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According to UEFA Coefficients, Europe's top 5 leagues are Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, and Ligue 1. They have remained so over the past decades. It is thus no surprise that these big 5 garner the bulk of the attention of football fans and media worldwide.
However, there's a raft of footballing talent outside these five leagues and these competitions have produced some of the brightest prospects over the years. Some recent exports include Erling Braut Haaland from RB Salzburg, Matthijs De Ligt, Frenkie De Jong and Donny van de Beek from Ajax, to name a few.
With an inflated market in a pandemic economy across Europe's top 5 leagues, the upcoming summer transfer window is bound to witness plenty of signings from these "smaller" leagues.
So without further ado, let's take a look at the 5 best players outside Europe's top 5 leagues this season.
#5 Patson Daka | RB Salzburg
Patson Daka has filled the big boots of Erling Haaland since his departure and has stepped up to become the best striker in the Austrian Bundesliga by a country mile.
Haaland's transfer to Borussia Dortmund at the start of the season allowed Daka to take over as Salzburg's premier goalscorer. The 22-year-old had a stellar campaign in the recently concluded Bundesliga season, accumulating 27 goals from 28 appearances - nine more than any other player in the league.
Even in the 2019/20 season where he was overshadowed by Haaland, Daka matched the Norwegian's goalscoring exploits and ended the season as Salzburg's top goalscorer. In that season, the Zambian outscored his expected goals tally by 6.48 and scored 1.09 goals per 90 minutes.
Daka is also exceptionally clinical, especially when one considers his age and has a long way to go, as he recorded close to 30% in goal conversion rate in the 2019/20 season.
#4 Nicolás Tagliafico | Ajax
It is impossible to make a list of the best talents in European football without an appearance from a product of the reputed Ajax academy production line.
Nicolas Tagliafico is currently one of the best fullbacks in European football. The left-back has been heavily linked with moves to Chelsea, Manchester City and Leicester City, among other top clubs. Tagliafico had one of his best seasons in 2018/19 where he played a crucial role in Ajax's run to the semifinals.
In the following season, the Argentina international enjoyed his most productive campaign in the Eredivisie with 3 goals and 4 assists to his name. He is also extremely adept as a defender, playing his part in 12 clean sheets this season; with his team conceding just 29 goals in 40 games.
We are bound to see the explosive fullback make his way to one of Europe's big five leagues very soon.
#3 Pizzi | Benfica
At 31 years, Pizzi is finally fulfilling his potential and has been one of Primeira Liga's standout players over the past few years.
The Portuguese is regarded as one of the most talented players of his generation, with his versatility allowing him to operate in midfield as well as in a forward role. After being sent out on loan in his first season as a Benfica player, Pizzi put up consistent performances to become an integral part of the Aguias' Primeira Liga dominance.
In his first season back from loan, Pizzi was directly involved in 9 goals (2 goals, 7 assists) in Benfica's 2014/15 Primeira Liga triumph. He became a mainstay for the Eagles, who won 4 league championships in the period between 2014 and 2019.
Pizzi was exceptional in the recently concluded Europa League, with a direct involvement in 9 goals (7 goals, 2 assists) from 8 appearances.
#2 Odsonne Édouard | Celtic
Odsonne Edouard has set the stage of Scottish football ablaze with consecutive Golden Boot wins in the last two seasons of the Scottish Premiership.
After loan spells at Toulouse and Celtic, the PSG academy graduate made a permanent move to Celtic Park in 2018. Edouard scored 23 goals across all competitions in his first full season in Scotland and has only got better in the last couple of seasons.
The 23-year-old's tally of 21 goals from 27 appearances in the 2019/20 Premiership was seven more than any other player in the league. He was directly involved in 35 goals (24 goals, 11 assists) from 33 appearances in the Premiership and Europa League in that campaign.
Edouard followed it up with 18 goals in the recently-concluded Premiership season and has been the top goalscorer in Scottish football since his permanent move.
#1 Donyell Malen | PSV Eindhoven
The PSV Eindhoven youngster, Donyell Malen, is one of the best No. 9s in European football outside the big 5 leagues.
Malen has had a prolific scoring record in the Eredivisie since his arrival in the 2017 summer transfer window from Arsenal. The 22-year-old initially represented PSV's reserve team in the second division of Dutch football but earned a promotion to the first team before the end of the 2017/18 season. In Malen's last two seasons in the Dutch league and Europe, he has amassed a tally of 38 goals and 10 assists from 58 appearances.
The Netherlands international made a good first impression in his 12 career Europa League outings where he notched up 8 goals. Malen has been heavily linked to top European clubs like Borussia Dortmund in recent years and will garner more attention when he leads the line for the Dutch in the upcoming Euros.
No player in the Netherlands' 26-man Euro squad has scored more goals than Malen in the 2020/21 season.
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