Denis Bouanga : The Saint-Etienne star shining

Denis Bouanga, though, is an unlikely leader of this particular stat on the continent. The Gabon international has won more WhoScored man of the match awards (5) than any other player in Europe's top five leagues this season. Of those five, four have come in his last four Ligue 1 outings as Saint-Etienne secured 1-0 wins over Lyon, Bordeaux and Monaco and earned a 2-2 draw with Amiens.

In that run, the 24-year-old has scored two and assisted one, with the former stat helping Les Verts to commendable wins at Bordeaux and against Monaco last weekend. Claude Puel's impact in his upturn in form cannot be overestimated. Indeed, following the Iceman's return to Ligue 1, Bouanga's WhoScored rating is a healthy 8.20, that the fourth best of those to have featured in at least three of the league's four matches since the beginning of October.