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#3 Mohamed Salah - Liverpool
Liverpool ace Mohamed Salah has changed the shape of the Premier League since his return to the league in 2017. In many ways, the former Roma forward is the antithesis of a traditional Premier League winger.
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He isn’t big or particularly strong and isn't a fan of showboating. What he does possess, however, is footballing intelligence and the ability to make smart, undetected runs.
When idle, Salah loves to stick to the right flank and bring his teammates into the game with quick exchanges. However, after the pace builds up, the right-winger gradually tends to make inroads into the box. Misplace him for a moment and he will use his acceleration to get past you and hit the back of the net with aplomb.
Salah has used his intelligence to lead the Premier League goalscoring charts this season. The Egypt international already has 16 goals to his name and looks on course for a record-breaking campaign.
#2 Robert Lewandowski - Bayern Munich
Officially “The Best” men’s player in the world, Robert Lewandowski, is the most prolific scorer in football right now. The Bayern Munich man has developed a knack for being in the right place at the right time, but it’s hardly a lucky coincidence. If you are not careful, you might miss out on the genius of his off-the-ball movement.
Lewandowski sticks to the central areas of the pitch for most of the match, but every now and then he drops to elude the spotlight. When the ball is played wide and his marker’s eyes are drawn towards it, Lewandowski emerges again and capitalizes on the defender’s lapse of concentration.
His footballing intelligence has been on full display this season, with the striker scoring 34 goals in 27 appearances across all competitions.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo - Manchester United
Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo may not be the goalscoring wizard he once was, but his off-the-ball movement remains unparalleled to this day.
In his prime, Ronaldo used to start on the left flank and used to take defenders head-on. His pace and trickery allowed him to get past his markers and test the opposition goalkeepers every now and then.
36-year-old Ronaldo cannot afford to use the same tricks now. Although he is still unbelievably quick for a man his age, the Portuguese ace prefers a more central role these days.
Making clever runs behind defenders and avoiding offside traps have become Ronaldo’s USP in recent years, and for good reason.
Banking on his clever movement, Ronaldo has come out as Manchester United’s leading goalscorer this season. The Portugal skipper has 14 goals to his name in all competitions this term - a decent return for a player in transition.
