Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar? Who has been the best performing player in Europe during the 2020/21 season?
There are still a few weeks of the campaign left to play but the CIES Football Observatory’s latest weekly post ranks the best performing players in every European league - plus the overall top 10.
Five Manchester City players make the overall top 10, while West Ham and Aston Villa also have players in the top 10.
However, no Premier League players managed to force their way into the overall top three.
Players from Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich occupied the top three spots.
Top 10 best players in Europe in 2020-21
Here are the overall top 10 performers anywhere in Europe this season, in reverse order, according to CIES…
10. Jack Grealish | Aston Villa
9. Ilkay Gundogan | Manchester City
8. Jesse Lingard | West Ham
7. Riyad Mahrez | Manchester City
6. Kevin De Bruyne | Manchester City
5. Rodri Hernandez | Manchester City
4. Joao Cancelo | Manchester City
3. Robert Lewandowski | Bayern Munich
2. Neymar | Paris Saint-Germain
1. Lionel Messi | Barcelona
Surprise, surprise - the legendary Messi is named by CIES as Europe’s best-performing player this season.
The Argentine, who turns 34 in June, has scored 28 goals and registered 11 assists in 32 La Liga appearances this season. Incredible.
Premier League Top 10 players in 2020-21
Here are the top 10 best performing players in the Premier League…
10. Harry Maguire | Manchester United
9. Kurt Zouma | Chelsea
8. John Stones | Manchester City
7. Jack Grealish | Aston Villa
6. Ilkay Gundogan | Manchester City
5. Jesse Lingard | West Ham
4. Riyad Mahrez | Manchester City
3. Kevin De Bruyne | Manchester City
2. Rodri Hernandez | Manchester City
1. Joao Cancelo | Manchester City
Not a single Liverpool player makes the Premier League’s top 10, while Maguire is Manchester United’s only representative.
La Liga Top 10 players in 2020-21
Here are the top 10 best performing players in La Liga…
10. Kieran Trippier | Atletico Madrid
9. Lucas Vazquez | Real Madrid
8. Clement Lenglet | Barcelona
7. Casemiro | Real Madrid
6. Frenkie De Jong | Barcelona
5. Karim Benzema | Real Madrid
4. Sergio Ramos | Real Madrid
3. Jordi Alba | Barcelona
2. Gerard Pique | Barcelona
1. Lionel Messi | Barcelona
Atletico are top of La Liga as things stand, but only one of Diego Simeone’s players make the top 10.
Serie A Top 10 players in 2020-21
Here are the top 10 best performing players in Serie A…
10. Gianluca Mancini | AS Roma
9. Alessandro Bastoni | Inter
8. Berat Djimsiti | Atalanta
7. Henrikh Mkhitaryan | AS Roma
6. Zlatan Ibrahimovic | AC Milan
5. Domenico Berardi | Sassuolo
4. Theo Hernandez | AC Milan
3. Cristiano Ronaldo | Juventus
2. Achraf Hakimi | Inter
1. Lorenzo Insigne | Napoli
Cristiano Ronaldo has scored more Serie A goals than any other player at the time of writing (27), but the Juventus star is only third on the list of the league’s best-performing footballers this term.
Bundesliga Top 10 players in 2020-21
Here are the top 10 best performing players in the Bundesliga…
10. Niklas Suhle | Bayern Munich
9. Kingsley Coman | Bayern Munich
8. Serge Gnabry | Bayern Munich
7. Willi Orban | RB Leipzig
6. Raphael Guerreiro | Borussia Dortmund
5. Mats Hummels | Borussia Dortmund
4. Jadon Sancho | Borussia Dortmund
3. Joshua Kimmich | Bayern Munich
2. Leon Goretzka | Bayern Munich
1. Robert Lewandowski | Bayern Munich
Wait, where is Dortmund’s Erling Haaland?
Ligue 1 Top 10 players in 2020-21
Here are the top 10 best performing players in Ligue 1…
10. Idrissa Gueye | PSG
9. Marco Verratti | PSG
8. Rafinha Alcantara | PSG
7. Presnel Kimpembe | PSG
6. Marquinhos | PSG
5. Memphis Depay | Lyon
4. Lucas Paqueta | Lyon
3. Angel Di Maria | PSG
2. Kylian Mbappe | PSG
1. Neymar | PSG
All but two of the 10 best-performing players in Ligue 1 are from Paris Saint-Germain. It’s no surprise to see Mbappe and Neymar right at the top of the list.