ASSASSIN'S FEED: 10 BEST GOALSCORERS IN THE WORLD II: FEAST OF KINGS (INTERNATIONAL EDITION)

WELCOME MY FRIENDS....
TO THE SHOW THAT NEVER ENDS....
USUALLY WE'RE DISSECTING THE GUTS OF WHAT IT MEANS TO BE THE WORLD'S BEST CREATIVE PLAYERS, BUT IN THIS, THE SECOND INSTALLMENT OF OUR "ASSASSIN'S FEED" LIST, WE EXPLORE THE CURRENT STATE OF AFFAIRS IN THE WORLD OF GOALSCORING PHENOMS.

JOIN US, TELL US YOUR FAVORITE 10 GOALSCORERS, IF WE'RE WRONG, IF WE'RE RIGHT AND ALL OF THE ABOVE. JOIN THE DISCUSSION AND BUCKLE UP, IT'S GOING TO BE AN INTENSE RIDE. 

LET'S GO!

THE LIST

10

LUIS SUAREZ  
(BARCELONA/URUGUAY)
Goals: 23
(6 in his last 8 apps.)
Apps: 41
Shots on target per 90: 1.2 (UCL) 1.7 (LA)
Shots off of the post: 6
URUGUAY: 2 goals
Suarez and Messi have combined for 9 goals this season in all competitions

   The Uruguayan beast has been stalking the front line for Barcelona, scoring big goals, showing up in the final minutes, raising his level with each unsuccessful touch or pass, perking up and getting ready to attack every opportunity, and pressing defenders into mistakes recently with a ferocity that belies his age. 
    He's been burying goals and combining with Messi beautifully, and even while he receives mounds of unfair criticism, he still delivers when Barcelona need him most, such as his last second / last gasp net throttler that sealed the two goal comeback over Villareal in a 4-4 instant classic.
    The tooth-bulging visage of Luis Suarez has misfired in front of goal quite often, missing chances he normally would bury. Then, he follows it up with goals like the raging run he had against Betis only a few weeks back: where he powered and dribbled through the entire defense and finished it off ala 2013 Liverpool Suarez, shutting his doubters up in the process, lest they look foolish again.
     He was monumental  vs Villareal, and hell, for all his critics, he's terrorized Real Madrid for 5 goals in 3 appearances this season as well, and is only 2nd in La Liga goals behind Messi and still in front of Antoine Griezmann, Karim Benzema, Diego Costa, Cristhian Stuani, Iago Aspas and Gareth Bale.

9
SADIO MANE (LIVERPOOL/SENEGAL)

Goals: 20
(8 goals in last 10 apps. including three braces, including his 2 goals vs Bayern Munich)
Apps: 38
Shots on target per 90: 1.1 (UCL) 0.9 (PL)
Shots off of the Post: 3
SENEGAL: 1

       Mane has been incredible for Liverpool, scoring goals with the propensity of 2018 Salah and grabbing them when Jurgen Klopp's side need them the most (2 vs Bayern to be exact).
     Sadio is thoroughly underrated as a footballer, with second to none pace and unorthodox dribbling and finishing attributes that make him even harder to stop. 
      Simply put, at times when the Senegalese World Cup star is on a lung-bursting run up the left wing or down the middle, it looks as if he's about to trip and stumble over himself with drunken abandon. 
      Sometimes it feels as if anything could happen when Mane is loose in space and it often does: red card collisions with Ederson, his spinning of Manuel Neuer into a pillar of salt before scoring the goal of the Champions League season, earning penalties and even missing wide open goals....to say it well, sometimes even Mane doesn't know where the ball is going next.

8
RAHEEM STERLING  
(MAN CITY/ENGLAND)

Goals:19
Apps: 38
Shots On Target per 90: 0.8 (PL), 1.2 (UCL)
Shots Off of the post: 2
ENGLAND: 6 goals

