UEFA Champions League 250: Ranking the Top 250 Footballers After Matchday 3

With the UEFA Champions League group stage approaching Matchday 4, each club has played every other team in their group. But with fixtures reversing and points becoming increasingly more important, the upcoming matchday is critical to advancement—elimination is not too far off for some clubs should they fail to secure positive results.

At least one item remains from Matchday 3, though: ranking the 250 best performers at their respective positions.

Entering a crucial stage of the competition, Bleacher Report is attempting to determine the best Champions League footballer on a matchday-by-matchday basis.

The usual suspects always lurk, but sometimes lesser known, or even unknown, footballers can 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 third set of grades for the 2016/17 Champions League, though, a reminder of the methodology is in order.

Methodology

Michael Regan/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 its own 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

David Ramos/Getty Images

After three matches, there are familiar names at the top of the Champions League's goalkeeper rankings and a few that are relatively surprising.

Juventus' Gianluigi Buffon has never won the competition (twice a runner-up), but his impeccable record for both club and country is a testament to his longstanding reputation as one the world's most elite 'keepers.

The 38-year-old has kept three clean sheets in this season's tournament (including during his latest outing against Olympique Lyonnais); if Massimiliano Allegri's team's offensive production holds form, Juve should challenge for the UCL crown come May.

Though without the extensive experience of his Italian counterpart, Atletico Madrid's Jan Oblak is quickly establishing himself as another trusted and respected shot-stopper on European football's highest level. Amassing three clean sheets in three 1-0 victories, the Slovenia international has been rock solid for Atleti boss Diego Simeone during their campaign.

Some of the more surprising names at the top of the chart are Sevilla's Sergio Rico and Arsenal's David Ospina. While talented goalkeepers, they were not expected to be two of the best No. 1s in the competition, but the Spaniard and Colombian have been outstanding contributors to their respective clubs.

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 3

Rank	Player	Club	Hand	Pos	Kick	Saves	Ovr
1	Sergio Rico	Sevilla	23	23	23	23	92
2	Jan Oblak	Atletico Madrid	22	24	22	24	91
3	Gianluigi Buffon	Juventus	22	25	21	22	90
4	David Ospina	Arsenal	21	23	23	23	90
5	Kasper Schmeichel	Leicester City	22	23	20	23	88
6	Hugo Lloris	Tottenham Hotspur	22	22	21	22	87
7	Manuel Neuer	Bayern Munich	21	24	22	20	87
8	Anthony Lopes	Olympique Lyonnais	22	22	21	21	86
9	Roman Burki	Borussia Dortmund	21	23	22	20	86
10	Fabricio	Besiktas	22	21	21	20	84
11	Ederson Moraes	Benfica	21	19	19	22	82
12	Keylor Navas	Real Madrid	20	20	21	20	81
13	Alphonse Areola	Paris Saint-Germain	21	22	18	19	80
14	Marc-Andre ter Stegen	Barcelona	20	19	21	19	79
15	Yann Sommer	Borussia Monchengladbach	21	19	19	19	78
16	Danijel Subasic	AS Monaco	18	20	18	20	76
17	Robin Olsen	Copenhagen	19	19	19	17	74
18	Jeroen Zoet	PSV Eindhoven	18	19	18	18	74
19	Rui Patricio	Sporting Lisbon	19	18	18	19	74
20	Craig Gordon	Celtic	17	19	17	19	72
21	Iker Casillas	FC Porto	19	18	16	17	70
22	Claudio Bravo	Manchester City	16	18	20	16	70
23	Jose Reina	Napoli	17	17	18	17	69
24	Bernd Leno	Bayer Leverkusen	16	18	16	17	67
25	Artur Rudko	Dynamo Kiev	18	16	16	16	66
26	Igor Akinfeev	CSKA Moscow	16	18	15	15	64
27	Tomas Vaclik	FC Basel	16	17	16	14	63
28	Arkadiusz Malarz	Legia Warsaw	17	15	16	14	62
29	Soslan Dzhanaev	FC Rostov	16	16	15	15	62
30	Ludovic Butelle	Club Brugge	16	14	14	15	59

Notable Omissions 

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

Right-Backs and Right Wing-Backs

Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images

When Dani Alves left Barcelona in the summer, more than a few thought the 33-year-old was in the twilight of his career and was going to Juventus as a pre-retirement strategy—reports of the right-back's demise were greatly exaggerated.

