2015 draws to a close and VAVEL UK present our first ever Top 50 Players in the World.

Voted for by both editors and writers at VAVEL UK, we have produced a refined list of the best players of this year. Today, we'll reveal the Top 21-30 best players of 2015 with Number One on January 1st, New Year's Day.

Keep following to see who has made it and who hasn't. There were some lengthy discussions over who slipped into this list.

You can see the Top 41-50 here. You can see the Top 31-40 here.

And so, now for 30-21.

Gerard Pique of Barcelona and Spain

30 - Gerard Pique (FC Barcelona/Spain)

Pique has had an outstanding season, playing a key role in a Barcelona side that won five trophies in 2015. The defender doesn't always get the credit he deserves and he does struggle with keeping himself focused at times, but his role in Barca's success should not be understated. In a team that isn't blessed with height, Pique stands above most of his teammates at 6ft4in, and it's quite remarkable how often when teams cross into the box, the ball is met by Pique's head. This is far from luck and it is instead a result of years of working on the best positions to take in certain scenarios.

Pique was also a part of the Spain side that qualified for next summer's European Championships, although the Catalan has been booed by his own fans in home internationals. Many Spanish fans are unhappy at several comments he has made about Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos and Alvaro Arbeloa. However, the centre-back appears to be unfazed by the treatment and insists he will continue representing his country to the best of his ability - even if some don't understand or respect his outspoken views. (Words: Gerry Johnston)

Gareth Bale (Real Madrid/Wales)

29 - Gareth Bale (Real Madrid/Wales)

It has been far from the greatest 2015 for Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale, but a handful of stellar performances both domestically and internationally proved enough for him to just break into the top 30. After a sensational first campaign abroad, the dreaded second-season syndrome seemed to hit the Welshman hard despite a good start to the 2014-15 season winning the UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup. It went downhill at the beginning of 2015 when Madrid became negatively vocal towards the 26-year-old but Bale was defended by Carlo Ancelotti and ended the season with a relatively decent 17 goals in 48 appearances.

This summer was once again filled with rumours of a move away from the Santiago Bernabeu with strong links with a move back to England with Manchester United. Bale seems to have put the previous season behind as he has had a decent start with eight goals in 11 league appearances which included four in the 10-2 thrashing of Rayo Vallecano in December. Bale especially turned his form on the international stage in what proved to be a historic qualifying campaign for Wales. They managed to defy the odds with Bale spearheading the operation, with five goals from six games, which saw them qualify for Euro 2016, their first major international tournament since 1958. We can fully expect Bale to be at the forefront in France next summer. (Words: Danial Kennedy)

 Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Paris Saint-Germain/Sweden)

28 - Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Paris Saint-Germain/Sweden)

Records continue to tumble as he nears his twilight years.

There are few names as famous yet decisive in football as that of the talented Swede, a wonderful player but one who occasionally dazzles more in what he says off the pitch rather than what he does on it. But for Zlatan Ibrahimovic, more often than not it was his feet that did the talking, as he led the Swedes to the Euros – via a playoff against bitter rivals Denmark – and became Paris Saint-Germain’s all-time top goalscorer in a thrilling year.

However, the news was not all good with one or two moments of madness thrown in by the 34-year-old for good measure, including being sent off in the Champions League last sixteen as his team defeated Chelsea in a tightly fought contest.

These moments were few and far between for the Swede, who also became Sweden’s Male Footballer of the Year for a record tenth time in a row, as he fired PSG to the French Double, including scoring twice in the Coupe de la Ligue final. He would later top off his wonderful year for PSG when two goals against Marseille made him their all-time top goalscorer, succeeding Pauleta.

