90min's Definitive European Player Power Rankings: Week 22 - Shrek anniversary special
By Tom Gott
We might all hate the big clubs right now, but we all still love the big players.
There have been a lot of bad things happening this week, but we at 90min are looking to forget it all, and what better way to do that than by ranking Europe's top players and celebrating the 20th anniversary of Shrek at the same time?
Grab your donkeys. Let's get into this.
10. Wout Weghorst (re-entry)
"Alright, nobody move. I've got a dragon and I'm not afraid to use it.
I'm a donkey on the edge."
Maybe Wout Weghorst is secretly a dragon? That would explain why Bundesliga defenders are terrified of him this year.
The Wolfsburg man bagged twice in two games this week, taking him to the 20-goal mark for the first time in his career.
One of the most underrated strikers around?
9. Karim Benzema (re-entry)
"Some of you may die, but its a sacrifice I'm willing to make."
Is that a quote from Lord Farquaad or Real Madrid president Florentino Perez?
When he's not being thrown to the wolves by his club owner, Karim Benzema is scoring a lot of goals.
His run of seven straight games with a goal ended this week, but the Frenchman bounced back with two goals and an assist in Real's 3-0 win over Cadiz to kick-start a new run.
8. Kelechi Iheanacho (new entry)
"What are you doing in my swamp?"
What's Kelechi Iheanacho doing on Jamie Vardy's turf?
Taking on the goalscoring duties for Leicester, Iheanacho has plundered nine goals in his last nine Premier League games and has even added four goals and an assist in the Foxes' run to the FA Cup final.
He's scored 36 goals for Leicester since joining in 2017, and over a third of them have come in the last two months.
7. Jesse Lingard (up 1)
“We can stay up late, swapping manly stories, and in the morning, I'm making waffles!”
Someone make Jesse Lingard some waffles. The man has earned them.
He didn't have his best game against Newcastle, but the West Ham man still managed to get on the score sheet. That's nine goals in just ten games for the Hammers.
6. Thomas Muller (re-entry)
"So where is this fire-breathin' pain in the neck, anyway?"
"In the tower, waiting for us to rescue her."
"I was talkin' about the dragon, Shrek."
It's Thomas Muller who has been rescuing Bayern Munich these days.
Muller added two more assists this week and has now created seven goals in his last six games. If that's not enough for you, his assists have directly earned Bayern ten points since February.
5. Andre Silva (down 2)
"What's that? It's hideous."
"Well, that's not very nice. It's just a donkey."
A pretty ugly week from Andre Silva.
Eintracht Frankfurt's shocking 4-0 loss to Borussia Monchengladbach will have brought Silva crashing down to earth in abrupt fashion, but at least he got things back on track with a goal against Augsburg.
4. Gerard Moreno (down 3)
“Donkey, two things okay? Shut... up!"
Shutting Gerard Moreno up hasn't been easy over the past few months.
This week, Levante limited him to one goal as they fell 5-1 to Villarreal, but Moreno's good mood will have been ruined as he drew a blank in a surprising 2-1 lost to Alaves.
3. Erling Haaland (up 4)
"I like that boulder. That is a nice boulder."
I like that striker. That is a nice striker.
This week, Erling Haaland proved exactly why he's the most-wanted man on the planet. He bagged twice against Werder Bremen and then showed his range with an assist in the 2-0 win over Union Berlin.
2. Kylian Mbappe (up 2)
"That'll do, Donkey. That'll do."
PSG vs Saint-Etienne was pretty boring for the first 77 minutes, and then all hell broke lose.
After the visitors finally broke the deadlock, Kylian Mbappe stepped up to prove PSG weren't to be messed with, bagging two goals in eight minutes to put his side ahead.
Saint-Etienne equalised in the 92nd minute, but the day was saved by Mauro Icardi's 95th-minute header.
1. Lionel Messi (up 1)
"Onions have layers. Ogres have layers... You get it? We both have layers."
We're seeing the layers to Lionel Messi's game this season, and boy, is it fun to watch.
After his two-goal haul (including one of the best strikes you'll see all year) in the Copa del Rey final against Athletic Club, Messi danced around Getafe to the tune of two goals and one assist.
I'd say he's the best on the planet, but right now, Messi is on his own planet.