With the halfway stage of the season upon us, the time has come to shine a spotlight on the players who have made the biggest impact across Europe's major leagues. But first, let's run through the lay of the land.

Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez faces a major selection dilemma as Portugal heads into decisive 2026 World Cup qualifiers without injured star Nuno Mendes, a player the coach calls "the best in the world". With the Paris Saint-Germain full-back sidelined, Martinez admits there’s “no natural replacement” and turns to Diogo Dalot and Joao Cancelo to fill the void.

Paris Saint-Germain wing-back Nuno Mendes has revealed he never had any intentions to leave the Ligue 1 giants. He was being chased by Manchester United for over two transfer windows, but his claim that he is happy in the French capital has now spilled water on the Premier League side's approach, with the Portuguese star eyeing further glory with Luis Enrique's team.

Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League night in Barcelona belonged to Senny Mayulu and Goncalo Ramos, whose goals sealed a 2-1 win against the Spanish side. Missing Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue, PSG leaned on other stars and relentless pressing to stun the Catalans and Luis Enrique labelled three of those players as 'the best in the world', showing his side has the spirit and belief to challenge Europe’s elite.