But the crowning moment of his year came in November when he captained Sweden to a two-legged victory over their rivals Denmark as they reached next summer’s Euros. Scoring three goals over the piece, including a simply stunning free kick in Denmark, it was a typically Ibrahimovic like display; mercurial, powerful and ultimately the game changer. (Words: Jack Haugh)

 Douglas Costa (Bayern Munich and Shakhtar Donetsk/Brazil)

27 - Douglas Costa (Bayern Munich and Shakhtar Donetsk/Brazil)

Douglas Costa is definitely one of the biggest surprises of the year. Bayern Munich signed him up for around €30m from Shakhtar Donetsk and he was instantly a real zinger in Pep Guardiola's team. With this transfer, the Bavarians brought the Bundesliga another very skillful and pacey player.  Especially against domestic rival Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Costa showed why Pep Guardiola wanted him in the team after the 25-year-old winger ditched youngster Julian Brandt with a fantastic rainbow flick. After a good pre-season with his new team, Costa debuted against Hamburger SV in Bundesliga opener and he fully deserved his 5-0 strike in the last minute of this match after a phenomenal start in a new stage of his career.

With two goals and incredible 12 assists in his 12 Bundesliga matches, he became very important for the Bavarians in their offensive play. Because of some muscular problems he had to sit out for a while and can recharge after the winter break. He has contributed to 14 goals this season in the league, the fifth most in the Bundesliga this season. Also, German site "kicker" marked him as best Bundesliga player with an average grading of 2.38.

In the UEFA Champions League group stage phase, Douglas Costa played a huge part in reaching the next round with two goals and two assists in five matches. His performance against Arsenal, tearing apart players with his quick feet particularly impressed. (Words: Pascal Martin)

Eden Hazard (Chelsea/Belgium)

26 - Eden Hazard (Chelsea/Belgium)

It was a year of two halves for Eden Hazard, and it’s, unfortunately, a stunted second half of 2015 that has prevented him from breaking even higher in our list, with a superb start to the year putting the Belgian firmly in top 10 condition.

Helping Chelsea to their first of two trophies this year, Hazard scored against Liverpool in the Capital One Cup semi-final, setting them up for victory over Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley. Contributing with goals and assists in the league from January until May, the winger showed his quality with a superb winning goal against Manchester United, and capped off the season by scoring the goal which handed Chelsea the Premier League title against Crystal Palace. All of this saw him named as the 2014/15 PFA Player of the Year.

However, for all his successes in the earlier part of the year, the new season has resulted in Hazard struggling, with his plight coinciding with that of Chelsea’s. Missing a penalty against Stoke City in the League Cup fourth round summed up his season, being the only Blues player to miss in that shoot-out. Despite this, things are looking up for Chelsea under Guus Hiddink, and perhaps they will for Hazard going into 2016. (Words: Olli Emmerson)

Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid/France)

25 - Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid/France)

2015 has been a great one for young Antoine Griezmann who has managed to adapt to the high-level of Spanish football in his stride throughout the year. Atletico beat a number of European sides to the popular Frenchman’s signature in the summer of 2014 when he signed from Real Sociedad for a hefty fee of €30 million (£24 million). The 24-year-old had a good start to the campaign but upped the ante at the turn of the New Year winning La Liga player of the month for January and again in April 2015. He also broke records as his 22nd league goal of the campaign with his second in the 3-0 win over Elche CF which made the highest French international goal scorer in a single La Liga season. Being named in the La Liga team of the season proved to be icing on the cake was finished with 25 goals in all competitions which brought summer interest from the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United. 

Griezmann decided at the Vicente Calderon and has proved even more crucial and is nearly halfway to his goals total for the previous campaign having already scored 12 in 21 appearances and will be looking to carry on this great form after the winter break. Having made his international debut in 2014, he continued his form for the French national side into this year making eight appearances throughout the year but scored just the one goal against Armenia. Despite that Griezmann will certainly carry his excellent domestic form into the New Year and will be certain to lead his side to potential glory in Euro 2016 next summer. (Words: Danial Kennedy)

Carlos Tevez (Boca Juniors and Juventus/Argentina)

24 - Carlos Tevez (Boca Juniors and Juventus/Argentina)

Carlos Tevez has been something of a journeyman in which he was able to win almost everything in every country he played for. Whether it was Brazil, England, Italy or his native Argentina he was able to get something worthwhile in his time there.

