Top 5 Breakthrough Players Of 2017/18

As another brilliant season of European football draws to a close, we look back at all such players who have gone from being relatively unknown, to footballing stars. 2017/18 has provided these players with a golden opportunity to break through and establish themselves as quality players. Most of these players are still relatively young, and we can't wait for them to showcase their abilities again in the upcoming season.

Each season we find a number of footballers who suddenly burst into the scene and take the footballing world by storm. Last season, it was Kylian Mbappe who suddenly went from being a young talent to an icon. While we might not have found a talent as sensational as Mbappe this season, we have found players who have revitalized their careers and taken a big step towards stardom. Some have been benefited by a transfer, while others have made the most of more playing time. We shall now take a look at five such players who can look back at 2017/18 and name it the season that changed their lives for the better.

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#5 Pascal Groß (Brighton and Hove Albion)

Groß enjoyed a stellar debut Premier League season.

SEASON STATISTICS

Matches Played : 32

Goals : 6

Assists : 8

Dribbles per Game : 0.3

Key Passes per Game : 2.3

Pascal Groß ended his five year long association with Ingolstadt in the summer of 2017, opting to join Chris Hughton's quest for survival in the Premier League. While it remains to be seen if the Seagulls manage to stay up, Groß has surely played his part. His passing, crossing, and deliveries from set-pieces have played a huge part in Brighton's success so far. He has been provider to many of Glenn Murray's goals, Brighton's top scorer this season.

Groß's statistics speak for themselves. He has been simply outstanding and his performances might earn him a national team call-up soon. That would be no mean feat, considering that Germany have players like Mesut Ozil in the creative department. In the Premier League, only one player has created more big chances than Pascal this season - Kevin de Bruyne.

In a nutshell, Groß hasn't just been Brighton's best player this season, but one of the best in the league too. We are hoping that his purple patch will continue because he's brilliant to watch.

#4 Milan Škriniar (Inter Milan)

Škriniar has been in terrific form this season.

SEASON STATISTICS

Matches Played : 34

Goals : 4

Blocks per Game : 0.7

Interceptions per Game : 1.0

Clearances per Game : 4.6

The difference in Skriniar's 2016/17 and 2017/18 is the definition of a turnaround. Last season, the Croatian defender was on loan at , and had a nothing short of horrid season. He was rightfully voted into the Serie A Worst XI of the Season. Fast forward twelve months, and Milan has a good chance of making it into the Best XI of the Season.

While that is proof enough to validate his inclusion in this list, his statistics have a say of their own. He's is renowned for his ability to play the ball out from the back, too. He has 91% passing accuracy this season - no defender can boast of a higher percentage.

His performances this season have drawn in quite a few fans, including Arsenal, Manchester City, Barcelona and Manchester United, though the Croatian insists he's going nowhere.

#3 Ruben Neves (Wolverhampton Wanderers)

Neves has blown the Championship away.

SEASON STATISTICS

Matches Played : 40

Goals : 6

Assists : 1

Key Passes per Game : 0.9

Interceptions per Game : 1.7

Dribbles per Game : 0.7

Ruben Neves has always been a hugely promising footballer, right since he was 17. A host of European clubs were interested in buying the young Portuguese, but nothing built up. In addition to that, it felt like Neves' progress had stagnated at Porto and he needed a change. However, nobody could have anticipated Ruben ditching the Champions League for the Championship. He spearheaded the Portuguese revolution at Wolves, and to very good effect. He has reminded us once again what an extraordinary talent he is.

Neves has enjoyed as good a season as anyone has in the Championship. He has been a powerhouse in midfield, sitting deep and building up attacks, whilst also preventing any from the opposition. Further, he has chipped in with some outrageous long rangers, which would make Yaya Toure proud.

Neves has the perfect opportunity to prove his caliber - in the Premier League. He's still just 21 and has Europe's biggest clubs, including Liverpool, desperately working to acquire his signature.

#2 Ederson Moraes (Manchester City)

Ederson has arguably been City's most important signing this season.

SEASON STATISTICS

Matches Played : 34

Saves : 53

Clean-sheets : 15

Passing Accuracy : 85%

Ederson has had an outstanding first season for Manchester City. One of the biggest reasons behind their complete dominance in England, Ederson has been a welcome change from Claudio Bravo's shakiness. The Brazilian has been a calming presence at the back, sweeping up every long ball to perfection, thereby allowing City to play their characteristic high defense-line. His passing ability has been applauded by all, and his long range deliveries are second to none.

Given City's control over the ball, the opposition barely get enough of it to threaten Ederson. As a result, Ederson has to just watch for a majority of the ninety minutes. However, that makes his ability to pull off great saves even more special, as he is called upon very suddenly at times. His unbelievable double save in the Manchester derby at Old Trafford proved what a fantastic keeper he is. His penalty saving ability is quite brilliant too - so much that you'd often fancy him to save, instead of the penalty-taker to score.

Legendary goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon considers him top 6 material :

"Not taking into account Italian keepers, I would say [Jan] Oblak, [Keylor] Navas, [Marc-Andre] Ter Stegen, Ederson, [Manuel] Neuer and [Thibaut] Courtois."

#1 Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (Lazio)

Savic is already rated as one of the best in his position.

SEASON STATISTICS

Matches Played : 29

Goals : 10

Assists : 3

Key Passes per Game : 1.5

Interceptions per Game : 0.9

Dribbles per Game : 1.1

2017/18 has been like a breath of fresh air for Sergej Milinkovic-Savic. In just a season, he has gone from being a standard midfielder to a world star that almost every club is chasing. Savic has been out of this world this season. He has been everywhere on the pitch - from tackling an opponent outside his box to scoring a goal outside their's. Savic is the kind of box-to-box midfielder that every club needs. He is a complete midfield package who has all kinds of tricks up his sleeve.

His consistency has been his biggest asset, with the Serbian frequently raking up 9 out of 10 performances. Besides being a tremendous passer, he is a fantastic athlete, and is 6'4" tall. Good luck trying to shove him off the ball.

Not only has he witnessed a change of fortune in Lazio colours, he also made his Serbia debut this season - at 23. From here on, one can only speculate how good he will go on to become. A massive £130 million price tag might not be a big enough roadblock for European elites like Real Madrid and Manchester United to swoop him up next summer. Savic has the ability to make even that fee look like a bargain.