UEFA Champions League 250: Ranking the Top 250 Footballers After Matchday 5

With one gameweek left in the UEFA Champions League group stage, 12 teams have qualified for the knockout phase. With four spots left, including a handful of UEFA Europa League spots, Matchday 6 should be an eventful round.

Before we lock in for the last group-stage matches, though, one piece of business remains from Matchday 5: continuing to monitor the best performers at their respective positions.

Standout footballers were in abundance during the fifth matchday. The usual suspects were in attendance, but often lesser known, or even unknown, footballers shock our collective consciousness and arrive from nowhere.

In that sense, Bleacher Report is taking a holistic approach: breaking down each position, finding the outstanding footballers therein and grading each according to his output. With 250 players—from the 32 qualified clubs in the group stage—competition for places is tough, but there's enough room for thorough investigation and critique.

Each player is evaluated by your slightly biased but mostly fair author, who will bring you player grades based on the action after every round of matches.

Before presenting the fifth set of grades for the 2016/17 Champions League, though, a reminder of the methodology is in order.

Methodology

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

Footballers are graded on a series of four key attributes in their respective positional roles. Using a grading scale, starting at zero and going up to anywhere from 10 to 25, the system is altered by the most recently completed matchday—reaching a maximum of 100 points.

The 250 players are divided into positions and ranked against/with their contemporaries:

• 30 goalkeepers
• 20 right-backs and right wing-backs
• 20 left-backs and left wing-backs
• 40 centre-backs
• 60 defensive, central and attacking midfielders
• 25 right midfielders, right-wingers and right-sided forwards
• 25 left midfielders, left-wingers and left-sided forwards
• 30 strikers and centre-forwards

Domestic form will bear no weight in the Champions League proceedings.

Obviously no system is perfect, and there are flaws with every conceivable methodology, but giving each group of players a unique grading system—rather than throwing every footballer into the same equation—should offer a truer end result from matchday to matchday.

Grading is a subjective process. We all have things we notice and things we appreciate more than others; in that respect, no ranking is ever definitive. There's always the comments section for discussions, rebuttals and suggestions.

Lastly, in the event of ties, we simply ask: "Who do we think had a better game?" The winner gets top billing.

Goalkeepers

Jean Catuffe/Getty Images

On Matchday 5, the swings in results were stark. Having three 0-0 draws, it was the best defensive week in terms of clean sheets the group stage has had, totaling nine. By the same token, Borussia Dortmund and Legia Warsaw made up for this goalscoring austerity by offering the competition an 8-4 goalfest.

Conceding eight goals was not the fault of first-choice Warsaw goalkeeper Arkadiusz Malarz, but not playing cost the 36-year-old veteran his place in the rankings, as Ludogorets Razgrad's Vladislav Stoyanov takes his spot after five saves and a clean sheet against FC Basel.

Looking at the other side of proceedings, Tottenham Hotspur's Hugo Lloris was the standout performer.

Spurs have not enjoyed their return to Europe's elite club competition in the way they expected, and against AS Monaco, the north Londoners confirmed their exit from the Champions League with a 2-1 defeat. Lloris, however, did his part. Saving nine shots, including a penalty, the France international gave his team every chance to win at the Stade Louis II, but it wasn't enough.

Moving from eighth to third in the rankings, the 29-year-old will not be thrilled with a great performance and a loss, but it's a small consolation for his work.

Grading Scale

Hand: Handling (graded out of 25)

Pos: Positioning (graded out of 25)

Kick: Kicking (graded out of 25)

Saves: Saves (graded out of 25)