An important attacking force in the Old Lady's system and a capable defender, Alves has quickly established himself as indispensable. There's not much more you could ask of a free summer transfer.

Arsenal's Hector Bellerin is one of the best young defenders in the Premier League, and carrying his form into Europe, the former Barcelona youth player has continued his progression on manager Arsene Wenger's right flank.

With pace to burn and acute attacking instincts, the 21-year-old places constant pressure on his opponents. In the Gunners' 6-0 drubbing of Ludogorets Razgrad, the Spaniard displayed those tremendous gifts once more.

Looking toward the middle of the pack, Bayern Munich's Philipp Lahm has been arguably the world's best right-back for nearly a decade; the 32-year-old is still an intelligent, knowledgeable footballer—who seems to enjoy the right wing more than defensive midfield, a position he has played over the past few seasons under different management—but his grades suffered by missing time through injury.

At full fitness, head coach Carlo Ancelotti should know the Bayern captain remains one of football's best players.

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 3

Rank	Player	Club	Tac	Pas	Dis	Off	Ovr
1	Dani Alves	Juventus	20	25	24	25	94
2	Kieran Trippier	Tottenham Hotspur	23	22	23	23	91
3	Lars Bender	Bayer Leverkusen	24	22	24	20	90
4	Juanfran	Atletico Madrid	24	22	25	19	90
5	Hector Bellerin	Arsenal	20	23	21	24	88
6	Lukasz Piszczek	Borussia Dortmund	21	22	22	23	88
7	Serge Aurier	Paris Saint-Germain	20	22	22	24	88
8	Sergi Roberto	Barcelona	19	23	20	23	85
9	Miguel Layun	FC Porto	19	20	22	22	83
10	Luis Hernandez	Leicester City	20	19	22	19	80
11	Andrea Raggi	AS Monaco	19	19	21	19	78
12	Philipp Lahm	Bayern Munich	18	20	20	20	78
13	Dani Carvajal	Real Madrid	18	19	19	20	76
14	Rafael	Olympique Lyonnais	18	18	19	19	74
15	Mario Fernandes	CSKA Moscow	16	18	19	18	71
16	Elseid Hysaj	Napoli	17	17	18	18	70
17	Pablo Zabaleta	Manchester City	16	18	16	17	67
18	Peter Ankersen	Copenhagen	15	17	15	16	63
19	Joshua Brenet	PSV Eindhoven	15	16	14	16	61
20	Timofei Kalachev	FC Rostov	14	16	15	14	59

Notable Omissions

• Stephan Lichtsteiner, Juventus

Left-Backs and Left Wing-Backs

Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

Filipe Luis has been the Champions League's best defender thus far. Atletico Madrid have logged three 1-0 wins, and the veteran left-back has been vital in each group-stage match.

In their last outing, against FC Rostov, Luis did not offer the same man-of-the-match performance he did against Bayern Munich on Matchday 2, but his defensive and offensive contributions were necessary in getting Atleti the three points needed to remain at the top of Group D.

There are sometimes questions about Marcelo's best position. The dynamic footballer seems capable as a full-back, wing-back, left-sided midfielder or even defensive midfielder if required, but no matter where manager Zinedine Zidane plays the Brazilian, he brings his own flair and personality to the role.

In this Champions League campaign, the holders have required Marcelo to create and defend—all while keeping a solid work rate. He has done his job well, and his form tends to indicate Madrid's form.

Another barometer for his club is Leicester City's Christian Fuchs.

What the Austrian does isn't always found on a stat sheet, but his diligence makes manager Claudio Ranieri's job easier. An all-around full-back, Fuchs combination of technique and defending makes him crucial to any future successes the Foxes might enjoy in the Champions League—their nine points tell the story.