       Raheem Sterling has been irresistible in the last few seasons since Guardiola arrived in Manchester, however, his exploits in 2019 only seem to mark the signs of a player in the ascent and climbing fast.
      We waxed orgasmically about his inscrutable passing and assisting capabilities in the final third in the last edition of the Assist Kings Quarterly ( https://uninterruptedsportsodyssey.blogspot.com/2019/04/assistkings-quarterly-return-of-filth.html?m=1 ), and we covered how prolific his goal creation has been.
       Though it must be said in full bold italicized, underlined letters: Raheem Sterling is now the best finisher inside eighteen yards in the world. 
       Critics of his will keep pointing fat fingers at how nearly all of his goals are scored inside the six yard box, but this isn't a deficiency as some Twitterfootballers would have you believe: It's a full sized, neon light sign that says: "world class: no vacancy".
        Simply put, the goals He's been scoring for City and England are perfect goals: quick passing in the build-up, patient play probing the midfielders, sending centerbacks wide and narrowing opposition fullbacks with inside runs or backing defenses into corners with runs down the wings, all with Raheem at the apex of the moves, pushing and twisting on the shoulders of both wings, then, either one of the Silvas', Gundogan, De Bruyne (when fit), or Leroy Sane get on the ball and then make a pass right as Sterling penetrates  and soon enough, two City players are in complete space with the goal open and desperate defenders flying in vain to catch them. Then, either Sterling latches on and passes it across the face of goal, or he makes the run and the same ball is played to him, 90% of the time resulting in a goal. 
       This type of blistering attacking play isn't the all-knowing precision of Barcelona of old with tiki-taka; this isn't a bunch of high volume passing for passing's sake. It's a combination of various possession styles that are adapted to the opponent, all packaged  together with constant movement and interchanging up top, the obsessive speed of the passing, the unspoken communication and thought all ending in precise, unselfish finishing in the final third.
       Raheem Sterling is at the top of the list for most valuable Manchester City players. Even while De Bruyne continues his progress from injury concerns, Leroy Sane pushes his world class abilities to the max and Bernardo Silva takes control in midfield and around the box, it is all based upon the tireless movement, the footballing IQ and the rabid finesse of Sterling. 
        We always knew Sterling had the pace and the movement to get Into these fantastic areas on the pitch, but never before have we seen him take full advantage of his talents like he has this season, where his goalscoring has translated to the national team for the first time in his career. 
      And...he passes my favorite litmus test: when Sterling scores, his teams win.

7
CRISTIANO RONALDO (JUVE/PORTUGAL)

Goals: 24
Apps: 36
Shots on target per 90: 2.5 (Serie A), 1.6 (UCL)
Shots off of the post: 3
PORTUGAL: 0

            Ronaldo has been rested the last few matches, after his epic hat trick that took Atletico down after a 2-0 first leg defeat.  
              It was a brilliant comeback,  led by Ronaldo, although the 3rd goal was created by a pathetic Bernadeschi dive. 
          He was selected for Portugal, taking 11 shots in 2 matches, putting 5 on target without scoring. In an international break where Argentina were humiliated by Venezuela, then responded by beating Morocco, Ronaldo and Portugal somehow always miss the criticism train when Argentina are in action. 
        Portugal went flat for a 0-0 draw vs  Ukraine and only notched 1 goal in the second match, another impotent performance in a 1-1 draw. So, Argentina scored 1 more goal than Portugal, played much tougher opposition, Ronaldo didn't score either, though only Lionel Messi received criticism this last international break....
          Interesting...
          Ronaldo has 19 goals in Serie A, 4 in the Champions League (3 from one match) and 1 in a Supercoppa Italia match, giving him a modest 24 goals (he does however have a surprising 11 assists), yet he has been rested a good amount of matches, a smart move by the Juve manager Allegri, taking care of his prized jewel far better than Ernesto Valverde spares Messi at Barcelona.
              For all the plaudits and applause for his masterclass against Atletico, the Juve talisman has had a stop-start season so far in Italy, especially when distracting and damning legal allegations abound.  
             No matter how much Twitter,  Facebook and the public at large want to forget the seriousness of the Nevada allegations, Ronaldo won't forget: his play on the field tells us that. His extremely disgraceful and childish  "cajones" celebration towards Diego Simeone lets us know he's having to compensate for his overall lack of footballing skill other than pure goalscoring at this juncture in his career.  We can tell he hasn't forgotten what happened in Nevada...and neither will we. 