Ovr: Top possible score of 100

Goalkeeper Rankings | Matchday 5

Rank	Player	Club	Hand	Pos	Kick	Saves	Ovr
1	Jan Oblak	Atletico Madrid	22	24	22	24	92
2	Sergio Rico	Sevilla	22	22	23	24	91
3	Hugo Lloris	Tottenham Hotspur	23	23	21	23	90
4	Gianluigi Buffon	Juventus	22	25	21	21	89
5	Anthony Lopes	Olympique Lyonnais	22	21	21	22	86
6	Kasper Schmeichel	Leicester City	22	22	20	22	86
7	David Ospina	Arsenal	21	21	22	21	86
8	Danijel Subasic	AS Monaco	22	22	19	22	85
9	Roman Burki	Borussia Dortmund	20	22	21	21	84
10	Manuel Neuer	Bayern Munich	20	22	21	20	83
11	Ederson Moraes	Benfica	21	19	20	21	82
12	Yann Sommer	Borussia Monchengladbach	21	20	19	20	80
13	Fabricio	Besiktas	21	20	20	19	80
14	Keylor Navas	Real Madrid	19	20	20	20	79
15	Alphonse Areola	Paris Saint-Germain	21	20	19	18	78
16	Robin Olsen	Copenhagen	19	20	20	19	78
17	Iker Casillas	FC Porto	18	19	18	19	76
18	Marc-Andre ter Stegen	Barcelona	19	19	20	17	75
19	Bernd Leno	Bayer Leverkusen	18	18	19	18	73
20	Rui Patricio	Sporting Lisbon	19	18	18	18	72
21	Jose Reina	Napoli	17	19	17	17	70
22	Craig Gordon	Celtic	17	18	16	19	70
23	Jeroen Zoet	PSV Eindhoven	17	18	17	16	69
24	Claudio Bravo	Manchester City	15	17	20	16	68
25	Artur Rudko	Dynamo Kiev	16	18	16	17	67
26	Tomas Vaclik	FC Basel	17	15	17	16	65
27	Soslan Dzhanaev	FC Rostov	16	16	15	16	63
28	Igor Akinfeev	CSKA Moscow	16	15	15	17	63
29	Ludovic Butelle	Club Brugge	16	14	15	16	61
30	Vladislav Stoyanov	Ludogorets	15	15	14	15	59

Notable Omissions

• Petr Cech, Arsenal
• Kevin Trapp, Paris Saint-Germain
• Salvatore Sirigu, Sevilla

Right-Backs and Right Wing-Backs

-/Getty Images

The Champions League's right-back fold has held steady for a while.

Juventus' Dani Alves has been atop the rankings for four matchdays, and the Brazilian defender has yet to relinquish that title. Taking on Sevilla, the Italian champions needed a great game from Alves, and he offered his usual offensive services in a 3-1 victory.

Close behind is Atletico Madrid's Juanfran. Not starting Atleti's last match, against PSV Eindhoven, the 31-year-old came on in the 75th minute to seal a 2-0 victory for manager Diego Simeone's side. The Spaniard did his job, and he has featured in four of five Champions League matches for his side in the group stage.

Moving the most in the right-back category was Olympique Lyonnais' Rafael da Silva. The former Manchester United full-back has found a home in Lyon after moving to France last summer. Facing Dinamo Zagreb, the Brazilian fed coveted centre-forward Alexandre Lacazette for the game's only goal.

Registering an assist and maintaining a clean sheet, Rafael had a solid argument for man of the match, and his elevation in this week's rankings reflects that performance.

Grading Scale

Tac: Tackling (graded out of 25)

Pas: Passing (graded out of 25)

Dis: Discipline (graded out of 25)

Off: Offence (graded out of 25)

Ovr: Top possible score of 100

Right-Back and Right Wing-Back Rankings | Matchday 5

Rank	Player	Club	Tac	Pas	Dis	Off	Ovr
1	Dani Alves	Juventus	20	24	24	23	91
2	Juanfran	Atletico Madrid	24	22	24	18	88
3	Kieran Trippier	Tottenham Hotspur	21	21	21	21	84
4	Lars Bender	Bayer Leverkusen	22	21	22	19	84
5	Philipp Lahm	Bayern Munich	20	20	21	21	82
6	Rafael	Olympique Lyonnais	20	20	21	21	81
7	Dani Carvajal	Real Madrid	20	20	21	20	81
8	Hector Bellerin	Arsenal	18	21	19	22	80
9	Lukasz Piszczek	Borussia Dortmund	21	19	21	20	80
10	Serge Aurier	Paris Saint-Germain	19	20	19	22	80
11	Luis Hernandez	Leicester City	20	20	19	19	78
12	Sergi Roberto	Barcelona	18	21	18	20	77
13	Miguel Layun	FC Porto	19	20	21	20	76
14	Elseid Hysaj	Napoli	18	19	19	19	75
15	Andrea Raggi	AS Monaco	18	18	19	18	71
16	Mario Fernandes	CSKA Moscow	16	17	17	18	68
17	Pablo Zabaleta	Manchester City	15	17	18	16	66
18	Kyle Walker	Tottenham Hotspur	16	17	16	16	65
19	Peter Ankersen	Copenhagen	15	16	16	16	63
20	Joshua Brenet	PSV Eindhoven	15	16	14	15	60

