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The 2022/23 season has been one of the most competitive campaigns in a long time. Every league title is being fought for, and there have been very few runaway leaders so far, barring Napoli, who are 19 points ahead of second-placed Lazio. However, such cut-throat competition has only been possible due to high-scoring teams and their high-scoring attackers.
Over the last 15 years, Lionel Messi & Cristiano Ronaldo have normalized the art of scoring and assisting goals consistently over the course of a season. However, scoring more than 10 goals and providing more than 10 assists in a single season is quite a feat.
On that note, let's take a look at the five players with 10+ goals & 10+ assists so far this season.
Note: Only players from Europe's top five leagues have been considered.
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#5 Randal Kolo Muani (11 goals, 10 assists)
Randal Kolo Muani, despite playing for sixth-placed Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt, has been functioning at an elite level this season.
The French star, unlike many modern-day strikers, is the complete package in the final third of the pitch. This basically means that while his primary job is that of goal-scoring, Muani also excels at the art of providing assists. His decision-making in key attacking areas is a huge reason behind the same. While most centre-forwards are encouraged to be selfish and take shots on goal, the Frankfurt ace realizes when to do so and when to pass to his teammates.
This has resulted in Muani recording 11 goals and 10 assists in just 24 Bundesliga games so far. Although he is yet to shore up other facets of his game (like holding the ball up for instance), the 24-year-old is only going to get better in the coming years. The only out-and-out centre-forward on this list, the Frenchman has a bright future and could secure a big-money transfer this summer.
#4 Bukayo Saka (12 goals, 10 assists)
Bukayo Saka has arguably been the best English player in world football this season, despite some heavy competition for that status.
The right-winger has gone from strength to strength under Mikel Arteta's tutelage and is now one of the most sought-after wingers in the game. His positioning in the attacking half of the pitch and work rate off the ball have been excellent this season. Although these are key traits among most of Arsenal's current attackers, Saka also has a cutting edge in and around the penalty box.
The Englishman is not afraid to take long-range shots and understandably so. Saka's accuracy in launching the ball from distance low into the corner has been exemplary this season. Similarly, his ability to run at defenders inside the penalty box and find the back of the net has been impeccable. At the same time, the winger has maintained his fine sense of silky passes, creative one-touch assists and threatening crosses into the box.
Hence, it should come as no surprise that Saka has already registered 12 goals and 10 assists in 28 Premier League games this season. The Englishman could be named the Premier League's Player of the Season, especially if Arsenal continue their current form and win the league title.
#3 Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (12 goals, 10 assists)
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's name may be hard to pronounce, but the Georgian international has made Serie A football look too easy at times this season.
Napoli signed the winger from Dinamo Batumi at the start of the season and it has taken him very little time to stamp his footprint on Italian football. Kvaratskhelia, apart from his dazzling skills and sensational pace, has an incredible amount of discipline in his game as well. He contributes immensely in defense but also punches his gut to form part of the attack. He can get past defenders with ease but also has the sound mind to provide the right pass or finish off a move effectively & efficiently.
Alongside Victor Osimhen, the attacker has really come to the fore for the Naples-based side this season, with 12 goals and 10 assists in 23 Serie A games. With Napoli looking likely to win their first Serie A title in more than three decades, Kvaratskhelia could go down in the club's folklore if he continues his current form.
#2 Neymar (13 goals, 11 assists)
Neymar, ever since leaving Barcelona in 2017 for a mammoth transfer fee, has not been able to live up to the hype.
The Brazilian was expected to help Paris Saint-Germain to their first-ever Champions League trophy, a wait which will continue until next season. However, it would be wrong to say that the South American has not contributed to his club's league successes over the past five years. While the club do have several stars to do the same, Neymar has provided consistently on the attacking front for his side.
He still excels at dribbling past defenders with his trickery, and his vision on the ball remains one of the best in the business. His form in front of goal has also been great this season, courtesy of which he has 13 goals and 11 assists in 20 Ligue 1 games so far.
While he is out injured at the moment, the 31-year-old has once again capped a fine league performance this season. However, the club's Qatari owners might argue that without European success, Neymar's transfer has been a failure so far.
#1 Lionel Messi (13 goals, 13 assists)
Lionel Messi can comfortably say that 2022 was his greatest year in international football, but his domestic campaign has not been too shabby either.
While PSG were knocked out of the Champions League in the Round of 16 stage, they are well on track to win the Ligue 1 title this year. Messi has certainly been key in this process, with the Argentinian already scoring 13 and assisting 13 in 23 Ligue 1 games so far this season. Hence, his goal-scoring feats have equalled his chance-creation abilities, something that has been very common for the little maestro over the last decade.
Although playing alongside some of the biggest names in the business eases his chances of recording such numbers, his performances have still been incredible this season. Hence, despite being 35, Messi is one of the best players in Ligue 1 at the moment, quite a feat for a player who has arguably "completed football".
