Footy Player Rankings: Kane, Messi tussle for top spot

Towards the end of each month, theScore ranks the top 20 footballers throughout Europe. Form is the principle factor considered as stars from some of the continent's biggest sides dominate this installment with a few surprises sprinkled in for good measure.

20. Jonas (Benfica)

Another rich vein of form has seen Jonas notch four goals in his last three appearances with Benfica, but his cumulative contributions to the cause this season have him sitting pretty atop the Portuguese league's scoring charts with 18 goals and four assists. A long-shot for a World Cup spot with Brazil, Jonas may very well force Tite's hand if the 33-year-old maintains this run.

19. Daniel Caligiuri (Schalke)

Schalke's stunning rise to second in the Bundesliga is due to several factors, not the least of which is a solid budding midfield rife with youngsters and 29-year-old Daniel Caliguri, whose two-way play has complemented the likes of Max Meyer, Amine Harit, Leon Goretzka, and American teen Weston McKennie.

18. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (Lazio)

Down two goals at Atalanta and desperate for a breakthrough, Lazio centre-mid Sergej Milinkovic-Savic scored twice in an eight-minute window on the way to a 3-3 draw. In terms of small sample sizes, it was the perfect indication of the Serbian's skill set, and there's a little bit of Paul Pogba in the versatile 22-year-old who is certain to merit an eye-popping transfer few once his boots are too big for the Stadio Olimpico.

17. Burak Yilmaz (Trabzonspor)

Those sleeping on the Turkish top flight need to set their alarms to Burak Yilmaz, whose league-leading 14 goals in 14 matches has Trabzonspor in European contention courtesy of the forward's recent run of form. Seven tallies in his last six have guided the Black Sea Storm to five wins and a draw over that stretch. Credit to Chinese side Beijing Guoan, who allowed Yilmaz to return to Turkey in February amid a custody battle for his two daughters.

16. Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich)

Recently named Bayern Munich Player of the Year, Joshua Kimmich is the kind of footballer whose enterprising style of play is easy to overlook, but those technically adept subtleties are precisely why the versatile 22-year-old has been one of the Bundesliga's best this season. Now a steadfast right-back after some uncertainties about positions, Kimmich has been a vital youthful factor for a side littered with aging stars.

15. Hirving Lozano (PSV)

If there were any doubts that Hirving "Chucky" Lozano could perform in Europe, the Mexican winger has dispelled said apprehensions in a stunning manner with El Tri hot-spot PSV. The 22-year-old, alongside Ajax pair Hakim Ziyech and David Neres, has been the Eredivisie's best player this year with a league-leading 11 goals, including one on Dec. 23 against Vitesse in one of the Dutch top flight's displays of the season.

14. Florian Thauvin (Marseille)

Don't tell Magpies supporters, Newcastle outcast Florian Thauvin has been brilliant with Marseille, coupling a penchant for incisive passes with menacing trickery on the right flank. As dangerous in front of goal as when looking to find a streaking mate, Thauvin's eight goals and seven helpers have been Rudi Garcia's crutch, and the 24-year-old looked like a younger Robert Pires in the stunning 3-0 victory over Saint-Etienne on Dec. 10.

13. Paulinho (Barcelona)

Unknown in Brazil, unfavoured in Lithuania and Poland, unloved at Tottenham and forgotten in China, Paulinho has finally found his home with Barcelona, and few players have benefited more from Ernesto Valverde's tactical tweaking than the 29-year-old. A versatile midfielder known for tackling and passing, Paulinho has been surprisingly adept in attack this season, including a dazzling two-goal showing against Deportivo a week before Christmas.

12. Mauro Icardi (Inter)

Where would Inter be without Mauro Icardi? Nowhere near the Scudetto chase is a good start, and with a league-leading 17 goals accounting for half of I Nerazurri's Serie A haul, Icardi is Italian football's version of a Most Valuable Player. Despite only scoring twice in December after a run of nine in seven, Icardi has played the full 90 in 12 of Inter's 18 league matches, and played past the 84th minute in another five.

