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 10th best player 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. You can see the Top 21-30 here. You can see the Top 11-20 here.
And so, for the fifth best player in the world, Robert Lewandowski.
5 - Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich/Poland)
One could sit here for days running through Robert Lewandowski's achievements in 2015. He's clinched numerous titles with his club, Bayern Munich, and helped his country, Poland, qualify for the Euros next summer, but, above all, he has established himself as the deadliest out-and-out number nine in world football.
Back in September, Lewandowski came off the bench against VfL Wolfsburg to score five goals in less than nine minutes, breaking three records in the process and epitomising his composure and effectiveness in front of goal in an instant.
The highest number of goals scored in one game by a substitute; the quickest ever hat-trick; and the quickest ever five-goal haul by an individual - he had officially cemented himself as the best striker in world football, if it wasn't already apparent.
With 15 goals in 16 Bundesliga games so far this season, it would take something incredible for him to surrender a Torjägerkanone award which seems destined for his hands for the second time in three years too.
On the European stage, the Polish striker has seven goals in six games as Bayern look to go all the way in the Champions League, whilst his talents will be showcased on the international stage next summer too, with Lewandowski's 13 goals in qualifying helping Poland to Euro 2016 and him to two more personal accolades - the golden boot and best player in qualifying awards.
The 27-year-old has the ability to help Poland spring some surprises in France next summer, with him looking to add to his 34 goals in 73 games for his country as they look to get out of the group stages in the tournament for the first time in their history. Wielding the captain's armband, he will lead a talented team in the Euros - which also contains the likes of Sevilla's Grzegorz Krychowiak and Ajax's Arkadiusz Milik - and look to inspire them to a great finish with his incredible goal-scoring ability.
Fourteen more goals will take Lewandowski to the top of Poland's all-time scoring list too, whilst another 30 caps will see him top the all-time appearances list as well as he looks set to establish himself as the country's greatest ever player.
At the same time, he's quickly becoming one of the best strikers the game has ever seen, and especially the Bundesliga, having amassed 100 goals in the German top flight quicker than any other foreign player in history earlier this season.
It's no surprise that, with his contributions, Bayern are flying once more this season then, with them top of the league - eight points of his former club, Borussia Dortmund - at the winter break and in the quarter-finals of the DFB-Pokal.
To overcome Juventus in the last 16 in Europe, the German giants will need Lewandowski at his best too, as will Poland next summer. Fortunately for both, the 27-year-old is flying into his prime and there looks to be absolutely no stopping him as he does after a career-defining 2015.
