Under normal circumstances, August sees most leagues coming off preseason and getting ready to get playing again.
But the coronavirus disruption has produced a unique set of circumstances, and leagues around the world have been forced to make adjustments.
And so certain leagues have kicked off earlier than normal, with France -- which cut short the 2019/20 season - the first of the major leagues to return. The French Ligue1 supplies a player in this month's Nigerian Power Rankings, but the top-ranked player comes from a competition lacking the glamour of Paris and Monaco.
Latvia may not be the biggest or most glamorous of leagues to play in, but, irrespective of competition, players can only do their best against what is in front of them. And that is exactly what Tolu Arokodare has done to put himself on top of the Power Rankings for August.
Voted Player of the Month in Latvia for July, the 19-year-old striker ramped things up a whole notch to unlock another level of performance in August. Having scored five goals in seven matches in July, he burst out for eight in five games in August, only failing to score once, in Valmiera's UEFA Europa League fixture against Lech Poznan in Poland.
He scored at least twice In three of those four games, including a hat-trick to hand his side a 3-2 road win against at Tukums.
Arokodare's goals have come from everywhere: right foot, bullet header, guided header, simple tap-ins, "worldy" volleys, even a scrappy rebound off his stomach that he barely knew anything about; all of which contributed to earning him not just a debut spot on the Power Rankings but No. 1.
- Leonard Solms: Oshoala the obvious leader of Africa's women
- Colin Udoh: Saka new part of Nigerian Community Shield history
- Okechukwu hopes Turkish Super Lig title opens Super Eagles door
After that flurry of goals from Arokodare, Sadiq Umar posting four goals and two assists in seven games seems almost to pale in comparison.
But the former Rangers forward has opened the season in fine form for Partizan Belgrade in Serbia, starting with a brace against Javor Ivanjica in a 4-0 win. His second of that game was a cheeky back heel, after the goalkeeper had spilled the ball, to showed just how much confidence the striker has in his game. He ended August with a sleek jink and curl in his team lost 3-2 to Vojvodina in their last match of the month.
Umar, just like last season, is looking quite the form player.
Not a few people were shocked to see Leon Balogun make the move from the English League Championship to the Scottish Premiership with recovering giants Rangers.
Balogun put himself about in his opening game for the Gers, against Aberdeen, defending like a hero and even colliding with the post on one occasion, Fortunately, it was nothing serious, and he continued the game. Balogun has continued to impress, and Rangers have kept three clean sheets. He is now looking a solid piece of the Rangers defence.
Just like Arokodare on top of the rankings, Victor Boniface is big, powerful and deadly. He has plundered four goals in six games for Bodo/Glimt, one of them in a 6-1 UEFA Europa League home win to put himself in the top four on his debut appearance in the rankings.
Super Eagles skipper Ahmed Musa has been missing from the Power Rankings for a while, but as the league in Saudi Arabia has returned so, too, has the Nigerian's form and contributions. His vicious volley from nearly 30 metres contributed to a 6-1 win for Al-Nassr over Al-Adalah in a month in which her scored two goals and one man-of-the-match award to round out the top five.
Moses Simon is the first player from a major European league to make the Top 10, doing so on the back of two fine performances for Nantes in the French Ligue 1. He was clearly the best Nantes player in the goalless draw against Bordeaux even if his side failed to take advantage of a one-man advantage for a long stretch.
Joe Aribo joins Rangers teammate Balogun in making the top 10, his excellent showing upfront yielding one goal and helping the team to the top of the Scottish Premiership with bitter Glasgow rivals Celtic sitting out the opening weeks of the season after one of their players broke COVID-19 protocols.
Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi is No. 8, having won the top shirt from South Africa custodian Itu Khune. Proof of his value to the Chiefs was illustrated when the considered his concussion, with three games to play, to be a "major blow".
Cyriel Dessers rounds out the Top 9, having started life at Racing Genk in the Belgian Jupiler Pro League with one goal in four games and becoming the club's designated penalty taker.