Many great performances have already gone into the record books for the 2023/24 UEFA Europa League with many more to come, among which will be those of the man who will eventually be awarded the Player of the Season award.

The likes of Fotis Ioannidis and Kostas Fortounis have exited the competition, ending their chances. This goes to show you that football is indeed a team sport. Others will hope their teams support them in the round of 16 and beyond to strengthen their cases.

Who are these players? We take a look at them in the coming sections.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang became the all-time leading goalscorer in the UEFA Europa League when Olympique de Marseille disposed of Shakhtar Donetsk by a 5 -3 aggregate scoreline in the playoffs.

He followed that up with a brace against Montpellier in Ligue 1 and is now starting to find form once again under new management.

That form could prove to be a key weapon and might be the one thing that could propel Marseille all the way in the competition, especially in a season where they are yet to really find any form of stability in defence.

The Gabonese striker grabbed this little piece of history for himself after a torrid few seasons that saw him tossed around clubs like an afterthought. He has shaken those feelings off and is now showing that he remains a top-class striker and that even at 34, he can still hold his own among the world’s best.

His haul of seven goals has already surpassed the numbers that Victor Boniface and Marcus Rashford put up to share the Golden Shoes in last season’s tournament. At this point, he is already the tournament’s best player.

Marseille vs Villarreal is his next challenge. Marseille tickets are selling fast because fans want to see his score and celebrate in his usual stylish ways. Visit seatsnet.com for your tickets to the game.

Viktor Gyökeres

Viktor Gyökeres has been linked to the biggest clubs in the world thanks to how he has performed for Sporting CP in all competitions.

He bagged three goals in six appearances in the group stage as Sporting finished in second place. However, he scored two goals in their playoff tie with Young Boys, who dropped down from the Champions League. That took him to five goals in the competition, which is 35 percent of the goals scored by the Portuguese team.

The Swede is aware that many teams are paying attention to him and he will take this opportunity to prove that he is a world-class player. He has many competitors and his team is unlikely to scale past the hurdle of the round of 16.

Sporting face Atalanta in the round of 16 after facing them in the group stages. They did not get a win in this tie but if Gyökeres turns up in their round of 16 meet, his case for the Player of the Year award at the end of the season strengthens.

Tickets to Sporting CP vs Atalanta are on sale. Visit seatsnet.com to get yours.

João Pedro

The 22-year-old Brazil international ended the Europa League group stages as the top scorer and only lost out to Aubameyang because Brighton qualified directly for the round of 16.

He will be going head-to-head with Romelu Lukaku when Brighton and Hove Albion face AS Roma in the last eight. Tickets to the Brighton vs AS Roma home and away games are already sold out on both clubs’ websites, but you can get them on trusted ticket reselling platforms like seatsnet.com.

Pedro scored four spot kicks for Brighton and two open-play goals for Brighton as they finished at the top of their group. He was instrumental in helping them win those penalties and Roberto De Zerbi watched as the former Watford man dispatched all of them cooly.

Their last match against Marseille could have ended with them vying for a knockout spot in the playoffs, but Pedro stepped up to score a late goal and send them straight to the last 16. He is on this list because of where Brighton are, having been the chief contributor to their good fortunes.

Now that the real business is about to start, he will have to step up. However, if the Seagulls make it to the final, he will be the undisputed winner.

Florian Wirtz

Florian Wirtz has been making waves for many years now. At 20 years old, he is already a veteran of the sport. Bayer 04 Leverkusen have been lucky to have him all these while.

He has continued to repay the faith that the German team have put in him by creating four of their 19 goals in the competition this season. 

Wirtz played a major role as Bayer Leverkusen won all six of their group stage matches, amassing an impressive 18 points to finish top of their group and head straight to the round of 16. 

They scored 19 goals, the most by any team in the group stage of the competition this season, and conceded just 3 goals, the least by any team in the group stage of the competition this season.

He also chipped in with two goals, taking his tally to six contributions in six games. Victor Boniface, Leverkusen’s top scorer was greatly helped by Wirtz’s ability on the ball.

He will have the opportunity to make a case for himself when Leverkusen begin their knockout journey against Qarabag FK. On paper, this is an easy fixture for Xabi Alonso’s men, which also means that Wirtz has no better opportunity to prove himself than in both legs of this tie.