Striker of the month - September: The nominees

A star-studded shortlist kicks our striker of the month poll into top gear for this season, amid plenty competition from some emerging stars. After a fascinating start to the season, with enormous uncertainties and major upsets being the norm rather than the exception, predictability is the last thing one would expect. However, some things and some people never change; the top strikers across Europe have stood up and been counted. Here are those that shone brightest in September.

Robert Lewandowski – Borussia Dortmund

Key stats - Minutes played: 385 Goals: 4 Assists: 1

Amid the furore over the announcement of his agreement to become a Bayern Munich player, Robert Lewandowski has kept his calm and has stuck to letting his football do the talking. Why Bayern would add him to a squad already burgeoning with stars is clear to see with his clinical finishing seeing him maintain an accuracy rate of over 50% for the season. Definitely will be a huge loss for Juergen Klopp’s side.

Diego Costa – Atletico Madrid

Key stats - Minutes played: 446 Goals: 5 Assists: 0

A flying start from Brazilian Diego Costa has ensured that Atletico feel little pain from the departure of Falcao, with the capital club currently having a perfect record for the season. Often acting as deputy to the Colombian, Costa has never been shy of goals, though he seems set to reach new peaks this season. His most important strike in September came, perhaps, in the Madrid derby, where his goal was the only difference between Atletico and fierce rivals, Real.

Radamel Falcao – Monaco

Key stats - Minutes played: 406 Goals: 5 Assists: 0

Where some players buckle under the expectations of a big money move, Falcao has reveled in his newly found richness. While the defenders in the French league might not quite be of the same calibre as those in Spain, Falcao has scored some confident goals, and appears to be enjoying himself at Monaco. This is reflected in the league table as well, with Monaco sitting on top, followed closely by PSG and Marseille. Money well spent, Monaco.

Wayne Rooney – Manchester United

Key stats - Minutes played: 444 Goals: 5 Assists: 2

Where before the season began, Rooney was rocking the boat at Old Trafford, it is now him who is keeping it from falling apart. With David Moyes’s brave adventures to understand his players by putting them on the pitch in different combinations every week failing miserably, it has been up to the English star to maintain respectability. A heartening sign for the United fans will be the ability to score from direct free-kicks that Rooney has developed, getting them on target at roughly the same rate that Ronaldo used to. They certainly have helped him rack up the goals, and a spot in our list of nominees.

Cristiano Ronaldo – Real Madrid

Key stats - Minutes played: 540 Goals: 9 Assists: 1

In spite of no longer being the costliest player in the world, Ronaldo has simply gone about business as usual to re-establish why he is the undisputed star at Real. A barrage of goals in September, including a hat-trick against Galatasaray in the Champions League, have boosted his quest for the Golden Boot, and even the Golden Ball, perhaps, which is no longer in Messi’s hand. The extent of Ancelotti’s dependence on the Portuguese star comes to light when we see that Ronaldo scored in every game of September, except for the one against Atletico. It was when Real recorded their opening loss of the season, losing the derby 1 – 0.

Lionel Messi – Barcelona

Key stats - Minutes played: 470 Goals: 9 Assists: 2

Continuing the cat and mouse game with Ronaldo, Messi matched Ronaldo in virtually every aspect of the game in September. Scoring the same absurdly large number of goals as the Real Madrid man, Messi got one assist higher, in spite of spending lesser time on the pitch. A hat-trick in the Champions League had to be scored as well, with Ajax being the hapless victims. Also, Messi scored in all the games he played in September, except one, where his team still managed a 4-0 victory.

The race for top honours is on, and as fans of football, we are loving it!

Vote for other positions here - Player of the Month