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The 2021-22 season is approaching its business end, with title races across Europe's top five leagues beginning to take shape.
In Italy, AC Milan, Inter Milan and Napoli are in a thrilling three-horse title race. Milan lead holders Inter, who have a game in hand, by two points, with Napoli a further point behind.
Manchester City look good for a fourth title in five years in England, leading closest challengers Liverpool, who have a game in hand, by six points. Elsewhere in Spain, Real Madrid lead Sevilla by eight points with 11 games to go.
Bayern Munich have a nine-point lead over Borussia Dortmund, who have a game in hand as Munich seek to win their tenth consecutive Bundesliga title. The French league title race seems like an open and shut case this season.
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) lead Nice by 13 points with 11 games remaining, as they look to win their eighth title in ten years with many games to spare.
Cristiano Ronaldo (nine) and Lionel Messi (two) may have struggled for league goals this season. However, many of the usual suspects like Robert Lewandowski, Erling Haaland and Karim Benzema have scored goals galore. Some of them have also racked up a lot of assists along the way.
On that note, here's a look at four players who have hit double figures in goals and assists this season:
#4 Domenico Berardi (Sassuolo) - 12 goals, 11 assists
Domenico Berardi is an unlikely name on this list. However, the 27-year-old is one of the top wingers in the Italian top flight at the moment.
Playing his ninth campaign in the competition, Berardi has made over 250 appearances, all for Sassuolo. He is on the cusp of 100 Serie A goals, having netted 98 times, and has also racked up an impressive 70 assists.
Berardi is the first player to bring up ten goals and as many assists in Europe's top five leagues this season.
The winger has been a pretty consistent performer in the Italian top flight over the years. He has racked up over 20 goal contributions in five of his nine campaigns in the competition, including the last three.
Despite Berardi's exploits, Sassuola are only tenth in the league table with ten games to go.
#3 Kylian Mbappe (PSG) - 14 goals, 10 assists
Kylian Mbappe is widely regarded as one of the best young players in the game at the moment.
Still only 23, the PSG attacker has won most major titles with club and country, with the exception of the European Championship and the UEFA Champions League. Mbappe has over 170 goal contributions for PSG.
With 14 goals and 10 assists this campaign, Mbappe has recorded double-digit goals and assist tallies in Ligue 1 season for the second time.
With PSG's eighth league title in ten years appearing to be a formality, Mbappe will look to bring a strong end to the campaign.
#2 Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) - 19 goals, 10 assists
Mohamed Salah has been a stellar performer for Liverpool since arriving in the summer of 2017.
The Egyptian winger has racked up double-digit goals and assist tallies in four of his five Premier League campaigns with the Reds. He announced his pedigree with 32 goals and 11 assists in his first top-flight campaign for Liverpool.
Salah has not looked back from there. He bagged 19 goals and 10 assists in 2019-20 as the Reds won their first Premier League title. With as many goals and assists this term, Salah is looking to win his second league title in three years.
Earlier this season, the 29-year-old brought up his 100th goal in the English top flight. He also overtook Didier Drogba to become the most prolific African scorer in Premier League history.
Salah is on course to win his third Premier League Golden Boot award, leading closest challenger - teammate Diogo Jota - by seven goals.
#1 Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) - 20 goals, 10 assists
Karim Benzema has been a standout performer for Real Madrid since his arrival in the summer of 2009.
Since the departure of the club's top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer of 2018, Benzema has stepped up big time. He has scored at least 20 goals in each of his last four La Liga campaigns, after doing so only twice in the preceding nine. Remarkably, the Frenchman has scored at least 10 league goals in all but two of his 13 campaigns in La Liga.
With 30 goal contributions this term, Benzema is leading Real Madrid's quest for a second league title in three years.
The 34-year-old striker is also on course to win his first Pichichi award, leading his closest challengers - Vinicius Junior, Iago Aspas, Raul de Tomas and Enes Unal - by seven goals.
