With the 2023/24 campaign now approaching its final few months, several stars have seemingly seen their good performances go unnoticed. Here are 10 footballers who have gone under the radar this term, including Serie A top scorer Lautaro Martinez!
Lautaro Martinez - Inter Milan
The Argentina international has been in blistering form this season, registering 25 goals and five assists in 33 games across all competitions. He also currently tops the Serie A scoring chart by quite a distance as there's a comfortable seven-goal cushion between him and second-placed Dusan Vlahovic of Juventus for the Italian top flight's Golden Boot. He also recently scored his 100th and 101st goal for Inter Milan, becoming only the seventh Argentine to score a century of goals in Serie A after Gabriel Batistuta, Hernan Crespo, Gonzalo Higuain, Mauro Icardi, Abel Balbo, and Paulo Dybala, according to the Nerazzurri's official website.
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Ollie Watkins - Aston Villa
The England striker is enjoying his most prolific season in his top-flight career with 19 goals and 12 assists in 36 games in all competitions so far. His sensational output has helped Aston Villa to fourth position in the Premier League, with a five-point gap between his club and fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur. He has also played a prominent role in Villa's journey in Europe, having contributed to five goals in six games in the UEFA Europa Conference League and helping Unai Emery's side to a place in the last 16 of the tournament.
Lois Openda - RB Leipzig
On to German football, one of the stars who has gone on about their business relatively quietly is Leipzig forward Openda. The Belgium attacker only joined the Red Bull club in July 2023, and has already put up chart-topping numbers for his club in his debut campaign. He is third in the Bundesliga Golden Boot race, trailing only Bayern Munich's Harry Kane and Stuttgart's Serhou Guirassy. With 20 goals and four assists so far, he seems set to justify the club-record transfer fee of €38.5 million (R800 million) that was paid to secure his services.
Viktor Gyokeres - Sporting CP
With Gyokeres currently being the joint top scorer in the Liga Portugal with 17 league goals, it is likely to come as a surprise to many that the striker only joined Sporting CP for English second-tier side Coventry Town at the beginning of this season. The Sweden international is now highly sought after thanks to his impressive 30 goals and 11 assists in 33 games in all competitions. He has been linked with a host of top clubs too, including AC Milan, Manchester United, and Chelsea.
Edin Dzeko - Fenerbahce
Perhaps an odd inclusion given his age, Dzeko is enjoying a brilliant campaign in the colours of his latest side, Fenerbahce. The Bosnian striker left Inter last term on the back of a Champions League final. In addition to leading the Turkish Super Lig's goalscorers ranking with 18 strikes, the 37-year-old boasts a lofty 29 goal involvements in 32 games in all competitions. Having been a top scorer in the Bundesliga, Europa League, and Serie A, the veteran centre-forward now looks on course to win yet another golden boot in Turkey during the twilight of his glittering career.
Honorable mentions include Alvaro Morata of Atletico Madrid, and Brighton Hove Albion's breakout star Simon Adingra after he recently helped Ivory Coast claim the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations trophy. Curtis Jones has also had a redeeming campaign in a Liverpool shirt, while Marcus Thuram has been quite the revelation for Inter. Lastly, Chelsea defender Malo Gusto has performed impressively for Chelsea in the absence of club captain Reece James.
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