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 3

Rank	Player	Club	Tac	Pas	Dis	Off	Ovr
1	Filipe Luis	Atletico Madrid	24	24	24	24	96
2	Marcelo	Real Madrid	20	24	23	25	92
3	Benjamin Henrichs	Bayer Leverkusen	23	22	23	21	89
4	Sergio Escudero	Sevilla	23	22	22	22	89
5	David Alaba	Bayern Munich	21	23	22	23	89
6	Christian Fuchs	Leicester City	20	22	22	22	86
7	Ludwig Augustinsson	Copenhagen	19	22	21	23	85
8	Maciej Rybus	Olympique Lyonnais	21	21	22	21	85
9	Djibril Sidibe	AS Monaco	21	20	22	21	84
10	Jordi Alba	Barcelona	17	23	21	23	84
11	Faouzi Ghoulam	Napoli	19	22	20	20	81
12	Patrice Evra	Juventus	19	20	21	20	80
13	Nacho Monreal	Arsenal	19	19	20	18	76
14	Alex Grimaldo	Benfica	19	18	18	19	74
15	Marcel Schmelzer	Borussia Dortmund	18	17	18	20	74
16	Ben Davies	Tottenham Hotspur	17	18	18	19	72
17	Caner Erkin	Besiktas	16	16	19	19	70
18	Aleksandar Kolarov	Manchester City	17	17	18	17	69
19	Natanael Pimienta	Ludogorets	15	17	17	17	66
20	Jetro Willems	PSV Eindhoven	16	16	17	18	64

Notable Omissions

• Danny Rose, Tottenham Hotspur

Centre-Backs

JEFF PACHOUD/Getty Images

There are some fantastic centre-back partnerships and triumvirates in the Champions League, and Matchday 3 had some of the best on display, Juventus, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur boasting three of the more notable defensive units.

Spurs' Belgian tandem of Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen is often split at international level, but for manager Mauricio Pochettino, the two are the foundation of the Premier League's best defence. That solidity is now being put to use in Europe's premier club competition.

Alderweireld missed Tottenham's game against Bayer Leverkusen, but in the two previous games, the former Atletico Madrid man was Spurs' best performer.

Staying in north London, Wenger was under pressure to buy a defender this summer; he elected to spend £34 million on Shkodran Mustafi and paired the Germany international with Laurent Koscielny.

The pair jelled quickly. They have two consecutive clean sheets, against FC Basel and Ludogorets, and seem to be forming an impressive partnership.

Lastly, the Juventus trio of Giorgio Chellini, Andrea Barzagli and Leonardo Bonucci is arguably the best defensive unit in world football, and this Champions League campaign has not proved otherwise. Three clean sheets against Sevilla, Dinamo Zagreb and Olympique Lyonnais have Juventus at the top of Group H.

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 3

Rank	Player	Club	Def	Pas	Dis	Off	Ovr
1	Giorgio Chellini	Juventus	25	23	25	21	94
2	Shkodran Mustafi	Arsenal	24	24	24	22	94
3	Toby Alderweireld	Tottenham Hotspur	23	23	23	23	92
4	Sokratis Papastathopoulos	Borussia Dortmund	23	22	23	24	92
5	Jeremy Morel	Olympique Lyonnais	24	22	24	21	91
6	Laurent Koscielny	Arsenal	24	23	23	21	91
7	Andrea Barzagli	Juventus	24	21	24	19	88
8	Kamil Glik	AS Monaco	23	21	22	22	88
9	Diego Godin	Atletico Madrid	24	21	24	19	88
10	Raphael Varane	Real Madrid	23	21	21	21	86
11	Marc Bartra	Borussia Dortmund	22	22	20	22	86
12	Gabriel Mercado	Sevilla	23	20	22	20	85
13	Gerard Pique	Barcelona	21	21	20	22	85
14	Robert Huth	Leicester City	23	19	23	18	83
15	Samuel Umtiti	Barcelona	21	21	22	19	83
16	Jan Vertonghen	Tottenham Hotspur	22	20	21	19	82
17	Leonardo Bonucci	Juventus	20	22	20	20	82
18	Mats Hummels	Bayern Munich	20	21	20	20	81
19	Dusko Tosic	Besiktas	21	18	20	19	78
20	Stefan Savic	Atletico Madrid	21	19	21	17	78
21	Javi Martinez	Bayern Munich	20	20	20	18	78
22	Jonathan Tah	Bayer Leverkusen	19	18	20	18	75
23	Jemerson	AS Monaco	17	18	20	17	74
24	Sebastian Coates	Sporting Lisbon	18	18	19	19	74
25	Wes Morgan	Leicester City	20	17	20	16	73
26	Mathias Jorgensen	Copenhagen	18	18	19	18	73
27	Sergio Ramos	Real Madrid	18	18	17	19	72
28	Adil Rami	Sevilla	17	16	19	17	69
29	Omer Toprak	Bayer Leverkusen	18	17	17	17	69
30	Marquinhos	Paris Saint-Germain	18	16	18	16	68
31	Nicolas N'Koulou	Olympique Lyonnais	18	17	17	15	67
32	Jerome Boateng	Bayern Munich	17	17	18	15	67
33	Erik Johansson	Copenhagen	16	16	17	16	65
34	Thiago Silva	Paris Saint-Germain	16	18	17	14	65
35	Marcelo	Besiktas	16	17	15	16	64
36	Kalidou Koulibaly	Napoli	17	15	17	15	64
37	Nicolas Otamendi	Manchester City	16	16	15	15	62
38	Nico Elvedi	Borussia Monchengladbach	16	15	16	14	61
39	Yevhen Khacheridi	Dynamo Kiev	15	16	14	15	60
40	Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa	Olympique Lyonnais	16	15	15	14	60

