In a Flashscore feature that will be updated once a month, we rank the top 10 players in the world, looking at their performances for club and country, and purely based on events in the ongoing season.
The stats quoted below are accurate up to, and including, Monday, December 8th.
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10. Moises Caicedo - Chelsea (New entry)
Despite playing in a youthful, inconsistent Chelsea team, Moises Caicedo has established himself as arguably the best number six in the world.
An aggressive, phenomenal ball winner at the heart of Chelsea’s midfield, Caicedo has the most interceptions in the Premier League (27), while also starting to contribute in the attacking third of the pitch, with four goals in all competitions this season to go alongside his defensive actions.
He may have even been higher on this list had he not got a silly red card against Arsenal at the end of November, which has seen him miss a few games since.
9. Luiz Diaz - Bayern Munich (Down 4)
Part of Bayern Munich’s prolific front three, Luis Diaz’s impact at the German champions continues to be instrumental. While his pressing and relentlessness on the ball are utterly vital to the way Vincent Kompany wants to play, he has also been decisive in the final third.
The Colombian has 13 goal contributions in 13 Bundesliga games for Bayern Munich this season, and only Michael Olise has more assists than him (6).
Diaz was key in Bayern’s comeback win over St. Pauli, netting a goal and an assist as they won 3-1. He is contributing on a regular basis to a side that has been one of the best in Europe.
8. Joao Neves - PSG (New entry)
It has gone a little under the radar just how good Joao Neves has been this season. The Portuguese midfielder has added goalscoring prowess to his game to go alongside his tenacity and composure on the ball.
Despite missing a chunk of time around September and October with injury, Neves has five goals in nine Ligue 1 games, and also bagged his second hat-trick of the season last month in Portugal’s 9-1 victory over Armenia, which saw them qualify for the World Cup.
7. Lamine Yamal - Barcelona (Up 3)
After a stop-start beginning to the season due to injury issues, Lamine Yamal is finally fit and firing, and he has been looking supreme.
Lamine has contributed three goals and three assists in Barcelona’s last five LaLiga games, helping them win five on the spin as they returned to the summit of the table.
Despite missing a few games this campaign, Lamine has comfortably completed more dribbles than anyone in the league (63), showcasing just how irresistible and unplayable he is. Additionally, he also tops the assist standings in Spain (7).
6. Declan Rice - Arsenal (New entry)
Midfield powerhouse Declan Rice has shot up into this list after the unbelievable few weeks he has enjoyed, confirming himself as Arsenal’s most important player.
Every season, the Englishman has added more tools to his arsenal (pun intended), and no longer is he purely a number six; he is now an all-action, complete, box-to-box midfielder.
Rarely ever given a rest due to his importance, what Rice offers in both boxes, as well as his sensational set-piece deliveries, means he has very few weaknesses. His man-of-the-match performance against Bayern Munich in the Champions League, where he put the team on his back for large portions of the game, was thrilling to watch.
Despite their loss to Aston Villa on the weekend just gone, Arsenal remain top of the Premier League and Champions League, and Rice’s fitness and how he is managed over the busy coming months will be crucial to their success.
5. Vitinha - PSG (Up 3)
PSG’s performances and results continue to be inconsistent due to their injury issues, yet superstar midfielder Vitinha keeps performing at a startling level.
He is the maestro of the PSG team, pulling all the strings, which is demonstrated by the fact that he has the most successful passes in Ligue 1 (1,334), the most successful final third passes (380), and the joint-most assists (5).
His performance against Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League was his standout moment, when he netted his first career hat-trick, which included some majestic finishes.
4. Michael Olise - Bayern Munich (-)
Michael Olise continues to go to the next level as a player and is a joy to watch as Bayern Munich’s creative spark.
The table-toppers march on imperiously at the summit of the Bundesliga, with the vision and technical ability of Olise a major contributing factor. He is leading the way in the assist standings (8), while also completing the most final third passes (329) and second most dribbles (29) in the league.
His standout performance of the month came in a 6-2 victory over Freiburg, in which the Frenchman bagged a brace and came up with three assists.
He will continue to be a key player as the Bavarians target glory domestically and in Europe.
3. Kylian Mbappe - Real Madrid (-)
Another player scoring at a frightening rate this season, the only reason Kylian Mbappe remains below the two above him is that Real Madrid have had a serious dip in form this month, falling four points behind Barcelona at the summit of LaLiga.
Speculation continues to be rife about the future of Xabi Alonso, with reports claiming that his job is on the line in the coming days. However, Mbappe’s numbers remain ridiculous.
The French forward has 30 goals in all competitions and is the leading goalscorer in Spain (16) and the Champions League (9), following his four goals against Olympiacos at the end of November.
2. Erling Haaland - Manchester City (-)
Honestly, Erling Haaland can count himself unlucky not being in first place on this list. One of the greatest goal scorers the game has ever seen, his pair of braces against Estonia and Italy saw Norway qualify for the World Cup for the first time in 27 years.
Despite scoring just once in his last four starts in all competitions for Manchester City, he still has 33 goals in all competitions for club and country this season, including 15 goals in 15 games in the Premier League. Importantly, his all-around game has also improved.
Against Fulham, he provided two assists and also got on the scoresheet, which was his 100th Premier League goal. He broke Alan Shearer’s record in the process, becoming the quickest player in the competition’s history to reach that milestone (111 games).
1. Harry Kane - Bayern Munich (-)
Harry Kane just about remains in top spot, but only by the barest of margins. It has been another stellar period for the England captain, as he netted his 10th Bundesliga hat-trick against Stuttgart on the weekend. He has now scored 79 goals in 76 league games for the Bavarians, which is truly astonishing.
In November, he also scored against Freiburg and Union Berlin (in two separate games), while his brace against Albania saw England complete a faultless World Cup qualification campaign. Remarkably, like Haaland, he already has 33 goals for club and country this season, while leading the Bundesliga goalscoring standings with 17 goals in 13 games.
He did really struggle against Arsenal in a mammoth Champions League clash, though, but he has done just about enough to remain in top spot.
