With the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League campaign coming to an end, it is time to take a look at The Hard Tackle’s Team of the Season.
Paris Saint-Germain scripted history on Saturday night as they not only won their first-ever UEFA Champions League title, but Luis Enrique’s team ended up smashing Inter Milan 5-0 in the final, which is the biggest-ever win in a final in the tournament.
On paper, there was not much to separate the two teams ahead of the final at the Allianz Arena in Munich. But what transpired on the pitch was a completely different story as Simone Inzaghi’s Inter hardly had any time to react to what had hit them
PSG were 2-0 up in no time, while Inter Milan managed to keep it that way for the remainder of the first half, and they showed some signs of a potential revival towards the end of the first half. However, the Ligue 1 champions once again went all guns blazing in second-half and ended up winning 5-0.
While PSG did not have the best of league phases, they peaked at the right time and ended up winning their first UEFA Champions League Title. Meanwhile, Inter Milan, who were consistent throughout the campaign, could not really deliver on the most important night. The pressure of playing in the final once again got to them, and they got smashed.
With PSG’s emphatic triumph, the season has now come to an end and it is time to look at the standout performers of this season. Starting from the league phase to the knockouts, multiple stars rose to the occasion and guided their team home and The Hard Tackle now takes a look at the best of the lot and attempts to create a balanced XI with the help of the 4-3-3 formation.
Formation 4-3-3
GK: Gigi Donnarumma (PSG)
Donnarumma was not at his best in the first half of the season, and there were a lot of talks about his future at the club. But the Italian international has managed to turn things around. He has been sensational throughout the second half.
While he hardly had anything to do in the final, PSG would not have made it this far without the 26-year-old, who was absolutely sensational in the semi-final against Arsenal. He made numerous top-quality saves to keep his team in the game.
Overall, it has been a sensational UEFA Champions League campaign for the Italian international, as he only conceded 14 goals in his 15 outings and kept six clean sheets in total.
RB: Achraf Hakimi (PSG)
While all the forwards tend to get the limelight in world football, Hakimi certainly deserves a lot of credit, and he should be talked about as one of the candidates for the Ballon d’Or, given his performances this season.
Not only has the Moroccan international played a massive part in their Champions League triumph, but he is one of the reasons they could secure the treble. Out of his 23 goal contributions, nine were in his 17 Champions League outings.
He found the back of the net against Arsenal and Aston Villa in the knockout phase before adding another one in the final against his former club Inter Milan. While he was certainly a threat to the opposition defenders from the right flank, the 26-year-old was equally effective on the defensive side of things.
CB: Marquinhos (PSG)
While all the talk is about the young players at PSG, Marquinhos is the experienced leader who holds things together. He is not one of those big-name defenders who is always the talk of the town, but he is certainly as effective as them.
The 31-year-old was a rock at the back for PSG as they cruised to the Champions League title. One of the key reasons behind 23-year-old Willian Pacho’s success was the presence of the experienced Brazilian.
Marquinhos provided the perfect safety net, allowing the youngster to push higher up the pitch with confidence, knowing the veteran was expertly reading the game and ready to cover whenever needed.
CB: Alessandro Bastoni (Inter Milan)
The final certainly did not go according to plan for Inter Milan as they ended up conceding five goals in the most important game of the season. But apart from Saturday night, Inter Milan had one of the best defences in the competition.
Up until the second leg of the round of 16, they had only conceded one goal in a total of nine games where they faced teams like Manchester City, Arsenal, RB Leipzig, and AS Monaco. Bastoni played a massive part in their solid defensive performances.
Apart from his impressive tackling ability, his aerial prowess and ability to play precise passes out from the back were all key to Inter Milan’s successful campaign that didn’t really end the way they would have liked.
LB: Nuno Mendes (PSG)
PSG arguably have the best full-back duo in world football with Hakimi on the right and Mendes on the left. While the Moroccan international was sensational from the right, the Portuguese full-back was equally effective from the left.
He kept Mohamed Salah at bay in their round-of-16 tie against Liverpool and found the back of the net in both legs against Aston Villa in the quarter-finals. The Frenchman was not just great going forward, he was equally effective on the defensive side of things.
Enrique seems to have unlocked the best of Mendes, who can only go from strength to strength from here. He finished with four goals and two assists in his 16 UEFA Champions League outings.
