Lionel Messi has been voted the third best player in Europe this season in a controversial ranking.

The Argentine star has failed to prove himself in his first season in French football since joining Paris Saint-Germain from Barcelona last summer.

The 34-year-old scored only four goals in Ligue 1, but managed to make 13 assists with PSG, where he was recently declared French champions thanks to a 1: 1 draw with Lens.

Despite the difficulties he had this season, Messi is ranked third in terms of appearances in the five strongest leagues of European football.

The ranking is based on the average rating of players in the Premier League, La Liga, Ligue 1, Serie A and Bundesliga.

The ranking is based on statistics from championship matches such as goals, assists, goal concessions, pass accuracy percentage and player selection.

Surprisingly, Messi finished third on this list with a ranking average of 7.71 out of 10 matches.

Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski leads the standings with an average rating of 7.93 per game, while Messi’s teammate at PSG Kylian Mbappe is second with an average rating of 7.91 per game.

Lewandowski has scored 33 goals in 31 league games, while Mbappe has scored 22 goals in 31 league games with PSG.

Real Madrid striker, Karim Benzema, the absolute favorite to win the Golden Ball this year, has finished only in fourth place with an average of 7.68.

He scored twice against Manchester City on Tuesday night, reaching the quota of 41, while he has scored 25 of them in the league.

Benzema shares fourth place alongside Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah, who is the highest ranked player in the Premier League.

Salah has an average score of 7.68, while he has scored 22 goals in 31 Premier League games this season.