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Football, when broken down to its bare essentials, is a simple game where two teams fight it out, and the one who scores more goals wins the match.
The game is finely balanced between the two important activities of attack and defense while the rest of the things revolve in between the two. There are no set ways to score a goal, as long as a player doesn't break the rules of the game.
However, every chance has a probability of being converted into a goal. While theoretical probability may not always be accurate, it's essentially the main thing on which every manager's tactics rely. Hence, taking touches in the opponent's penalty box becomes extremely important.
It's the closest and statistically safest possible position a team can get into before trying to score a goal. But it's also a crowded place, so one can only take so many touches before being dispossessed.
Over the entire year of 2021, the following five names have taken the highest number of touches in the opposition's penalty area. So it's no coincidence that some of them feature on the list of players with the highest goal involvements in 2021.
#5 Karim Benzema - 266 touches
Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has been one of the most consistent performers for Los Blancos over the last decade.
Since joining as a youngster from French club Lyon, Benzema has become one of the best forwards of the modern era. Such has been his exploits with Real Madrid in recent times that it even earned him a French national team recall last year.
2021 was a fruitful year for Karim Benzema despite his club and country meeting losses at crucial junctures. The 34-year-old Frenchman had 266 touches in the opposition box, and he has often played as a deep-lying forward to help build up. Benzema also had an amazing 50 goal involvements last year.
#4 Sadio Mane - 290 touches
Sadio Mane may have lost a bit of the rhythm he had a few years back. But the Senegalese remains an integral part of Jurgen Klopp's setup at Liverpool.
Although he is traditionally a winger, Mane loves to cut deep inside from wide positions. In addition, he is also an expert at dribbling with the ball and shooting with his feet.
A major characteristic of Mane's gameplay was well proven when he had 290 touches in the opposition's penalty box in 2021. Mane is a livewire for most defenses, and a player of his caliber with so many touches can be a major worry for even the best defenders.
The 29-year-old forward's goal involvements may have been reduced to 24 in 2021, but his offensive threat has not waned.
#3 Duvan Zapata - 296 touches
In third position is a name not spoken too much in mainstream footballing circles. But Colombian forward Duvan Zapata has been an enormous player for Serie A side Atalanta.
It has taken some years for Zapata to deliver on the potential he has always had, but it's better late than never. The Colombian is a physically powerful centre-forward who is very agile despite his physical build. He is equally adept at shooting with his feet and heading the ball in the air.
But Zapata is not just a finisher as he helps in build-up play as well. He often uses his upper body strength to carry the ball inside the opposition box.
Zapata had 296 touches in the opposition's penalty box in 2021. Additionally, he performed well to notch up 41 goals and assists, which put him in the list of top 10 footballers with the most goal involvements in the calendar year.
#2 Kylian Mbappe - 318 touches
Kylian Mbappe has been the biggest exponent of what happens when talent meets opportunity.
Since arriving on the scene with Monaco, Mbappe has never looked back once. He is one of the most sought-after commodities in the football world, but that hasn't affected Mbappe's performances. However, 2021 was a sad year for him as Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and France couldn't quite meet the fans' or their own high expectations.
However, 2021 has been another excellent year for the Frenchman individually. He is adept at playing both on the wings as well as centrally. Mbappe's tendency to get into the opposition box as fast as he can has earned him 318 touches in the opposition box last year.
The 23-year-old forward also managed to record 65 goal involvements across all major competitions in 2021, the highest among all players.
#1 Mohamed Salah - 383 touches
Egyptian winger Mohamed Salah has taken his gameplay to an all-new level since joining Liverpool.
Salah has taken some time to establish himself following a failed spell at Chelsea. But he has transformed himself into a completely different and special footballer, with him currently one of the best offensive talents in the Premier League.
Known for his trickery and guile, Salah uses his ability to carry the ball into the opposition box to get into scoring positions. He is clinical once he gets there, as his Liverpool goal record evidently confirms.
It's not surprising that Salah has the highest touches in the opposition penalty box among any player in Europe's top 5 leagues. He managed to convert those chances into goals and notched up an incredible 48 goal involvement last year.
Salah's performances were crucial to helping Liverpool qualify for Europe in what was a terrible season for the club. Several key players missed large chunks of the season for the Reds with injuries, but Salah guided them to a top four finish in the Premier League.