Notable Omissions

• Stephan Lichtsteiner, Juventus

Left-Backs and Left Wing-Backs

VALERY HACHE/Getty Images

In terms of both world-class depth and world-class performances, the left-back class in the 2016/17 UEFA Champions League has been outstanding.

Atletico Madrid's Filipe Luis remains the top-ranked member, but those in the chasing pack are not that much behind the 31-year-old Brazilian. Compatriot Marcelo missed Matchday 4, but the Real Madrid star featured against Sporting Lisbon and, despite a booking, was vital for Los Blancos in their 2-1 win.

Elsewhere, AS Monaco full-back Djibril Sidibe has featured on the left and right for the French Riviera side. A natural right-back but frequently required on the left during this UCL campaign, the 24-year-old provides important versatility for his side.

Quickly emerging left-back Benjamin Mendy allowed Sidibe to return to his natural flank on Matchday 5, but his expertise at both positions always provides Monaco manager Leonardo Jardim an option—and managers love options.

Grading Scale

Tac: Tackling (graded out of 25)

Pas: Passing (graded out of 25)

Dis: Discipline (graded out of 25)

Off: Offence (graded out of 25)

Ovr: Top possible score of 100

Left-Back and Left Wing-Back Rankings | Matchday 5

Rank	Player	Club	Tac	Pas	Dis	Off	Ovr
1	Filipe Luis	Atletico Madrid	24	24	24	22	94
2	Sergio Escudero	Sevilla	23	22	23	23	92
3	Djibril Sidibe	AS Monaco	22	22	23	24	91
4	Benjamin Henrichs	Bayer Leverkusen	24	22	22	22	90
5	Marcelo	Real Madrid	20	23	23	24	90
6	Christian Fuchs	Leicester City	20	23	22	24	89
7	David Alaba	Bayern Munich	20	23	22	23	88
8	Ludwig Augustinsson	Copenhagen	21	22	23	22	88
9	Faouzi Ghoulam	Napoli	20	22	22	20	84
10	Patrice Evra	Juventus	20	21	22	19	82
11	Maciej Rybus	Olympique Lyonnais	20	21	21	19	81
12	Jordi Alba	Barcelona	17	23	19	22	81
13	Aleksandar Kolarov	Manchester City	18	19	20	20	77
14	Alex Telles	FC Porto	18	19	19	20	76
15	Alex Grimaldo	Benfica	19	18	18	19	74
16	Ben Davies	Tottenham Hotspur	17	18	17	18	70
17	Nacho Monreal	Arsenal	17	17	18	16	68
18	Natanael	Ludogorets	16	18	17	16	67
19	Marcel Schmelzer	Borussia Dortmund	16	15	18	18	66
20	Marvin Zeegelaar	Sporting Lisbon	15	16	15	16	62

Notable Omissions

• Danny Rose, Tottenham Hotspur
• Maxwell, Paris Saint-Germain
• Benjamin Mendy, AS Monaco

Centre-Backs

Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images

Defending is at a premium as the Champions League group stage concludes. Keeping goals out and scoring chances to a minimum is just as imperative as putting them in, and certain clubs have a better grasp on that art than others after five matchdays.

Sevilla were on a streak of four consecutive clean sheets but ran into a Juventus side wanting top spot in Group H on Matchday 5. Conceding their first three goals in the competition, Sevilla lost 3-1 and, with it, lost their spot atop the group. Regaining his spot on the centre-back rankings was Juventus' Giorgio Chiellini.

