Ranking 5 players with the highest goal involvements in the world this year (2021)
Goals win football matches, and there can be no simpler way to put out this eternal fact. Defending is an important piece of the puzzle when it comes to securing a win. However, if there is no goal, there's neither anything to defend nor something to separate the two teams.
The rising importance of goals has seen modern managers revolutionize their systems. Gone are the days when the burden of scoring and setting up goals solely depended on the attackers.
With both goals and assists moving up in football in modern times, goal involvement is a great way to track who makes the most direct contribution to a goal. There have been many wonderful performers in the year 2021, but the following five names have been the top ones for goal involvements across all major competitions.
Note - Only Club Competitions have been included. Stats from Transfermarkt
#5 Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) - 37 goals + 11 assists
Egyptian winger Mohamed Salah has been one of the best players in the last few years since he joined Liverpool. Salah rediscovered his abilities at Roma before switching back to the Premier League. He has been a phenomenal player since his move to Liverpool. Salah makes the most of his trickery and pace to beat his opponents. He has been the primary offensive talent for Liverpool and has shared the main burden of goals over the last few seasons.
Most #FPL assists 2021/22:
10 - Mohamed Salah
8 - Trent Alexander-Arnold
7 - Gabriel Jesus, Paul Pogba & Jarrod Bowen
6 - Joao Cancelo & Emmanuel Dennis https://t.co/NSzQOYOpdc
2021 has been a big year for Salah at a personal level. Although he didn't win a major trophy, Salah has again been in red hot form. He has made 48 goal involvements in 53 appearances, including an incredible 37 goals and 11 assists. In an injury-stricken season, Salah helped compensate for Liverpool's defensive weaknesses.
#4 Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) - 38 goals + 12 assists
Real Madrid may not have had a year to remember after missing out on La Liga and the Champions League, but that hasn't impacted Karim Benzema's performances. Benzema has been one of Real Madrid's most consistent performers for several years, and he has found a separate gear in recent seasons.
Benzema is extremely good at controlling the ball and using his body to shield it from defenders. Benzema is as good in the air as he is with shooting on the ground.
๐๐ค๐ค๐ ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ฉ ๐๐๐๐ง๐๐๐๐จ๐ฉ๐๐จ ๐ค๐ฅ #Nueve #Alhamdulillah #Vamonos https://t.co/V9ivj8tNA8
Benzema may have missed out on major trophies in 2021, but he has been clinical in front of goal. Benzema scored 38 goals and even notched up 12 assists to bring up one-goal involvement-a-match in 2021.
Also read about Karim Benzema's wife, Cora Gauthier, and how they got together.