The UEFA Champions League is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious competitions in world football, where the top teams and players across Europe aspire to showcase their skills. While it attracts the very best from Europe, underdog stories have long been ingrained in the Champions League folklore.
These unexpected tales of triumph and resilience add to the tournament’s allure. The beauty of the Champions League lies not only in the fierce battles between Europe’s elite clubs but also in the thrilling moments when lesser-known teams defy the odds, challenging Europe’s elite and giving them a run for their money.
Let’s take a look at some of the players from these teams that have performed beyond expectations in this season’s UCL so far –
Benfica’s Greek forward has been in sensational form in the Champions League this season. In the nine games he has played so far, he has scored six goals and provided two assists. Out of his six goals, only one goal is scored from the spot-kick, all others are non-penalty goals.
Since his summer move from AZ Alkmaar to Benfica in 2024, the Greek International has been Benfica’s most reliable goal-scorer. He has a total of 15 goals and 8 assists in 36 games for Benfica in all competitions. Pavlidis is a big match player as he proved by scoring a hat-trick against Barcelona in the most thrilling game of the UCL this season. He has continued his hot streak of form and also scored a vital away goal in the first leg of the UCL Playoffs against Lille, taking his team one step closer to the Champions league Round of 16.
Pavlidis is a strong and versatile player with great ball retention, link up play and progressive carrying. Though he can improve on his shot conversion but his chance creation is excellent as well. In addition, he is adept defensively too as he can track back and recover balls from deeper areas.
The Brazilian winger Igor Paixão has been crucial to Feyenoord’s progression in the Champions League this season. He has provided 4 assists in nine games played for the Dutch club. As for his performances this season, he has a total of 6 goals and 8 assists in 22 games for Feyenoord.
In the recently played Playoff first leg against AC Milan, he was highly influential and was the scorer of the winner taking his side closer to Round of 16 qualification.
Paixão is an absolute menace on the left wing with great dribbling, pace and an eye for goal. He is also capable of creating goals for his teammates and can occasionally score goals from outside the box. If Feyenoord are to go deep in the tournament, Paixão’s form would be very crucial to their chances.
Isak Hien has been a rock in defence for Atalanta in the Champions League this season. Hien has been one of the reasons Atalanta has qualified for the playoffs, ending inside the Top 10 in the group stages.
The Swedish defender has 73 ball recoveries, 6 tackles and 16 attempted clearances in the eight games he has played. Atalanta’s defence has conceded only eight goals in the eight CL games they have played. Even though he conceded a penalty in the playoff first leg, it seemed to be a controversial decision to award the penalty to Club Brugge.
Hien has also been influential in Atalanta’s third position in the Italian Serie A this season. Hien also represents the Swedish national team. Hien is a modern-day ball-playing centre-back who has exceptional in aerial and ground duels. He possesses great game awareness and can put in vital interceptions and tackles whenever required.
Since joining Aston Villa from championship club Middlesborough in Feb 2024, English midfielder Morgan Rogers has been quite a revelation. He has been influential for the Villans in the Champions League.
The midfielder has scored 3 goals and assisted once in the Champions League so far. In total, he has 11 goals and 6 assists to his name in 34 games this season, which is quite superb for a midfielder. He scored a hat-trick in the CL against Celtic where he was also awarded the ‘Player of the Match’ award.
Rogers is an attack-minded midfielder who is strong, has great dribbling skills, link-up play and ball carrying abilities. He often gets into good positions in the box and has a lethal finish as well. Aston Villa have definitely hit the jackpot with this signing as he not only impacts the game with assists but can also come up with a goal or two when required.
The 22-year-old French midfielder Maghnes Akliouche who can also play as a winger is one of the players to watch in this Monaco side that like to play attacking football.
Akliouche has seriously impressed one and all with strong performances in the French Ligue 1 and the Champions League. In the Champions League this season, he has scored two goals and provided one assist while in the Ligue 1 he has turned up with three goals and five assists in 20 games so far.
The young midfielder is one of the first names on the Monaco team sheet and even though he hasn’t scored as many goals, his other qualities make up for the lack of goals. Akliouche is a skillful player with strong dribbling and passing skills. He can play in tight spaces and beat defenders with his exceptional dribbling skills. In addition, his ability to create chances and find his teammates with pinpoint crosses is another skill in his armour. If he continues to shine in his role, the young Frenchman will find many suitors in Europe sooner rather than later.
Moroccan International Ismail Saibari is another player who has impressed in the Champions League this season. Saibari is a versatile player who can play both as an attacking midfielder or right winger.
In the eight CL games he has played, the midfielder has accumulated two goals and 1 assist. He has performed fairly well for the Eredivisie club this season, scoring a total of 9 goals and bagging an impressive 11 assists so far.
The PSV Midfielder is a strong dribbler with pace and technique. He prefers to keep close control and play short passes. Saibari has a knack of influencing big games, making him a vital asset for PSV, one they would like to hold on to amidst growing interest from many European clubs.
Anatoliy Trubin has been a massive presence between the sticks for Benfica this season. The young Ukrainian goalkeeper has impressed many with his superb saves, helping his team to qualify for the playoffs in this year’s Champions League.
Trubin has made a total of 31 saves in 9 CL games so far, also managing to keep four clean sheets. Barring that frantic and crazy game against Barcelona where he conceded 6 goals in one game, he has only conceded 6 goals in the other eight games which is a fantastic stat. In the recent first leg of the playoff game against Lille as well, Trubin made crucial saves for his team. Trubin has kept an astounding 16 clean sheets in 34 games this season.
Trubin is a goalkeeper having strong reflexes, shot-stopping and penalty saving skills. The 6 feet 6 inches tall goalkeeper is a huge presence in the Benfica goal and if he continues to perform for them, it’s not going to be easy scoring goals against this Portuguese club.
Japanese winger Maeda has been a clutch presence for Celtic in the Champions league this season. Whenever his team has needed to score, Maeda has popped up with important goals and helped them immensely.
In eight games that he has played for the Hoops in the CL, he has scored four goals for them. Even in the recently concluded playoff game first leg against Bayern Munich, Maeda scored a goal to cut down Bayern’s deficit to one, giving his side some hope of overturning the lead and qualify for the next round.
In his domestic league, Maeda is having a fabulous season having scored 8 goals and bagged 7 assists in 23 games so far.
The Japanese winger has great pace and an eye for goal. He is a strong and versatile player who can play anywhere in the forward line. Maeda has impressed with his performances so far and it remains to be seen if he can guide his side further in the tournament.
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