End-of-Season Premier League Player Rankings: Hazard, Kante, Kane Top the Lot
That's it. It's over. The Premier League has finished for another season, with the final day of the 2016-17 campaign providing goals, thrashings, excitement and, for some, finality.
Manchester City and Liverpool pipped Arsenal to the top four, leaving Arsene Wenger facing a campaign without Champions League football for the first time since 1997. Sunderland, Middlesbrough and Hull City exited tamely; that Boro losing 3-0 was the best score any of them could manage underlines how disappointingly this has ended for them.
Chelsea and Tottenham both put on a show, with many of their stars shining one final time. It's they who dominate the upper reaches of our final Premier League player rankings; 13 of the top 20 belong to either Blue or Lilywhite.
Ranking Criteria
- It's a season-long ranking based on performances over the entire campaign—no longer does it take into account a four-to-six-week period of form (like previous editions did). Therefore, whoever is No. 1 would effectively be our choice for Player of the Season if the campaign finished this week.
- Only Premier League form is considered—no Champions League, no domestic cups and no international football.
- We pore over hours of film to accurately grade the players on a weekly basis. All teams are covered properly, and experts are sought out for advice as and when required.
- Players are given a score after every performance, and those scores are averaged out over the course of the season to produce a grade.
- Performing well on a consistent basis is key. Players such as Dele Alli and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who have endured poor patches spanning months this season, have had to play catch-up in order to set the record straight.
- A player must have meaningfully participated (started or played in excess of 20 minutes) in more than 50 per cent of his team's games to be eligible for the ranking. You wouldn't christen anyone Player of the Season having played fewer than half the games.
26-30
1 of 14
30. Yaya Toure, Manchester City (Stay)
With attacking delights impressing ahead of him, Toure's role as the master-passer in City's midfield goes unnoticed at times. At the time of his departure in the 60th minute, Yaya had the most touches and most passes completed of the match.
29. Joel Matip, Liverpool (Stay)
Kept cool and calm in the Reds' defence as they won an incredibly important game—in stark contrast to his partner Dejan Lovren. There's no doubt who the cornerstone of this line is.
28. Raheem Sterling, Manchester City (-5)
An unused substitute as Manchester City beat Watford. Sterling's ended the season a little tamely, which is a big shame.
27. Adam Lallana, Liverpool (Stay)
Netted Liverpool's third against Boro to ice the cake. His return from injury really has made a big difference to this team at the business end of the season.
26. Robert Firmino, Liverpool (Stay)
Played a beauty of a pass into the path of Georginio Wijnaldum to open the scoring against Boro. An important moment of quality at a crucial time.
21-25
2 of 14
25. Sergio Aguero, Manchester City (+8)
By no means has Aguero enjoyed his finest season, but somehow he's managed to sneak his way to 20 goals. To be fair, over the last two months, he's been virtually unstoppable.
24. Victor Moses, Chelsea (Stay)
One of Chelsea's biggest success stories this season and reborn as a player. Anyone who tells you they foresaw Moses becoming a dominant wing-back is not telling you the truth.
23. Kevin De Bruyne, Manchester City (+2)
Two assists on the final day take him to 18 for the season, good for best in the league. Given that feat, he might be lower down than you'd expect here, but De Bruyne has battled consistency issues all season.
22. Marcos Alonso, Chelsea (Stay)
When Alonso was signed for circa £24 million last summer, many scoffed. But the Spaniard has proven how potent a weapon he can be for Antonio Conte, applying himself to an all-action, impactful role on the left.
21. Kyle Walker, Tottenham (-1)
Walker grabbed seven minutes against Manchester United and wasn't used against Hull City. If he is going to leave Tottenham this summer, Mauricio Pochettino is at least preparing himself accordingly.
16-20
3 of 14
20. David Luiz, Chelsea (+1)
Luiz has defied all expectations this season, playing superbly on a consistent basis, locking up strikers defensively and passing brilliantly from the back.
19. Leroy Sane, Manchester City (Stay)
Seriously, what an impressive rookie year for Sane. His speed and dribbling ability proved unstoppable over the course of the second half of the season.
18. Dele Alli, Tottenham (Stay)
Netted his 18th Premier League goal of the season as Spurs routed Hull, completing a second half of the season to remember.
17. Philippe Coutinho, Liverpool (Stay)
Scored and performed well in Liverpool's crucial victory over Middlesbrough. The middle patch of Coutinho's season wasn't so strong, but he started and ended sublimely.
16. Mousa Dembele, Tottenham (-2)
Found himself stepping off the bench late on again. Despite his brilliance this season, competition's so tight in that midfield, even he's not guaranteed a spot.
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11-15
4 of 14
15. Pedro, Chelsea (+1)
Came off the bench on Sunday to assist and score. It took him less than 20 minutes to take the game from a comfortable Chelsea win to a battering.
14. Diego Costa, Chelsea (+1)
Hit 20 goals this season and bagged an assist in the final match against Sunderland. He's been undeniably important to Antonio Conte's tactics this season, but will he be around next season to attempt a repeat?
13. Christian Eriksen, Tottenham (+1)
Finished the campaign with a typically Eriksen performance: creative from within pockets of space no one else knew existed, pulling off things only he can.
12. Ander Herrera, Manchester United (-6)
Just hasn't been involved late on, with Jose Mourinho opting to save him for the Europa League. At the same time, Tottenham and Chelsea have ended strongly, allowing many of their players to overtake him.
