Who Were the Top Football Legends of 2019 and Where Are They Now?

The rain was drumming a steady rhythm against the window of my favorite coffee shop, the kind of gloomy afternoon perfect for getting lost in memories. I was scrolling through old highlights on my phone, a mosaic of impossible goals and last-minute saves, when a notification popped up. It was about an aging star in another sport, a basketball legend back home in the Philippines, being rested for a game. The report quoted PBA statistics chief Fidel Mangonon, noting that "as a precautionary measure, the eight-time PBA MVP didn’t start, ending his consecutive streak of 78 games as a starter beginning in the 2023-24 Commissioner’s Cup playoffs." That single line hit me with a strange wave of nostalgia. It wasn’t about basketball, but about the inevitable passage of time for all athletes. It made me think, right there with the steam from my latte curling upwards, about the football icons who owned the year 2019. It sparked the question that became this article’s heart: Who were the top football legends of 2019 and where are they now?

2019 feels like a different lifetime, doesn’t it? A pre-pandemic world where stadiums roared without a second thought. That year belonged, unquestionably in my book, to a certain Argentine wizard. Lionel Messi was simply sublime. He claimed his sixth Ballon d’Or, pulling ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo, in what felt like the definitive word in their eternal debate—or so we thought. He was 32, weaving magic for Barcelona, topping the European scoring charts with 36 league goals. I remember watching him dismantle teams with a kind of quiet fury, making the extraordinary look routine. Where is he now? Well, his journey since is a story in itself. The painful exit from Barcelona, the glorious, almost storybook triumph with Argentina at the 2022 World Cup, and now, his sunset years lighting up MLS with Inter Miami. He’s moved from being Europe’s apex predator to a global ambassador, still pulling strings and selling out stadiums just by stepping onto the pitch. His legacy is complete, and now he plays with a visible joy that’s a gift to us all.

But 2019 wasn't a one-man show. Virgil van Dijk was an absolute colossus. He was the bedrock of that incredible Liverpool side, a defender so dominant he finished runner-up to Messi in the Ballon d’Or voting—a near-unthinkable feat for a center-back. He felt unbeatable. Fast forward to today, and his story has a tinge of what-ifs. A serious knee injury in 2020 robbed him of his peak athletic explosiveness. He’s still a fantastic defender, the captain of Liverpool and the Netherlands, but you watch him now and you see a player managing himself, relying more on supreme positioning than the recovery speed that was once his trademark. It’s a testament to his intelligence that he’s remained at the top level, but it’s a different kind of dominance. Then there’s Cristiano Ronaldo. In 2019, he was adapting to life at Juventus after his earth-shaking move from Real Madrid, still scoring goals for fun. Now? He’s in Saudi Arabia with Al-Nassr, a financial and cultural phenomenon. Love him or find his later career choices perplexing, you cannot ignore him. At 39, he’s still banging in goals, a physical marvel who redefined longevity. His move east wasn’t a retirement; it was a seismic shift in the sport’s geopolitical landscape.

Let’s talk about the midfield maestros. Luka Modrić, the 2018 Ballon d’Or winner, was still the elegant heartbeat of Real Madrid in 2019. Now 38, he’s gracefully phased into a legendary squad role, his passing brain as sharp as ever even if his minutes are managed. His career arc is one of beautiful, sustained class. Kevin De Bruyne, meanwhile, has gone the other way. He was brilliant in 2019, but injuries plagued him. Now, after a masterful 2022-23 season, he’s arguably more vital than ever to Manchester City’s machine, even as he enters his mid-thirties. He’s a player who seems to have gotten better with age, his vision now married with a ruthless efficiency. And what of the young king from 2019, Kylian Mbappé? He was already a World Cup winner and a global superstar. Now, he’s finally made his long-anticipated move to Real Madrid, positioning himself as the undisputed face of the sport’s next decade. His trajectory has been a straight, upward arrow towards immortality.

Sitting back as the rain eased, I realized these stories—from Messi’s American adventure to Van Dijk’s resilient reinvention—all echo that same theme from the basketball news alert. It’s about evolution. The absolute legends of 2019 haven’t faded; they’ve transformed. Some, like Modrić, have refined their roles. Others, like Ronaldo, have built new empires entirely. Their paths diverge, but they all answer that central question in their own way. They’ve moved from the very center of the footballing universe to different, but still luminous, points in its galaxy. They are no longer just players; they are institutions, landmarks in the history of the game we love. And honestly, getting to follow this next chapter of their careers, however different it looks from their 2019 peak, is a privilege. It reminds us that greatness isn’t just a moment in time; it’s a journey that keeps unfolding long after the final whistle of what we thought was their defining season.