As the year comes to an end, team coaches are already making plans for 2016. In the world of football, there have been quite a few changes this year, so EuroFootball.com, along with Squawka Football, offer a look at the list of the ten most improved footballers.
This list includes not only the duo Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez from the surprising "Leicester City" team, but also Neymar, who is a Golden Ball contender, and Jack Butland from "Stoke City".
Jamie Vardy
If Leicester fans decide to throw a party for the team results, this striker will be one of the main culprits of the celebration. The 28-year-old sniper, who set a record of scoring in eleven consecutive Premier League matches, improved that record even further this year.
Former fourth division player Vardy, currently has also sent the ball into the opponent's goal 15 times, sharing the top spot with Romelu Lukaku. However, it's worth noting that the Englishman scored two crucial goals at the end of last season when the "Foxes" won 7 out of their last 9 matches and stayed in the Premier League.
Chris Smalling
2015 was a turning point for this defender - at the start, Manchester United coach Louis van Gaal called him stupid, but the 26-year-old Smalling eventually began to show his true potential after warming the bench for a long time.
Smalling broke into the starting lineup of the "Red Devils" only in the winter due to injuries to his teammates, but he seized his chance and is now considered one of the best defenders in the Premier League.
Neymar
Among the most improved players are not just lesser-known names. Brazilian national team leader Neymar had a great year in 2015, winning La Liga and the UEFA Champions League with Barcelona, which were also the best achievements of his career so far.
The 23-year-old forward became one of the best in the world from just a good footballer and some experts believe he has already surpassed Cristiano Ronaldo, the 2014 Ballon d'Or winner.
In the current season in the Spanish league, Neymar has scored 14 goals in 13 matches - the best goal-to-game ratio among the major European leagues.
Hector Bellerin
For a while, only the most dedicated Arsenal fans knew this Spaniard. Until 2015, the youngster had only played four Premier League matches in the ranks of the "Gunners".
However, starting from January 11 with the victory against Stoke City, Bellerin became an integral part of the team and has not missed a single game since. The 20-year-old was named the best young Catalan footballer in November, while the other two promising players Pau Lopez and Keita Balde had no chance in these selections.
Jack Butland
The potential of this goalkeeper was talked about even when he played for Birmingham City. It seemed that all he needed was a chance to prove himself in the top division.
Stoke City provided this opportunity to the 22-year-old Englishman when they let Asmir Begovic leave for Chelsea in the summer. Butland did not disappoint the team coaches and has kept a clean sheet seven times this season.
Nolito
Celta Vigo is currently enjoying a great run in La Liga and can thank the excellent performances of Nolito for holding fourth place.
The Spanish winger has scored eight goals in the league and has attracted the attention of both Arsenal and Barcelona.
It is worth noting that Nolito added eight accurate shots in 2015 to the ones he scored in the last season, so he has a total of 16 goals this year.
Riyad Mahrez
Have you ever thought where would Leicester City be without Mahrez and Vardy? Although most of the headlines were snatched by the Englishman, the Algerian winger, in the Premier League, is only two goals behind him with 13.
Interestingly, Mahrez only scored 4 goals after New Year's last season, but in the period before summer, he should be credited with 23 of his 44 created chances for teammates. On the other hand, the Algerian will surely outshine this mark in the current season.
Francis Coquelin
Another Arsenal player, Coquelin, was an outcast in North London and spent the first part of the 2014-2015 season on loan at Charlton Athletic.
However, after starting to play as a defensive midfielder, the Frenchman saved the Gunners' season.
The 24-year-old player has missed just one Arsenal game since January, but recently he and the team's life have been shaken by injuries.
Antoine Griezmann
This season, the Frenchman is doing well for Atletico Madrid in La Liga and has scored eight goals.
Although Griezmann needed some time to adapt to his new team, last season he finished with 22 precise shots, 16 of which were after January 1.
Therefore, in 2015, the forward has scored 24 times and can undoubtedly be called the leader of the "matadors" attack.
Harry Kane
We started with an England national team forward, so we will end with one. This year, Harry Kane scored the most goals in the Premier League.
Many Tottenham fans were worried if the striker would fulfill his potential, but the results show that their fears were completely unfounded.
In the 2014-2015 season, Kane scored 21 times in the Premier League, with 16 goals after New Year's. This season, the Englishman already has 11 precise shots to his name.