11. Nabil Fekir (Lyon)

The unquestionable leader of Bruno Genesio's fledgling core of stars-to-be, Nabil Fekir has taken his game to the next level this season in the absence of Corentin Tolisso, Alexandre Lacazette, and Maxime Gonalons. Fekir's 13 goals are a massive reason why Lyon sits just nine points adrift of domestic titan PSG, and the 24-year-old scored in Les Gones' last two matches of 2017, picking up Man of the Match honours in both.

10. Edinson Cavani (Paris Saint-Germain)

Imagine leading Ligue 1 with 19 goals but only being the third-best player in a three-man attack. Such is Edinson Cavani's plight, one that the Uruguayan can ignore as Paris Saint-Germain chases a domestic treble and European honours. On track for the highest-scoring campaign of his decorated career, goals in his last two matches has the 30-year-old on 155 PSG goals, one short of all-time leader Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

9. Mehdi Benatia (Juventus)

After years of reliance on centre-half trio Leonardo Bonucci, Andrea Barzagli, and Giorgio Chiellini, this season Juventus turned to Daniele Rugani to paper over the cracks of Bonucci's exit and Barzagli's drop in form. Instead, it's been Moroccan Mehdi Benatia who's been Max Allegri's backline anchor, and a major reason why the Old Lady has won all five of its matches in December without conceding once.

8. Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain)

After a brief hiatus in Brazil tending to family matters, Neymar returned to France for PSG's 4-1 victory over Rennes, and what a performance it was. Two goals, two assists, and a Man of the Match nod are a deserving return for an otherworldly showing, but more importantly was the way the Brazilian went about it, pairing piercing passes with breakneck runs as Rouges et Noires defenders were bewilderingly spun like a whirlpool filled with aperitifs.

7. Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool)

Save for an average performance in the Merseyside derby that mirrored his side's flaccid effort, Liverpool's Philippe Coutinho has been one of European football's best players in December. Seven goals in seven matches in all comps proves as much, as the fleet-footed Brazilian thrives in a deeper role in support of a dazzling front-three of Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane, and Mohamed Salah.

6. Raheem Sterling (Manchester City)

When considering Pep Guardiola's virtues, or that of any manager, the routine adage "does he get the best out of his players" is commonplace. In terms of Manchester City pace merchant Raheem Sterling - whether it be through confidence or the exploits of his record-breaking brethren - the England man is playing the best football of his career under the Catalan coach, and has been utterly unplayable on both flanks with four tallies in his last three.

5. Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)

What more can be said of Mohamed Salah that hasn't yet been said? Arguably the signing of the summer, the immensely likable Salah arrived at Anfield a player known for a heavy touch and a lack of goals. A few months on, and the Egyptian speedster is second in the Premier League with 15 goals - including four in December - while becoming one of the division's most menacing dribblers.

4. Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain)

After a brief spell that featured underwhelming efforts against Marseille and later Troyes, Kylian Mbappe entered December a player with something to prove. And my word, did he ever, pairing five goals and four assists in his last six outings in all comps, including a display against Rennes that reminded critics why the recently turned 19-year-old is the second most expensive player ever.

3. Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)

Few players make the spectacular look as simple as CM/AM tweener Kevin De Bruyne. Look no further than the Belgian's delicate pass to Sterling for the match-winner Wednesday against Newcastle. Perfectly weighted and timed, the ball was a microcosm of De Bruyne's transcendent campaign, and amid a star-studded squad on a path to domestic honours, the fair-haired playmaker has been the best.

2. Lionel Messi (Barcelona)

With Luis Suarez stumbling, Ousmane Dembele nursing a torn hamstring and Gerard Deulofeu appearing on milk cartons across Catalonia, Barcelona still sits atop La Liga by a nine-point margin with a stunning plus-38 goals differential. Credit Ernesto Valverde's shift to a 4-4-2, and Lionel Messi, who continues to perform inexplicable miracles on the pitch, with a league-leading 15 goals and countless Man of the Match performances.

1. Harry Kane (Tottenham)

Whether or not you consider "calendar year" records a legitimate standard, Tottenham goal-poacher Harry Kane's 2017 ended with consecutive hat tricks against Burnley and Southampton to give the England stud 39 goals in the last 12 months. That snapped Alan Shearer's Premier League record, and Kane's 56 tallies in all comps for club and country were two more than Messi. Decent player.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)