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October was a long month for footballers. There was a lot of action at both club and international levels. The World Cup Qualifiers and the final rounds of the UEFA Nations League took place during the international break.
France won the continental tournament after defeating Belgium and Spain in the semi-finals and final respectively. We also had the Champions League in addition to domestic cup action as well and there was plenty of drama involved.
Some of the biggest names in the game have continued to perform at the levels we've come to expect of them. Meanwhile, a few elite players are yet to really hit their stride in the new season. Now that we're into November, things will start to get real serious in Europe's top 5 leagues.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five of the best players in Europe in the month of October.
#5 Fabian Ruiz (Spain/Napoli)
Signing André-Frank Zambo Anguissa on loan from Fulham has definitely benefitted Napoli. Anguissa's presence has helped free up Fabian Ruiz, who has worked his way back to being a top-tier midfielder.
Napoli's midfield has been immense and they sit atop the Serie A table having conceded just three goals in 11 Serie A games this term. The midfield partnership of Anguissa and Ruiz has gone a long way towards helping the Partenopei become a difficult team to break down.
With Anguissa playing alongside him, Ruiz has the freedom to venture forward and we have seen him play some great football. He scored an absolute stunner as Napoli beat Bologna in the last week of October as well. The Spaniard has been excellent in possession and has been very accurate with his passing as well.
Ruiz has definitely leveled up this season and Napoli will do well to protect their asset next summer if he keeps this up for the rest of the campaign. He has scored three goals and provided two assists in 14 appearances across all competitions so far this term.
#4 Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Manchester United)
Cristiano Ronaldo has had a mixed bag of a month. Even though the mighty 5-0 loss to Liverpool and the 4-2 humbling at Leicester would have been hard to take, Ronaldo had his moments in October.
He scored a hat-trick for Portugal in the World Cup Qualifiers against Luxembourg and has taken his international goal tally to 115. The Manchester United forward also came up clutch in the Champions League game against Atalanta.
He scored the all-important winner after Manchester United had gone 2-0 down against the Serie A outfit. Ronaldo also produced a thumping volley and provided a spectacular assist for Edinson Cavani as the Red Devils beat Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 on the road.
In total, Ronaldo racked up six goals and an assist in seven appearances for club and country in the month of October.
#3 Karim Benzema (France/Real Madrid)
Karim Benzema has clawed his way into the 2021 Ballon d'Or race after a string of mesmerizing performances for both club and country in the new season. After impressing at Euro 2020, Benzema came up clutch for France at the UEFA Nations League.
He scored a goal each in the semi-final and the final as France won the title. The 33-year-old also scored a goal and bagged an assist in Real Madrid's 5-0 thrashing of Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League.
Benzema is one of the most well-rounded strikers in the world and he has turned it up a notch this term. The Frenchman has been in excellent form this season and seems to be playing some of the best football of his career. Benzema has scored 13 goals and provided eight assists in 14 appearances across all competitions this term.
#2 Thomas Muller (Germany/Bayern Munich)
One of the most consistent footballers of his generation, Thomas Muller has been at his creative best in the new season. When he is on song, it is difficult to find players who can impose themselves on a game as much as the German international can.
Save for the humiliation in the DFB Pokal at the hands of Borussia Monchengladbach, Muller has had a great month. He provided a hat-trick of assists and scored a goal as Bayern Munich bounced back from their cup loss to win 5-2 against Union Berlin.
In the month of October, Muller scored three goals and provided seven assists in eight appearances across all competitions for club and country. The 32-year-old has shown us why he is almost as important as Robert Lewandowski is to the Bavarians.
#1 Mohamed Salah (Egypt/Liverpool)
It's not even up for debate. Mohamed Salah is very clear of the competition in the new season and particularly in October. He was unstoppable and even capped it off with a sensational hat-trick against bitter rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford. This was the first time a player has scored a hat-trick against United at Old Trafford.
The best thing about Salah's October was that the hat-trick on enemy turf was just the icing on the cake. He scored seven goals and provided four assists in just five appearances across all competitions for Liverpool last month.
He scored wonderful solo goals against Manchester City and Watford. The Egyptian international also produced an exceptional performance against Atletico Madrid and bagged a brace as Liverpool beat them 3-2 at the Wanda Metropolitano.
Salah has been on a different level this season and if he can keep this up and win a few trophies, he will be the frontrunner for next year's Ballon d'Or.