6
LUKA JOVIC (FRANKFURT/SERBIA)

Goals: 23
(3 goals in last 4 apps.)
Apps: 37
Shots on target per 90: 1.3 (EUR), 1.4 (BUN)
Shots off of the post: 1
SERBIA: 1
(4 multi-goal matches this season, inc. the 5 goal match earlier this season)

        The Serbian has shattered the Bundesliga alongside striking partner Sebastian Haller, beginning his announcement to the current state of affairs with a 5 goal all access pass destruction of Nuremberg. 
         Scoring 5 goals in a single match is something special and puts Jovic immediately into Messi / Ronaldo / Lewandowski territory for the day, yet his persistence to score goals and win matches for Eintracht Frankfurt and now with Serbia, is raising his stature to the level of Barcelona inquiries and even fifteen different trips to scout Jovic from club sporting director Eric Abidal.  
         Jovic is a hell of a player, displaying a nonchalant, confident speed of thought in the final third that tends to urge Luka to throw whatever body part at the ball at the right time, anyway and anywhere in the vicinity of the goal. Some may call him selfish in his abrupt finishing style, but I like to call him "opportunistic". 
           Also, the timing of his runs is something to behold: simply put, if he were playing at City or Barca, Jovic could have 50 goals at this point, such is the brilliance of his expert timing. His eyes are always glued to the ball and his head is frequently in the clouds as he celebrates the culmination...the rewards from his intense work ethic.
           I have watched Jovic for months now and after a while where I was confounded by his nature, dumbstruck by the sheer athleticism he's shown and the underrated final ball he possesses (he has three 2 assist matches this season).           I thought he may be a flash in the pan, a flavor of the month, a Mojito in which to escape, though once it's been drank, the buzz dies...but presently, this is no buzz...the contact high from Jovic is intoxicating.
          We can speculate all we want about his future, but the current state of play is telling us Luka Jovic is a star. He owns every scoring mechanic in the final third, with his 5 goal match illustrating his skills perfectly: he scored from a towering, physical header; after, he deposited a rebound he poached; he blasted in a wandering, loose ball at the top of the box; he later slid in a left footed "eye of the needle " shot, and also bounced off and glided through defenders (on either side of his body) to rocket home with his right. 
        No wonder Barcelona are looking for a young, charismatic forward with a pure knack for goals, with Jovic being watched carefully by Abidal...Luis Suarez has scored often from Messi's passes this season, but he's also missed frequently at close range after his partner's devastating playmaking.
       Messi has 18 assists from 115 key passes this season and we wonder: how many assists would Messi have if Jovic were there, instead?
       This was a guy who was unknown as recently as this summer: Jovic was only granted a brief 10 minutes vs Brazil in the 2018 World Cup, but last international break, on his first start for Serbia, Jovic scored a fantastic header against Germany to stake a claim to the starting spot over Fulham's Mitrovic, a marked improvement for Serbian attacking mid Dusan Tadic to serve chances to and not only that, his fine all around performance pinned Germany back to a 1-1 draw against the Serbs. 
         Jovic makes our list with his consistent, bristling play and his all around goal creating powers, and his arrival on the international scene for a highly skilled Serbian team is perfect timing right as Euro 2020 qualifying begins in earnest. 
         We wonder what the future holds for the Serb.


5
SERGIO AGUERO (MAN CITY)

Goals: 27
(9 goals in his last 9 matches)
Apps:37
Shots On Target per 90: 2.6 (UCL), 1.4 (PL)
Shots off of the Post: 7
        Aguero has been the silent assassin for Manchester City this season, getting plaudits for his hat tricks against Chelsea and Arsenal, while being harshly overlooked when considering his day to day exploits.
     Some critics feel he hasn't played enough this season to be seriously considered one of the best strikers in world football, but I ask this fundamental question: if he has been the best striker in the Premier League since his arrival from Atletico Madrid, how can we say he's not at least one of the best strikers in world football if he's consistently been one of, if not the best in arguably the toughest league for a foreign striker to adapt to?
      Aguero is class personified, and it's up to Pep Guardiola to get the best out of him alongside the bevy of young attacking talents at his disposal. 
      And yes, besides scoring the Premier league winning goal in that legendary match against QPR (the live feed of United fans and players going from title winners to runner-up against their archrival is a footballing memory I'll cherish forever) and his goals in a Europa league final for Atletico Madrid,  Aguero hasn't found the moment in a big Champions League match in his career.
        Will that dry spell in Europe continue to haunt the Argentine? Or will the injuries and non-aggressive play that blights his career be banished by City's European glory?