More so from those around him either playing badly or not playing at all, the Italian defender came on late in the match to cement his side's result. His work up until this point his been exemplary and will need to continue if manager Massimiliano Allegri has any intentions on having a prolonged European run.

Chiellini's team-mate Leonardo Bonucci played the full 90 minutes and scored a goal. Sometimes overlooked in Juventus' back three as merely the ball-playing option, the Italy international was outstanding in all phases against Sevilla. To seal a favourable last-16 draw, though, Juve need one more great performance from Bonucci, Chiellini and the rest of their defensive contingent.

Grading Scale

Def: Defending (graded out of 25)

Pas: Passing (graded out of 25)

Dis: Discipline (graded out of 25)

Off: Offence (graded out of 25)

Ovr: Top possible score of 100

Centre-Back Rankings | Matchday 5

Rank	Player	Club	Def	Pas	Dis	Off	Ovr
1	Giorgio Chiellini	Juventus	24	22	24	20	90
2	Kamil Glik	AS Monaco	24	21	24	20	89
3	Sokratis Papastathopoulos	Borussia Dortmund	23	22	23	21	89
4	Diego Godin	Atletico Madrid	25	21	23	19	88
5	Shkodran Mustafi	Arsenal	22	22	23	21	88
6	Laurent Koscielny	Arsenal	23	22	23	20	88
7	Jeremy Morel	Olympique Lyonnais	23	22	23	19	87
8	Marc Bartra	Borussia Dortmund	23	23	21	19	86
9	Raphael Varane	Real Madrid	22	20	22	22	86
10	Leonardo Bonucci	Juventus	22	22	21	21	86
11	Gabriel Mercado	Sevilla	23	21	23	18	85
12	Andrea Barzagli	Juventus	23	20	22	18	83
13	Robert Huth	Leicester City	24	19	23	17	82
14	Gerard Pique	Barcelona	21	20	20	20	81
15	Toby Alderweireld	Tottenham Hotspur	20	20	20	20	80
16	Samuel Umtiti	Barcelona	20	20	21	19	80
17	Mats Hummels	Bayern Munich	20	21	19	19	79
18	Mathias Jorgensen	Copenhagen	21	20	21	17	79
19	Jonathan Tah	Bayer Leverkusen	20	19	21	17	78
20	Sebastian Coates	Sporting Lisbon	19	20	20	18	77
21	Dusko Tosic	Besiktas	20	20	19	18	77
22	Jan Vertonghen	Tottenham hotspur	19	20	18	19	76
23	Jemerson	AS Monaco	17	18	20	17	76
24	Wes Morgan	Leicester City	20	18	20	16	74
25	Stefan Savic	Atletico Madrid	20	18	21	15	74
26	Adil Rami	Sevilla	20	19	19	15	73
27	Omer Toprak	Bayer Leverkusen	19	20	18	16	73
28	Sergio Ramos	Real Madrid	18	19	17	19	73
29	Marquinhos	Paris Saint-Germain	20	17	19	16	72
30	Javier Mascherano	Barcelona	19	18	19	16	72
31	Javi Martinez	Bayern Munich	18	17	18	16	71
32	Thiago Silva	Paris Saint-Germain	18	19	18	15	70
33	Erik Johansson	Copenhagen	17	17	18	18	70
34	Marcelo	Besiktas	18	19	17	15	69
35	Jerome Boateng	Bayern Munich	18	17	17	15	69
36	Nicolas Otamendi	Manchester City	19	16	18	14	67
37	Nicolas N'Koulou	Olympique Lyonnais	17	18	16	16	66
38	Kalidou Koulibaly	Napoli	18	15	18	15	66
39	Felipe	FC Porto	17	15	16	16	64
40	Andreas Christensen	Borussia Monchengladbach	16	16	16	14	62

    
Notable Omissions

• Pepe, Real Madrid
• Jose Gimenez, Atletico Madrid

Defensive Midfielders, Central Midfielders and Central Attacking Midfielders

Jean Catuffe/Getty Images

If midfield is where games are won and lost, then the current standings in the Champions League group stage are largely a consequence of how clubs' respective midfields have played over the last five fixtures.

