The 10 players with the highest xG in Europe's big five leagues in 2022-23 so far

Expected goals, or xG, is now one of football's most important metrics so we've decided to look at which players in Europe's big five leagues perform best in terms of their expected goals per 90 minutes.

Expected goals measure the quality and quantity of chances a team is creating - or in this case, that a player is getting, either as a result of their own good work or that of their teammates.

Basically, the higher your xG is, the more goals you're likely to get over the course of the season.

As 2022-23 is now properly up and running, we think it's time to have a look at which players are performing best in terms of their xG per 90.

So here are the top 10 players in Europe's big five leagues - the Premier League, La Liga, the Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1 - for expected goals, including penalties, so far this season. 

Where two players are tied, we've used non-penalty xG to separate them.

10. Victor Osimhen

The Napoli marksman has been outstanding so far this season. Yes, he's only got two goals in five games, but he's more than a poacher and his total xG of 3.9 suggests that more will come at some point.

He's played 422 minutes for Napoli across five appearances, so his xG per 90 is an impressive 0.84 - and that's without taking a single penalty.

9. Lois Openda

A pretty unheralded name, but 22-year-old Belgian forward Openda has definitely been getting into the right areas for Lens this season, so much so that he's managed four goals in six games.

That's not by fluke either. His total xG of 4.2 gives him an xG per 90 minutes of 0.86. Like with Osimhen, that comes without a single spot-kick. Impressive.

8. Terem Moffi

The first player on the list who is actually outperforming their xG, the Nigerian Lorient forward has five goals in six games from an xG of 3.9 - or 0.90 xg per 90 minutes.

He's also taken two penalties, scoring one and missing one. 

7. Neymar

Neymar's xG per 90 is 0.90, just like Moffi, but his non-penalty xG is higher at 3.0 compared to Moffi's 2.4, which is why he shades it in our ranking. 

His actual goals output is remarkable, with seven, plus six assists, in just six games. But if there's anyone we'd back to keep outperforming their xG, it's the Brazilian.

6. Jeremy Le Douaron

Another player from Ligue 1, Le Douaron has two goals from 2.4 xG so far in 2022-23 - but he's played 210 minutes across four appearances, which gives him an xG per 90 of 1.03.

Brest are currently struggling near the bottom of the French table, so they'll be hoping that Le Douaron can get a few more before the season's out.

5. Karim Benzema

We're starting to see a few of the usual culprits pop up now - and we all know just how dangerous Benzema can be when he gets in the box.

One of the best goalscorers in Europe - both domestically and in the Champions League - over the last few years, Real Madrid's French forward has three goals from 4.2 xG in four games thus far.

He's getting chances that give him an xG per 90 of 1.05, so expect him to figure among the top marksmen in Europe once again in this campaign.

4. Folarin Balogun

Another surprising name, but one that will be familiar to Premier League fans.

The Arsenal loanee has got off to an absolute flyer at Reims, bagging five goals in six games as well as an assist. That those goals have come from an xG of of 4.3 - or 1.09 per 90 - suggests he may well keep it up. 

Two of his chances have come from the penalty spot - and he's taken both - but they all count, don't they?

3.  Robert Lewandowski

While there have been surprises in this top 10, there are none at all in the top three, starting with Barcelona's new signing Lewandowski.

An xG per 90 of 1.13 suggests he'll pick up this season where he left off last at Bayern Munich, banging in the goals for fun. He managed 35 in 34 Bundesliga games in 2021-22, and has five in four so far in 2022-23 in La Liga.

2. Kylian Mbappe

PSG have been on a tear in their six games to date, getting 24 goals. Mbappe has seven of them in five games and boasts an xG per 90 of 1.23. That's a lot of high-quality chances.

1. Erling Haaland

Well, who else did you expect to see here? Not only is Haaland an expert at sniffing out opportunities in the box, he is playing in a team that has some of the best creative players in world football.

He's managed 1.37 xG per 90 so far this season and leads the way when it comes to non-penalty xG too with 1.22. If he keeps getting chances at the same rate and keeps playing as many minutes as he currently is, he'd be expected to get 46.2 Premier League goals this season.