Haaland spearheads Champions League Team of the Season dominated by Man City
Rodri's second half strike on Saturday night was enough to fire Manchester City to Champions League glory at Inter's expense as Pep Guardiola's side secured a historic treble. Here, we take a look at the WhoScored Champions League team of the season.
For this XI, we take a look at those to have at least made the quarter-finals and to have registered a minimum of 700 minutes of game time in the competition. As such, City, Inter, Napoli, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Benfica are all represented in the team.
While he couldn't help Inter to Champions League success on Saturday, Andre Onana was instrumental in their progession to the final. The 27-year-old kept more clean sheets (8) and made more saves (47) than any other goalkeeper to nail down the his spot in the side with a WhoScored rating of 7.17.
Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli) - 7.43
The first of two Napoli players in the side, Giovanni Di Lorenzo was key for the Serie A champions from right-back. Indeed, Di Lorenzo was directly involved in four goals in the competition, scoring twice, while his two assists came from 19 key passes, the joint-seventh best return, to land a WhoScored rating of 7.43.
Ruben Dias (Manchester City) - 7.26
Ruben Dias is the first of three representatives for Champions League winners Manchester City. Dias was the man to set City on the frontfoot from defence, finishing third for passes per game (79.5) and second for pass success rate (95.1%) in the competition to secure his spot in the side with a WhoScored rating of 7.26.
Partnering Dias at the heart of the defence is Napoli's second player in the XI. Kim Min-Jae has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester United, and part of the reason for rumours surrounding a Premier League switch were his Champions League showings. The South Korean star earned a WhoScored rating of 7.20 having finished second for total interceptions (22) and fifth for aerial duels won per game (3.6).
Alejandro Grimaldo (Benfica) - 7.39
Rounding off the backline is Alejandro Grimaldo. The Spaniard impressed for former side Benfica up until their last-16 exit at the hands of eventual finalists Inter. Grimaldo, like right-back Di Lorenzo, also made 19 key passes in the competition, and it's fair to say that Bayer Leverkusen have secured themselves a world class left-back this summer.
Federico Valverde (Real Madrid) - 7.36
Kicking off the midfield is versatile Real Madrid star Federico Valverde. The Uruguay international, like Di Lorenzo and Grimaldo, also created 19 goalscoring opportunities on the way to Los Blancos' semi-final exit at the hands of winners Manchester City, with three assists and two goals helping Valverde to a WhoScored rating of 7.36.
Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich) - 7.68
Joshua Kimmich could do little to help Bayern Munich crashing out of the Champions League at the hands of Manchester City, but the German was a key man for the Bundesliga powerhouse once more, as evidenced by his WhoScored rating of 7.68. Kimmich ended the campaign with the eighth most passes per game (73.1) to contribute towards his inclusion.
Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) - 7.48
For the second Champions League final running, Kevin De Bruyne was forced off due to injury, though his first half departure on Saturday night didn't have a negative impact on Manchester City's win in Istanbul. Only two players made more key passes than De Bruyne (22) in Europe's elite club competition this term, while the 31-year-old registered more assists (6) than any other player.
Starting the frontline, Joao Mario's return of six goals was the fifth most in the Champions League this season. The 30-year-old put up respectable averages of 1.5 key passes and 1.4 dribbles per game as Mario played a starring role in Benfica's progression to the quarter-finals.
Erling Haaland (Manchester City) - 7.56
Finishing off the Manchester City contingent is the competition's top scorer. Erling Haaland scored more goals (12) than any other player in the Champions League this season to spearhead the best XI. Only two players mustered more shots per game than Haaland (3.7) with the Norwegian good value for his WhoScored rating of 7.56.
Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid) - 7.77
Saving the best for last, Vinicius Junior is the Champions League player of the season having garnered a WhoScored rating of 7.77. While he couldn't fire Real Madrid to glory, the Brazilian still finished third for goals (7) and second for assists (5), and completed more dribbles (47) than any other player.
