Achraf Hakimi Paris Saint Germain
Regardless of the outcome of the Uefa Champions League final, Luis Enrique is the outstanding coach of the year ahead of Barcelona’s Hans Deiter Flick whose side catastrophically failed to see out their semifinal against Inter Milan after taking a 3-2 lead on 88 minutes.
Enrique himself was self deprecating when asked about how he’s beaten four Premier League sides – Liverpool, Arsenal, Aston Villa and Manchester City, preferring to highlight how Paris Saint Germain play in the ‘Farmers League’
He’s done exceptionally well rebuilding the side following the departure of galacticos Lionel Messi, Neymar Jr, Kylian Mbappe, Marco Veratti and Sergio Ramos. Scant surprise many of his players are in my Uefa Champions League team of the season.
1- Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint Germain): Euro 2024 player of the tournament Donnarumma has bee keeping goal with the stars in the knock out phases which has helped him leapfrog Inter Milan’s Yan Sommer despite the Swiss keeper’s six clean sheets.
2- Denzel Dumfries (Inter Milan): Simone Inzaghi’s Nerrazzuri boasted the meanest defense in the group stages and Dumfries was ever present in the side. He took his game to the next level by scoring twice and assisting in semifinal victory over Barcelona.
3- Nuno Mendez (Paris Saint Germain): Parc des Princes Portuguese left back has been a surprise offensive tool in coach Enrique’s armour. His four goals and one assist are a lesson in timing and endurance needed to arrive in opposition penalty areas.
4- Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint Germain): Atlas Lions skipper Hakimi has taken the confidence he got from leading Morocco to the Qatar 2022 and Paris Olympic Games semifinals to his club. His 3 goals including the winner against Arsenal and five assists were critical to the Parisians’ march to the final.
5- Alessandro Bastoni (Inter Milan): Fast improving Azzuri defensive lynchpin Bastoni helped Inter Milan keep 7 clean sheets, the most by any team in this year’s competition. He’s in the side ahead of Arsenal’s William Saliba who helped the Gunners to six shut outs.
6- Declan Rice (Arsenal): Emirates Stadium record signing Rice’s free kicks that eliminated holders Real Madrid are the stuff of legend. The Three Lions star was ever present for Mikel Arteta’s side on both sides of the pitch and edges PSG’s pass master Vitinha Ferreira out of this XI.
7- Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan): This World Cup winner and Copa America star came alive during the knock out stages with goals – he has nine in total – that helped Nerrazzuri eliminate competition behemoths Bayern Munich and Barcelona.
8- Serhou Guirassy (Borussia Dortmund). Guinean striking sensation Guirassy came alive during the knock out rounds by bagging a hat trick against arcelona. Injuries prevented him from enjoying a barnstorming start to the campaign but he’s proved good value for the £14.7m paid to ensnare his services from Stuttgart.
9- Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona): Poland striker Lewandowski’s enforced absence through injury proved costly to Barcelona in their semifinal duel with Inter Milan. Already the third in the list of all time top scorers with 105 goals, his eleven strikes and two assists were fuel that fired Blaugrana’s title charge.
10- Ousmane Dembele (Paris Saint Germain): Wing wizard Dembele is the world’s most complete ambidextrous footballer. After a slow start during the group stages, his form during the knockout phases has catapulted to 12 goals involvements – 8 strikes and four assists.
11- Raphinha Dias (Barcelona): Camp Nou winger Raphinha has topped the goal involvements charts with 13 goals and eight assists by scoring crucial goals throughout the tournament. He is on my five man shortlist for this season’s Ballon D’Or for the sheer transformation he’s undergone over the last nine months.
