it off, Liverpool won the Premier League this season, ending a 30-year-long wait to get their hands on the title. The Brazilian’s performances between the sticks were key for the Merseysiders’ domestic success.

Defence

Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool FC, England)

Despite being a right-back, Trent Alexander-Arnold notched up more assists (12) than any other defender in league games in the 2019-20 season. The England international has also taken more touches (2983) and put in more crosses from open play (195) than any other player in Europe this term.

As mentioned above, Liverpool lifted the Premier League and just like Alisson, Alexander-Arnold was also one of the key players the contributed to their success in the English top-flight.

Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool FC, The Netherlands)

Having already named Alisson and Alexander-Arnold as part of this list, the article would have been incomplete had Virgil van Dijk not been mentioned. The Netherlands international played for over 95% of the total minutes in the recently concluded 2019-20 edition of the Premier League, and also played a big role in their success, just like everyone else in Jurgen Klopp’s squad as they went on to lift the trophy.

He has also made 2209 successful passes and won 75% of his duels, which is the best record in the Premier League this season.

Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich, Canada)

Alphonso Davies attempted a whopping 51 dribbles in the Bundesliga in 2020, more than any other player. He also won 161 Bundesliga duels in 2019/20 – the best record at Bayern Munich.

The icing on the 19-year-old’s cake would be his club’s title success in both the German top-flight and in the UEFA Champions League. In the European competition, Bayern were undefeated throughout the season, and Davies himself did well, especially against Barcelona in the semi-final.

In the game which they won by a massive 8-2 scoreline, Davies showcased his brilliance by dribbling past several Barca players before recording the assist of Joshua Kimmich’s goal.

Midfield

Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund, England)

Remarkably, Jadon Sancho is the only player besides Lionel Messi to rack up double figures for both goals (15) and assists (14) in Europe’s big five leagues this season. The 20-year-old is also the first Bundesliga player ever to score 27 goals before his 20th birthday.

Sancho is currently one of the hottest prospects as far as the transfer market is concerned, with Manchester United keenly pursuing his signature. Priced at €120 million, the England international is all set to become the club’s record signing in terms of transfer fees, provided they manage to have him on his books before the end of the ongoing summer transfer window.

Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City, Belgium)

No player in Europe has bettered Kevin De Bruyne’s 16 league assists this season. The Belgian has also created 96 chances in 2019/20 – more than any other player.

The former Chelsea player joined Manchester City in 2015, and has since gone on to establish himself as one of the club’s greatest legends, scoring 57 goals and recording 89 assists in appearances across all competitions. He also lifted the Premier League twice, FA Cup once and the English League Cup four times.

Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich, Germany)

Like De Bruyne, Thomas Muller has 16 league assists this season – a personal record within a single Bundesliga campaign.

Just like his Bayern Munich teammate Alphonso Davies, the 2014 FIFA World Cup winner was also instrumental in their club’s title success in both the German top-flight and in the UEFA Champions League. In the European competition, Bayern were undefeated throughout the season, and Muller did well by scoring two goals in the massive 8-2 win against Barcelona in the semi-final.

Angel Di Maria (Paris Saint-Germain, Argentina)

Angel Di Maria has provided seven league assists in 2020 so far, more than any other player in Europe. That takes his tally to 14 league assists for the season and makes it the best in Ligue 1.

Despite the 2019-20 Ligue 1 season ending prematurely for the Argentine and his club PSG, they were still declared champions for the third year in a row. The Parisiens also reached the finals of the Champions League, where they lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich to miss out on the title by a whisker.

Forwards

Ciro Immobile (SS Lazio, Italy)

With 27 league goals to his name this term, Immobile has an even better record than Robert Lewandowski. The Italian also boasts the record for most goal involvements in Europe this season (27 goals, seven assists).

Despite the Italian’s best efforts, Lazio could not create an impact in the Serie A this season. However, with him at their helm, they are likely to continue fighting to get to the top of the league in the years to come

Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich, Poland)

Robert Lewandowski netted over 25 league goals in the 2019-20 season. The Polish hit-man has also taken 108 shots this season – only Cristiano Ronaldo (130) has taken more in the whole of Europe.

Like his Bavarian teammates Davies and Muller, Lewandowski was also a vital cog in Hansi Flick’s machinery that lifted the Bundesliga and the Champions League. Had FIFA approved the Ballon d’Or award for this year, it would have been a surprise if anyone else other than the 32-year-old had won it.

Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona, Argentina)

It had to be him.

For the 12th time in his career, Messi has reached double figures for both league goals (19) and assists (12) this season. The little magician also has taken 59 shots and attempted 77 dribbles in league games 2020 – more than any other player.

If you are a follower of football, you will be aware about the furor created by the Argentine, having chosen to make known to Barcelona that he wants to leave them at the end of this season. After a disappointing trophy-less 2019-20 season, losing their talisman would be the last thing that the Catalans would want – so they will try with all their might to prevent it from happening.