There are eight Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain players in the central-midfield rankings, and seven played in the game to assert Group A dominance at the Emirates Stadium. Perhaps the standout midfielder in the 2-2 draw was PSG's Blaise Matuidi. Assisting Edinson Cavani in the 18th minute, the Frenchman's pass got his side off to a great start.

That said, his team-mate Marco Verratti—arguably the best all-around central midfielder in European football—scored an own goal to put Arsenal ahead in the second half. The Gunners presented their French visitors a gift when Alex Iwobi put through his own net, so Verratti's unfortunate touch did not prove fatal.

The most notable mover after Matchday 5 was Manchester City's Fernandinho. The Brazilian did not have the best outing against Borussia Monchengladbach and slipped down the rankings as a result.

Grading Scale

Tac: Tackling (graded out of 25)

Pas: Passing (graded out of 25)

Cre: Creativity (graded out of 25)

Pro: Production (graded out of 25)

Ovr: Top possible score of 100

Defensive Midfielder, Central Midfielder and Central Attacking Midfielder Rankings | Matchday 5

Rank	Player	Club	Tac	Pas	Cre	Pro	Ovr
1	Kevin De Bruyne	Manchester City	18	24	24	25	91
2	Mesut Ozil	Arsenal	17	24	25	24	90
3	Marco Verratti	Paris Saint-Germain	22	23	22	23	90
4	Fabinho	AS Monaco	22	23	22	22	89
5	Blaise Matuidi	Paris Saint-Germain	22	22	22	23	89
6	Marek Hamsik	Napoli	21	23	22	23	89
7	Luka Modric	Real Madrid	21	23	23	21	88
8	Thiago Alcantara	Bayern Munich	18	24	23	22	87
9	Sergio Busquets	Barcelona	22	23	19	23	87
10	Francis Coquelin	Arsenal	23	22	18	23	86
11	Kevin Kampl	Bayer Leverkusen	19	22	21	23	85
12	Gabi	Atletico Madrid	22	22	21	20	85
13	Adrien Silva	Sporting Lisbon	20	21	22	21	84
14	Saul Niguez	Atletico Madrid	19	22	23	20	84
15	Joshua Kimmich	Bayern Munich	20	22	21	21	84
16	Koke	Atletico Madrid	19	22	22	20	83
17	Santi Cazorla	Arsenal	18	21	21	22	83
18	Arturo Vidal	Bayern Munich	20	21	20	21	82
19	Steven N'Zonzi	Sevilla	21	20	19	21	81
20	Miralem Pjanic	Juventus	19	21	21	20	81
21	Ilkay Gundogan	Manchester City	18	21	20	21	81
22	Danilo	FC Porto	22	20	17	21	80
23	Julian Weigl	Borussia Dortmund	20	20	20	20	80
24	Raphael Guerreiro	Borussia Dortmund	21	20	20	19	80
25	Corentin Tolisso	Olympique Lyonnais	17	20	20	22	79
26	Victor Wanyama	Tottenham Hotspur	22	20	18	18	79
27	William Carvalho	Sporting Lisbon	21	20	18	18	78
28	David Silva	Manchester City	17	21	20	20	78
29	Tiemoue Bakayoko	AS Monaco	20	20	18	19	77
30	Toni Kroos	Real Madrid	18	20	20	19	77
31	Daniel Amartey	Leicester City	20	20	18	18	76
32	Fernandinho	Manchester City	20	19	18	19	76
33	Andres Iniesta	Barcelona	17	21	20	18	76
34	Danny Drinkwater	Leicester City	19	19	18	19	75
35	Ivan Rakitic	Barcelona	18	20	18	20	75
36	Mario Gotze	Borussia Dortmund	16	20	21	18	75
37	Andre Gomes	Barcelona	18	19	20	18	75
38	Adrien Rabiot	Paris Saint-Germain	18	19	17	19	74
39	Charles Aranguiz	Bayer Leverkusen	18	19	17	18	74
40	Maxime Gonalons	Olympique Lyonnais	18	20	18	18	73
41	Dele Alli	Tottenham Hotspur	17	19	19	16	72
42	Jordan Ferri	Olympique Lyonnais	19	18	16	18	71
43	Thomas Delaney	Copenhagen	18	18	17	18	71
44	Sami Khedira	Juventus	19	18	17	16	70
45	Atiba Hutchinson	Besiktas	18	17	17	17	69
46	Christian Eriksen	Tottenham Hotspur	15	19	18	16	68
47	Denys Garmash	Dynamo Kiev	17	18	16	16	67
48	Taulant Xhaka	FC Basel	17	17	15	16	66
49	Granit Xhaka	Arsenal	16	17	16	16	65
50	Marcelinho	Ludogorets	16	16	16	17	65
51	Matteo Kovacic	Real Madrid	17	16	15	16	64
52	Davy Propper	PSV Eindhoven	16	18	16	14	64
53	Oliver Torres	FC Porto	16	16	16	15	63
54	Scott Brown	Celtic	18	17	13	15	63
55	Thiago Motta	Paris Saint-Germain	17	16	14	16	63
56	Ljubomir Fejsa	Benfica	15	16	16	15	62
57	Sergi Darder	Olympique Lyonnais	16	17	15	14	62
58	Xabi Alonso	Bayern Munich	14	18	16	14	61
59	Joao Moutinho	AS Monaco	14	15	15	16	60
60	Andres Guardado	PSV Eindhoven	15	16	14	14	59