Notable Omissions

• Pepe, Real Madrid
• Javier Mascherano, Barcelona

Defensive Midfielders, Central Midfielders and Central Attacking Midfielders

TF-Images/Getty Images

Potentially undone by his versatility, Bayern Munich's Joshua Kimmich has been played at centre-back and full-back, but central midfield seems like the 21-year-old's preferred position. Scoring three goals so far in the Champions League, Munich's up-and-comer has been one of the competition's best players.

Getting one of his three goals in the German giants' 4-1 victory over PSV Eindhoven on Matchday 3, Kimmich did just enough to keep the top midfield spot over compatriot Mesut Ozil. The Arsenal star was, outside of Lionel Messi, Matchday 3's top performer.

A first-ever professional hat-trick for the German playmaker was an unexpected performance. Manager Wenger would surely welcome more goals from a player known for his creative and technical prowess.

That being said, Ozil also registered an assist in Arsenal's most recent group-stage match.

Keeping with the German theme, Borussia Dortmund's Julian Weigl had a tremendous outing against Sporting CP. The 21-year-old scored a wonderful goal—which was eventually the game-winner—using great skill to create space and beat Rui Patricio to his far post from outside the 18-yard box.

It seems German football is in good stead with the duo of Kimmich and Weigl.

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 3

Rank	Player	Club	Tac	Pas	Cre	Pro	Ovr
1	Joshua Kimmich	Bayern Munich	22	23	24	24	93
2	Mesut Ozil	Arsenal	17	25	25	25	92
3	Marco Verratti	Paris Saint-Germain	23	23	21	25	92
4	Thiago Alcantara	Bayern Munich	19	24	24	24	91
5	Santi Cazorla	Arsenal	20	24	23	24	91
6	Fabinho	AS Monaco	21	22	23	24	90
7	Kevin De Bruyne	Manchester City	19	23	23	23	88
8	Saul Niguez	Atletico Madrid	21	21	22	22	86
9	Francis Coquelin	Arsenal	23	22	18	23	86
10	Sergio Busquets	Barcelona	23	23	19	22	85
11	Raphael Guerreiro	Borussia Dortmund	22	21	21	21	85
12	Blaise Matuidi	Paris Saint-Germain	22	22	20	21	85
13	Marek Hamsik	Napoli	21	22	22	20	84
14	Andres Iniesta	Barcelona	19	23	22	20	84
15	Adrien Silva	Sporting Lisbon	20	21	21	21	83
16	Kevin Kampl	Bayer Leverkusen	19	21	20	22	82
17	Luka Modric	Real Madrid	20	21	21	20	82
18	Gabi	Atletico Madrid	20	20	20	21	81
19	Julian Weigl	Borussia Dortmund	19	20	21	21	81
20	Arturo Vidal	Bayern Munich	20	21	20	20	81
21	Miralem Pjanic	Juventus	20	20	20	20	80
22	Toni Kroos	Real Madrid	19	21	20	19	79
23	Mario Gotze	Borussia Dortmund	17	21	21	20	79
24	Fernandinho	Manchester City	20	19	19	21	79
25	Steven N'Zonzi	Sevilla	21	20	17	20	78
26	Koke	Atletico Madrid	17	20	20	21	78
27	Corentin Tolisso	Olympique Lyonnais	18	19	19	21	78
28	Daniel Amartey	Leicester City	20	19	18	20	77
29	Victor Wanyama	Tottenham Hotspur	21	19	18	19	77
30	Jordan Ferri	Olympique Lyonnais	20	19	17	20	76
31	William Carvalho	Sporting Lisbon	21	19	17	19	76
