Who should we keep an eye on in 2022–2023? With crowns, European football, and avoiding relegation on the line, 98 teams will compete throughout the major five European leagues.
To provide us with a list of 50 players to watch, we enlisted the top data editors from Opta. You've all read that these players aren't who they believe to be the best. Some are obvious while others are not.
The Players
Mr. Darwin Nez
Liverpool
Last season, Liverpool had no trouble scoring goals, as Jürgen Klopp's team totaled 147 goals in all competitions. Sadio Mané, who scored 23 of those goals, has since moved on to Bayern Munich, but you can never have too many alternatives for goal scorers in your side, can you?
Real Madrid Vincius Junior
Vincius Junior's performances in 2021–22, only his fourth season as a Real Madrid player, were among the best of any player in the Spanish premier division. He had an astounding 38 goals in all competitions last season, which was nine more than in his previous three La Liga campaigns combined (8 in 82 appearances). He scored 17 league goals (22 goals, 16 assists).
Arsenal William Saliba
Can William Saliba will now have the opportunity to join the Arsenal first squad. After signing for a reported €30 million, he spent three years on loan at various clubs without making a single competitive appearance for the Gunners. He has since been a part of their preseason plans.
Milan, Mike Maignan
After its introduction in 2021–2022, this is only the second issue of The Analyst 50. Mike Maignan is the only goalie to appear in both editions.
Last summer, Maignan replaced Gianluigi Donnarumma at Milan, and he arrived there with huge expectations. After winning the Ligue 1 championship with Lille, Milan realized that having a reliable goalkeeper would be essential to their chances of winning the Serie A for the first time since 2011. They didn't need to worry.
OTHER PLAYERS;
Gavin Bazunu
Southampton
Ángel Di María
Juventus
Fabio Carvalho
Liverpool
Paul Pogba
Juventus
Mario Götze
Eintracht Frankfurt
Noussair Mazraoui
Bayern Munich
Noussair Mazraoui
Bayern Munich
Branco van den Boomen
Toulouse
Florian Wirtz
Bayer 04 Leverkusen
Reece James
Chelsea
Julián Álvarez
Manchester City
Karim Adeyemi
Borussia Dortmund
Luiz Henrique
Real Betis
Hugo Ekitike
Paris Saint-Germain
Gavi
Barcelona
Gabriel Jesus
Arsenal
Kai Havertz
Chelsea
Luis Díaz
Liverpool