Mbappé, Neymar Jr and Messi: Ligue 1's top three goal contributors!
Paris Saint-Germain’s front three still dominate the top spots in the individual goals and assists charts after Matchday 15 of Ligue 1, the last round of league fixtures before the international break.
With Paris Saint-Germain having just played their very last game before a lengthy break for the World Cup in Qatar, they certainly stepped up to the plate on Sunday, signing off in style with a fine 5-0 win at home to Auxerre to hold onto top spot in the league table.
And it's precisely in Ligue 1 that Les Parisiens have consistently performed, weekend after weekend. Following Matchday 15, not only are Paris still top of the league, but they also retain their status as the top flight's best attack and best defence. Unsurprisingly, it's Christophe Galtier's inevitable attacking trio that's getting opposition defences all in a spin, with their individual talent benefitting the collective.
In the goalscoring charts, it's the duo of Kylian Mbappé and Neymar Jr who hold onto the top two spots with 11 and 10 goals scored respectively, whilst Leo Messi's seven goals leave him not too far behind. What's more, with 30 goals scored between the three of them from the 43 scored by Paris in Ligue 1 so far this season, the formidable MNM have scored no less than 70% of Les Parisiens' goals this campaign!
From those who score the goals, let's move onto those who make them. This time, it's the Messi / Neymar Jr pairing that sits among the league's top assist providers, with ten and nine assists each. Mbappé is never far away, though, as Messi very much thrives on passes from the Frenchman, who has provided the Argentine with six assists in the top flight this season, all from open play – double the total of any other player for their teammate.
As a result, when you put all of this data together, you realise that the top three goal contributors in Ligue 1 this season are all Paris players: Neymar Jr (20 goal involvements: 11 scored, 9 assisted), Messi (17: 7 + 10) and Mbappé (14: 12 + 2). In fact, the Brazilian is the first player to be involved in at least 20 goals in his first 15 Ligue 1 games since Opta started analysing the competition in the 2006/07 season.
Stay tuned in a month's time to see these astonishing stats continue to grow!