4
KRZYSZTOF PIATEK
(AC MILAN / POLAND)

Goals: 28
(5 goals In his last 8 apps.)
Apps: 23
Shots On Target per 90: 1.5 (Serie A)
Shots off of the post: 4
POLAND: 2

         Piatek burst on to the scene and made our last Assassin's Feed list when he was defying all of the odds at little old Genoa, but following a surprising 35 million Euro move to AC Milan in January, the newly anointed Polish national striker hasn't skipped a beat, showing a variety of finishing touches from stealthy rebound hawking to out of the box histrionics, Piatek has been deadly with every conceivable body part, showing strength, calculation and agility to go with his fiercely bullish strength and size.
           He shows signs of still needing to sharpen his passing technique, and his mostly single-minded nature in front of goal has cost the Milan club points (since his arrival), yet his Ronaldo-obsessed (and inspired) explosion of goals in his first top tier club campaign has been incredible. 
         He's now pushing the bar for his compatriot and current national team striking partner, Robert Lewandowski, to ascend to.  
        The new striking partners combined twice in two matches for Poland, both chances set up by Lewandowski to Piatek with through balls, yet the two of them amassed a litany of chances from Kamil Grosicki and Piotr Zielinski, exploring and expanding new dimensions of attacking play for the Polish national side, awakening the ghosts of the 1974 Poland World Cup team with Lato and Gadocha: a high flying, titanic goal-scoring team that played intense pressing, attacking football and were hard done by not to have a place in that tournament's final in what could be one of the best played tournaments ever  (with Rinus Michels and Cruyff's Dutch side or Gerd Muller and Beckenbauer's Germany among the best teams there that summer in 1974).
      It is bringing back images of those incredible Polish teams and I think at Euro 2020, the Euro 2016 quarterfinalists will find themselves even luckier, fitter, faster and stronger thanks to the addition and bold dominating forward play of Krzysztof Piatek.

 
3
ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI
(BAYERN MUNICH / POLAND)

Goals:33
(8 goals in last 6 apps.)
Apps: 38
Shots on target per 90:1.5 (CL), 2.1 (BUN)
Shots off of the post: 3
POLAND: 2 goals
(Kimmich has assisted Lewandowski for 9 goals, Serge Gnabry has assisted Lewandowski 5 times)

     The Poland striker has been dominant every campaign for 8 years now, a truly under-appreciated and rarely noticed consistency machine, bagging 30+ goals and 8+ assists annually as if he were doing the dishes or putting out the trash.
     And it is this Terminator-esque mechanical success from Lewandowski that unfairly sets the bar above and beyond, a bar he hasn't hit in the biggest of matches at times, with his style of play and defensive magnetism ghosting him out of matches in the most dire of moments for his team and usually when the spotlight shines the most (2018 World Cup,  Euro 2016, Euro 2012, Champions League for Bayern). 
      He was effective but was wasted against Liverpool; he was surrounded by the wrong lineup in the World Cup, and he's too often having to create the space for his own goals more than usual. 
     And while Bayern had a diabolical Champions League campaign (crashing out to Liverpool at home 3-1), Robert Lewandowski did not, scoring 8 goals in the group stage alone (still tied in 1st place for UCL goals). 
       In fact, I think this has been Robert's best season ever: we've seen him combine with the likes of Joshua Kimmich and Serge Gnabry for 20+ goals shared between them, and the striker even made our Assist Kings Quarterly list a month or so back, highlighting his all around brutal game.
      What's made his levels rise at the same time his age does? The answer  comes from one person and one person only: Piatek. 
      His wunderkind Poland striking teammate has been the new kid on the block in Europe, bursting on to the scene just as his forefather did (a 4 goal match in the  Coppa Italia isn't the same as scoring 4 against Real Madrid in the Champions league semifinals, but for a 20 year old's first top tier European match, 4 goals and an assist is eye catching). 
       Piatek has forced Lewandowski to expand and raise his game to higher ceilings, knowing full well the competition that never existed for his forward spot (in the Polish set up) isn't 100% etched in stone now.

2
KYLIAN MBAPPE
(PSG/FRANCE)
Goals: 33
(10 goals in his last 8 matches)
Apps: 37
Shots on target per 90: 2.5 (LIG), 1.4 (UCL)
Shots off of the post: 4
FRANCE: 4 goals

