The Bundesliga has not disappointed upon its return to action.
As we approach the fourth gameweek of Germany's inspiring resumption, fans tuning in across the globe have already been treated to their fair share of scintillating attacking football, adorned by a few breathtaking pearls of quality.
Indeed, while some players have found their vitality reserves in short supply in the absence of fans, others have prospered with the pressure from the terraces alleviated.
Here, VAVEL highlights the outstanding performers who have seen their stock rise sharply in the exclusive spotlight of live football.
5. Leon Goretzka
Although perhaps one of the less celebrated members of this star-studded Bayern Munich side, Leon Goretzka has not looked out of place amongst his distinguished colleagues this season.
As someone who can screen the defence yet also latch onto second-balls in the opposition's penalty area, the ex-Schalke man perfectly fits the prototype of the old-fashioned box-to-box midfielder. It was he who shattered the resistance of the well-drilled Union Berlin on the first weekend of the restart, nipping in front of the unwitting Neven Subotic to draw a penalty.
A week later, Goretzka would demonstrate his importance again, arriving late into the Eintracht Frankfurt penalty area to caress Thomas Muller's bouncing cross into the roof of the net.
4. Matheus Cunha
Hertha Berlin have undergone quite the transformation over the past few months.
It was only back in February, when, after a 5-0 drubbing at the hands of FC Köln, the Berlin giants were staring down the barrel of a relegation dogfight; a damning prospect for a club that had invested heavily in the transfer market under ambitious new owners.
Since then, Hertha have gone five matches unbeaten, and have picked up seven points from a possible nine since the restart. Matheus Cunha, the Brazilian playmaker, has been central to the revival.
He was on target in both the 4-0 demolition of city rivals Union and the 3-0 victory away at Hoffenheim. Both goals were worthy of special recognition, combining dexterity with precision in front of goal.
Hertha were forced to check their momentum slightly with a 2-2 draw against RB Leipzig on Wednesday, though Cunha was again instrumental, winning the penalty that gave the visitors their equaliser.
3. Raphael Guerreiro
Few full-backs in world football are granted the attacking freedom of those in the yellow and black of Borussia Dortmund, but Raphael Guerreiro and Achraf Hakimi - the wing-backs in Dortmunds 3-4-3 formation - continue to justify the system with their prodigious attacking contributions.
Both found the back of the net in the hard-fought 2-0 victory over VFL Wolfsburg, though Hakimi, with his unrivalled pace, has been the one stealing the headlines this season as Europe's elite elbow past each other to secure his signature.
Guerreiro, who joined from FC Lorient in 2016, has long been eclipsed by his Morrocan teammate, but, with three goals since the restart - two of which coming against Schalke in the Revierderby - the left-back is in a rich vein of form, dovetailing with the creative winger, Julian Brandt, to devastating effect.
2. Kai Havertz
The crown prince of German football warrants little explanation. And so too does his four goals in three games.
Kai Havertz is a generational talent who can simply do it all. His slight of foot has carved upon numerous defences this season, while his ability to ghost into space in the penalty area continues to bring goals and assists. Havertz is no slouch, too, and possesses a somewhat unexpected potency in the air given his languid style, with both of his goals against Werder Bremen coming off his head.
Along with the rest of the Leverkusen team, Havertz stuttered during the first half of the campaign, but they have since rediscovered their groove, even if Tuesday's defeat to Wolfsburg derailed their 10-match unbeaten run.
1. Joshua Kimmich
The Bundesliga's entertainment no doubt peaked in Tuesday's Der Klassiker, where one goal did not do justice to what was a thrilling contest. The goal itself was fitting of the game as a whole: something to behold.
Joshua Kimmich displayed expert awareness form the edge of the penalty area to chip over a mispositioned Roman Burki, whose desperate, flapping attempts to palm the ball away did nothing but take the gloss off a sublime bit of skill.
The importance of the goal, though, lied not within the aesthetics. That Bayern victory all but cemented another league title, with Dormund now trailing the league leaders by seven points.
Kimmich, a man whose leadership qualities and communication have come under intense magnification due to football's new acoustics, has been a key figure all season, and has certainly stepped up in Thiago's absence.
Against Dortmund and Frankfurt, he and the aforementioned Goretzka marshalled the midfield with ease, while Bayern continue to reap the fruits of his pinpoint set-piece deliveries.
As a ruthless winner, Kimmich is very much at home at Bayern. The eighth successive title is on the way.