European Team of the Season: Foden and Bellingham star

Tom Weber

Updated: 3 Jun 2024 20:41 BST
6 min read

The 2023/24 season was a spectacular one.

In Germany, Bayer Leverkusen made history by becoming the first team to have an invincible Bundesliga season, also claiming the DFB-Pokal and reaching the Europa League final. In the latter, they were beaten by Atalanta in spectacular fashion.

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In England, Man City, too, made history by winning a record fourth successive Premier League title. Inter dominated in Italy, while in France, PSG won a domestic double, but the campaign was overshadowed by Kylian Mbappe's now-confirmed move to Real Madrid.

Los Blancos enjoyed a stunningly brilliant campaign, thanks in no small part to summer signing Jude Bellingham, winning LaLiga and the Champions League.

Below FootballTransfers runs through our European Team of the Season of 2023/24...

Current ETV

Yann Sommer

Inter

Yann Sommer

Inter

ETV Range

€8.1M - €13.5M

GK: Yann Sommer (Inter)

Gregor Kobel has been named the Champions League Goalkeeper of the Season, while David Raya was mostly very good for Arsenal. Neither were consistently good enough to make it into our side, however, with Yann Sommer of Inter getting the nod.

The Swiss international was not just one of the best players of the bygone season, but he was also one of the best transfers of 23/24. Inter paid just €6.8 million for the veteran goalkeeper and Sommer proved a spectacular addition to Serie A's best side.

RB: Jeremie Frimpong (Bayer Leverkusen)

We're lining up in a 4-3-3 and our right-back is Jeremie Frimpong. Though Dani Carvajal of Real Madrid deserves a mention after scoring in the Champions League final, Frimpong was more devastating over the course of the campaign.

The Dutchman notched a ridiculous 14 goals and 12 assists across all competitions and has established himself as one of Europe's most captivating players.

Current ETV

Antonio Rüdiger

D (CL)

Real Madrid

Antonio Rüdiger

D (CL)

Real Madrid

ETV Range

€28.8M - €48M

CB: Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid)

A rock at the back and a fan favourite, Real Madrid centre-back Antonio Rudiger enjoyed a brilliant campaign, often coming out on top against some of the world's best forwards in 2023/24.

The German marshalled Real Madrid's LaLiga and Champions League-winning defence and is, on his day, arguably the world's best centre-back, or at least the most entertaining.

CB: Pau Cubarsi (Barcelona)

It's perhaps strange to include a teenager who only really featured in the second half of the season and didn't win anything, but come on, Pau Cubarsi was quite spectacular.

The Barcelona starlet's rise to fame was rapid and thoroughly deserved. Wise beyond his years, the Spaniard stole the show with his good defensive nous and ability to spray Hollywood passes all across the pitch.

STATS

Alejandro Grimaldo

D, M (L)

Bayer 04

Alejandro Grimaldo

D, M (L)

Bayer 04

51

Games
12

Goals
19

Assists

LB: Alejandro Grimaldo (Bayer Leverkusen)

Our second Bayer Leverkusen player here is Frimpong's partner in crime Alejandro Grimaldo. The Spaniard had an even more outrageous season than his right-sided counterpart.

A free transfer summer signing, the left-back netted 12 times and set up a whopping 19 goals in 51 outings for Xabi Alonso's side. Grimaldo's form for Bayer earned him his first-ever Spain cap - at age 28 - in November 2023.

CM: Teun Koopmeiners (Atalanta)

Our midfield is very attacking because, well, goals win games and goals make headlines. One of Europe's most prolific midfielders in 2023/24 was Atalanta star Teun Koopmeiners.

The Dutchman netted 15 times and assisted seven as the Bergamo outfit finished fourth in Serie A and ended Leverkusen's invincible season in the Europa League final. Koopmeiners was spectacular when it mattered most, completely dominating Liverpool in Europe, for example.

Current ETV

Jude Bellingham

M (C), DM (RL)

Real Madrid

Jude Bellingham

M (C), DM (RL)

Real Madrid

ETV Range

€102.1M - €170.1M

CM: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid)

Not really the kind of box-to-box midfielder he used to be at Borussia Dortmund anymore, but Jude Bellingham features in that role for us despite turning into a goalscoring machine for Real Madrid.

The English wonderkid finished the campaign with 23 goals and 13 assists and claimed LaLiga and Champions League honours. The 20-year-old must be considered the favourite for the Ballon d'Or in 2024.

CM: Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen)

The third of our central midfielders, though in truth they're all attacking midfielders, is Florian Wirtz. The German wonderkid dominated the Bundesliga and Europa League for Bayer 04 and saved Alonso's side on several occasions.

The 21-year-old ended the campaign with 18 goals, 20 assists and a domestic double to his name. No wonder every elite club in Europe is keen on the creative machine.

STATS

Phil Foden

AM (RL), F (C)

Man City

Phil Foden

AM (RL), F (C)

Man City

53

Games
27

Goals
12

Assists

RW: Phil Foden (Man City)

Though Man City won the Premier League, only Phil Foden makes it into our Team of the Season. Chelsea's Cole Palmer also deserves a mention, but he did not win anything, unlike the Stockport Iniesta.

Foden enjoyed a spectacular campaign, notching 27 goals and 12 assists, and almost single-handedly won Man City the league in the final weeks of the season. He was deservedly named the Premier League's Player of the Season.

ST: Kylian Mbappe (PSG)

Picking a striker was by far the most difficult decision. Sporting CP's Viktor Gyokeres accumulated an outrageous 58 goal contributions in 2023/24 but with the caveat that he plays in Portugal, a country where, with all due respect, even Darwin Nunez was prolific.

Joking aside, the Swede is desperately unfortunate to miss out on this Team of the Season, as is Harry Kane. The English sharpshooter and Real Madrid-bound Kylian Mbappe both netted 44 times in 23/24 (and Kane actually recorded two more assists), but the latter won a domestic double, while the former managed to achieve the unthinkable and failed to win any silverware with Bayern Munich.

Compared

Vinicius Junior

AM, M, F (L)

Real Madrid

Vinicius Junior

AM, M, F (L)

Real Madrid

VS

Jude Bellingham

M (C), DM (RL)

Real Madrid

Jude Bellingham

M (C), DM (RL)

Real Madrid

2023/2024

Season Statistics

2023/2024

39	Appearances	42
24	Goals	23
11	Assists	13

LW: Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid)

The final player in our Team of the Season is Vinicius Jr. The Real Madrid star enjoyed a spectacular season and was particularly devastating when it mattered most.

The Brazilian netted a brace in the Champions League semi-final first leg and in the final to deliver Los Blancos' 15th trophy. Vini Jr scored 24 times - one more than Bellingham - and added 11 assists in 23/24.