European football hasn't been short of entertainment throughout the 2020/21 campaign.

Let's face it, some of the biggest leagues on the continent have become a little predictable over the last decade with Juventus, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain winning titles like clockwork.

And while it's too early to suggest that will change this season, there's good reason to think that the times are changing across Europe and it makes for fascinating viewing.

European entertainment

For starters, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City and even Leicester City are all embroiled in one of the most open Premier League title races in recent memory.

Meanwhile, Juventus face an uphill battle to retain their stranglehold over Serie A in a season that could mark the long-awaited return of either Inter Milan or AC Milan to the Italian football summit.

PSG and Bayern are by no means having everything their way in France and Germany respectively, while Atletico Madrid are on course to break up Barcelona and Real Madrid's duopoly in La Liga.

Best players in Europe

As a result, there's good reason to think we'll be treated to a five-pronged storyline of title race drama as opposed to a team cantering to the title by March or April like we've become used to.

And it's going to be intriguing to see which players have the biggest impact on those narrative threads with superstars such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo caught up in the drama.

Now, naturally, we don't have a crystal ball in which we can picture the victorious teams and the players who made the biggest impact in Europe's top five leagues ahead of time.

Best XI of 2020/21 so far

But that doesn't mean we can't take stock of the leading performers at the halfway stage of the campaign and the data gurus at WhoScored.com provide the perfect way for us to do that.

That's because they use a variety of defensive and offensive statistical measures to award players specific match ratings that can be averaged out over a season to identify the top performers.

And we couldn't resist finding out who made it into the best-performing XI in Europe's top five leagues as far as statistics are concerned, so be sure to check it out for yourself down below:

No Cristiano Ronaldo

Perhaps the most striking detail is the absence of Ronaldo.

It's surprising to see the Juventus star missing out considering his rampage form in Serie A this season, proving that age is just a number with 15 league goals from just 16 appearances.

Nevertheless, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner has come unstuck in the data department compared to Harry Kane and Robert Lewandowski, who are also in the hunt for the European Golden Shoe.

Impressive from Aston Villa

But aside from the free-scoring superstars, it's astonishing to note that two Aston Villa players make the cut just half a season after dodging Premier League relegation by the skin of their teeth.

Then again, it's not really surprising if you've been following the respective fairytale stories of Jack Grealish and Emiliano Martinez over the last 12 months because they really do deserve their places.

And there couldn't be a better illustration of the carnage spreading its way across European football than two Villa players mixing it in an arena that even Ronaldo can't force his way into. 

We have no idea how the remainder of the season will unfold - but we can't wait to find out.