        Once again, the kid is a creature of habit and his habit is shocking us with his nonstop finishing toolbox or making us go bonkers with wonder at his astounding development, turning 20 in December and looking like a wily veteran.
        He's resumed scoring goal after goal with Neymar and Cavani missing in action, two injuries that (not excusing their awful play vs United) cost PSG the Champions League, while Mbappe sparkled brightly in the European cup competition. Still, to make up for the UCL exit, Mbappe is taking Ligue 1 over like it's his own personal theme park.
        Mbappe's first touch from crosses has been his recent extravagant unveiling: cushioning long balls or crosses with a cupped first touch, arching his foot and catching the ball out of the air with his metatarsal (he pulled this off in devastating fashion for both PSG and France, both touches resulting in an assist for France and a stabbed, vicious goal for PSG). 
        While Neymar and Cavani are sidelined, Verratti finally attempts his first shot of the season, PSG rely on Choupo-Moting in a forward position and Marquinhos in deep midfield (shows how tactically screwy Thomas Tuchel can become and how injury-ravaged PSG are), Kylian Mbappe has carried PSG through what could've been an embarrassing Ligue 1 campaign, with his performances against Manchester United proving the Frenchman was a cut above his teammates at Old Trafford (and in Paris), with a late Angel Di Maria offside in the 2nd leg ruining another goal for PSG, and what would've been enough to take them through on aggregate against United (also quashing what would've been Mbappe's 6th UCL assist). 
       Kylian Mbappe didn't rise to the occasion in the Champions League, as far as the plethora of otherworldly finishing he displays in Ligue 1 on a match to match basis, yet he unleashed his creative qualities completely, unselfishly probing defenses and tiring opponents from the sheer finesse of his dribbling and unorthodox runs. 
       However, we know that he's only 20 and will continue to grow into something far more alien than we're imagining right now. Just think about that....Mbappe staying at this level his entire career might make him a top 10 player of all time in football history. 
      But when pondering his evolution already, his World Cup experience and the magical fairy dust that is sprinkled when a teenager wins the biggest honor in world football, the sky feels like the limit. When you add to that stew the right personal and professional examples he has had to look up to, the people he has surrounded himself with from adolescence, what you have from all of these ingredients will certainly seal the deal and put Mbappe, when all is said and done, as the greatest non-Messi player of all time. 
      Surely.....right???
      If he doesn't pan out and Kylian Mbappe were to burn like a roll of toilet paper entering the atmosphere and fade away like Drew Barrymore's acting career, then we would not only be shocked, sickened and devastated for what the world of football would lose, we would also be absolutely mystified.
      We get that strange circumstances arise in the world of football every year, however Mbappe has shown more raw ability and pure world class potential and exceeded those expectations (into a realm beyond) more quickly than Cristiano and even Lionel Messi did when they were 20.
      As for Messi, most had no clue how good he would be five years down the line, in fact there was such trepidation as to whether he would be able to survive playing top tier football with the health issues that dangerously contributed to his small stature. 
      But with Mbappe, we knew when he was barely at age 18 how good he could be: finishing Manchester City off in the Champions League with his cohorts at Monaco (including two future City stars Mendy and Bernardo) and then banging home a goal in Turin against Gigi Buffon's Juventus in the semifinals. 
      We knew how good he could be and already was back then, in the Spring of 2017....now two years on, Mbappe only shows signs of getting better...and at an insane rate. 
      Now in 2019, he has far more pressing and ambitious tasks at hand: the Champions League, continued glory at Euro 2020 with France, becoming a future Ballon D'or winner and scoring, assisting and dribbling both France and PSG to victory. 
   
1
LIONEL MESSI (BARCELONA)
Goals: 42
Apps: 39
Shots on target per 90: 3 (UCL) 2.7 (LA)
Shots off of the post: 9

     Tell me if this sounds logical: having to defend a man who has scored 45+ goals and dished 11+ assists (every season for the last decade) to people who have never played on a professional football pitch.
      Damn.......I played at some sort of a high level in my youth and I haven't played at that level, either....just having what it takes to last a few minutes at that pace, against that type of competition is so hard to understand for people who've never attempted anything close to the demands that playing top tier professional European football calls for. 
       As always though, so many of the TwitterCritics have been all over the Argentine ever since Ronaldo's protestant hat trick in the come from behind win over Atletico. 
      It seems as if with every achievement the Portugal captain attains, Ronaldo fans and supporters make sure Lionel Messi is destroyed and beaten down a peg to make room for Ronaldo's toddler-esque ego...yet we know if the reverse was done every time Messi did something unspeakably godlike (such as the last three free kicks he's approached, the three he scored in the last three games he's participated in...), Ronaldo wouldn't be able to accept such an ass-kicking by his nemesis, so we wonder: why does this happen?
         How come Messi doesn't shove Ronaldo's face in the shit? Why aren't Messi fans going out of their way to get under Cristiano's skin when Messi pulls off such world class eroticism?
         Because Messi fans are too busy dissecting, analyzing and obsessing over just how the 31 year old Argentine continues to do what he does: embarrassing every opponent and defender who dares to get in his path.
         We don't have time to post a meme about why Messi is better than Ronaldo when we could just show you with a video clip of the man dribbling through five players before smashing a shot (from a difficult angle) through a world class goalkeeper, leaving his victims in his wake, begging and pleading with the gods.
        I could probably find 30+ goals scored by Messi that fit that one description, but there's more...with Messi there's always more.
        Messi has buried 6 free kicks in La Liga this season,  with the next best tallied player scoring half that amount, but the numbers don't mean much: It's the way he does it....the way that he scores...or as Jim James would sing "It's the way that he sings."

