Europe’s Finest: Power rankings for football’s top players

Note: Following the weekly structure of the power rankings and as the title suggests, games played on April 7th and 8th will not be counted. They will factor into next week.

10. Kevin De Bruyne (Last appearance: October 20th)

It shocks me that the last time Kevin De Bruyne made it onto the power rankings was a month before the World Cup — and close to six months ago from today.

The Belgian midfielder was in fine form in Manchester City’s demolition of Liverpool, bagging a goal and an assist. Everything City created came through De Bruyne, whether it was De Bruyne playing Riyad Mahrez or Jack Grealish in behind their wing backs from deep or creating more direct chances. The awareness he showed in the second Manchester City goal, in which he would avoid the ball as he knew he was offside before returning to it after a cross from Riyad Mahrez to poke it into the net, was brilliant. Grealish and De Bruyne would combine for the fourth goal, a wonderful set of exchanges punctuated with the crisp touches and passing we only see from players of the highest technical quality. What a player.

9. Randal Kolo Muani (New)

A newcomer to the power rankings, Randal Kolo Muani has made a habit of bailing Eintracht Frankfurt out of positions where they have seen themselves slipping from a game.

Bochum would take the lead early at the weekend, but Kolo Muani would go on a great individual run before being brought down in the box for a penalty. Kolo Muani would convert the penalty with ease, saving Frankfurt a point. Against Union Berlin in the DfB Pokal quarter-finals, Frankfurt would find themselves struggling to get a hold in the game once again, but Kolo Muani would prove himself inhumanly efficient once again. Kolo Muani would get the opener with a fantastic move involving a first touch back-heel (!!!) from Mario Götze on the right flank which Kolo Muani would control expertly before finishing past Grill at the near post on his left foot. Just 90 seconds later, Kolo Muani found himself out on the right flank just past the full back, and saw Grill off his line. A split-second decision to lob the keeper would pay dividends as Kolo Muani would double his and Frankfurt’s tally for the match, the final score ending 2-0. He is simply inevitable. You give Kolo Muani the slightest chance and he will take it.

8. Kim Min-Jae (Last week: 5)

Kim Min-Jae had a great performance at the heart of Napoli’s 2-1 win over Lecce.

However, he is knocked down massively due to his performance in the centre of a defense that would concede four against AC Milan in the Diego Armando Maradona stadium. This mixed bag of performances sees him drop places.

7. Thibaut Courtois (Last week: 10)

Thibaut Courtois remains perhaps the best goalkeeper in the world despite a rocky start to things in the first half of the 2022/23 season.

Courtois put in a shift against Rea Valladolid at the weekend, giving his opposition very few glimmers of hope with some fantastic stops. The same would apply to FC Barcelona in the fabled El Clasico, this time played as the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi finals. Five crucial saves to take Real to the next round.

6. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Last week: 4)

Napoli lost 4-0 to AC Milan but won 1-2 against Lecce in the league, and while Khvicha Kvaratskhelia would fail to get a goal or assist in either game, he was still the most present attacker, using his free role between the lines to wreak havoc for his teammates. A proper team player. His signature floating movements would cause many problems to defenses trying to deal with the likes of Matteo Politano, Hirving Lozano, Eljif Elmas, Giacomo Raspadori, etc.

5. Erling Haaland (Last week: 2)

Following a groin injury, Erling Haaland would miss this week of football, watching from the stands as Manchester City ran riot over Liverpool 4-1.

4. Victor Osimhen (Last week: 1)

Victor Osimhen has been absent from Napoli for close to three weeks now, and in that absence my case for him being Europe’s best player has only strengthened. Without Osimhen, Napoli have looked completely toothless, failing to create anything significant in a 4-0 drubbing to AC Milan before barely making it past Lecce.

With Osimhen, Napoli are the best team in Europe. Without Osimhen, they look set to crash out of the Champions League in the quarter-finals.

3. Vinícius Júnior (Last week: 9)

Vinícius Júnior has been one of the best players in the world week in week out. It seems like he’s become a permanent fixture of the power rankings, and this week is no different.

Against Valladolid, Vini dribbled in from the left before looping in a gorgeous bouncing cross into the far post which would evade a goalkeeper and a defender before reaching the squatting figure of one Karim Benzema. Just three minutes later, Vini got a second assist with a great first touch flick-on on the turn for Benzema, who admittedly had a lot left to do when on the edge of the box, but they made it work.

Vini would nab the opener in El Clasico mid-week, pulling the aggregate score back to 1-1 with a daring direct dribble on the counter before playing a one-two with Benzema which ended with Vini slotting the ball into the back of the net off the post. Vini then won a penalty after Franck Kessié clumsily hung his foot in the way, as well as setting up the fourth goal of the night too. A simply brilliant set of performances from the Brazilian.

2. Joshua Kimmich (Last week: 3)

Joshua Kimmich is the best midfielder in the world, and has no real competitor for that spot.

Kimmich would put on masterclass performances in both of Bayern’s games. It would be lapses from Dayot Upamecano and Serge Gnabry that would cause the two goals conceded against Borussia Dortmund, but Kimmich put on a bombshell of a performance, constantly causing Dortmund problems from deep with his incisive passing and defensive resilience, not to mention the fantastic corner he took which would result in a goal too. The same would apply to Bayern’s game against Freiburg in the DfB Pokal, although Bayern’s goals conceded this time would be down to a freak goal from Nicolas Höfler and a penalty from a handball.

Individual mistakes cost Kimmich this week, but he was fantastic.

1. Karim Benzema (Last appearance: March 9th)

For the first time ever, a player outside the power rankings the week prior has entered it right at number one. Karim Benzema is truly back. What a set of performances. Two games, two hat-tricks. The first player in over a decade to get four goal contributions in El Clasico.

Against Valladolid, Benzema would get on the end of Vini’s aforementioned looping cross to head it in at a very awkward height. His second would come in the form of a fantastic shot from the edge of the box after receiving it from Vini in the left half-space and dribbling across the face of the defense, around the two centre backs. Benzema would then finish his hat-trick by the 36th minute of the game with an unbelievable acrobatic effort from a Rodrygo cross. Despite this monster of a performance, the best was yet to come for the Frenchman, as El Clasico loomed around the midweek corner.

A good set of one-twos on the counter between Vini and Benzema would result in the first goal, the final pass from Benzema being a particularly clever one as he shaped to shoot, baiting the Barcelona defenders into flinching before laying it off for Vini in the middle. His first goal would be a deft finish from the edge of the box, a first time shot which would snake around two defenders and the outstretched hand of Marc-Andre ter Stegen to nestle into the side netting. Benzema’s brace would come from a penalty won by Vini, and then his third would come from a tap-in after Vini would rip the Barcelona defense apart leaving Benzema completely open in an onside position.

Vini and Benzema together have caused utter destruction in the last week, I feel like I’m in March of 2022 again. All season, it has been these two (and Courtois) constantly showing up when Real need them.