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#3 Paul Pogba | Manchester United
To say Paul Pogba has started the season well would be a massive understatement. The Manchester United midfielder's star turn at Old Trafford has been in the making for way too long, but could finally take place this campaign.
Pogba has been simply immense for the Red Devils this term, bolstering United's bid for a first Premier League title since 2013. He already has seven Premier League assists in five matches, and has looked at his creative best. Even if he doesn't keep up the blistering pace, he could smash the record for most Premier League assists in a season.
Pogba's xA count for the season is 1.1; the very fact that he has seven is testament to both his quality and that of the forwards in front of him so far.
The midfielder has also made 3.6 shot creating actions (SCAs) per game in five matches, compared to 2.61 SCAs he registered in the 2020-21 season. More staggeringly, Pogba already has eight goal-creating actions (GCAs) in total this season; he managed seven in the Premier League last season across 26 matches.
Such an unusual peak in Pogba's performance suggests a significant drop could soon be on the horizon. But if he can keep the troughs to a minimum, the Frenchman could register a record assist tally at the end of the season.
#2 Erling Haaland | Borussia Dortmund
Erling Haaland is just wired differently. Many expected the Norwegian to build on his goal tally from last season. But the manner in which he has gone about his game this campaign is simply astounding.
Haaland has scored seven Bundesliga goals in five matches, and has also netted once in Borussia Dortmund's opening Champions League game. But what has been even more impressive about the forward this season are the tweaks he has made to his gameplay.
Haaland has recorded four assists in five Bundesliga games after managing only six in 28 league matches last term. Interestingly, his xA has only been 1.6 this season, compared to 5.4 last term, which indicates that his passing and vision have improved. Haaland has also managed eight key passes in five league games this term, and is well on course to better the 23 key passes he tallied in 28 games last season.
Improvements in Haaland's all-round game are also visible in other stats. The striker has averaged 19.6 total carries and 3.2 progressive carries per game in the Bundesliga this season. These are marginal but crucial improvements from his record of 16.46 total carries and 2.82 progressive carries in the Bundesliga last season.
Halaand's ability to reinvent his game this season hasn't received much attention. But the numbers mean the amount of potential in the 21-year-old is truly frightening.
#1 Karim Benzema | Real Madrid
Week after week, season after season, Karim Benzema simply seems to get better and better. The Frenchman has gotten off to a dream start in the 2021-22 campaign after impressing for his country at Euro 2020 during the summer.
Benzema has amassed six goals and five assists in five La Liga matches for Real Madrid this term. That makes him one of the most in-form players in the game at the moment.
Carlo Ancelotti's second reign has coincided with Real Madrid's rebuilding of sorts. Although many players from the old guard are still in the Italian's XI, none hold more importance to the squad than Benzema. The forward has promptly filled in as both a goalscoring striker and the creative false nine the team needs to compete on multiple fronts.
Benzema has an xG of 2.4 and xA of 1.9 in the league this season. His goal contributions this term suggest how good he has been. Ancelotti's system has played a role, of course. But Benzema's proficiency was on display last season too, as he managed 30 goals and nine assists across competitions.
This season, he seems to have taken his creative prowess a notch higher. Benzema registered 37 key passes and 17 GCAs in the league last season. Five games into this campaign, he already has ten key passes and seven GCAs. Benzema has also averaged 4.4 progressive passes per game in the league this term, compared to 2.41 he registered last season.
Moreover, he has also struck up a promising partnership with the in-form Vinicius Junior this season. That proves that Karim Benzema is still at the top of his game even at 33. With Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos departing Spain this summer, the Frenchman seems to be receiving the recognition he has deserved for so long.
Honourable Mentions: Vinicius Junior, Michail Antonio, Bruno Fernandes, Antonio Rudiger, Ciro Immobile, Mohamed Salah.
