Haaland and Messi shine in top-performing stars of 2022-23

Across Europe's top five leagues, a number of household names caught the eye in 2022-23.

We dive into the numbers to determine which players were a cut above the rest.

Goals: Erling Haaland (Manchester City) — 36

Manchester City sensation Erling Haaland blew away all competition in the goalscoring department last season.

The 22-year-old bagged 36 strikes in 35 Premier League appearances, with Harry Kane the only other player in Europe's top five divisions to break the 30-goal mark.

Assists: Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain) — 16

Kevin De Bruyne and Antoine Griezmann also delivered 16 assists, but Lionel Messi gets the nod by virtue of the fact he scored the most goals of the three (16).

Despite his consistent output, the Inter Miami-bound Argentine World Cup winner was at times booed by Paris Saint-Germain supporters.

Chances created: Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United) — 119

Bruno Fernandes did not have his most productive season with Manchester United in terms of assists, but still exhibited his creative talents.

The Portuguese maestro also led the way in Europe's top tiers for big chances created with 32.

Take-ons: Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid) — 112

Real Madrid flyer Vinicius Junior really is a full-back's nightmare. 

On top of completing the most take-ons, the 22-year-old scored 10 goals and notched nine assists from his 33 LaLiga appearances, enhancing his reputation as one of the world's best wingers.

Passes: Lewis Dunk (Brighton) — 2,900

Lewis Dunk's evolution into a pass master from the back has been one of the catalysts for Brighton's rise over the past two years.

The England international, 31, also had the most touches of any player with 3,520.

Tackles: Joao Palhinha (Fulham) — 147

Joao Palhinha's rapid adaptation to the demands of Premier League football played a major role in Fulham finishing 10th and avoiding relegation with ease. 

But the ex-Sporting lynchpin's love of tackling did see him also pick up the joint-most yellow cards last term (14).

Interceptions: Castello Lukeba (Lyon) — 75

Lyon centre-back Castello Lukeba, 20, is one of the brightest defensive prospects in Europe — and he loves making interceptions.

He is also pretty good with the ball at his feet, ranking 20th for passes completed (2,026) with an impressive accuracy to boot (90.37%).

Aerial duels won: Philipp Hofmann (Bochum) — 214

Bochum striker Philipp Hofmann, 30, helped the club finish 14th in the Bundesliga and survive the drop with his eight goals and two assists. 

Unsurprisingly, three of those goals were headers, which came in victories against Eintracht Frankfurt, Union Berlin and Hertha Berlin.

Clean sheets: Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Barcelona) — 26

Barcelona stopper Marc-Andre ter Stegen equalled the LaLiga record for most clean sheets tallied in a season with 26.

The Germany international conceded only 18 goals in the Spanish top flight — the lowest total in Europe's top five league — and ranked fourth for passes completed among goalkeepers (1,011).

Saves: David Raya (Brentford) — 154

David Raya looks destined to leave Brentford this summer after a superb season with the gloves.

On top of his 154 saves, the Spaniard was the keeper with the most final third passes (118) and most long passes (410) completed in the Premier League.