The UEFA rankings are based on all the players that will compete at this summer’s Euros and the Liverpool midfielder currently sits fifth in the list ahead of fellow England teammates Dele Alli and Harry Kane.
Milner, who made 45 appearances in all competitions for Liverpool last season, had been sitting comfortably in fourth in recent weeks, before a surge from West Ham’s Dimitri Payet dislodged him.
The top three of Uefa’s presumably all knowing list is less shocking, with Cristiano Ronaldo in first, followed by Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Antoine Griezmann.
However, Real Madrid superstar and recent Champions League winner Bale is all the way down in 12th, while French sensation Pogba is even further back in 16th.
Milner’s impressive ranking could be down to his remarkable assist rate in 2016 with the Liverpool skipper laying on 11 goals for his teammates since January.
Uefa say their super accurate algorithm is based on a player’s statistics for his specific position at club and international level.
So for example, tackles and interceptions would be considered massive for defensive midfielders, while goals and chances created are important to strikers.
Reigning world champions Germany have just one player in the top 10, Toni Kroos, while World Cup flops Spain have four players including Sergio Ramos who sits in eighth and is considered a ‘fast riser’.
For those of you wondering, Milner is considered a central midfielder and UEFA say the barometer will be updated after every match at this summer’s tournament.
