Manchester City are the kings of Europe for the very first time, as Pep Guardiola’s side defeated Inter Milan 1-0 in Saturday’s UEFA Champions League final at Istanbul’s Ataturk Olympic Stadium.
With the 2022-23 campaign in the books, here is Forebet’s Champions League team of the season, featuring seven finalists and four other standout performers.
THE CHAMPIONS. #UCLfinal pic.twitter.com/18vhD57G9f— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) June 10, 2023
THE CHAMPIONS. #UCLfinal pic.twitter.com/18vhD57G9f
Andre Onana (Inter Milan) – The Cameroonian goalkeeper played a key role in Inter’s run to the final, keeping eight clean sheets in 13 matches while conceding just 11 goals. As a result, Onana conceded at a rate of just 0.85 goals per game.
Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli) – Although Napoli couldn’t replicate their domestic dominance on the European stage, club captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo starred throughout the campaign, bagging two goals and two assists in 10 UCL appearances.
Ruben Dias (Manchester City) – Ruben Dias scored in Man City’s 4-0 victory over Sevilla on Matchday 1 and played a pivotal role in his team’s title triumph. Put simply, the no-nonsense Portugal international is a rock in City’s backline.
Alessandro Bastoni (Inter Milan) – Alessandro Bastoni started all but one of Inter’s 13 UCL matches and even managed to contribute three assists from centre-back, underlining his importance to the Nerazzurri.
Frederico Dimarco (Inter Milan) – Having racked up five assists across 11 Champions League appearances in 2022-23, Federico Dimarco has to be spoken about as the competition’s best right-back.
Rodri (Manchester City) – Rodri scored the winning goal as Man City overcame Inter in the final, but the Spaniard was immense throughout the season. The holding midfielder also netted a sublime long-range effort against Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals.
Joao Mario (Benfica) – Believe it or not, Joao Mario racked up six goals and two assists across 10 UCL outings in 2022-23. The midfielder also scored in five successive matches to fire Benfica to the quarter-finals.
Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) – Kevin De Bruyne was forced off early in the final due to injury, but the midfield maestro managed to notch two goals and seven assists en route to lifting the trophy.
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) – Liverpool may have been knocked out the last 16, but Mohamed Salah still managed to rack up eight goals and two assists in eight UCL appearances, including a hat-trick against Rangers.
Erling Haaland (Manchester City) – Erling Haaland secured the Champions League Golden Boot, netting 12 goals in 11 games. After bagging two braces during the group stage, the prolific Norwegian scored five goals in a single knockout game against RB Leipzig.
Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid) – Having registered 12 goal involvements in as many matches – scoring seven goals while providing five assists – Vinicius Junior simply had to be included in the team of the season.