11. Antonio Valencia, Manchester United (-4)
The same applies to Valencia. Rested for European duty, the shine on Valencia's remarkably consistent season has faded.
10. Cesar Azpilicueta, Chelsea
5 of 14
Last Week: 12th
Movement: +2
Cesar Azpilicueta was one of only five players (and three outfield players) to play every single minute of every single game this Premier League season.
That's an incredible achievement, particularly so given the Spaniard plays for the side who won the title with a whopping tally of 93 points. Be it from the left, the right or the centre, Azpilicueta was literally ever-present as the Blues marched to victory.
9. Toby Alderweireld, Tottenham
6 of 14
Last Week: 9th
Movement: None
With the clock rapidly ticking down on Tottenham's season, Toby Alderweireld stepped forward to add the finishing touch on a marvellous 2016-17 by netting his first of the campaign.
Spurs put seven past Hull City, and after the third, players were starting to look a little embarrassed at how easy it was. Not Alderweireld, though, who's been on the hunt for a goal all season, having come close a number of times from set pieces, and finally swept one home on the volley.
8. Sadio Mane, Liverpool
7 of 14
Last Week: 5th
Movement: -3
Sadio Mane's 13 goals and five assists this Premier League season don't look that impressive, but then, he only made 26 starts.
More than that, though, is the impact he makes on this Reds team. He's the dynamic, direct, roaming runner who scares the life out of defenders, makes intelligent runs and creates space for others to utilise. Despite missing more than 10 games (due to injury and international duty), he's been their finest player this season.
7. Alexis Sanchez, Arsenal
8 of 14
Last Week: 10th
Movement: +3
Alexis Sanchez was the only Premier League player to hit double figures in both goals (24) and assists (10) this season. That is quite the achievement, and it hasn't gone unnoticed.
He netted on Sunday in bizarre circumstances, tucking home after pretty everyone had stopped playing in anticipation of the referee's whistle, and Arsenal fans will be hoping that wasn't the last goal he'll score in their colours as a tense summer of speculation now begins.
6. Jan Vertonghen, Tottenham
9 of 14
Last Week: 6th
Movement: None
Jan Vertonghen made one small error of judgement against Hull City, but the resulting move by the opposition amounted to nothing. That's the only negative from the Belgian's entire 90-minute display.
Untroubled for the most part, he and Toby Alderweireld were able to enjoy their final game of the 2016-17 season. If Tottenham can retain them both as a partnership for next term, silverware is a distinct possibility.
5. Victor Wanyama, Tottenham
10 of 14
Last Week: 8th
Movement: +3
Victor Wanyama: Goal machine?
The Kenyan powerhouse ended the season with two goals from two games, heading home against Manchester United and then Hull City. If he can offer that threat more regularly next season, it won't be long until he's seen as a complete midfielder.
Wanyama is our second-highest-ranked Tottenham player, and that's because he's brutally consistent and integral to Pochettino's physical style. He's the only difference between 2015-16 Spurs and 2016-17 Spurs in terms of personnel, and the amount of progress they've made tells you how effective he's been.
4. David Silva, Manchester City
11 of 14
Last Week: 3rd
Movement: -1
David Silva wasn't directly involved (goal or assist) in any of Manchester City's five strikes against Watford on Sunday, but it's another case of the statistics being flawed. Just because he didn't provide the final pass doesn't mean he wasn't intrinsic to the performance.
When he plays well, City slaughter teams. It has been an iffy season for Pep Guardiola at times, but when it has clicked, the team has looked incredible, and Silva's the key, irreplaceable cog in the machine.
Don't judge him by his final tally of four goals and seven assists. Watch how he rips teams apart from the pockets and appreciate it, because he's 31 now and it can't last forever.
3. Harry Kane, Tottenham
12 of 14
Last Week: 11th
Movement: +8
What Harry Kane did last week bordered on the ridiculous. It's the sort of thing you'd be impressed by even if Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo managed it.
Seven goals in two games, three on the Thursday and four on the Sunday, saw the Englishman leap to the top of the Premier League scoring charts and finish the season on 29 goals. He only made 29 starts!
He took to Twitter on Monday to mock those who labelled him a "one-season wonder" back in 2015. This being his third consecutive campaign reaching the 20-goal mark in the league, he's proved them very, very wrong.
2. N'golo Kante, Chelsea
13 of 14
Last Week: 2nd
Movement: None
N'Golo Kante wasn't called into action much on Sunday. Chelsea dominated possession (72-28 percent split) and did very little defending after the 10th minute.
That meant the Frenchman could ease off a little—something he very rarely does, no matter the occasion—and bask in the glow of being crowned a champion for the second consecutive season. He also hoovered up almost every individual award for the campaign going, bolstering his personal trophy cabinet considerably.
1. Eden Hazard, Chelsea
14 of 14
Last Week: 1st
Movement: None
N'Golo Kante may have cleaned up when it came to the official awards, but Eden Hazard can at least console himself with the fact he ends the season as B/R's No. 1 player.
He finished the season strongly, netting against Sunderland with a lovely left-footed finish following a pass from Diego Costa, showing a selfish streak that he's lacked over the last few weeks (he's been trying to set up his team-mates incessantly).
A lack of individual awards for Hazard this season is a shame, but he's still on course for a team-based domestic double.
All statistics via WhoScored.com
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