Notable Omissions

• Casemiro, Real Madrid
• Shinji Kagawa, Borussia Dortmund
• Claudio Marchisio, Juventus

Right Midfielders, Right-Wingers and Right-Sided Forwards

Ian MacNicol/Getty Images

In terms of players on the right flank, finding someone who can usurp Barcelona's Lionel Messi's dominance is proving difficult. The likes of Leicester City's Riyad Mahrez and Paris Saint-Germain's Lucas Moura have had great campaigns thus far, but catching the Argentina international seems a forlorn journey.

Scoring twice against Celtic on Matchday 5, Barca's talisman raised his goalscoring tally to nine (and two assists) in four appearances. The group stage's top scorer by a four-goal margin, with one match left, Messi is head and shoulders above the attacking field in terms of production.

When the competition tightens entering the UCL's knockout stages, however, the world-class forward should find sterner resistance from better competition.

The form of Bayern Munich's Thomas Muller is something of a mystery. Undoubtedly talented—and many would argue world-class—the manager Carlo Ancelotti's new regime has not offered much toward the German forward's improvement, as solid early performances have transitioned into mediocre ones.

A footballer of Muller's reputation and quality can (and should) be afforded bad spells, but the quicker he finds his footing, the better for all involved at the Allianz Arena.

Grading Scale

Pas: Passing (graded out of 25)

Cre: Creativity (graded out of 25)

Fin: Finishing (graded out of 25)

Pro: Production (graded out of 25)

Ovr: Top possible score of 100

Right Midfielder, Right-Winger and Right-Sided Forward Rankings | Matchday 5

Rank	Player	Club	Pas	Cre	Fin	Pro	Ovr
1	Lionel Messi	Barcelona	25	25	25	25	100
2	Riyad Mahrez	Leicester City	23	24	24	23	94
3	Lucas Moura	Paris Saint-Germain	23	24	22	23	92
4	Gareth Bale	Real Madrid	22	23	22	22	89
5	Theo Walcott	Arsenal	22	21	23	22	88
6	Raheem Sterling	Manchester City	22	21	21	22	88
7	Ricardo Quaresma	Besiktas	21	21	22	23	87
8	Eduardo Salvio	Benfica	22	20	21	23	86
9	Thomas Lemar	AS Monaco	21	21	20	22	84
10	Thomas Muller	Bayern Munich	21	20	21	21	83
11	Christian Pulisic	Borussia Dortmund	20	21	20	21	82
12	Erik Lamela	Tottenham Hotspur	20	21	20	20	81
13	Julian Brandt	Bayer Leverkusen	20	21	19	20	79
14	Jose Callejon	Napoli	20	19	20	19	78
15	Gelson Martins	Sporting Lisbon	19	20	19	20	78
16	Arjen Robben	Bayern Munich	19	18	17	20	74
17	Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain	Arsenal	17	18	19	19	73
18	Franco Vazquez	Sevilla	17	17	18	18	70
19	Ibrahima Traore	Borussia Monchengladbach	16	18	16	17	67
20	Virgil Misidjan	Ludogorets	16	15	15	18	64
21	Zoran Tosic	CSKA Moscow	16	15	17	15	63
22	Benjamin Verbic	Copenhagen	17	15	16	16	63
23	Birkir Bjarnason	FC Basel	16	15	15	16	62
24	James Forrest	Celtic	16	15	15	15	61
25	Andriy Yarmolenko	Dynamo Kiev	14	16	15	14	59

