Lionel Messi rated the third-best performing player in Europe ahead of Benzema, Salah

The controversial top 10 features Messi in third behind only Robert Lewandowski and Kylian Mbappe despite having a generally subpar season at PSG so far.

Messi playing for PSG Pulse Live Uganda

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The list was achieved by taking every player’s rating for each game this season and figuring out the average match rating and ranking that among players in the top five European leagues.

The top 10 best-performing players in the top five European Leagues according to Whoscored Whoscored

Messi features in third with an average match rating of 7.71 this season which statistically makes him the third-best performer in Europe.

When is Lionel Messi going to explode into life with PSG? AFP

The top 10 compiled by Whoscored has been sparking controversy with many struggling to understand how Messi who has clearly struggled so far this season is still considered a better performer than Karim Benzema and Mohamed Salah.

Benzema sits fourth on the list just behind Messi despite scoring 22 league goals this season and notching 11 assists.

Salah is also having a great season for Liverpool where he has scored 22 Premier League goals and assisted 13.

Both of these players are both having better season by far than Lionel Messi and it is a massive surprise that they both have less match ratings than the Argentine.

In addition to his four goals, Messi has 13 assists, only Neymar, Joshua Kimmich and Ousmane Dembele have lower goal and assists totals in the top 10.

Messi also only has just four Man of the Match awards in the league this season, only Neymar has fewer among the players in the top ten with two.

Lionel Messi has been below par by his standards this season AFP

For comparison, Karim Benzema has been named man of the match 10 times in La Liga this season while Mohamed Salah has seven in the Premier League but they are still both somehow behind Messi in the top ten.