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The new season has brought with it a fresh set of ideas, opinions and statistics to show which player is currently the best in the world. The recently-released Ballon d'Or shortlist has only added to the discussion on who is the best in the business.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been part of the discussion since 2008, when the latter won his first Ballon d'Or. The pair remained at the top of everyone's list until Luka Modric broke their duopoly in 2019. Since then, even more players have found a place in the 'world's best player' discussion.
Often such discussions tilt towards subjectivity and away from objectivity. But this article will rank players based on their WhoScored ratings, which depends on their performances this season. It presents an unbiased view of who the best players in the world are on current form.
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Without further delay, here are the five best players in the world right now based on ratings:
#5 Robert Lewandowski (8.00)
Robert Lewandowski, after scoring 48 goals for Bayern Munich across all competitions last season, has started the 2021-22 season like he's meant to overhaul that number.
While he's scored seven goals in seven Bundesliga matches, he has netted four times in the UEFA Champions League and twice in the DFL-Supercup matchup against Borussia Dortmund. This has taken his tally to 13 goals in just 10 matches. The Polish striker also has an assist to his name.
WhoScored ratings, however, consider just the league form, which puts him fifth on the list of best players so far this season. The 33-year-old is also believed by many to be the favorite for this year's Ballon d'Or award.
#4 Dimitri Payet (8.03)
Dimitri Payet has made just five league appearances this season for Marseille but that hasn't stopped him from shooting up to fourth spot on this list. The Marseille captain has struggled with injuries, but even then he has raked up five goals and an assist in five league matches.
Marseille are currently unbeaten in all but one of the matches that Payet has played in across competitions this season. He even scored twice in the only encounter they ended up losing with him in the side - a 3-2 defeat to Lens.
Payet's calf injury is expected to keep him out of Marseille's upcoming league encounter against FC Lorient as well. As such, he is set to retain his rating points even after the ongoing gameweek.
#3 Mohamed Salah (8.21)
Some former footballers and pundits have claimed that Mohamed Salah is currently the best footballer on the planet, ahead of the likes of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski. However, as per WhoScored, Salah's current form makes him the third best player in the world.
The Liverpool forward has started the season in fine fashion and has already racked up 10 goals across competitions. He is also the Premier League's current top goal-scorer with seven goals.
On top of that, he also has four assists to his name, making him the best Premier League player on this list by some distance. The second-best Premier League player as per WhoScored ratings is West Ham United's Michail Antonio with 7.84 rating points.
Liverpool will be desperate to tie Salah down to a longer contract. Especially since it will be tough to keep him off the radar of Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain if the 29-year-old continues in similar fashion.
#2 Karim Benzema (8.37)
Another of the Ballon d'Or favorites, Karim Benzema's start to the 2021-22 season has been excellent. The Frenchman has taken over the mantle at Real Madrid since Cristiano Ronaldo's departure and this season hasn't been any different so far.
In 10 appearances across all competitions, Benzema has scored 10 goals and has also provided seven assists. He is currently La Liga's top-scorer with nine goals and Mikel Oyarzabal, who is the second-highest scorer, is still three short of him. Benzema leads the league's top assists chart as well with seven, four more than any other player.
Such mind-boggling numbers from the 33-year-old make him the second-best player on current form. It also explains why many, including a host of Ligue 1 managers, consider him the favorite for the Ballon d'Or this year.
#1 Erling Haaland (8.48)
Top of the list and currently the world's best player as per WhoScored ratings is Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland. The Norwegian has taken European football by storm since joining the Bundesliga outfit in the 2020 winter transfer window. He has altready bagged 70 goals for Dortmund in just 68 appearances.
This season, the 21-year-old has scored 13 goals for Dortmund across competitions, nine of which have come in the Bundesliga. He is the current top-scorer in the league, three goals ahead of Robert Lewandowski, who is fourth on our list.
Haaland also tops the list of players with the most shots per game in Europe's top five leagues. The former Red Bull Salzburg striker has attempted five shots per game this season. He also has 2.3 aerial duels won per game, much more than any other player on this list. Lewandowski is second with 1.6.
Haaland was on the scoresheet twice in Dortmund's 3-1 win over Mainz on Saturday, which further strengthened his position at the top of this list.