32	Ilkay Gundogan	Manchester City	17	19	19	20	75
33	Adrien Rabiot	Paris Saint-Germain	19	19	18	19	75
34	Ivan Rakitic	Barcelona	19	18	18	19	74
35	Danny Drinkwater	Leicester City	19	18	17	19	73
36	Danilo	FC Porto	19	17	17	20	73
37	Andre Gomes	Barcelona	18	17	18	19	72
38	Charles Aranguiz	Bayer Leverkusen	17	19	16	20	72
39	Tiemoue Bakayoko	AS Monaco	19	18	16	19	72
40	David Silva	Manchester City	16	19	18	18	71
41	Thomas Delaney	Copenhagen	17	18	17	19	71
42	Atiba Hutchinson	Besiktas	18	17	16	19	70
43	Maxime Gonalons	Olympique Lyonnais	16	18	17	19	70
44	Denys Garmash	Dynamo Kiev	17	17	16	19	69
45	Sami Khedira	Juventus	18	18	17	16	69
46	Joao Moutinho	AS Monaco	16	18	16	18	68
47	Christian Eriksen	Tottenham Hotspur	15	18	17	17	67
48	Marcelinho	Ludogorets	17	16	16	18	67
49	Dele Alli	Tottenham Hotspur	16	17	17	15	65
50	Davy Propper	PSV Eindhoven	15	17	15	16	63
51	Xavi Alonzo	Bayern Munich	14	18	16	15	63
52	Sergi Darder	Olympique Lyonnais	16	17	14	15	62
53	Mahmoud Dahoud	Borussia Monchengladbach	15	16	16	15	62
54	Andres Guardado	PSV Eindhoven	14	16	15	16	61
55	Oliver Torres	FC Porto	16	15	14	15	60
56	William Kvist	Copenhagen	15	15	14	15	59
57	Nabil Fekir	Olympique Lyonnais	14	14	15	15	58
58	Taulant Xhaka	FC Basel	15	15	14	14	58
59	Scott Brown	Celtic	15	15	13	14	57
60	Christian Noboa	FC Rostov	14	14	14	14	56

Notable Omissions

• Casemiro, Real Madrid
• Grant Xhaka, Arsenal

Right Midfielders, Right-Wingers and Right-Sided Forwards

Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images

With Pep Guardiola returning to the Camp Nou as Manchester City boss, many thought the former Barcelona manager would be the story. That was true before the game, but afterward, the name on the lips of the football world was Lionel Messi.

Scoring a hat-trick against City and getting an assist, the Argentina international was directly responsibly for each of his club's four goals. This was Messi's second consecutive Champions League hat-trick after offering the same performance (and stat line) against Celtic; there isn't a better performer in the tournament at the moment.

Arsenal's Theo Walcott is another player in form. One might view Ludogorets as worthy of a demerit, but scoring twice (after scoring twice against FC Basel), the much-maligned winger is in the process of changing expectations. Never confused for a clinical footballer, Walcott has used this Champions League campaign to show off his seemingly improved sense in front of goal.

Lastly, Leicester City lived off Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez and N'Golo Kante during last campaign's Premier League title triumph. Kante was sold in the summer, and Vardy has generally struggled this term. But Mahrez has carried his 2015/16 form into this season's UCL.

Scoring three of the Foxes' five goals, without the French-born Algeria international, Ranieri's men would not be atop the Group G standings—but they do have him, and they are.

