Players running the show today

• Nothing beats the adrenaline rush of a star player at full speed
• Here are four of Europe’s most exciting footballers to watch right now

Nothing beats the adrenaline rush of a star player at full speed.

Football fans often admire players who keep them on the edge of their seats, players capable of illuminating even the dullest of games with a flash of brilliance.

Here are four of Europe’s most exciting footballers to watch right now.

Victor Osimhen

Victor Osimhen of Napoli. Photo/goal.com

Osimhen was named Serie A’s Best Young Player in 2021/22 and has built on that success with a career-best season. The Nigerian is the frontrunner for the Capocannoniere award, having scored 17 league goals in 18 appearances for Napoli since the new year.

Osimhen has eight goals in his last six games and is the leading scorer in Europe’s top five leagues in 2023. The 24-year-old is a physical beast who broke Cristiano Ronaldo’s record for the highest vertical jump in Serie A history earlier this month with a staggering 258cm.

His raw power and pace have been complemented by an improving record in front of goal, with a fine repertoire of finishes in his best season to date. PSG, Manchester United, and Chelsea have all been linked to Osimhen, but it would take a massive offer for Napoli to consider selling him.

The Italians have built one of Europe’s most exciting teams and intend to keep its core together.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia

Kvaratskhelia’s partnership with Victor Osimhen has been Europe’s most lethal duo, with the latter leading the league in goals scored.

Luciano Spalletti’s side leads the division by 15 points, having built that formidable lead by playing a brand of football that is admired across the continent. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, a Georgian gem discovered for only €10 million last summer, has been at the heart of their success.

Last season, Kvaratskhelia played at Dinamo Batumi after leaving Rubin Kazan following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Napoli swooped in last summer to sign the winger, and he has had a fantastic first season in one of Europe’s top five leagues.

This season, the 22-year-old has been electric in tandem with Victor Osimhen for Napoli, a devastating duo that has propelled the club to the brink of Serie A success. Kvaratskhelia, dubbed Kvaradona after Napoli legend Diego Maradona, has been the standout star in Serie A, scoring nine goals and providing nine assists in 18 league appearances.

Transfer rumours have already surrounded Kvaratskhelia, who revealed last year that it was his childhood dream to play for Real Madrid. It would not be surprising to see Europe’s elite lining up for his signature this summer.

Randal Kolo Muani

France’s Kolo Muani. PHOTO/FIFA

Randal Kolo Muani is a contender for the signing of the season in Europe’s top five leagues after a stellar debut season with Eintracht Frankfurt.

The forward, who joined on a free transfer from Nantes last summer, has been the most productive player in the Bundesliga this season. He has nine goals and ten assists, while also leading the league in shot-creating actions (17) and ranking among the Bundesliga’s best in completed take-ons (7th).

His form earned him a spot in France’s squad for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where he scored his first international goal against Morocco in the semi-finals.

Marcus Rashford

Rashford was on target as United drew at Barcelona.|PHOTO: CBS|

This season, Rashford has rediscovered his groove in spectacular fashion, bouncing back from a difficult period at Manchester United to produce the best football of his career.

The 25-year-old finished the World Cup as England’s joint-leading scorer and has continued where he left off in Qatar since the Premier League resumed. Rashford has now scored 13 goals in 16 appearances in all competitions since the mid-season break, with an additional five assists thrown in for good measure.

With Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure, Rashford has taken over as the main man at Old Trafford, and he has performed admirably in Erik ten Hag’s rapidly improving squad.

Rashford appears to be more well-rounded than ever, scoring with his head and spending more time in goal-scoring areas. The rewards have come in the form of a brilliant run of goalscoring form that has propelled Rashford past the 20-goal mark for the third time in his career. He’s just one goal away from matching his best-ever goalscoring season for the Red Devils (22 in 2019/10).