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Stars of the Season: 8 Players Lighting Up Their League This Campaign
Blogs

Stars of the Season: 8 Players Lighting Up Their League This Campaign

Stars of the Season: 8 Players Lighting Up Their League This Campaign

As the league seasons across Europe come to an end, it is time to look at some of the players who have been absolutely unplayable in their domestic competitions. This list is not a list of the current best players in the world, but instead a list of players who have dominated their leagues.

Ousmane Dembele - PSG

Ousmane Dembele has long been seen as a bit of a flop after he moved to Barcelona for £120m. His days at Dortmund were excellent, but that amount of money was too steep for him to ever be a success at the Camp Nou. He joined PSG at the beginning of last season and once again was labelled a flop, managing just six goals across all competitions. Brought in as a replacement for the departing Lionel Messi and Neymar, the Frenchman’s first season in Paris was a disappointment.

This season has been completely different however, as Dembele has thrived in the absence of Kylian Mbappe from the team. Playing as both a winger and a striker for his club, he has managed 45 goal involvements in 45 matches this season, including 33 goals. He has now scored more goals for PSG than he ever did for Barcelona, and at the age of 27, it looks as if the Parisians will get at least five more good years out of him, unless they decide to sell, in which case they could be looking for nearly £100m.

Raphinha - Barcelona

When Barcelona forked out £50m for Raphinha back in 2022, there were many who expected it to be another expensive failure for the Spanish side. The Brazilian winger had been good at Leeds in the Premier League, scoring 17 league goals across two seasons, but there had been nothing to suggest that he had the potential to play for one of the biggest clubs in the world. Last season he managed 10 goals and 11 assists, a pretty good tally, but his future at the club was uncertain.

This year he has managed to prove all of the doubters wrong, and like Dembele has been one of, if not the, best player in the world. He has 57 goal involvements in just 53 games and has already won the Copa del Rey with Barcelona. Despite getting knocked out of the Champions League last night by Inter Milan, the Brazilian winger still has the chance to bag another trophy, with Barca leading La Liga by four points. The front three of Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal has been virtually unstoppable this season, but the former is certainly the stand out performer.

Jason Knight - Bristol City

24-year-old Irish midfielder Jason Knight has definitely gone under the radar this season. The Bristol City captain has played every minute of league football, leading his side to the playoffs. Of all players born in 2001, he is the third most experienced, having played over 300 senior games. Only Real Madrid’s Rodrygo and Real Sociedad’s Takefusa Kubo have played more. He started his career at Derby County, but has been at Bristol City for two years now, and should they fail to get promoted via the playoffs this season, I doubt he will be there next.

The only player on this list that doesn't have a mountain of goals or assists to his name, Knight makes this list because of his relentless drive and brilliant ability to control the game, which is impressive in a league like the Championship. He has the most ball recoveries of any player in Europe this season, and has run the most distance in the English second tier, having travelled nearly 370km. There is likely going to be interest in the Irish midfielder this summer from a number of Premier League clubs, however the hype around him has been minimal compared to the likes of Jobe Bellingham and Jack Rudoni, so Bristol City might have a chance to hold on to him.

Mohamed Salah - Liverpool

Possibly the best player in the world at the moment, Mohamed Salah has been a consistent performer for Liverpool ever since he joined the club, but this season he has gone to another level that many thought was not possible. The 32-year-old has scored 28 league goals this season and managed 18 assists. While breaking the record for the most goals is unlikely with just three matches left, he could certainly break the 20 assist record set by Thierry Henry back in 2002/03.

There was a lot of talk around him leaving Liverpool in the summer, but he made his intentions to stay clear by signing a two year extension to his deal that was set to expire. This season he has already broken records, becoming the highest opening day scorer in the Premier League after netting against Ipswich back in August, and becoming the highest foreign goalscorer in the league in April, surpassing Sergio Aguero’s record. There is no doubt that Salah is one of the best Premier League players of all time, and that is only a certainty because of what he has achieved this season.

Ollie Pearce - York City

You’d be forgiven for having not heard of Ollie Pearce before, but he has certainly earned his way onto this list. The 29-year-old striker has been the key man in attack for York City as the club fought for promotion from the National League. They managed just a second placed finish behind Barnet, but are in a strong position to be promoted via the playoffs. Pearce has never played in the football league, and only made his National League debut at the start of the season.

This season he has managed 31 league goals, making him the highest scorer in the National League, along with 10 assists. In total, he has contributed to nearly half of York’s goals in the league this season. Despite being 29, he will most likely be making his Football League debut next season as even if York don’t win the playoffs, a League Two club will buy him. Someone with his natural goal scoring ability doesn’t come round too often.

Mateo Retegui - Atalanta

26-year-old Mateo Retegui is a player who has seemingly come from nowhere this season, but has suddenly taken the Serie A by storm. During his last campaign, when he was playing for Genoa, he scored just seven league goals in his debut season in the league, but all of a sudden, his transfer to Atalanta has turned him into one of the best strikers in the world. He was only signed by Atalanta this summer because Gianluca Scamacca had suffered an ACL injury, but now the Italian will find it difficult to return to the starting XI.

Retegui has scored 24 league goals this season, putting him at the top of the Italian league’s scoring charts. He has enabled Atalanta to fight for a second consecutive season in the Champions League, as well as pushing them into the knockout stages of the same competition this season. He has had a number of crucial performances in this campaign including scoring and assisting against fellow European hopefuls Bologna and scoring four against Hellas Verona.

Sem Steijn - FC Twente

Sem Steijn has been absolutely crucial to FC Twente’s performances this season, despite being just 23 years old. The Dutch midfielder is the Eredivisie top scorer this season, even though he plays behind Ricky van Wolfswinkel. He has been at the club since 2022, and started his rise to Dutch prominence last season, when he finished as the fifth highest scorer in the league with 17 goals.

He has bettered that this season despite his side being two places lower down in the table. Steijn’s ability to drive with the ball, as well as his goal scoring record, has earned him many admirers. At the beginning of the month it was announced that Steijn would join Feyenoord for £10m in the summer, breaking the club’s record transfer fee. Steijn still has plenty of years left in his career, so I see his move to Feyenoord as a stepping stone towards a European giant.

Eli Junior Kroupi - Lorient

The final player on this list is 18-year-old Eli Junior Kroupi of Lorient. Despite still being a teenager, Kroupi has seen his game time at Lorient slowly increase over the course of the season. In 22 starts and seven substitute appearances in the league he has managed to score 20 goals as Lorient look like they could be crowned champions of the French second division.

Able to play as both a number nine and as a winger, Kroupi came through the Lorient academy as a youngster, having spent his entire childhood growing up in the city. He broke into the first team as his club was relegated from the top flight last season, however he has been given more play time this season, in a weaker league. If you’re thinking that your club should snap up the French youngster in the summer, sorry to disappoint but Bournemouth have already done just that. They agreed a deal for Kroupi in January, helped by owner Bill Foley’s 30% stake in the club, signing him for £12 but loaning him back to Lorient for the rest of the season.

Benji Kosartiyer
Journalist
Jake Martin

Website Editor

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