Notable Omissions

• Aaron Ramsey, Arsenal
• Juan Cuadrado, Juventus

Left Midfielders, Left-Wingers and Left-Sided Forwards

MB Media/Getty Images

As Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane continues to experiment with tactics and player roles, Cristiano Ronaldo is becoming one of the Frenchman's projects.

While useful on the flanks, the Portuguese might be transforming into a centre-forward. The change does not appear binding just yet, but Ronaldo has lived there more than his usual left-wing home in recent weeks. Injuries to Alvaro Morata and Karim Benzema have facilitated this switch, but if Madrid function better, the up-and-coming manager and club legend could stick with what works.

In that sense, Ronaldo's place in these rankings might change as the season develops, but his positional grade will stay on the left-hand side until Zizou provides us with further Champions League data.

Doing his best to hold off Ronaldo is Barcelona's Neymar. The Brazilian forward leads the 2016/17 Champions League with seven assists and has also pitched in with two goals. Likely to carry the No. 1 spot into the knockout phase, keeping that title for the duration of the tournament with Ronaldo and others in hot pursuit would be a fantastic signal for Barcelona's sustainability.

Not to be overlooked by the heavyweights, though, Ousmane Dembele of Borussia Dortmund was spectacular on Matchday 5. Providing three assists and scoring a goal in one match, the 19-year-old Frenchman was easily the matchday's best player, in any category, so his accession in the rankings is more than justified.

Grading Scale

Pas: Passing (graded out of 25)

Cre: Creativity (graded out of 25)

Fin: Finishing (graded out of 25)

Pro: Production (graded out of 25)

Ovr: Top possible score of 100

Left Midfielder, Left-Winger and Left-Sided Forward Rankings | Matchday 5

Rank	Player	Club	Pas	Cre	Fin	Pro	Ovr
1	Neymar	Barcelona	25	25	20	25	95
2	Cristiano Ronaldo	Real Madrid	22	24	24	24	94
3	Dries Mertens	Napoli	22	23	22	23	90
4	Ousmane Dembele	Borussia Dortmund	23	24	20	23	90
5	Yannick Carrasco	Atletico Madrid	22	23	22	21	88
6	Vitolo	Sevilla	21	22	22	20	86
7	Angel Di Maria	Paris Saint-Germain	22	20	21	20	83
8	Franck Ribery	Bayern Munich	21	21	18	22	82
9	Heung-Min Son	Tottenham Hotspur	19	21	21	20	81
10	Marc Albrighton	Leicester City	22	21	17	20	80
11	Bernardo Silva	AS Monaco	20	20	19	19	78
12	Otavio	FC Porto	19	19	19	18	77
13	Adriano	Besiktas	18	20	19	19	76
14	Nolito	Manchester City	18	18	20	20	76
15	Hakan Calhanoglu	Bayer Leverkusen	19	19	19	18	75
16	Alex Iwobi	Arsenal	18	20	17	17	72
17	Bruno Cesar	Sporting Lisbon	19	18	17	17	71
18	Youssef Toutouh	Copenhagen	18	17	16	15	68
19	Scott Sinclair	Celtic	16	18	16	16	65
20	Pizzi	Benfica	17	17	15	15	64
21	Wanderson	Ludogorets	15	17	15	14	64
22	Renato Steffen	FC Basel	16	17	16	15	64
23	Jose Izquierdo	Club Brugge	15	16	15	16	62
24	Oscar Wendt	Borussia Monchengladbach	16	17	13	15	61
25	Derlis Gonzalez	Dynamo Kiev	16	15	14	14	59

Notable Omissions

• Douglas Costa, Bayern Munich

Strikers and Centre-Forwards

Gualter Fatia/Getty Images

The aforementioned elevated number of clean sheets did have ramifications in certain games when it came to goalscoring, but centre-forwards and strikers tend to find their way in and around the 18-yard box, and Matchday 5 showed that tendency.

