The UEFA Champions League season came to its glorious end at Porto, Portugal with Chelsea being crowned the UCL 2020-21 champions for the second time in the club’s history. It was a season filled with some outstanding moments with the top talents across Europe battling hard all season to help their team get closer to the coveted trophy.
There were plenty of individual performances throughout the UCL 2020-21 season that were outstanding but only the top performers can be selected in our Team of the Season. Here are our shortlisted 11.
EDOUARD MENDY (Goalkeeper)
The first spot in the Team of the Season goes to Chelsea’s first-choice keeper, Edouard Mendy. The Senegalese goalkeeper was instrumental in his first season at Stamford Bridge to get Chelsea their second-ever Champions League trophy. With nine clean sheets, he also laid his hands on the Golden Glove Award.
CESAR AZPILICUETA (Right Back)
It’s only fair to include the captain who lifted the trophy at the end of the campaign in our Team of the Season. Cesar Azpilicueta’s role was colossal in Chelsea’s remarkable performance in the competition and he led the side with charisma and passion on the field.
RUBEN DIAS (Centre Back)
Manchester City’s Ruben Dias almost single-handedly improved the defensive standards at City and his signing was key for the team to reach its first-ever Champions League final. He was recently awarded the Football Writers Player of the Season award in the Premier League and thoroughly deserves these accolades given his performances this season.
ANTONIO RUDIGER (Centre Back)
Under Frank Lampard, Antonio Rudiger was on the verge of quitting the club but the introduction of Thomas Tuchel helped the German defender the most. Tuchel was a fan of Rudiger from before and now had a chance to play him in the heart of his defence. He was one of the mainstays in Tuchel’s Chelsea across competitions and put in warrior-like performances for the club throughout the season.
ANGELINO (Left Back)
RB Leipzig may have been knocked out of the competition at the round of 16 stage but Angelino’s three assists and three goals in the group stage were enough to make him the highest providing defender. He was the standout player in his position and hence got a spot in the Team of the Season.
N’GOLO KANTE (Holding Midfielder)
The man of the match award recipient from both the legs of the semi-final and the final as well, N’golo Kante absolutely lit up the competition this season. He was by far the standout player of the final and his class prevailed on the pitch for Chelsea. He was one of the biggest contributors to Chelsea lifting the title at the end.
KEVIN DE BRUYNE (Right Midfielder)
Kevin de Bruyne is at the top of his game currently and yet again had a wonderful season in the Champions League. He was gutted to leave the pitch early in the final but nevertheless, the journey to the final with Manchester City gets him a spot in the midfield of our Team of the Season.
MASON MOUNT (Left Midfielder)
Chelsea’s number 19 Mason Mount was the best offensive player in the competition. Mount found the net only twice in the competition but those were goals that his team desperately needed. He also picked out a remarkable pass to find Kai Havertz in the final and that assist turned out to be the deciding factor to crown Chelsea as Champions.
KYLIAN MBAPPE (Right Winger)
Kylian Mbappe has started to turn up to every Champions League match now and this season with eight goals in the competition, he has shown that he is one of the best forwards in Europe. He was unfit for the second leg of the semi-finals against Manchester City and PSG missed him dearly. He will be back next season with renewed motivation.
ERLING HAALAND (Striker)
With 10 goals in just eight matches, Erling Haaland was by far the most efficient goalscorer in the Champions League this season. He finished as the Golden Boot winner even though his team was knocked out in the quarter-finals stage. This tells us the kind of impact the 20-year-old striker had on the competition in 2020-21.
NEYMAR JR (Left Winger)
When it comes to raw talent in football then there are very few players who’d be more talented than Neymar Jr. People might argue that he hasn’t fulfilled his potential after his move away from Barcelona but this season yet again, he netted six times and had three assists to go along with that for PSG. Had he had a little more help in the semi-final then he could have rallied his team to yet another final.
Team of the Season (4-3-3): Edouard Mendy (GK); Cesar Azpilicueta (C), Ruben Dias, Antonio Rudiger, Angelino; Ngolo Kante, Mason Mount, Kevin De Bruyne; Neymar Jr, Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe
Read: Recalling the Greatest UEFA Champions League Finals Ever
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