The Guardian have listed their top 100 footballers of 2016 and Alexis Sanchez is the first Premier League player to make an appearance on the list in ninth place.

The football writers at the publication picked Critisano Ronaldo as their best player of 2016 with Lionel Messi at number 2.

Alexis Messi crying

Sanchez comes in at number 9 before he is followed by a number of other Premier League stars.

As he is the highest ranked, he is therefore named as the best in the division.

Try not to choke laughing at where they put Laurent ‘one of the best centrebacks in Europe’ Koscielny)

Top 20 footballers of 2016 according to the Guardian:

  1. Cristiano Ronaldo
  2. Lionel Messi
  3. Luis Suarez
  4. Antoine Griezman
  5. Neymar
  6. Gareth Bale
  7. Robert Lewandowski
  8. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
  9. Alexis Sanchez
  10. Riyad Mahrez
  11. Sergio Aguero
  12. Luka Modric
  13. Kevin De Bruyne
  14. Gonzalo Higuain
  15. Andres Iniesta
  16. N’Golo Kante
  17. Paul Pogba
  18. Manuel Neur
  19. Jamie Vardy
  20. Zlatan Ibrahimovich (LOLS)

Other Arsenal players on the list:

23. Mesut Ozil
68. Laurent Koscielny (only one place better than Sadio Mané)
73. Aaron Ramsey
97. Santi Cazorla

Hector Bellerin was not included. True story.

The first Liverpool player to make an appearance is Philippe Coutinho at 28.

Tottenham don’t get a player in the list until 33 when Harry Kane pops up (Dele Alli is 90).