Mo Salah joined by Raphinha in 50 G/A club

Raphinha is the man of the moment. Not only at club level but also at the international stage after starring in Brazil's 2-1 win over Colombia in the South American World Cup qualifiers. The 28-year-old netted an early spot-kick to fire the 'Canarinha' ahead before setting up Vinicius Jr for the winning goal in the 99th minute of Thursday's clash.

His consistently outstanding performances have made him one of the leading contenders for the Ballon d'Or, with Mohamed Salah standing as his current main competitor. The Egyptian star has put up ridiculous numbers this term and is on course to beat his best-ever season, set in his maiden season at Liverpool. However, his Champions League exit against Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 could prove to be the deciding factor in differentiating his campaign from the Brazilian's.

Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior could also threaten Raphinha's race towards the prestigious prize depending on how they perform on Real Madrid's road to a potential final in Munich on May 31st, with a FIFA Club World Cup also to be played at the end of the season. But the Barcelona star has one thing in his favour that the two 'Merengues' don't. The statistics.

As things stand, Raphinha and Mohamed Salah are the only two players in the big leagues who have reached 50 goal contributions this season - considering official matches with their respective clubs and nation, and international friendlies in the 2024-25 season. Salah was alone in the exclusive club until the Brazil international's recent haul against Colombia.

Raphinha and Salah battling for Ballon d'Or?

In total, Raphinha counts 31 goals and 19 assists in the 2024-25 campaign. He opened his account on matchday four of La Liga, bagging a hat-trick in the 7-0 thrashing of Real Valladolid followed by a brace against Villarreal, a goal against Young Boys in the Champions League and then another goal in Brazil's 3-0 win over Peru in the September international break.

October and November saw Raphinha going on a six-match goal-contributing streak, and the rhythm did not cease after New Year's. In fact, Raphinha has once again managed to either score or assist in six games in a row, netting the winning goal in the 1-0 victory over Benfica, followed by a double in the 3-1 win in the second leg, an assist for Forren Torres in the 2-4 comeback at Atletico Madrid and, of course, his two contributions in the World Cup qualifiers on Thursday.

On the other hand, Mo Salah counts 34 goals and 22 assists - six more than Raphinha's total - with the majority of them also coming from club football. He has scored two goals for Egypt this term, one against Botswana and the other against Mauritius in the African World Cup qualifiers, but no assist as of yet.

However, as mentioned above, the 32-year-old's incredible numbers have recently been tarnished by back-to-back cup defeats with Liverpool. The Reds' treble dreams were dashed by Paris Saint-Germain, who triumphed in a penalty shootout during the Champions League last 16, as Newcastle rubbed salt in their wounds within the same week by conquering the Carabao Cup trophy at Wembley. And with the FA Cup also slipping through their fingers after a shock loss to Plymouth Argyle, Liverpool now find themselves with only the Premier League to play for.

While Raphinha and Salah sit comfortably in the 50-goal contributions club, three other players are racing to catch up to them. Having racked up 44 G/A so far between Bayern Munich and England, Harry Kane finds himself just behind the pair, followed by Erling Haaland and Robert Lewandowski, who count 41 G/A each. The Man City forward has 36 goals and 5 assists, of which 29 and 4 came under Pep Guardiola, while the rest with the Norway national team. As for Lewandowski, he has produced 35 goals and 3 assists under Hansi Flick at Barca, and 1 goal and 2 assists on international duty for Poland.

Sitting just outside the 40s area are Ousmane Dembele, Jonathan David and Omar Marmoush with 38 G/A each. The Paris Saint-Germain forward is the top goalscorer of the calendar year so far and is therefore expected to join the trio mentioned above in the 40s club. He has accumulated 31 goals and 7 assists, 22 of them coming in his last 19 appearances for the Parisians. Canadian gem David has registered 26 and 12 for Lille and his national team, while City's winter arrival Marmoush has produced 25 and 13, mostly during his time at Eintracht Frankfurt.

Kylian Mbappe occupies the 9th position on the list with 36 G/A in his first season at Real Madrid. The Frenchman has had a fairly slow start to life with 'Los Blancos' but has been able to pick up the pace in recent months, counting now 31 goals and 5 assists. But his absence from the France squad during the October and November international breaks has demoted him in the ranking as he is yet to provide for 'Les Blues'. Having lost 2-0 against Croatia in the first leg of the Nations League quarter-finals, Mbappe will look to make amends in the second leg on Sunday.

Serhou Guirassy and Bruno Fernandes share the 10th and final place in the ranking. The pair both have 35 G/A this term, doing so by excelling in their respective categories. The Borussia Dortmund striker has found the target 30 times this season, only providing 5 assists, while the Manchester United skipper has accumulated 18 goals and a whopping 17 assists.