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 3

Rank	Player	Club	Pas	Cre	Fin	Pro	Ovr
1	Lionel Messi	Barcelona	25	25	25	25	100
2	Riyad Mahrez	Leicester City	24	25	23	24	96
3	Theo Walcott	Arsenal	23	22	24	25	94
4	Lucas Moura	Paris Saint-Germain	23	24	21	24	92
5	Erik Lamela	Tottenham Hotspur	22	23	22	22	89
6	Raheem Sterling	Manchester City	21	22	20	23	86
7	Thomas Muller	Bayern Munich	22	20	21	22	85
8	Gareth Bale	Real Madrid	22	21	20	22	85
9	Samir Nasri	Sevilla	22	21	21	20	84
10	Christian Pulisic	Borussia Dortmund	21	20	21	21	83
11	Julian Brandt	Bayer Leverkusen	21	21	19	21	82
12	Ricardo Quaresma	Besiktas	21	21	20	20	82
13	Gelson Martins	Sporting Lisbon	19	21	19	21	80
14	Eduardo Salvio	Benfica	20	19	19	22	80
15	Thomas Lemar	AS Monaco	20	19	18	21	78
16	Jose Callejon	Napoli	20	18	18	21	77
17	Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain	Arsenal	18	19	19	19	75
18	Ibrahima Traore	Borussia Monchengladbach	18	18	17	18	71
19	Zoran Tosic	CSKA Moscow	17	16	18	17	68
20	Virgil Misidjan	Ludogorets	17	16	16	18	67
21	Benjamin Verbic	Copenhagen	16	15	16	17	64
22	Andriy Yarmolenko	Dynamo Kiev	16	16	15	15	62
23	Birkir Bjarnason	FC Basel	15	15	14	16	60
24	James Forrest	Celtic	15	15	14	15	59
25	Guilherme	Legia Warsaw	14	14	13	15	56

Notable Omissions 

• Arjen Robben, Bayern Munich

Left Midfielders, Left-Wingers and Left-Sided Forwards

KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/Getty Images

Because of an unfortunate, long-term knee injury to Gonzalo Higuain's replacement, Arkadiusz Milik, Napoli manager Maurizio Sarri has had to find offensive production elsewhere.

Thankfully for the Italian boss, Dries Mertens has answered the call. Offering three goals in his last two games—including the opening goal in Napoli's 3-2 victory over Besiktas—the Belgian winger is winning his club points; the Partenopei are top of Group B.

A man responsible for six points in the last two games is Atletico Madrid's Yannick Carrasco.

Mertens' international team-mate has scored twice in consecutive 1-0 victories—Matchday 2 against Bayern Munich and Matchday 3 against FC Rostov. Without Carrasco, Simeone's club would be two points behind Bayern in Group D. Instead they lead the group by three points ahead of Matchday 4.

Not to be overlooked, Paris Saint-Germain's Angel Di Maria has been his usual productive self, scoring against FC Basel in a 3-0 victory.

PSG are not reaching their customary heights in Ligue 1, but in the Champions League, they have seven points from a possible nine. If winning the competition is their main objective this season, they've started well enough.

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 3

Rank	Player	Club	Pas	Cre	Fin	Pro	Ovr
1	Neymar	Barcelona	24	24	23	25	96
2	Cristiano Ronaldo	Real Madrid	20	24	25	24	93
3	Dries Mertens	Napoli	21	22	23	25	91
4	Yannick Carrasco	Atletico Madrid	21	22	23	24	90
5	Angel Di Maria	Paris Saint-Germain	23	23	20	22	88
6	Heung-Min Son	Tottenham Hotspur	20	21	23	23	87
7	Ousmane Dembele	Borussia Dortmund	19	25	18	23	84
8	Vitolo	Sevilla	21	20	21	21	83
9	Marc Albrighton	Leicester City	22	20	19	22	83
10	Nolito	Manchester City	19	19	21	23	82
11	Franck Ribery	Bayern Munich	20	21	19	21	81
12	Otavio	FC Porto	19	19	18	20	78
13	Bernardo Silva	AS Monaco	19	20	18	19	78
14	Alex Iwobi	Arsenal	18	21	18	20	77
15	Hakan Calhanoglu	Bayer Leverkusen	18	18	19	19	74
16	Adriano	Besiktas	17	18	18	18	71
17	Bruno Cesar	Sporting Lisbon	18	19	17	17	71
18	Youssef Toutouh	Copenhagen	17	17	18	18	70
19	Renato Steffen	FC Basel	18	18	15	17	68
20	Scott Sinclair	Celtic	16	17	15	16	64
21	Wanderson	Ludogorets	15	17	15	15	62
22	Derlis Gonzalez	Dynamo Kiev	16	15	14	14	61
23	Oscar Wendt	Borussia Monchengladbach	15	16	13	15	59
24	Pizzi	Benfica	15	15	14	15	59
25	Jose Izquierdo	Club Brugge	14	16	13	14	57

