90min's Definitive European Player Power Rankings 2020/21: Week 15
By Tom Gott
Well, well, well. What a week this was.
Liverpool, Real Madrid and Tottenham are bad, Manchester United are really good, and Barcelona can only be good after 75 minutes of being bad. Basically, everything's still as wild as it has been all season.
To try and wrap our heads around it all, we'll need a little help from the Golden Globe nominees to rank the top 15 performers in Europe.
15. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (down 10)
"The second you fall asleep, it all just goes back to the start." (Palm Springs)
A week off for Ibrahimovic.
He went goalless against Bologna and now has failed to score in his last two Serie A starts, having previously scored in his last six.
14. Andre Silva (new entry)
"Very nice!" (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm)
With so many big names to compete with in the Bundesliga scoring charts, Silva is doing his utmost to stand out.
The Frankfurt man now sits in second, with 16 goals from 18 games, and he currently sits on seven strikes in his last four outings. Very nice.
13. Kylian Mbappe (down 6)
"Don't worry. You'll make it through. And you'll have quite the ride on the way." (The Personal History of David Copperfield)
This past week was a real ride for Mbappe and PSG.
The Frenchman went goalless as his team were stunned 3-2 by Lorient, but he made up for it by finding the back of the net against Nimes a few days later.
12. Andrej Kramaric (re-entry)
"One of the things I love most about this life is that there's no final goodbye. You know, I've met hundreds of people out here and I don't ever say a final goodbye. I always just say, 'I'll see you down the road'. And I do. And whether it's a month, or a year, or sometimes years, I see them again." (Nomadland)
Oh hey, Kramaric. Long time no see.
An early leader in the rankings, Kramaric's form dipped after a positive COVID-19 test, but five goals in his last three games shows he's back and means business.
11. Bruno Fernandes (re-entry)
"Hi. One coffee, hold the spit." (Promising Young Woman)
The disrespect put on Fernandes' name purely because of a handful of underwhelming performances was wild.
He was back at his brilliant best this week as he bagged a goal and two assists to steer Manchester United to a record-equalling 9-0 win over Southampton.
10. Georgios Giakoumakis (up 4)
"There’s no place to be but in it." (The Trial of the Chicago 7)
Right in the thick of things again this week was Giakoumakis, who extended his lead in the Eredivisie scoring charts to ten with another strike for VVV-Venlo.
With 21 goals in 20 games this season, nobody in the Dutch league even comes close to him right now.
9. Lionel Messi (re-entry)
"A distraction is momentary. An escape helps you heal." (The Prom)
After the controversy of his red card and record-breaking contract, Messi needed a big week to prove his worth to Barcelona, and boy, did he deliver.
A goal against Athletic was good, but his 11/10 performance against Granada was something else. He might have only walked away with one assist, but if you've ever wondered how a footballer could be worth £492m, just go watch this game.
8. Joshua Kimmich (up 1)
“Isn’t Guy amazing? He gives me a funny feeling. Like I have butterflies in my stomach. Not just the ones I had for lunch but like other butterflies.” (The Croods: A New Age)
Isn't Kimmich amazing?
The most complete footballer on the planet, Kimmich picked up another assist this week to take his tally for the season to ten, helping Bayern Munich avenge the 4-1 loss to Hoffenheim earlier in the season with a 4-1 win of their own.
7. Erling Haaland (up 1)
"There's a golden age coming when all the world will be a stage, and you, perhaps, their Shakespeare." (Mank)
Haaland's not far off being the Shakespeare of this age.
One assist against Augsburg. A goal and an assist against Paderborn. Two wins for Borussia Dortmund. What more could you want?
6. Luis Suarez (up 6)
"You know, it’s been going on for some time. Strange things going on around us." (The Father)
It's been a strange season for Suarez. He was inexplicably given the boot by Barcelona and forced to score goals for rivals Atletico Madrid, but he looks as focused as ever.
Two goals against Cadiz, including a corker of a free kick to open the scoring, means Suarez is now on five from his last three games.
5. Thomas Muller (up 1)
"Can you see what nobody sees?” (Over the Moon)
The man with vision like nobody else has had a few weeks off from assisting. Instead, Muller has been focused on scoring instead.
After putting two past Schalke last week, Muller added another against Hoffenheim, and he now sits on ten goals and ten assists in the Bundesliga this season.
4. Ciro Immobile (down 2)
"A one. A two. A you-know-what-to-do." (Ma Rainey's Black Bottom)
Immobile knows exactly what to do when he finds himself in the penalty area.
This week, instead of scoring himself, Immobile was kind enough to set up strike partner Joaquin Correa to help Lazio to a 3-1 win over Atalanta.
3. Romelu Lukaku (up 1)
"I was born to play." (Soul)
Born to score goals, Lukaku wasn't here to mess about this week.
While Lautaro Martinez might have been the star of the show in Inter's 4-0 win over Benevento, Lukaku stole the headlines with two composed finishes to keep himself in the race for the Serie A top scorer award, one behind...
2. Cristiano Ronaldo (up 1)
"I hope there's a little magic left in you.” (Onward)
With no more controversial ski holidays to distract himself with, Ronaldo pulled out the magic once again to steer Juventus past Inter in the first leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final.
With his side a goal down, Ronaldo equalised with an emphatic penalty, before forcing a comical defensive error to tap home with winner.
1. Robert Lewandowski (-)
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your king." (Hamilton)
It's just getting a little silly at this point.
Lewandowski managed yet another goal (and an assist) in the win over Hoffenheim, and he's now scored in each of his last nine games. 24 goals in just 18 games this year.
How?