Champions League Team of the Season: Haaland leads the line as Man City dominate

Robin Bairner

• 10 Jun 2023 22:04 BST
• 4 min read

Manchester City completed a historic treble on Saturday as they overcame Inter 1-0 in Istanbul to add the Champions League title to the Premier League and FA Cup crowns that they had already won.

Rodri’s goal midway through the second half of the fixture proved to be decisive, with the Italian side living up to their reputation as a stout defensive team.

Both clubs are well represented in our Champions League team of the season, which lines up as follows:

Champions League Best XI: 2022/23

Andre Onana – Inter

The Cameroon international’s redemption after a drug-related ban has been completed in the Champions League this season, with the 27-year-old playing a starring role as Inter made a shock run to the final.

Kept eight cleansheets in 13 matches, including against Barcelona in a crucial 1-0 group stage victory and in both semi-final fixtures against Milan. No goalkeeper made more saves in the competition than the ex-Ajax star.

Giovanni Di Lorenzo – Napoli

The right-back is not the most storied name in a Napoli team that sparkled both domestically and in Europe this season, but a contribution of two goals and two assists is a notable return for a player with 27 international caps. It was an incredible second season in the Champions League for the 29-year-old.

Ruben Dias – Manchester City

Credited with being a pivotal player in Pep Guardiola’s project since his arrival from Benfica, Dias was the key figure in a defence that was outstanding throughout the competition. City only conceded five goals throughout the competition, and the Portugal international was the main reason for this.

Alessandro Bastoni – Inter

Another member of the Inter defence that was so pivotal to their progress in the competitions, the 24-year-old centre-back confirmed his status as one of the best up-and-coming players in his position. Remarkably, the former Atalanta youngster chipped in with three assists.

Federico Dimarco – Inter

Could often be found bombing up the Inter left to provide an outlet of support to the attack, but the full-back was, nevertheless, a consistently sound presence in the Nerazzurri rearguard. A player who also seems to be busy, he supplied a vital five assists in 10 games, including three in the knockout phase. Hit the bar in the final with a head.

Rodri – Manchester City

Spain international Rodri is rarely seen to do anything spectacular – but that’s exactly what he did do in the first leg of the quarter-final against Bayern Munich with a blistering shot to give his side the platform for a surprisingly easy win. He also scored the winner in the final. Otherwise, he was the fulcrum of the Manchester City side and was central to their ability to dominate possession.

Fede Valverde – Real Madrid

For once, it wasn’t to be Real Madrid’s season in the Champions League, but that was certainly not for the want of trying from Fede Valverde. The Uruguay international showed his versatility and produced two goals and three assists in his 11 appearances. It was notable that he missed Madrid’s only defeat prior to their semi-final against City.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia – Napoli

A brilliant breakthrough season from ‘Kvaradona’ was capped by some outstanding displays in the Champions League. The Georgia international was the central figure as Napoli made a blistering start to the competition, and even if he faded in the knockout stages, he finished with a thrilling two goals and four assists. He’s now a player everyone want.

Kevin De Bruyne – Manchester City

Although the Belgium international was used sparingly at times in the early stages of the competition, when Pep Guardiola knew he had the luxury of being able to rotate his side, De Bruyne still finished the tournament with a competition-best seven assists. Came into his own in the knockout stages, with two goals and four decisive passes in six matches. His competition finished in heartbreak after going off injured in the final.

Vinicius Junior – Real Madrid

Taking the spot on the left of the midfield is Vini Jr, who was right at the top of the charts for both goals and assists in the tournament. He finished second in the assist count behind only De Bruyne, while he posted the third-best goals tally in the competition with seven.

Erling Haaland – Manchester City

Quite simply the best goalscorer in the world today. Posted 12 goals for the tournament and would surely have had more if Pep Guardiola had not been intent on saving him. Taken off after 45 minutes having notched two against Copenhagen and was infamously withdrawn against RB Leipzig in the last 16 when he was one goal short of a historic double hat-trick. A tournament to remember.