Robert Lewandowski, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe among table-topping stars
Wednesday 25 March 2020 16:04, UK
Which players shone brightest before Europe's top leagues were suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak?
Here, we look at which players have racked up the most Power Ranking points in the Premier League, Championship, Serie A, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, La Liga, Eredivisie and Primeira Liga.
First up, let's take a look at who tops the chart across all eight divisions. Some leagues have played more games than others, so we've used per-90 scores for players who have clocked 1,000 minutes or more in their respective league.
Who knew? Statistically, the best player in Europe on a game-by-game basis this season is Lionel Messi. More surprising is lesser-known Atalanta forward Josep Ilicic in runner-up spot, followed by Paris Saint-Germain duo Kylian Mbappe and Neymar.
We'll look into the top performers in more detail when we evaluate the accumulative totals for each league below but there is one notable exception worth a mention.
Kevin De Bruyne is a leading candidate for PFA Player of the Year but team-mate Riyad Mahrez, who has played only 1,384 league minutes this term, is the top-ranked Premier League player per 90 minutes.
In terms of the accumulative number of points this season, it's neck and neck at the top the Premier League chart, but De Bruyne edges Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Both players are virtually rubber-stamped contenders for PFA Player of the Year - but favourite Jordan Henderson only ranks at No 29, according to the stats.
However, it's still a Liverpool-dominated top 10 with Sadio Mane (No 3), Virgil van Dijk (No 4), Mohamed Salah (No 6) and Andy Robertson (No 10) in the mix, joined by Leicester pair Ricardo (No 5) and James Maddison (No 7) and Wolves duo Adama Traore (No 8) and Raul Jimenez (No 9).
Tottenham are reportedly eyeing up a move for QPR attacker Eberechi Eze, and it's no wonder why when the England U20 star tops the Championship form table - boosted with 12 goals and eight assists.
The 21-year-old holds only a slender 500-point lead over Aleksander Mitrovic, who has scored a league-topping 23 goals to help Fulham stand within six points of runners-up spot in the league table.
Familiar names populate the top 10, with in-demand Brentford striker Ollie Watkins (No 3) narrowly trailing the frontrunners and team-mate Said Benrahma (No 10) enjoying another standout season.
Swansea forward Andre Ayew (No 4) remains a solid force for the club, as does Birmingham's Lukas Jutkiewicz (No 7), while Jarrod Bowen (No 8) still ranks among the elite - despite leaving Hull to join West Ham in January.
A host of Premier League players have been making the move to Serie A but a seasoned Italy international tops the chart, Lazio striker Ciro Immobile - with 27 goals and seven assists in just 26 games.
Not far behind is veteran forward Ilicic, who is helping Atalanta emerge as a new powerhouse, both domestically and in Europe, with penetrating runs, high-press turnovers, goals and assists.
Perhaps most surprising is Cristiano Ronaldo ranking only at No 3, but still ahead of former Premier League stars Romelu Lukaku (No 5) and Edin Dzeko (No 6) and sought-after Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (No 8).
Some things never change. Messi missed five of Barcelona's opening seven fixtures in La Liga through injury, but still, somehow, has established a staggering 29,000-point lead atop the divisional Power Rankings.
Real Sociedad midfielder Mikel Merino has moved into runner-up spot, ahead of former Newcastle team-mate Joselu (No 9) - primarily from hard graft in defensive midfield.
Real Madrid trio Karim Benzema (No 3), Casemiro (No 4) and Daniel Carvajal (No 10) feature among the elite, while Liverpool fans will be familiar with Atletico Madrid midfielder Saul Niguez at No 7.
Another unsurprising headliner in Germany: Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski who once again leads the Bundesliga scoring chart with 25 goals after a blistering start to the campaign.
But two players who could potentially make summer switches to the Premier League are in hot pursuit, namely RB Leipzig's Timo Werner (No 2) and Borussia Dortmund and England winger Jadon Sancho (No 3).
Werner's team-mate and Austria international Marcel Sabitzer (No 4) leads the 'best of the rest', ahead of former Arsenal forward Serge Gnabry (No 5) and his typically dependable Bayern Munich counterpart Thomas Muller (No 6).
Paris Saint-Germain speedster Mbappe is the top performer in France once again but has team-mates Angel Di Maria (No 2) and Neymar (No 6) breathing down his neck, with the latter missing considerable game time this season.
Dimitri Payet (No 3) continues to pull the strings at Marseille since his controversial departure from West Ham, while Lyon striker Mousa Dembele (No 10) is consistently linked with a move back to England after leaving Fulham in 2016.
Oussama Idrissi currently leads the Eredivisie form table, helping AZ Alkmaar match Ajax on points at the top of the league, primarily from a mixture of goals, creation, dribbling and generally being a menace in the final third.
Morocco compatriot and Chelsea-bound Ajax winger Hakim Ziyech sits in second - ahead of Feyenoord's Steven Berghuis - the league's top scorer - and former Southampton playmaker Dusan Tadic (No 4).
Bruno Fernandes has hit the ground running at Manchester United since his blockbuster move from Sporting Lisbon in January for a fee that could reach £68m - but he still ranks No 7 in the Primeira Liga chart.
In his wake, Benfica midfielder Pizzi now leads the way, ahead of Porto left-back and Chelsea target Alex Telles (No 2) and team-mates Alejandro Grimaldo (No 3), Odisseas Vlachodimos (No 5) and Carlos Vinicius (No 8).
