From Julian Alvarez to Pablo Pagis: Best performers in each of Europe top 5 leagues
Best performers in each of Europe top 5 leagues
English Premier League: Danny Welbeck of Brighton
Given the context, Danny Welbeck was the most decisive Premier League player during round six as he came off the bench to bag a brace and help Brighton to their second away win at Chelsea in their history.
It’s a fixture where the Seagulls have enjoyed limited success but have recently turned their fortunes around, winning each of their two recent meetings before kickoff on Saturday, which gave them reasons for optimism.
Welbeck, who was introduced at the start of the final quarter, scored to restore parity ten minutes later with Brighton’s first shot on target, heading home Yankuba Minteh’s cross from the left and leaving Robert Sanchez stranded.
As Chelsea pushed for a late equalizer after Maxim De Cuyper had given the visitors the lead, Danny Welbeck completed his brace with a delicate lob over Sanchez to ensure the safety of the points as Brighton held on for their first win on the road this season.
It’s the Englishman’s 17th season scoring in the Premier League, and with his 78th and 79th goals, he ranks ahead of Erling Haaland as the face of the Premier League during round six.
Spanish LaLiga: Julian Alvarez of Atlético Madrid
Julian Alvarez was at the heart of things as Atlético Madrid scored five goals against Real Madrid, their most in the derby in 75 years since November 1950, when they scored six in a 6-3 win.
The Argentine scored his first from the penalty spot six minutes after the restart, then completed his brace with a sensational free-kick three minutes after the hour mark to extend Atléti’s lead to 4-2.
Alvarez has now scored four goals in his last four Madrid derby appearances, taking his goal tally for the club to 35 following his move from Manchester City in 2024. No wonder the Wanda Metropolitano loves him so much.
He is our pick as the most standout player in LaLiga round seven, where he took his league goals for the season to six, now only trailing Kylian Mbappé, who has two more.
Italian Serie A: Mateo Pellegrino of Parma
Parma were winless in all four Serie A games this season heading into the week to face a Torino side whom they had also not beaten in their last five meetings, managing three draws.
Mateo Pellegrino, who was their hero with a brace in a 2-2 draw in their most recent meeting back in March, was again their saviour, scoring another two goals, this time enough for all three points and their first win of the league season.
Fresh off scoring their second in the round of 32 Coppa Italia victory over Spezia, the Argentine broke the deadlock in the 36th minute, then scored the winner from the spot 18 minutes from time after the visitors had levelled five minutes after the restart.
Eighty percent of his Serie A goals have now come against Torino, and the Argentine will hope to build on this run and continue to prove decisive for Parma in the weeks ahead after the international break.
German Bundesliga: Fares Chaibi of Frankfurt
On a chaotic evening in Borussia Park, where Frankfurt got the better of their host Borussia Monchengladbach in a 10-goal thriller, you’d expect an attacker to be the standout, but no, it was Fares Chaibi.
The Algerian midfielder delivered a masterful performance in the middle of the park as the visitors blew away their host with a 5-0 scoreline at halftime before Gladbach scored four after conceding one more at the start of the second half to make the scoreline less embarrassing.
Chaibi was directly involved in three of the goals, the most by any Bundesliga player during the weekend, one goal and two assists, which make up 75 percent of his goal contributions so far this season.
He finishes ahead of Johan Bakayoko and Harry Kane in our nomination, which is very well deserved for a player who managed just five goal involvements in 38 games across all competitions last season.
French Ligue 1: Pablo Pagis of Lorient
In a fixture against Monaco, where Lorient had not tasted victory since August 2021, Pablo Pagis came off the bench to inspire a 3-1 win over the side that started the gameweek at the top of the Ligue 1 standings.
It was an evening to remember for the Lorient Academy alumnus, who is now the club’s joint-top scorer with three goals despite making just one start, after coming off the bench to score a brace against Monaco at the Stade du Moustoir on Saturday.
Introduced in the 72nd minute, the French midfielder scored four minutes later to extend his side’s lead, which was established courtesy of Mohammed Bamba five minutes before the end of the first half.
Pagis scored again eight minutes from time to put the result beyond doubt, making Ansu Fati’s late penalty a mere consolation as Lorient secured their second league win of the season to move out of the relegation zone.
Kehinde-Hassan Afolabi