CDM: Declan Rice (Arsenal)
While Arsenal could not make it to the final, they still enjoyed an impressive campaign. Their standout moment came in the quarter-finals, where they knocked out record winners Real Madrid, a result that marked a major statement in their European journey.
They dominated the tie and ended up winning 5-1, and Rice was the one who made all the difference as he won Player of the Match in both legs. Two sensational free-kick goals in the first leg and a solid defensive performance in the second.
Rice was consistent throughout the campaign but he certainly was on another level when they squared up against the defending champions. He finished his Champions League campaign with six-goal contributions in his 13 outings.
CM: Pedri (Barcelona)
Barcelona boast a star-studded attack that often grabs the headlines. While their forwards score plenty of goals, it is the midfield that truly makes them tick and Pedri, in particular, stands out as the engine of the team, orchestrating play as their midfield general.
While he may not boast eye-catching numbers with just two assists in his 14 Champions League outings, he has been one of Barcelona’s standout performers under Hansi Flick. Beyond his creativity, the 22-year-old was equally effective defensively, consistently delivering 8-out-of-10 performances every time he stepped onto the pitch in the Champions League.
CM: Vitinha (PSG)
Vitinha is another one of those players who quietly goes about his job and on the majority of the occasions, he ends up delivering top performances. The Portuguese international has taken his game to another level in recent seasons.
He has been the go-to man in midfield for Luis Enrique this season. The 25-year-old not only controls the tempo of the game, but he is exceptional with the ball at his feet and can unlock defences with a single pass between the lines; just like he did for the opening goal in the final, when he found Desire Doue with a magnificent ball behind the Inter backline, who then squared it to Hakimi to slot it into the back of the net.
The Portuguese midfielder finished the UEFA Champions League campaign with four goal contributions in his 17 outings. His overall game was key to PSG’s triumph as he controlled the tempo and supplied the balls to their forwards to do the damage.
RW: Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)
Being a key player in the Barcelona first-team at the age of just 17 is unreal. Yamal was sensational throughout the season for the Catalan giants. He was amongst their standout performances and certainly contributed towards a lot of goals.
As far as the Champions League is concerned, he finished with five goals and four assists in his 13 outings. While the Spanish senseationwas a constant threat for every team he squared up against, the teenager especially troubled the Inter Milan backline in the semi-finals. Inzaghi was forced them have three players keep a check on the teenager to stop him from causing any further damage.
ST: Ousmane Dembele (PSG)
With 14 goal contributions in his 15 Champions League outings this season, Dembele was certainly the biggest factor in PSG’s triumph. While the Frenchman was not really at his best in the final, they did not really need him on the night and he still ended up bagging two assists.
Starting from the second leg of the round of 16 against Liverpool, the 28-year-old contributed towards a goal in every Champions League outing. With Dembele on their team, they were practically a goal up every time they took the field.
While the French international prefers playing on the left flank, Enrique has brought the best out of him in a central role and he is certainly enjoying his time at PSG after struggling to stay fit during his time at Barcelona.
LW: Raphinha (Barcelona)
While Raphinha might not have guided Barcelona to the final, he certainly had one of the best UCL campaigns of all time. The Brazilian contributed to 21 goals in just 14 outings, equalling Cristiano Ronaldo’s record for the most goal contributions in a single Champions League season (21 G/A in 2013/14).
He contributed towards a goal in both legs of their quarter-finals against Inter Milan but even then it was not enough to help them secure a spot in the final. Nevertheless, he was the biggest star of this season with goals, assists and his overall game from the flanks.
Honourable Mentions
If not for Inter Milan’s poor outing in the final, Yann Sommer could have given Donnarumma a tough fight for a place in the team. In defence, Willian Pacho, Kim Min-jae and Gabriel Magalhaes were quite effective for their respective teams and certainly deserve a shoutout.
Denzel Dumfries might not have had the best of outings in the final but he was certainly amongst the best players for Inter in their UCL campaign. If not for Hakimi’s brilliance, he could have been a straightforward pick at right-back.
In the centre of the park, Joao Neves, Joshua Kimmich, and Nicolo Barella all enjoyed exceptional campaigns. Up front, Serhou Guirassy spearheaded Borussia Dortmund’s attack and finished as the joint-top scorer alongside Raphinha. Robert Lewandowski andLautaro Martinez also had impressive seasons but narrowly missed out on a place in the XI.