Messi, Ronaldo and Mbappe all make European Team of the Season

Here we run through the best rated XI from Europe’s top five leagues for the 2018/19 campaign, with additional information about their Football INDEX share prices.

Goalkeeper: Alessio Cragno (Cagliari) - 7.07 rating

Football INDEX share price - £0.26

Cagliari shot-stopper Alessia Cragno made more saves than any other goalkeeper (153) and won more WhoScored Man of the Match awards of goalkeepers (eight) in Europe’s top five leagues this season. Without Cragno’s inspired displays between the sticks, Cagliari would most likely have been relegated from Serie A.

Right-back: Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich) - 7.49 rating

Football INDEX share price - £2.48

Joshua Kimmich registered more assists than any other defender in Europe’s top five leagues this season (13) and also ranked first for key passes of right-backs on the continent (82). Given the manner of Trent Alexander-Arnold’s displays for Liverpool this season, it says a lot about Kimmich that the Bayern Munich star is in our European Team of the Season.

Centre-back: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool) - 7.44 rating

Football INDEX share price - £2.94

Virgil van Dijk finished the 2018/19 campaign as the best WhoScored rated centre-back in Europe’s top five leagues and you cannot argue with that. Not only has Van Dijk developed into one of the best defenders on the continent but he should also now be considered among the best out of any position. The Netherlands international racked up the most clean sheets (20) of any centre-back in Europe’s top five leagues and no player successfully completed a dribble past him.

Centre-back: Willi Orban (RB Leipzig) - 7.41 rating

Football INDEX share price - £0.41

RB Leipzig did remarkably well to finish third in the Bundesliga this season and may feel they could have closed the gap on the top two had they had Willi Orban available more often. The 26-year-old only managed to start 23 league games this season and Leipzig only lost one of those matches. Leipzig finished the campaign with the best defensive record in the Bundesliga (29 goals conceded) and only conceded 0.65 goals per league game when Orban started. He also chipped in with four goals and won three WhoScored Man of the Match awards.

Left-back: Marcel Halstenberg (RB Leipzig) - 7.56 rating

Football INDEX share price - £0.67

Marcel Halstenberg is the second RB Leipzig representative in WhoScored’s European Team of the Season. The Germany international finished the campaign as the fourth highest WhoScored rated player in the Bundesliga, which is a testament to his displays. Halstenberg played a direct hand in nine league goals from left-back (three goals, six assists) and averaged 2.4 tackles and 1.4 interceptions per game.

Right wing: Lionel Messi (Barcelona) - 8.48 rating

Football INDEX share price - £4.71

Lionel Messi finished the 2018/19 campaign as the top goalscorer in Europe’s top five leagues (36). The Barcelona superstar played a direct hand in 49 league goals in total after registering 13 assists. He won the WhoScored Man of the Match award in half of his league games (17) and created at least six more clear-cut goalscoring opportunities (34) than any other player in Europe’s big leagues.

Central midfield: Teji Savanier (Nimes) - 7.89 rating

Football INDEX share price - £0.96

Teji Savanier finished his first campaign in one of Europe’s top five leagues as the third highest WhoScored rated player. The 27-year-old was a revelation for French side Nimes, registering the most assists in Ligue 1 (14) and only second to Eden Hazard (15) in Europe’s top five leagues. Savanier also weighed in with six goals and created more goalscoring opportunities from set-pieces than any other player on the continent (56).

Central midfield: Alejandro Gomez (Atalanta) - 7.64 rating

Football INDEX share price - £0.80

Atalanta defied the odds to finish the 2018/19 campaign in the top four in Serie A and have talismanic creator Alejandro Gomez to thank. The 31-year-old played a direct hand in 18 goals and won the WhoScored Man of the Match award on seven occasions. Furthermore, no player in Europe’s top five leagues registered more key passes than Gomez (112).

Left wing: Eden Hazard (Chelsea) - 7.81 rating

Football INDEX share price - £4.70

Eden Hazard’s exceptional campaign for Chelsea is expected to translate into a big money move to Real Madrid after the Europa League final. Hazard played a direct hand in more goals than any other player in the Premier League (31) and registered more assists than any other player in Europe’s top five leagues (15)

Striker: Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain) - 8.00 rating

Football INDEX share price - £5.38

Kylian Mbappe is the first player aged 21 and under since the Brazilian Ronaldo in 1997 to score 30+ goals in a single league campaign in one of Europe’s top five leagues. The 20-year-old scored 33 goals in 29 league games for Paris Saint-Germain this season, finishing behind only Lionel Messi (36) in the Golden Boot race in Europe’s top five leagues. Mbappe also registered seven assists to finish with 40 goal involvements in Ligue 1.

Striker: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus) - 7.68 rating

Football INDEX share price - £2.37

Cristiano Ronaldo is the only player to win league titles in the three major leagues in Europe’s top five divisions after lifting the Serie A trophy in his first year at Juventus. The Portugal international finished the campaign with 21 goals and eight assists, while attempting more shots than any other player in Europe’s top five leagues (177). Furthermore, Ronaldo was also the only striker in Europe's top five leagues to win the WhoScored Man of the Match award 10 times.