The Nutmeg Files...

Ah, the Almighty Nutmeg - the football trick for any occasion - a source of great joy for the perpetrator but dig-me-a-hole embarrassment for the victim.

It goes by many aliases ('janelinha' in Brazil, 'panna' in the Netherlands, 'the tunnel' in Germany, Spain and Italy and - more obscurely - 'the apron' in Hungary), but the aim is always the same: to place the ball through the splayed legs of your opponent and run off into the distance cackling. 

During the 2021/22 season, Playmaker will provide regular updates on which players across Europe's 'Top 5' leagues are having a merry old time threading the ball through their opponents' legs - and here's our latest installment. 

Before we launch into the present, let's quickly retrace the past and where the English footballing term 'nutmeg' came from. 

The widely-held consensus is that "nutmegged" was Victorian slang for being tricked or deceived by traders. Nutmegs were a valuable commodity and exporters would often place wooden replicas in cargo ships to trick buyers into thinking they'd received the full weight of nutmeg they'd ordered.

Fascinating. Anyway, onto the season's frontrunners in 2021/22 when it comes to 'Megs' - where the English top flight is distinguishing itself from its European peers. 

Most nutmegs (UEFA's 'Big 5' leagues; 21/22):

7 megs: Emmanuel Dennis (Watford), Trincão (Wolves)

6 megs: , Jens Petter Hauge (Eintracht Frankfurt), Vinicius Júnior (Real Madrid)

5 megs: Raphinha (Leeds), Gerrit Holtmann (Bochum), José Luis Morales (Levante), Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich)

Wolves have been improving of late under the tutelage of former Benfica boss Bruno Lage, and in addition to some good results - including Wanderers' 2-1 win over Everton last night - the Portuguese coach has got his side megging regularly, which is always nice to see.

The Midlanders have slipped a dozen megs through enemy legs this season, only six teams across Europe (including Watford who top the pile with 20) have managed more.

Until next time...keep those legs shut!