       And my my how his left foot sings when he hits those free kicks, smacking them with a confidence and certainty that equals a penalty attempt, completely akin to Messi understanding he will score, even if operating at half of his capabilities. 
        His raging spirit and desire to win forced that free kick into the corner of Villareal's net as if his left foot were a cannon: and if Barca don't get that goal, they lose to Villareal 2-4. 
      Instead, one act of Leo defying Sir Isaac Newton, space and time and suddenly the Barca boys are nipping at the heels of Villareal, enamoured with complete and utter belief: with Messi, anything is possible.
      He's played in 39 matches and scored 42 goals, a stat he has posted nearly every season since his dominance began around late 2007, and we're just hitting the business end of the season, the Champions League quarterfinals approaching fast and Messi licking his chops at the prospect of facing Manchester United, a team that, besides Luke Shaw, have a scatter shot and near criminally awful back-line.
       This is the time of the season that Leo loves best, the part of the campaign that he delivers in most, and the Champions League is the title he wants more than any of them...and Barcelona, as a club, a fan base and an idea that stands for something more (mes que un club, no matter how much Bartomeu tries to ruin it) want the Champions League come hell or high water.
      So really...the only thing in Lionel Messi's way of winning the European cup in the last few years hasn't been Ronaldo and Madrid's dominance (in fact, head to head, Messi has owned Ronaldo in both La Liga and the Champions League): It's been the lack of depth surrounding Messi and now, since the arrival of manager Ernesto Valverde and young attackers Ousmane Dembele and Coutinho, it's been his fitness and that of his teammates, coupled with a complete and utter lack of common sense rotation that has hurt Barcelona at this precise stage in the Champions League, in fact, Barca haven't advanced passed the quarterfinals since they won it all in 2015, going without a single Messi goal in any of those legs dating back to their controversial exit in 2016 to Atletico.
         We know how the #10 is akin to an old gunslinger of the Wild West, taking stock of his enemies and often finishing them off in vengeance-soaked goals and assists, dizzying opponents into a frenzy until he grants them the mercy of his cold, calculated finishing...all with their blood curdling on his tracks. 
        He will remember his failures in the quarterfinals and, if his recent calf and groin injuries are monitored and managed correctly, Lionel will make United pay dearly.
        But will Valverde spare Messi enough from the ravages of the season? Or will the injuries (the Barca captain has already been playing through) finally take their toll on the superhuman #10?
        We will see, but we know one thing: Messi is the greatest currently strapping his boots on in the world, in what may be his greatest season ever.



BEST OF THE REST/
REST OF THE BEST

MOISE KEAN (JUVENTUS / ITALY)

Goals: 7 
Apps: 9 appearances 
ITALY: 2

The racists looked embarrassing as Moise Kean defiantly scored in a stadium he already had been racially abused at. 
      The worst part was Kean's own teammate Leonardo Bonucci humiliated himself before the world as he credited his teammate with "50% of the blame" for celebrating a goal by himself...for literally a second. 
      So...I guess there's an Italian law stating "young, athletic and wealthy minorities cannot celebrate goals individually in Italian football"....
      Moise Kean made the despicable, racist Italian club (that will go unnamed) look just as ridiculous as their defending. 
       If UEFA and FIFA really wanted to stop racism, then they'd charge clubs 20 million Euros and a European cup competition forfeiture for every proven situation of racist bullshit.
       We've got a long way to go to defeat racism in football and on planet earth, but to have teammates of a racially abused player, let alone a young black Italian who's grown up with this in the background, is embarrassing for Bonucci. 
         Truly a disgrace. 


ANTOINE GRIEZMANN  
(ATLETICO / FRANCE)
Goals:19
Apps:41
FRANCE: 4 goals

Honorable mentions:
HARRY KANE  (TOTTENHAM)
SON-HEUNG MIN (TOTTENHAM)
DUVAN ZAPATA (ATALANTA)
FABIO QUAGLIERELLA (SAMPDORIA)
DUSAN TADIC (AJAX)