Four perfect 10 ratings affect this week's European player form rankings

Another week, another perfect 10 rating for Lionel Messi as the Argentine stretched his lead atop the player form rankings in Europe’s top five leagues.

The Barcelona talisman scored a hat-trick as the now runaway leaders of La Liga won 4-1 at Real Betis, with the beauty of his third goal even winning the adulation of the home crowd, who stood to applaud the impudence of the strike.

He wasn’t, however, the only player to bag a treble this weekend, with no fewer than four maximum scores in the WhoScored.com ratings and some significant movement on the leaderboard as a result. We start, however, with Messi’s fellow non-movers…

NON-MOVERS

Bayern Munich hitman Robert Lewandowski keeps his podium spot in third this week, with the only shock of Bayern’s 6-0 win over Mainz being that the Poland international hadn’t scored more than once - his fifth goal in three league matches.

Elsewhere teammate Thiago Alcantara remains tenth having registered an assist for the third Bundesliga game running, while Frankfurt’s Filip Kostic sticks to seventh having assisted his side’s winner against lowly Nuernberg. The Serbian has now had a direct hand in five goals (two goals, three assists) in his last four league outings.

RISES

The most significant riser is James Rodriguez, who leapfrogs aforementioned club mates Alcantara and Lewandowski all the way up into second (from twelfth). The Colombian went away with the match ball and perfect 10 rating following Bayern’s trouncing of Mainz and now has four goals and three assists in his last six Bundesliga appearances.

Another player to earn a score of 10 at the weekend, Angel Di Maria (sixth) was the star of the show as PSG beat Marseille 3-1 having had a hand in all three goals. The Argentine scored two himself - including a pinpoint free-kick from distance - and assisted Kylian Mbappe’s opener on the stroke of half time.

The fourth and final 10/10 rating was earned by Wout Weghorst, who not only bagged a hat-trick but assisted the other two goals as Wolfsburg ran out 5-2 winners over Fortuna Dusseldorf. The Dutchman now has five goals and three assists in his last six league outings and rockets onto the leaderboard in 16th.

Elsewhere Jadon Sancho climbs back into the top ten (ninth) having registered assists 11 and 12 of the season as Dortmund came from behind to beat Hertha Berlin. The English teenager earned a sixth WhoScored.com man of the match rating since the start of December in the Bundesliga, which is a tally only Messi can better in that time.

Sadio Mane is up to 12th having scored his ninth goal in as many league appearances as Liverpool avoided a scare at Fulham and is just behind Werder Bremen’s Max Kruse, who had a direct hand in all three of his side’s goals in victory at in-form Bayer Leverkusen. The German forward has now scored four goals and registered three assists in his last four league games.

Joshua Kimmich (15th), Willi Orban (17th), Guillermo Maripan (19th) and Fabian Orellana (20th) all climb onto the leaderboard this week, while Wissam Ben Yedder moves up two places to 17th having scored the winner at Espanyol with his fifth goal in three La Liga appearances.

FALLS

How’s your luck Teji Savanier? The Frenchman has occupied second spot in the rankings for some time so having scored and assisted a goal in Nimes 2-2 draw with Strasbourg one wouldn’t have expected the midfielder to surrender that spot. Alas, owing to Rodriguez and Lewnadowski’s displays he drops two places despite his weighted rating unsurprisingly improving, while Kylian Mbappe is down one in similar fashion.

Raheem Sterling also drops down the top ten, with Manchester City not in league action at the weekend, while Marcel Halstenberg is down two despite helping Leipzig to a third consecutive clean sheet. The most notable player to fall down the rankings then is Virgil van Dijk, who is now 14th following his first ever error leading to a goal in the Premier League - sharing the shame at Craven Cottage with Alisson - in what was his 112th appearance in England’s top-flight.

QUALIFYING RULES
 
Only ratings taken from each player’s last six league matches are considered, weighted chronologically, with the most recent match carrying greater importance and so on. To qualify each player must have featured in their side’s last league game and started at least six of the last eight available.