The weekend that went by witnessed some enthralling footballing action from all over Europe. Manchester Derby was one of the most watched game in recent history as it featured the most expensive squad ever assembled on a football pitch. Many upsets were observed from all five major leagues as for the first time, though, many leagues have a clear leader at the top.
In the Premier League, Manchester City emerged victorious over their bitter rivals as they beat United 2-1. Chelsea drew 2-2 with Swansea and Liverpool handsomely outsmart champions Leicester City, 4-1 in their first home game. Arsenal won 2-1 against Southampton with a last minute penalty as the biggest upset came from the London Stadium as Watford overcome a two-goal deficit to beat West Ham 4-2.
Real Madrid beat Osasuna 5-2 as Ronaldo started his new campaign with yet another goal. Sevilla follow Real in the table at second spot as they ended Las Palmas' dream run with a 2-2 victory. Villarreal won 2-0 against Malaga and Valencia were beaten 2-3 by Real Betis.
The biggest shock this weekend came from Nou Camp as new boys, Alaves beat Barcelona 1-2 with goals from Deyverson and Ibai.
In Serie A, Juventus consolidated their first spot in the standings with a 3-1 win over Sassuolo as Gonzalo Higuain continued his good run. AS Roma completed a comeback to win 3-2 against Sampdoria and AC Milan fell to a 1-0 defeat to Udinese. Inter Milan finally won under Frank De Boer and Napoli too won 3-0 over Palermo.
From the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich continued their winning run as they beat Schalke 2-0. Hertha Berlin are at the top spot with Bayern as they beat Ingolstadt 2-0. The biggest update came from newcomers Red Bull Leipzig, as the newly promoted side beat Borussia Dortmund 1-0 in their first home game in Bundesliga.
In France, Monaco maintained their unbeaten record in the league with a 4-1 win over Lille as PSG yet again lose points with a 1-1 draw against St. Etienne. Nice too remained unbeaten with a 3-2 victory over Marseille thanks to a Mario Balotelli special. Let's take a look at the 5 star players from around Europe who shone for their sides this weekend.
#5 Francesco Totti:
Entering his 25th season for Roma, the veteran yet again proved his worth for the Italian giants as they made a stunning comeback, beating Sampdoria 3-2. The game was delayed for 80 minutes as heavy rains affected the proceedings badly.
Roma were behind 2-1 before the rain interval and in the second half, they brought on Francesco Totti and Edin Dzeko who changed the course of the match.
Totti firstly played an exquisite pass from the left wing to set up Dzeko and then slotted home the penalty in the last kick of the game. Totti has been enjoying a fine run of form in 2016 as he has scored five goals in his last eight league games.
Totti brought the sunshine to the home side in a rain-affected game as Roma maintained pressure on league leaders Juventus.
#4 Mario Balotelli:
The mercurial striker cannot stay out of the news for a long time as he started his Ligue 1 career in fine fashion, scoring two goals for Nice in their 3-2 win over Marseille. Later, he termed his spell at Liverpool as the worst decision of his life as he blamed Brendan Rodgers and Jurgen Klopp rather than himself for his sad spell in England.
The Italian slotted home a penalty and then scored a thumping header from six yards as he scored the first two goals for the southern France club. Balotelli can become the poster boy of French league after the departure of Zlatan Ibrahimovic if he continues scoring goals for Nice.
#3 Roberto Firmino:
The Brazilian forward started on the left with Sturridge being given the striker's role against Leicester. The Reds created havoc for the champions and if not for Kasper Schmeichel, things could have been worse for them at Anfield.
Firmino opened the scoring after a smart first touch let him beat Robert Huth on the turn, he then finished smartly to give Liverpool a 1-0 lead early on.
Firmino created many chances as he was a constant menace to the Leicester defense. He later scored Liverpool's fourth goal courtesy of Sadio Mane's unselfishness. Firmino is establishing himself as Liverpool's most important player under Jurgen Klopp with Sadio Mane and Philippe Coutinho following the 24-year-old.
#2 Antoine Griezmann:
Atletico Madrid finally won their first game of the season as they defeated Celta Vigo 4-0 away. Atletico started their season with two disappointing draws against two newly promoted sides in Alaves and Leganes. Koke and Angel scored the first and final goals for Simeone's side as they went on to win the match comfortably.
Griezmann opened his scoring in the match for the new season after an inspiring Euros for France. He scored two headers and gave an assist for Koke's opener. He was an ever-present threat for Celta as he had many chances to complete his hat-trick.
#1 Kevin de Bruyne:
In a derby which was in focus for the two giant managers, the Belgian stood out as the best player from the Manchester derby. De Bruyne completely outplayed United's defense as he scored one and should have at least two more in the 90 minutes. He and David Silva made some brilliant movement off the ball and also kept the pressure on United's defense by their constant press.
Guardiola displayed a tactical masterclass in the first half as Mourinho's team changes played into City's hands. De Bruyne's inspired performance did not make the supporters miss Sergio Aguero even one bit as the Belgian played one of his best games in a sky blue shirt.