In the 2014-15 season, whilst at Juventus, he won the league and cup and reached the final of the UEFA Champions League where they lost to Barcelona 3-1. Still, he finished his career at Juventus with 29 goals in all competitions and 50 goals overall in his two seasons there in Turin.

He went back to his hometown club in Buenos Aires, the club where he started his career in Boca Juniors, where he was received as a legend and playing at La Bombonera, scored nine goals in 17 and was able to win the Argentine league and cup. Internationally, he played for Argentina for the first time in 4 years and played the Copa America in Chile, where they finished runners-up losing to the hosts on penalties.

At 31, heading into 2016, he will be looking to play in the Copa Libertadores, where he won it for Boca in 2003. (Words: Roberto Rojas)

David Alaba (Bayern Munich/Austria)

23 - David Alaba (Bayern Munich/Austria)

Another fine season for Bayern Munich's stunningly versatile David Alaba. Ever since Pep Guardiola's arrival at the Allianz Arena, Alaba has been developing into one of the most tactically astute and able players in world football. He is now turned from a superb full-back into Guardiola's ideal player.

"David Alaba is our God. He has already played almost 10 positions," said Guardiola earlier this year. 

It is true. Originally breaking through to the Bayern first team under Louis van Gaal, Alaba was simply a full-back. Now he plays at central midfield for his country, occupies the central defender's position in most games for Bayern while also having stints at full-back, midfield, on the wing and up front for the Bavarians.

For Guardiola, he is the key man for Bayern, allowing the Spaniard to tinker mid-game and thrash his opponents. For his country, Austria, Alaba is their best player. Captaining them frequently in the qualifying campaign for the 2016 Europan Championships, Alaba was part of the unbeaten Austrian side, deployed in midfield.

Next year, Alaba will see Guardiola leave Bayern Munich. Yet he'll probably see many managers leave in the coming years, given he's only a surprisingly 23 years old, despite the many Bundesliga titles under his belt.
 

Mesut Ozil (Arsenal/Germany)

22 - Mesut Ozil (Arsenal/Germany)

Mesut Ozil was instrumental in what proved to be an extremely successful 2015 for Arsenal, as he continued to repay the hefty price-tag paid to Real Madrid for him back in 2013. Returning in January from a knee injury that had kept him out for three months, Ozil scored in Arsenal’s 3-2 victory against Brighton in the FA Cup fourth round, and would go on to star throughout the competition as Arsenal eventually won the competition, beating Aston Villa 4-0 in the final. One of his best performances of the year came against Liverpool in early April, scoring in the 4-1 win, in a game he controlled.

Picking up where he left off at the start of the new season, Ozil wasted no time in getting going again, with his incredible form making for a fine ending to the year. Managing 15 assists before Christmas Day, Ozil also scored in the crucial victory at home to Bayern Munich, helping Arsenal to progress through their Champions League group. He’ll be hoping to break Thierry Henry’s Premier League assist record in 2015, as well as helping the Gunners to that title they crave so badly. (Words: Olli Emmerson)

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund/Gabon)

21 - Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund/Gabon)

When you are outscoring Robert Lewandowski, you know you are in pretty good form. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been in sensational form for Borussia Dortmund, scoring for fun with 18 Bundesliga goals at the winter break in just 17 games. To put that into perspective, only the legendary Gerd Müller has netted more at this stage of the season than the Gabonese star in the history of the top flight.

Aubameyang’s greatest asset is his incredible pace, which makes him a nightmare to defend against and a constant threat in behind. However, he does not solely rely on his physical attributes to beat defenders anymore, but rather to compliment intelligent movement off the ball and a great understanding with teammates such as Marco Reus. This growth as an all-round player has seen Aubameyang blossom in his third season at BvB and become the go-to man whenever the black-and-yellows need a goal. As the undoubted star and captain of the Gabonese national team, Aubameyang carries the expectations of a nation whenever representing his country. But his scoring record of 19 goals in 45 games suggests that he handles this like he does everything else; Cool, calm and with a dash of flair.


Compiled by Harry Robinson.

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