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 touchesKarim Benzema has been simply incredible for Real Madrid this season.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.Real Madrid C.F.@realmadrid¡ partidos! @Benzema x @LaLiga#RealFootball12:17 PM · Dec 31, 2021317511648¡4⃣0⃣0⃣ partidos!🇫🇷 @Benzema x @LaLiga#RealFootball https://t.co/RZHVPKpseW2021 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 touchesSadio Mane has been one of Liverpool's best signings in recent years.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.Southampton FC@SouthamptonFC🎙 "How's he done that?!"New Year's Day delight #OnThisDay in 2015 courtesy of Sadio Mané 7:31 AM · Jan 1, 20223919🎙 "How's he done that?!"New Year's Day delight #OnThisDay in 2015 courtesy of Sadio Mané 👏 https://t.co/J5zfU2IomDA 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.