Five breakout stars in Europe this season

Cameron Smith

Updated: 19 Oct 2023 17:21 BST
5 min read

Every year, there are a handful of breakout stars who emerge onto the world stage with a flurry of goals, clean sheets or generally impressive performances that weren’t foreseen before the season began.

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The 2023-24 campaign is no exception, with several under-the-radar stars stepping into the spotlight during the opening few weeks of the new season.

Of course, big-name players such as Harry Kane, Lautaro Martinez, Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham have hit the ground running this year, but there are a number of lesser-known footballers who have starred so far this term.

Below, FootballTransfers runs through five breakout stars from the 2023-24 season so far.

Serhou Guirassy - Stuttgart

There is no better place to start than with Stuttgart’s goal-machine Serhou Guirassy.

The Guinea international spent last season on loan with the Bundesliga club and his respectable tally of 11 goals in the German top flight convinced Stuttgart to spend €9 million to sign him permanently from Stade Rennais.

Europe's deadliest finishers this season.

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That decision has proven to be a masterstroke as Guirassy has started this season like a man possessed and he currently has 13 goals and one assist in just seven Bundesliga matches.

It’s no surprise that he leads the European Golden Shoe race and Premier League clubs are beginning to register interest ahead of the January transfer window.

Victor Boniface - Bayer Leverkusen

Victor Boniface’s breakout season may have been last year at Union Saint Gilloise (he scored 17 goals and provided 12 assists in 51 games for the Belgian club), but he has become a household name this season.

The Nigeria international joined Bayer Leverkusen for a mere €20.5m this summer and that fee already looks like a bargain.

Boniface has netted seven goals and provided two assists in just seven Bundesliga games this season and Newcastle United are reportedly interested in pursuing a move already.

The 22-year-old has been one of Xabi Alonso’s star men in 2023-24 and looks set to become one of the next elite strikers in world football.

© ProShots - Victor Boniface, Bayer Leverkusen

Mousa Al-Tameri - Montpellier

Mousa Al-Tameri has revealed that he doesn’t like being called ‘the Jordanian Messi’, but comparisons with the Barcelona legend have been made since his time in Cyprus.

Al-Tameri made the move to Montpellier on a free transfer this summer and became the first player from Jordan to play in Ligue 1 when he made his debut versus Le Havre.

Six days later, he bagged a brace in an eye-catching 4-1 win over Lyon and he has since scored one more goal and provided two assists. Liverpool are now tracking him, AnfieldWatch understands, as he begins to attract Premier League interest at the age of 26.

Lamine Yamal - Barcelona

A slightly more familiar name but a player who certainly deserves to be included in this list - it’s Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal.

The 16-year-old had made just one Barcelona appearance before this season, but he has now firmly established himself as a key member of Xavi’s squad and Yamal has broken several records this year.

Yamal is now Spain’s all-time youngest ever appearance-maker and goal-scorer, while he is also the youngest player to score in La Liga history.

He has ousted Raphinha as Barca’s first-choice right winger and is set for a glittering career at Camp Nou.

Bryan Zaragoza - Granada

A brace against Barcelona will do wonders for your career and Bryan Zaragoza is living proof. The 22-year-old was a relative unknown before this season began and he wasn't even a regular starter at Granada in 2022-23 (he made just 23 starts as they achieved promotion from the Spanish second tier last campaign).

However, he has enjoyed a breakout season so far in 2023-24, with Zaragoza featuring in all nine of Granada’s La Liga games this campaign (six starts).

In that time, he has scored five goals and provided one assist, including a double in a 2-2 draw against Barcelona before the October international break.

After scoring two versus Barca, he was called-up to Spain’s squad for their European Championship qualifiers against Scotland and Norway. Just days later, Zaragoza made his senior Spain debut, playing 45 minutes as they beat Scotland 2-0.