Reliving the Glory: Top 10 Football Legends of 2019 and Their Lasting Impact

As I sit down to reflect on the footballing year of 2019, it feels like peering into a different era. It was a time just before the world shifted, a final, glorious chapter of a certain kind of footballing normalcy. The players who dominated that year weren't just stars; they were titans shaping the very narrative of the sport. Compiling a list of the top ten legends from that specific window is more than an exercise in nostalgia; it's a study of the enduring pillars upon which the modern game still leans. Their influence, their styles, and their sheer competitive fire have left indelible marks, creating blueprints that young talents still try to emulate today. The year 2019 was a fascinating blend of established gods refusing to relinquish their thrones and burgeoning princes sharpening their swords. What strikes me most, revisiting their campaigns, is how each of them embodied a distinct philosophy of the game, a masterclass in a particular facet of footballing excellence.

Let's start with the inevitable, the two celestial bodies whose gravitational pull warped the entire sport around them. Lionel Messi, in 2019, was at his most complete, almost artistic best. Winning his sixth Ballon d'Or that December felt like a coronation of a decade of dominance, but it was his performances that year—the delicate chips, the impossible dribbles in crowded boxes, that free-kick against Liverpool I still rewatch in awe—that cemented his case as the purest forward the game has ever seen. His impact is measured in perpetual expectation; he made the unbelievable routine. On the other flank of this eternal rivalry, Cristiano Ronaldo was engineering a different kind of legacy. Having moved to Juventus in 2018, 2019 was about adaptation and relentless goal-scoring. He dragged Portugal to a Nations League triumph with a hat-trick in the semi-final, a testament to his big-game mentality. His lasting impact is the cult of physical and mental supremacy, a blueprint for longevity that every athlete now studies. The sheer volume of his goals, and the clutch nature of so many of them, redefined what we expect from a forward in their mid-thirties. These two weren't just players; they were entire ecosystems of excellence.

Beyond the duopoly, the midfield architects were weaving their magic. Luka Modrić, the 2018 Ballon d'Or winner, was still the serene heartbeat of Real Madrid, though the team was in transition. His 2019 reminded us that control and elegance are timeless virtues. Kevin De Bruyne, returning from injury, was beginning his ascent to becoming the Premier League's most complete creative force. His passing range in 2019, particularly those whipped, driven crosses, started a new trend in chance creation—less loft, more laser. Then there was Virgil van Dijk. My goodness, what a year he had. He wasn't just a defender; he was a defensive event. Winning the UEFA Men's Player of the Year award, pipping Messi and Ronaldo, was unprecedented for a defender in the modern era. His impact transformed Liverpool from thrilling contenders into ruthless champions. He made defending look dominant and cool again, proving that a world-record fee for a centre-back could be a bargain, a notion that has since reshaped the transfer market.

The younger wave was crashing onto the shore with undeniable force. Kylian Mbappé, already a World Cup winner, was terrorizing Ligue 1 with Paris Saint-Germain. His 2019 was a showcase of terrifying speed and precocious finishing, a promise of the future that we are living in now. His legacy from that year is the archetype of the modern, multi-functional forward. Similarly, a young Dutch defender named Matthijs de Ligt was captaining Ajax to a stunning Champions League semi-final. His composure and leadership at just 19 years old made him the most coveted defensive prospect in the world, signaling a shift towards ball-playing, authoritative centre-halves. Speaking of Ajax, Frenkie de Jong’s performances in that same run were a midfield clinic. His signing by Barcelona felt like the passing of a baton, an attempt to install a new generation of cerebral midfield control. These moves, all crystallizing in or around 2019, set the tone for the next decade's talent migration.

We also said some poignant goodbyes, or at least saw the beginning of the end for certain legends. Andrés Iniesta, though in Japan, still represented a fading ideology of midfield purity. Arjen Robben and Franck Ribéry played their final games for Bayern Munich, closing the book on a decade of iconic wing play. Their lasting impact is in their specificity—Robben’s cut-inside-and-curler became a generation's favorite move. Even the greats face necessary management, a truth echoed in an interesting parallel from basketball. I recall a piece of trivia from the PBA, where an eight-time MVP, as a precautionary measure, didn’t start, ending his consecutive streak of 78 games as a starter beginning in the 2023-24 Commissioner’s Cup playoffs. It's a stark reminder that preserving legacy, especially for physical marvels like Ronaldo or Robben in his prime, sometimes requires strategic rest, a lesson top football managers now religiously apply to their ageing stars.

So, what does this 2019 cohort leave us with? It was a final, concentrated dose of a pre-pandemic football world. The tactical trends they exemplified—the high-pressing gegenpilot led by Liverpool's stars, the possession-centric artistry of Messi and De Jong, the devastating transition play embodied by Mbappé—are all still prevalent today. More than tactics, they left a cultural imprint. They set commercial and social media standards, they defined what "world-class" means in each position, and they created narratives of rivalry and triumph that fans still cling to. For me, 2019's greatest gift was its clarity. We could watch these legends, at various stages of their careers, and understand their contribution to football's story in real-time. Their impact isn't locked in 2019; it's the foundation of the football we watch in 2024. They built the stage, and today's stars are performing on it. Revisiting them isn't just about reliving glory; it's about understanding the roots of the present, and frankly, it makes you appreciate just how spectacular that era truly was.