#1 Mario Balotelli
In some lists, it is hard to choose a number one. This, however, is not one of those lists.
The second player on this list who left Liverpool and has turned his career around, this season is perhaps going to be the one where the talented misfit Balotelli finally redeems himself.
Not being in Jurgen Klopp’s plans and having a poor spell with AC Milan, the Italian striker was let go for free by the Reds and joined OGC Nice. With 10 goals in 14 appearances, the former Manchester City man is the primary reason why the club is surprisingly at the top of the Ligue 1 table, 5 points above defending champions Paris Saint-Germain.
In a statistic that only Balo could have, the striker has been sent off, yellow carded or scored in every appearance that he has made this season.
If Nice are to do the near impossible and win the league, a lot of it will be down to this man. Perhaps the player has finally found his calling. Edin Dzeko might be the best striker on this list in current form, but Balo is easily the most improved and has proved everyone wrong. Better late than never, eh?
Honourable mentions:
Zlatan Ibrahimovic – When the arrogant striker arrived at Manchester United, there were doubts about his ability to keep up with the physicality of the Premier League and whether he would be the impactful forward that the Red Devils needed. 28 appearances and 18 goals later, no one is talking anymore.
Kevin Gameiro – Despite scoring in the Europa League final just last summer, Gameiro’s big money move to Atletico was seen as a huge challenge and not everyone expected the French international to continue his impressive run. That has been not been the case so far, and the 29-year-old is showing little signs of slowing down.