Notable Omissions 

• Douglas Costa, Bayern Munich

Strikers and Centre-Forwards

Jean Catuffe/Getty Images

Against Arsenal, Edinson Cavani scored in the first minute of the 2016-17 Champions League campaign. In the subsequent 89 minutes, the the Uruguayan forward was shockingly wasteful. Since then, however, Cavani has corrected his path.

Registering three goals and an assist in two UCL matches, Cavani is the competition's highest-scoring striker. Needing goals—especially without Zlatan Ibrahimovic around any longer—manager Unai Emery's success demands Cavani produces to his potential.

Arsenal boss Wenger is known to experiment, and his Alexis Sanchez-as-a-striker trial is going well. Playing up top, the Chile international is directly responsible for four Champions League goals after three group-stage matches and is becoming more accustomed to the role with each passing game.

Luis Suarez knows his role in Barcelona's attacking hierarchy. Despite costing the Catalan giants £75 million two summers ago, the Uruguayan's place behind Lionel Messi (and often Neymar) is understood; without a centre-forward like Suarez, though, manager Luis Enrique might struggle to get the best from his squad.

Seemingly happy to create scoring opportunities for his team-mates, Suarez has the unselfish nature to flourish at Barca. Against Manchester City, there were chances to be greedy and attempt audacious efforts, but by making wise decisions and passing in key instances, the 29-year-old was able to keep Barcelona's offence a well-oiled machine in a 4-0 victory.

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 3

Rank	Player	Club	Pas	Cre	Fin	Pro	Ovr
1	Alexis Sanchez	Arsenal	24	23	23	24	94
2	Edinson Cavani	Paris Saint-Germain	22	22	22	25	91
3	Luis Suarez	Barcelona	23	22	23	23	91
4	Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang	Borussia Dortmund	20	22	23	24	89
5	Sergio Aguero	Manchester City	21	22	22	23	88
6	Arkadiusz Milik	Napoli	20	20	24	24	88
7	Maxwel Cornet	Olympique Lyonnais	22	21	22	22	87
8	Moussa Dembele	Celtic	19	22	22	23	86
9	Paulo Dybala	Juventus	20	22	21	22	85
10	Robert Lewandowski	Bayern Munich	21	21	21	22	85
11	Bryan Ruiz	Sporting Lisbon	20	22	20	21	83
12	Luuk de Jong	PSV Eindhoven	19	21	19	22	81
13	Andreas Cornelius	Copenhagen	19	20	19	21	79
14	Vincent Aboubakar	Besiktas	18	20	20	21	79
15	Gonzalo Higuain	Juventus	19	19	19	20	77
16	Goncalo Guedes	Benfica	18	21	19	19	77
17	Antoine Griezmann	Atletico Madrid	19	20	18	18	75
18	Dmitry Poloz	FC Rostov	19	19	18	19	75
19	Javier Hernandez	Bayer Leverkusen	17	18	20	19	74
20	Andre Hahn	Borussia Monchengladbach	18	18	19	18	73
21	Islam Slimani	Leicester City	17	17	20	19	73
22	Federico Santander	Copenhagen	18	18	17	18	71
23	Bas Dost	Sporting Lisbon	17	16	18	17	68
24	Jonathan Cafu	Ludogorets	16	17	17	16	66
25	Karim Benzema	Real Madrid	17	16	16	15	64
26	Lacina Traore	CSKA Moscow	16	17	16	15	64
27	Andre Silva	FC Porto	17	16	15	15	63
28	Raffael	Borussia Monchengladbach	15	17	15	15	62
29	Jamie Vardy	Leicester City	15	16	15	14	60
30	Luciano Vietto	Sevilla	16	15	14	15	60

Notable Omissions

• Harry Kane, Tottenham Hotspur
• Radamel Falcao, AS Monaco
• Alvaro Morata, Real Madrid

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