The 30 best players in Europe right now have been reportedly revealed in a new study by Sky Sports.
The fascinating list has been compiled in accordance to Sky's 'power rankings', which they say (as quoted by GiveMeSport) is a 'fixed formula' that 'rank players' form based on starting positions and awards positions for 35 matchday statistics- not just goals and assists'.
Whilst there are some intriguing inclusions between 10th and 30th place, such as Everton's Andros Townsend, West Ham's Michail Antonio and Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes, things really start to get interesting in the top 10, which features some of the biggest names in the beautiful game.
These are predominantly stars of Ligue 1, with Dimitri Payet of Marseille, Téji Tedy Savanier of Montpellier and PSG pair Achraf Hakimi and Kylian Mbappé all making the cut in 10th, 8th, 7th and 4th places respectively.
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There's also a sprinkling of the Bundesliga too. Wonderkids Florian Wirtz and Erling Haaland are both included, with the latter sat in an impressive 3rd place. They're joined by two of the most outstanding players Serie A and La Liga have to offer- Mikel Oyarzabal of Real Sociedad and Edin Dzeko of Inter Milan.
The main cause of contention is the list's top two. Liverpool's Mohamed Salah, who stole the headlines at the weekend after his glorious goal against Manchester City, comes in at 2nd place behind Karim Benzema, who has scored 9 goals in 8 league appearances for Real Madrid so far this season.
Whilst no-one can deny that Benzema is one of, if not the best striker in the world, many will question why Salah is not leading the way in this list. After his magical display at the weekend, several pundits stepped forward to claim the Egyptian was the best player in the world, ahead of the likes of Benzema and even Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
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"I don't think there's anyone playing better in the world or in Europe at the moment," former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher told Sky Sports following Sunday's match. "His record at the start of this season has been absolutely outstanding.
"You can never really question him for what he's done at Liverpool - if at all - but right now is as probably as sharp and as good as I've ever seen him."
Is Salah good enough to usurp Benzema on the list? Do you think the Frenchman has merited his time at the top? Who else should be part of this elite 30?
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Let us know in the comments.
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Erling Haaland, Karim Benzema, Kylian Mbappe, Mohamed Salah