Why Mo Salah isn't the best player in the world right now, and who is...

Mohamed Salah earned the WhoScored Premier League player of the week award following his man of the match performance against Manchester City on Sunday, but he is unable to secure top spot in the form rankings. Best player in the world right now? Not according to the WhoScored form guide... 

10. Kerem Demirbay (Bayer Leverkusen) - 7.63 

Bayer Leverkusen head into the international break as Bayern Munich's main title contenders. Hoping to shake the 'Neverkusen' tag this term, the form of Kerem Demirbay has been crucial. The central midfielder has won the man of the match award in his last two league outings, and has made at least five tackles and interceptions combined in five of his last six appearances to feature in the top 10. 

9. Michail Antonio (West Ham) - 7.64 

A red card against Southampton and a sub par display against Brentford on Sunday will have impacted Michail Antonio's form rating, but the West Ham striker has been exceptional this season. Indeed, despite failing to score over the weekend, Antonio still features in ninth in the form standings with a WhoScored rating of 7.64. 

8. Sandro Tonali (AC Milan) - 7.64 

One of four players whose form rating is a 7.64, Sandro Tonali bagged his second league goal of the season in AC Milan's entertaining 3-2 win at Atalanta on Sunday night to help boost his score to feature in eighth in the form guide. Across his last six outings, Tonali has two goals and one assist to aid his rise. 

7. Patrik Schick (Bayer Leverkusen) - 7.64 

The second Bayer Leverkusen star to feature in the top 10, Patrik Schick has continued his superb Euro 2020 form into the Bundesliga season. Only Erling Haaland and Robert Lewandowski (both 7) have scored more goals than the Czech hitman (6) in Germany's top tier this term. His two-goal haul at the weekend has helped him rise up to seventh in the form rankings. 

6. Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma) - 7.64 

Lorenzo Pellegrini celebrated his new contract with a man of the match performance as Roma earned a 2-0 win over Empoli at the weekend. The Italy international has now won four star man awards across his six league outings in 2021/22. A red card against Udinese last month impacted his form rating, but 7.64 is enough to feature as the highest rated new entry in the standings. 

5. Ivan Toney (Brentford) - 7.73 

Ivan Toney's form rating dropped from 7.80 to 7.73 this week, but the Brentford star remains in fifth place on the leaderboard. While the English frontman was unable to add to his two goals and two assists of the campaign in Sunday's win over West Ham, back-to-back star man showings against Wolves and Liverpool in that run means Toney is good value for his selection here.

4. Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich) - 7.85 

The second most in-form player in Europe's top five leagues last week, Robert Lewandowski drops down to fourth after, apocalyptically, failing to score for the second league game running. Lewandowski did at least register his first assist of the season in Bayern Munich's 2-1 loss to Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday, so it means his form rating of 7.85 keeps him on the coattails of the top three. 

3. Christopher Nkunku (RB Leipzig) - 8.02 

A fellow Bundesliga star rises nine spots and into the top three this week. Christopher Nkunku has directly contributed to five leagues goals this season, scoring four, all of which have come in his last two outings to help push his form rating up to 8.02. The international break, it seems, has come at a bad time for the RB Leipzig star. 

2. Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) - 8.03 

Rising four spots and into second, many feel Mohamed Salah is the best player in the world at the moment, but he's unable to secure top spot in the European form rankings. That said, a man of the match display against Manchester City on Sunday has pushed his form rating up to 8.03, a rise of 0.25, and if he continues this form after the international break, then he'll be up into first before too long.  

1. Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) - 8.43

Real Madrid have dropped points in their last two league games, drawing with Villarreal and then losing to Espanyol, but Karim Benzema is the in-form player in Europe's top five leagues at present. Benzema earned his fifth man of the match award in the defeat to Espanyol on Sunday as he netted Real Madrid's only goal of the game. The striker has now had a direct hand in 12 goals in his last six league outings, a fine run that includes perfect 10 performances against Celta Vigo and Mallora, as the Los Blancos sensation sits top of the WhoScored form rankings with a rating of 8.43.