Europe's top five leagues have all hit their midpoints and as they enter the business end of the campaign, a handful of players have separated themselves from the rest.
With several months of play in the books, the CBSSports.com editorial team has selected the Midseason Best XIs for the Premier League, Serie A, La Liga, Bundlesiga and Ligue 1. It comes as no surprise that the league leaders in each domestic competition boast a handful of players in their respective teams, but the fun thing about each season is discovering -- and rewarding -- the breakout players. As a result, several emerging talents also made the cut as they begin to establish themselves as top-tier players.
Here's a look at each league's best players from the first half of the season.
Premier League
| Position | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
Goalkeeper | Guglielmo Vicario | Tottenham Hotspur |
Defender | William Saliba | Arsenal |
Defender | Virgil van Dijk | Liverpool |
Defender | Trent Alexander-Arnold | Liverpool |
Defender | Ezri Konsa | Aston Villa |
Midfielder | Phil Foden | Manchester City |
Midfielder | Declan Rice | Arsenal |
Midfielder | John McGinn | Aston Villa |
Forward | Ollie Watkins | Aston Villa |
Forward | Mohamed Salah | Liverpool |
Forward | Erling Haaland | Manchester City |
This team is made up entirely of players from the teams that currently occupy the top five spots, with Liverpool and Aston Villa boasting the most players with three each. Golden Boot leader Mohamed Salah naturally finds a place in the lineup, as do two of his defensive-minded teammates, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold. Villa's three selectees -- defender Ezri Konsa, midfielder John McGinn and forward Ollie Watkins -- reflect their incredible season so far and current second-place standing.
Serie A
| Position | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
Goalkeeper | Yann Sommer | Inter |
Defender | Federico Dimarco | Inter |
Defender | Alessandro Buongiorno | Torino |
Defender | Radu Dragusin | Genora |
Defender | Michael Keyode | Fiorentina |
Midfielder | Adrien Rabiot | Juventus |
Midfielder | Albert Gudmundsson | Genoa |
Midfielder | Andrea Colpani | Monza |
Forward | Lautaro Martinez | Inter |
Forward | Khvicha Kvaratskhelia | Napoli |
Forward | Christian Pulisic | AC Milan |
League leaders Inter lead the pack with three players -- goalkeeper Yann Sommer, defender Federico Dimarco and forward Lautaro Martinez -- but the rest of the team is full of talent from a wide range of Serie A teams. Twelfth place Genoa are the only other team with multiple players with defender Radu Dragusin, who is expected to move elsewhere this month, and midfielder Albert Gudmundsson. Christian Pulisic, meanwhile, is the only American and only AC Milan player on the list after notching six goals and five assists in 17 games.
La Liga
| Position | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
Goalkeeper | Alvaro Palles | Las Palmas |
Defender | Diego Rico | Getafe |
Defender | Joao Cancelo | Barcelona |
Defender | Antonio Rudiger | Real Madrid |
Defender | Daley Blind | Girona |
Midfielder | Jude Bellingham | Real Madrid |
Midfielder | Aleix Garcia | Girona |
Midfielder | Isco | Real Betis |
Forward | Alvaro Morata | Atletico Madrid |
Forward | Artem Dovbyk | Girona |
Forward | Antoine Griezmann | Atletico Madrid |
Surprise title contenders Girona lead the way with three selectees -- defender Daley Blind, midfielder Aleix Garcia, and forward Artem Dovbyk. Current La Liga leaders Real Madrid are represented by defender Antonio Rudiger and midfielder Jude Bellingham, who is easily the obvious inclusion after scoring 13 goals in 17 games to start life in the Spanish capital. Their cross-town rivals Atletico Madrid also have two players in the team: in-form forwards Alvaro Morata and Antoine Griezmann. Notably, Barcelona's only inclusion if fullback Joao Cancelo.
Bundesliga
| Position | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
Goalkeeper | Lukas Hradecky | Bayer Leverkusen |
Defender | Kim Min-jae | Bayern Munich |
Defender | Benjamin Heinrichs | RB Leipzig |
Defender | Alejandro Grimaldo | Bayer Leverkusen |
Defender | Jonathan Tah | Bayer Leverkusen |
Midfielder | Xavi Simons | RB Leipzig |
Midfielder | Florian Wirtz | Bayer Leverkusen |
Midfielder | Granit Xhaka | Bayer Leverkusen |
Forward | Harry Kane | Bayern Munich |
Forward | Serhou Guirassy | Stuttgart |
Forward | Victor Boniface | Bayer Leverkusen |
First place Bayer Leverkusen completely dominated team selection with six total players in the mix, including midfield duo Florian Wirtz and Granit Xhaka. Harry Kane is one of two Bayern Munich players on the list after scoring 21 goals in 15 games, while Stuttgart's Serhou Guirassy is the lone contender from his team with 17 goals in 14 games to start the season.
Ligue 1
| Position | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
Goalkeeper | Lucas Chevalier | Lille |
Defender | Bradley Locko | Brest |
Defender | Achraf Hakimi | Paris Saint-Germain |
Defender | Jean-Clair Todibo | Nice |
Defender | Lucas Hernandez | Paris Saint-Germain |
Midfielder | Teji Savaneir | Montpellier |
Midfielder | Romain Del Castillo | Brest |
Midfielder | Warren Zaire-Emery | Paris Saint-Germain |
Forward | Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang | Marseille |
Forward | Takumi Minamino | Monaco |
Forward | Kylian Mbappe | Paris Saint-Germain |
Leaders Paris Saint-Germain have four players in the team, including star Kylian Mbappe and breakout midfield talent Warren Zaire-Emery. Third place Brest have two players represented -- defender Bradley Locko and midfielder Romain Del Castillo -- while a handful of other teams have talent on the list, including Marseille with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
