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#7 Erling Haaland (Norway/Borussia Dortmund)
As opposed to most of the players on this list, Erling Haaland had a quiet summer. Norway did not qualify for Euro 2020 and the young striker did not get the chance to feature in the high-profile competition. But it looks like he's making up for lost time with his goalscoring exploits in the new season.
Haaland has scored 11 goals and provided four assists in just eight appearances across all competitions so far this term. He had scored 41 goals and provided 12 assists in 41 appearances across all competitions for Borussia Dortmund in the 2020-21 season.
Halaand also won the DFB Pokal title with the Bundesliga outfit last term and looks set to have yet another incredible season.
#6 Karim Benzema (France/Real Madrid)
Karim Benzema had a good summer. After earning a call up to the French national side after an absence of six years, Benzema stood up and delivered. He scored four goals in four appearances for France at Euro 2020.
In the 2020-21 season, he was Real Madrid's best player, scoring 30 goals and providing nine assists in 46 appearances across all competitions. He has worked his way back into the race for the Ballon d'Or on pure individual merit.
In the new season, Benzema has scored a whopping eight goals and provided seven assists in just seven appearances so far. Benzema is one of the best strikers of his generation and looks to be playing at the peak of his powers despite being 33-years-old.
#5 N'Golo Kante (France/Chelsea)
UEFA Champions League Midfielder of the Year N'Golo Kante was sensational for Chelsea in the closing stages of the 2020-21 season. He picked up four successive man-of-the-match awards from the second leg of the quarter-final up to the final.
He has also won the UEFA Super Cup. Despite not giving a great account of himself at Euro 2020, Kante has come back strongly. But this might be as far as the Frenchman gets in the Ballon d'Or race this term.
#4 Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Manchester United)
Cristiano Ronaldo made headlines in the summer multiple times. He won the Serie A Golden Boot with Juventus, scoring 29 goals in 33 league games. Ronaldo also won the Golden Boot at Euro 2020 with five goals and one assist in four appearances.
He then copped a move to his former club Manchester United. Just as critics were getting ready to start writing him off, Ronaldo hit the ground running at Old Trafford. He has already scored four goals in three appearances and has shown that despite being 36-years-old, he is still one of the best in the business.