Discussing two of the more interesting performers, we start with Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann.

After a less than enviable start to the Champions League, the 25-year-old has given manager Diego Simeone solid back-to-back performances. Scoring a goal and assisting another against PSV Eindhoven, the France international is Atletico's go-to man for offense. Fernando Torres and others can be counted on occasionally, but for consistent production, Griezmann is the first (and maybe second) option in most cases.

Another decent performer from Matchday 5 was Real Madrid's Karim Benzema.

Moving the most in the striker rankings after his winning goal against Sporting Lisbon, maybe the 87th-minute winner was what Griezmann's compatriot needed to earn himself some form. Real Madrid, while star-laden, still need individuals to perform. If Benzema does not produce, he places undue pressure on others to make up that slack. For one game at least, he answered the bell.

Grading Scale

Pas: Passing (graded out of 25)

Cre: Creativity (graded out of 25)

Fin: Finishing (graded out of 25)

Pro: Production (graded out of 25)

Ovr: Top possible score of 100

Striker and Centre-Forward Rankings | Matchday 5

Rank	Player	Club	Pas	Cre	Fin	Pro	Ovr
1	Alexis Sanchez	Arsenal	23	23	23	22	91
2	Edinson Cavani	Paris Saint-Germain	22	22	22	24	91
3	Luis Suarez	Barcelona	22	22	22	22	88
4	Robert Lewandowski	Bayern Munich	21	21	22	22	86
5	Sergio Aguero	Manchester City	22	22	21	21	86
6	Moussa Dembele	Celtic	20	20	23	22	85
7	Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang	Borussia Dortmund	21	22	21	20	84
8	Antoine Griezmann	Atletico Madrid	20	21	22	21	84
9	Bryan Ruiz	Sporting Lisbon	20	21	21	18	80
10	Dmitry Poloz	FC Rostov	20	20	19	21	79
11	Maxwel Cornet	Olympique Lyonnais	20	19	20	19	78
12	Goncalo Guedes	Benfica	19	19	19	20	77
13	Gonzalo Higuain	Juventus	16	18	21	21	76
14	Paulo Dybala	Juventus	20	20	18	18	76
15	Karim Benzema	Real Madrid	19	19	18	19	75
16	Vincent Aboubakar	Besiktas	19	18	18	20	75
17	Luuk de Jong	PSV Eindhoven	19	18	18	19	74
18	Javier Hernandez	Bayer Leverkusen	18	18	19	19	74
19	Andreas Cornelius	Copenhagen	17	19	18	19	73
20	Andre Hahn	Borussia Monchengladbach	19	18	18	16	71
21	Jonathan Cafu	Ludogorets	17	17	19	16	69
22	Andre Silva	FC Porto	18	18	17	16	69
23	Luciano Vietto	Sevilla	17	17	16	16	68
24	Harry Kane	Tottenham Hotspur	16	16	19	16	67
25	Bas Dost	Sporting Lisbon	16	16	16	16	64
26	Islam Slimani	Leicester City	16	15	14	18	62
27	Radamel Falcao	AS Monaco	15	15	15	16	61
28	Olivier Giroud	Arsenal	14	13	17	17	61
29	Alexandre Lacazette	Olympique Lyonnais	16	16	14	14	60
30	Jamie Vardy	Leicester City	15	15	15	15	60

Notable Omissions

• Arkadiusz Milik, Napoli
• Mario Mandzukic, Juventus
• Marco Reus, Borussia Dortmund
• Alvaro Morata, Real Madrid

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*Stats and transfer fees per WhoScored.com, Transfermarkt and Soccerbase where not noted.