Champions League Best XI: Barcelona and City dominate team of the round
Now that the last-16 Champions League ties are done and dusted, we can take stock of the top performers over both legs. Only taking into consideration players that featured in both legs, here we run through the best WhoScored rated XI, with additional information about their Football INDEX share prices.
Goalkeeper: Hugo Lloris (Tottenham) - 8.15 rating
Football INDEX share price - £0.84
Hugo Lloris was the only goalkeeper in the Champions League last-16 to keep two clean sheets and he had to work for that. The Tottenham shot-stopper made 12 saves over two legs against Borussia Dortmund. In fact, only one goalkeeper made more saves than Lloris in the round.
Left-back: Oleksandr Zinchenko (Manchester City) - 7.51 rating
Football INDEX share price - £1.70
Oleksandr Zinchenko is playing the best football of his career at the moment and has helped fill the void left by an injured Benjamin Mendy. Zinchenko came on as a substitute in the first leg but vindicated his starting berth in the second leg where City ran out 7-0 winners. Zinchenko registered an assist in Tuesday’s victory and also completed eight tackles and interceptions combined.
Centre-back: Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham) - 8.63 rating
Football INDEX share price - £1.90
Jan Vertonghen was imperious in both legs of Tottenham’s 4-0 aggregate win over Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund, even helping himself to a goal and an assist in the first leg. Only three players completed more interceptions than Vertonghen (7) in the round, while he also made nine clearances and four tackles.
Centre-back: Gerard Pique (Barcelona) - 7.68 rating
Football INDEX share price - £1.43
Gerard Pique is the first of three Barcelona players in the best rated XI after turning in two thoroughly accomplished performances in a 5-1 aggregate win over Lyon. The Spaniard even managed to score his second goal in Europe this season in Wednesday’s battering of Lyon, latching onto a Lionel messi cross to complete a swift counter-attack. He completed 10 tackles and interceptions combined over both legs.
Right-back: Joao Cancelo (Juventus) - 8.55 rating
Football INDEX share price - £2.69
Joao Cancelo was surprisingly benched in Juventus’ first-leg against Atletico Madrid before coming off the bench in the second half. Max Allegri recognised his mistake and started the right-back in the return leg, which Juventus won 3-0 to make the quarter-finals. Cancelo registered four key passes in total, including an assist for Cristiano Ronaldo’s second on the night. The Portugal international also chipped in with five tackles to ensure Juventus kept a clean sheet.
Left wing: Leroy Sane (Manchester City) - 8.72 rating
Football INDEX share price - £6.85
Leroy Sane came back to haunt boyhood club Schalke with two mesmeric performances. The Germany international came off the bench in the first leg to inspire City to a 3-2 win at Schalke, scoring a breathtaking free kick. Pep Guardiola started Sane in the return leg and he scored one and registered three assists in a 7-0 victory. In fact, Sane was the only player to score or assist five goals across all the last-16 ties.
Central midfield: Sergio Busquets (Barcelona) - 7.71 rating
Football INDEX share price - £1.87
Barcelona may have Frenkie de Jong arriving in the summer, but Sergio Busquets showed over two legs against Lyon that he is still at the peak of his powers. The 30-year-old ranked third for passes attempted (171) across the last-16 ties, while only three players won more tackles (seven). Furthermore, only one player won possession in the middle third more times than Busquets (13) and the Spaniard also registered an assist in Wednesday’s mauling of Lyon.
Central midfield: Bernardo Silva (Manchester City) - 8.46 rating
Football INDEX share price - £8.46
Bernardo Silva was influential in Manchester City’s rip-roaring display against Schalke on Tuesday, scoring once and registering an assist in their 7-0 win. It’s the first time Silva has scored and assisted in the same game since September (vs Cardiff). Silva also completed 95.8% of his passes against Schalke in midweek and completed six dribbles over both legs.
Right wing: Lionel Messi (Barcelona) - 9.03 rating
Football INDEX share price - £15.33
Lyon manager Bruno Genesio suggested his side would have advanced if they had Lionel Messi in their team, rather than Barcelona. Perhaps he is right. After the first leg was drawn 0-0, Messi turned in a typically breathtaking performance in midweek to help Barcelona to a 5-1 win. Messi played a direct hand in four of the five goals Barcelona scored in the tie, while also ranking second for key passes (9) and dribbles (8) in the round. He also had the most touches in the opposition penalty area (22) and the most shots (16).
Striker: Dusan Tadic (Ajax) - 8.68 rating
Football INDEX share price - £1.20
Former Southampton forward Dusan Tadic turned in two of the best performances of his life to help Ajax eliminate defending champions Real Madrid from the last-16 stage. Tadic garnered a perfect WhoScored 10 rating in Ajax’s 4-1 win at the Bernabeu, where he scored once and registered two assists. He ranked top for key passes (10) in the round.
Striker: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus) - 8.68 rating
Football INDEX share price - £7.72
Cristiano Ronaldo inspired Juventus to a second leg comeback against Atletico Madrid with his eighth career hat-trick in the Champions League. No player scored more goals than Ronaldo across both legs (3), while the 34-year-old also ranked top for dribbles completed (13). Ronaldo struggled to influence proceedings in the first leg but reminded the world exactly why Juventus signed him in the summer. His two headers on Tuesday means no player has scored more headed goals than Ronaldo in the Champions League this season.
