Top 5 South Americans in Europe this season

#1 Lionel Messi (Barcelona)

Barcelona v Leganes - La Liga — Messi has been the best player in La Liga this season

Lionel Messi has been the most influential player in Europe this season. How the Argentine helped FC Barcelona to overturn a very poor start to the season remains a big surprise to many football fans across the world.

Ahead of the season, the Blaugrana faced a lot of serious challenges. First, they lost one of their brightest players, Neymar, to PSG. This was followed by the Supercopa humiliation they suffered at the hands of Real Madrid, which made things even worse. In fact, many people did not expect the club to achieve anything in the campaign.

Then came the Messi-ah, who rescued the Catalans and gradually re-established their position as one of the most dominant clubs in the continent. The Argentine has almost single-handedly led his team from grass to grace with his supernatural abilities.

Messi has helped Barcelona to win the Copa Del Rey for a record 4th consecutive time, scoring 4 vital goals in the tournament. He has been the best player in La Liga this season with 29 goals and 12 assists in 32 appearances. He also has 6 goals and 2 assists to his name in the UEFA Champions League.

In fact, no one has been able to match his impact in Europe this term. He has been everything for the Catalan club. He is their best player, top scorer, most creative player, best dribbler, best passer as well as their best influence this season.

All stats from whoscored.com

About the author

Jidonu is a European and international football news writer at Sportskeeda. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and has around 7 years of previous experience working with the likes of Tribuna and SportRaba, Jidonu has a good eye for detail and has the ability to created cohesive articles, and reporting exploits have also led him to exclusively cover the 2018 FIFA World Cup in the past.

Jidonu’s tryst with football started after watching the 2002 FIFA World Cup final between Brazil and Germany, being mesmerized by Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. Barcelona philosophy and approach towards the game under Pep Guardiola further fueled the burgeoning love for the sport, and he has been a Culer ever since.

Unsurprisingly, Lionel Messi is his favorite player and is the one true GOAT for him over Cristiano Ronaldo. The 2022 FIFA World Cup final, where Messi's brace led to La Albiceleste lifting the cup left a lasting impact on him. His love for Messi also sees him follow Major League Soccer apart from Europe’s top five leagues.

In his free time, Jidonu raps and produces music, and also enjoys reading and swimming.

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Edited by Nishant Jayaram