Europe's top 10 performers: Teenage Barcelona sensation outshines Messi

Barcelona kicked off their LaLiga campaign with a 4-0 win over Villarreal and the victory marked a sign of things to come for teenager Ansu Fati. The 17-year-old put in a man of the match showing to podium in the top-rated leaderboard from Europe's top five leagues over the weekend... 

10. Hirving Lozano (Napoli) - 9.16 

Napoli followed up their 2-0 win over Parma to kick off the season with a 6-0 thrashing of Genoa over the weekend. The Partenopei dominated the Serie A team of the week, with Hirving Lozano one of those to make the cut with a WhoScored rating of 9.16. 'Chucky' netted twice in the victory, scoring with two of his four shots, and returned a 100% pass success rate. Four tackles and two successful dribbles sees the Mexican kick off this countdown. 

9. Mikel Merino (Real Sociedad) - 9.28 

Having started the season with back-to-back draws, Real Sociedad landed their first league win of 2020/21 as they eased past Elche, securing a 3-0 away victory. Mikel Merino bettered his 2019/20 assist total in the win, teeing up Portu and Roberto Lopez to hit the back of the net. Five interceptions, four tackles and three key passes saw Merino land a WhoScored rating of 9.28 over the weekend. 

8. Karl Darlow (Newcastle) - 9.34 

Newcastle rescued a point at the death at Tottenham on Sunday, and it was a result made possible by the heroics of Karl Darlow between the sticks. The Magpies shotstopper made 11 saves in the stalemate at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium to feature in the Premier League team of the week and come in as the eighth best rated player in Europe's top five leagues this week. 

7. Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid) - 9.39 

The arrival of Luis Suarez seemed to spur Joao Felix into life as the Portuguese forward put in a man of the match display in Atletico Madrid's 6-1 win over Granada. Felix scored his first and Atletico's third midway through the second half having provided the assist for Angel Correa's goal shortly after the interval. Four successful dribbles and three key passes contributed towards his WhoScored rating of 9.39. 

6. Alejandro Gomez (Atalanta) - 9.42 

Atalanta kicked off their campaign with a bang as they came away from Turin with a 4-2 win at Torino on Saturday afternoon. Pint-sized playmaker Alejandro Gomez was at his attacking best for the Serie A entertainers as he had a direct hand in three of the four goals, scoring one and providing assists for Luis Muriel and Hans Hateboer in the opening 45 minutes. Those two assists came from four key passes and sees Gomez come in at sixth on the standings. 

5. Dries Mertens (Napoli) - 9.55 

The second Napoli player to make this list, Dries Mertens has started the Serie A campaign superbly. The Belgian netted in the 2-0 win over Parma last week and followed that up with his second league goal of the campaign over the weekend. In addition, Mertens provided the assist for Hirving Lozano's two goals as he made four key passes in all, more than Genoa as a team managed (2) to return a WhoScored rating of 9.55. 

4. Jamie Vardy (Leicester) - 9.60 

The Premier League player of the week with a WhoSored rating of 9.60, Jamie Vardy just misses out on a spot on the podium in this leaderboard. The experienced frontman netted his second career hat-trick in Leicester's 5-2 win at Manchester City on Sunday, finding a way past Ederson with all three shots in the victory. 

3. Ansu Fati (Barcelona) - 9.68 

One to whet the appetite of Barcelona fans, Ansu Fati comes in at third in these rankings after excelling in the Blaugrana's 4-0 win over Villarreal. The game as a contest was over by half time as Barcelona came in at the break four goals to the good, with Fati netting two of them, scoring with both efforts on goal in the comfortable victory. The teenager was unfortunate not to register an assist, too, having made two key passes, while three successful dribbles saw him return the man of the match gong with a WhoScored rating of 9.68. 

2. Niclas Fullkrug (Werder Bremen) - 9.70 

The final nail in David Wagner's Schalke coffin proved to be a 3-1 home defeat at the hands of Werder Bremen. Niclas Fullkrug was the man responsible for bagging all three goals in Werder's away win as he hit the back of the net with three of five shots. Four aerial duels won helped him yield a WhoScored rating of 9.70 this weekend. 

1. Roberto Soriano (Bologna) - 9.95 

With a WhoScored rating of 9.95, Roberto Soriano is the WhoScored European player of the week. The 29-year-old was exceptional in Bologna's 4-1 win over Parma on Monday night as he bagged a brace in the opening half hour, scoring with two of four shots. Soriano then turned provider for Andreas Skov Olsen 10 minutes after the break as he made two key passes. With two tackles, one interception and one successful dribble to his name, Soriano put in a thoroughly enjoyable 90-minute shift to round off the gameweek in style.