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#3 Alphonso Davies - Bayern Munich
At the tender ager of 19, Alphonso Davies won the UEFA Champions League with Bayern Munich in 2019-20. Over the next two seasons, he has proved himself to be a key cog in Bayern's system. The Canadian international fits Bayern’s explosive football like a glove and regularly pops up with important contributions at both ends of the pitch.
The full-back loves to use his pace to get through the thirds and whip in dangerous crosses into the box. He is also a relentless workhorse, capable of pressing his opponents right until the final whistle.
Davies is yet to hit the back of the net in the UEFA Champions League this season, but already has two assists to his name.
His first assist came on matchday four of the UEFA Champions League, while his second was against Barcelona in gameweek six. The latter contributed to Barcelona’s elimination from the UEFA Champions League for the first time in 17 years.
#2 Eder Militao - Real Madrid
13-time UEFA Champions League winners Real Madrid shipped off two of their most dependable centre-backs, Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane, in the summer of 2021. Thankfully, Eder Militao has stepped up to the task, leading Los Blancos' backline valiantly in Ramos and Varane’s absence.
The young Brazilian has remarkably improved upon his performances from last season, looking calmer and more collected than ever before. In the UEFA Champions League group stage, Militao made some crucial blocks against Inter Milan over the two legs, helping Real Madrid top the group.
Militao also recovered the ball more than any other Real Madrid player, completing 45 recoveries over six group-stage matches. Additionally, the 23-year-old attempted seven tackles and 17 clearances without giving away cheap fouls.
#1 Joao Cancelo - Manchester City
Manchester City left-back Joao Cancelo was the most adventurous defender in the UEFA Champions League group stage this season. The Portuguese full-back also tracked back religiously and rarely allowed the opposition to dribble past him.
Cancelo featured in all but one UEFA Champions League group-stage game this season. Having already secured top spot, Pep Guardiola decided to leave his precious left-back out of the XI for the trip to Leipzig on matchday six.
City suffered a 2-1 defeat in Germany, but that did not put their knockout journey in jeopardy.
In his five games, Cancelo registered two goals and three assists. Interestingly, all three assists came in one match - in the 4-1 win over Club Brugge on UEFA Champions League matchday four.
His goals came against RB Leipzig and Brugge in gameweek one and three, respectively.
