With the new format of the competition set to launch next season, fans bore witness to the eight groups of four format for the very last time in the Champions League this year, and it’s fair to say that the group stages as we know it went out with a bang.
96 games, 296 goals (most of which were conceded by Manchester United), and a countless number of dramatic (traumatic for Manchester United fans) moments were enjoyed (endured by Manchester United fans) by fans all across the continent.
And after all that fun, here’s 90min’s team of the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League group stages.
GK: Yann Sommer
Inter sold Andre Onana, the worst performing goalkeeper in the 2023/24 Champions League group stage, and replaced him with who became the best performing goalkeeper of the group stage.
Sommer was utterly fantastic throughout Inter’s Group D campaign, putting in a particularly brilliant man of the match performance in an away win over Red Bull Salzburg on matchday four.
RB: Achraf Hakimi
PSG got through to the last 16 by the skin of their teeth this season, and they probably wouldn’t have without the stunning performances of their star full-back Achraf Hakimi.
Hakimi’s match-winning showing against his former club Borussia Dortmund at the Parc de Princes proved to be more important than PSG perhaps thought it’d be.
CB: Mats Hummels
We’re probably around a decade removed from the prime of Hummels’ career, but the now 34-year-old centre-back was able to provide a glimpse of his brilliant past self in Group F.
Hummels led the way in terms of ball recoveries and tackles won during the group stage, and we’ll be lucky to see a better defensive performances than the one he put in against AC Milan at San Siro – a game in which he won 16 duels – throughout the rest of the season.
CB: Igor Zubeldia
We’d have been remiss not to give a tip of the cap to one of Real Sociedad’s defenders in this team.
While Robin Le Normand was fantastic, Igor Zubeldia has just pipped his partner to a place in this team as the only ever-present centre-back in a defence which conceded just two goals in six group stage games.
LB: David Raum
Raum was in basically ever single one of our Champions League team of the weeks throughout the group stages, so it’s only right that he’s in this team too.
The left-back was fantastic at both ends of the park for RB Leipzig, making particularly telling contributions in wins over Red Star and Young Boys to help his side through to the knockout rounds.
CM: Jude Bellingham
The best footballer in the world right now?
Judging by his seven goal contributions in his maiden Champions League campaign with Real Madrid already, and his 14 in 14 La Liga games, it’s hard to argue otherwise.
CM: Rasmus Falk
Hands up if you thought Copenhagen were going to make it through to the last 16.
Put your hands down you liars, no one thought they would and yet, here we are; with Kobenhavn through to the knockout rounds at Man Utd and Galatasaray’s expense.
The Danish side progressed in the Champions League thanks in large part to surprise star of the group stages Rasmus Falk. The 31-year-old picked up player of match awards in wins over Galatasaray and Man Utd as well as in the 0-0 draw with Bayern Munich.
CM: Warren Zaire-Emery
Warren Zaire-Emery was one of the three best midfielders in a Champions League group stage phase and he’s literally 17 years old.
That is disgusting.
And while sheer jealousy on our part could’ve led us to not give Zaire-Emery not getting his props in this article, we’ve decided to put that to one side because his performances for PSG were simply undeniable.
From his star showing in the win over AC Milan, to his season-saving goal against BVB in gameweek six, Zaire-Emery was utterly exceptional in Luis Enrique’s new look PSG midfield.
RW: Bukayo Saka
The Champions League’s top playmaker of the 2023/24 campaign so far, Arsenal’s ‘Starboy’ was fantastic during the club’s Group B games.
His three goals and four assists helped the Gunners top their group with relative ease.
ST: Harry Kane
The general rule for this team of the group stage is: if you bagged seven goal contributions, you’re in.
Harry Kane joined fellow England internationals Bellingham and Saka in achieving the feat, bagging four goals and three assists as Bayern waltzed into the knockout rounds (as per).
LW: Antoine Griezmann
It’s rather remarkable that, after seeing his form fall off a cliff at Barcelona, Antoine Griezmann is back to being one of the best forwards in the world since his return to Atletico Madrid.
The France star has been in irrepressible form in the Champions League this season, bagging five goals for Atleti.
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