Big names from Real Madrid, PSG and Liverpool stand among some surprise packages when it comes to Europe’s most prolific players for goals and assists so far this calendar year.
We all know which attackers and playmakers have been among 2024-25’s standouts, but which stars have been in the best form since the turn of the year? We’ve delved into the stats and assessed the very best from the Bundesliga, Ligue 1, La Liga, Premier League and Serie A.
Here are the 10 players who have registered the five most combined goals and assists in Europe’s top five leagues in 2025:
10. Chris Wood – 9 (7 goals, 2 assists)
Nottingham Forest’s 1-0 victory over Manchester City on Saturday was further proof that their top-four challenge is no flash in the pan.
Nor is the form of their No.9, producing by far the best season of his career at the age of 33.
Wood has arguably been even better in the second half of the season, having notched seven of his 17 Premier League goals this season from his last nine outings since the turn of the year.
Keep this up and we might just be hearing the Champions League theme blaring out of the City Ground PA next season. Mad.
9. Serhou Guirassy – 9 (8 goals, 1 assist)
It’s been a miserable old season for Borussia Dortmund, who sit mid-table in the Bundesliga, their chances of playing European football next term dwindling by the week.
But amid all that, summer signing Guirassy has picked off where he left off at Stuttgart and continues banging in the goals in the German top flight, even for an ailing, dysfunctional team.
8. Kylian Mbappe – 9 (8 goals, 1 assist)
Real Madrid’s latest Galactico received a lot of criticism for his slow start at the Bernabeu.
The World Cup winner was infamously caught offside eight times when Los Blancos lost 4-0 at home to Barcelona in October, and he missed a penalty in the Champions League group stage defeat to Liverpool.
Mbappe claimed he “hit rock bottom” with the defeat at Anfield and admitted he “couldn’t do any worse” during the early months of the campaign.
“I was thinking a lot,” Mbappe told reporters back in January. “I was adapting, thinking a lot about how to move, how to find space, whether I should get into Vinicius Junior’s zone, or Rodrygo’s. When you think so much, you don’t play well.
“It was more mental. I was physically fine, happy with the team, the group, but I had to give more. I knew it. I said to myself ‘now’s the moment. It’s time to change. You didn’t come to Madrid to play badly.’
All that’s behind him, and he now looks thoroughly in his groove in Spain. Keep up this output at Real Madrid and it’ll only be a matter of time before he joins European football’s all-time greats.
READ: The top 10 goalscorers in the history of Europe’s top five leagues: Lewandowski third…
7. Emanuel Emegha – 9 (8 goals, 1 assist)
One of the surprise names who feature in this list, Emegha has been in scintillating form for Strasbourg in recent months.
The 22-year-old Dutch forward will surely factor into Ronald Koeman’s plans for the upcoming international break, having notched eight goals in 10 Ligue 1 appearances in 2025. Plus an assist for good measure.
You won’t be shocked to learn that Emegha’s hot streak has earned him paper talk of a summer transfer to sister club Chelsea. Watch this space.
6. Jean-Philippe Mateta – 9 (8 goals, 1 assist)
Manchester United are said to be eyeing up a £40million move for the Crystal Palace striker, one of the leading lights of Oliver Glasner’s sparkingly in-form team.
Only one player (you can probably guess who) has more Premier League goals in 2025.
Fortunately, the Frenchman won’t be out for too long after the horror injury (and 25 stitches) he received in Palace’s FA Cup clash with Millwall.
Glasner says he expects Mateta to back to action following the international break.
5. Justin Kluivert – 10 (6 goals, 4 assists)
Hyped up from his early days at Ajax, things have never quite taken off for Kluivert. Until now.
Andoni Iraola has got the very best out of the Dutch winger, who is in the form of his life for Champions League-chasing Bournemouth.
His 10 goal contributions from just nine Premier League outings in 2025 betters the tally he managed in any whole league campaign at Roma, Nice, RB Leipzig or Valencia. Outrageous numbers.
4. Mateo Retegui – 10 (9 goals, 1 assist)
The man firing Atalanta’s brilliant Scudetto charge, Retegui now has clear daylight in the race to be Capocannoniere (Serie A’s top scorer).
He’s up to 22 for the season as a whole and hasn’t let up as we approach the business end of the campaign.
The Argentina-born Italy international has been nothing short of sensational for Gian Piero Gasperini’s all-action Atalanta.
Sunday’s 4-0 mauling away to Juventus was a statement that this is a team, and a player, to take very seriously.
3. Mika Biereth – 13 (10 goals, 3 assists)
Arsenal could do with a player like this right now, eh?
After leaving the Gunners for Austrian side Sturm Graz, Hale End graduate Biereth didn’t need long to move on to better and brighter things.
The 22-year-old joined Monaco in January and has made a quite frankly astonishing start to life in Ligue 1, with hat-tricks against Auxerre, Nantes and Reims already.
Only six players in the French top flight have scored more goals than Biereth, who only made his Monaco debut on January 17th.
2. Ousmane Dembele – 13 (12 goals, 1 assist)
Rejoice. It’s nearly eight years since Dembele arrived at Barcelona as a highly-rated youngster, and it’s only now that he’s finally – finally – done as he’s always threatened and added consistent end product to his game.
The France international has undoubtedly been PSG’s best player as they’ve put on the afterburners to yet another Ligue 1 title. With Dembele in form like this, who needs Mbappe?
Jordi Alba and Ousmane Dembele
READ: Where are they now? The 7 players Barcelona sold alongside Ousmane Dembele in 2023
1. Mohamed Salah – 14 (10 goals, 4 assists)
Who more is there left to say about Liverpool’s Egyptian King?
Anyone who predicted Salah would drop off after Christmas has been left eating their words. He just keeps on scoring and assisting, and now records are in sight.
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