After a summer of international football, club football returned to our screens this weekend with the start of the 2024/25 season across Europe.

There were plenty of new faces at a number of Europe’s elite clubs, but the first weekend of play was dominated by experienced superstars looking to prove they still have what it takes.

And after all the fun, here are the best players in Europe in the first week of play.

Joao Neves made his Ligue 1 debut for Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday and it is safe to say he impressed.

The 19-year-old delivered a fantastic all-round performance in the second half of the comfortable win against Le Havre, showing quality both with the ball by providing two assists and without the ball by winning five tackles.

7. Samuel Mbangula

To say the least, Samuel Mbangula was a surprise in Juventus’ lineup for their match against Como on Monday night.

And to say the least, Samuel Mbangula rewarded his new manager’s trust with a breathtaking performance.

With his goal and assist, he ensured a perfect start to the Thiago Motta era in Turin.

The year is 2024 and Danny Welbeck is still performing at his best in the Premier League.

The now 33-year-old put in an absolutely brilliant performance in Brighton & Hove Albion’s victory over Everton at Goodison Park at the weekend, taking advantage of a Jarrad Branthwaite-less defence to score a goal and provide an assist.

In just one game, Luis Henrique doubled his career goal tally for Marseille at the weekend.

The Brazilian showed surprisingly skillful goal-scoring ability against Brest, scoring two goals in the convincing 5-1 victory.

Roberto De Zerbi seems to have finally got the Brazilian going.

Many people were tipping Bukayo Saka as the 2024/25 Premier League Player of the Year and after just one week of play, it’s pretty easy to see why.

His goal and assist inspired Arsenal to a comfortable opening win against Wolves at the Emirates Stadium.

No Teun Koopmeiners? No problem.

Midfielder Marco Brescianini, who is expected to play for Juventus, shone for Atalanta in the first week of play, scoring a brace on his debut.

Keep an eye on the 24-year-old throughout the season, he could have a breakthrough season ahead of him.

After a rather disappointing final few months of the 2023/24 season, Mohamed Salah was back in top form for Liverpool’s opening match.

His clever pass to Diogo Jota for the opening goal against Ipswich Town and his own crystal-clear finish for the second goal of the game were classic Salah style.

Speaking of players getting back to their best, here is Robert Lewandowski.

The Polish striker seemed determined to put his first sub-20 goal season in a decade behind him last weekend by scoring both goals in Barcelona’s crucial 2-1 win over Valencia in La Liga.