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The UEFA Champions League is back, and if you by chance missed the match-day one games, then you surely missed some thrilling football. Europe’s flagship competition always brings fascinating scenes, as fans around the world brace themselves for months of exciting football.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, it was no different as the Champions League gave us all drama, emotion and fanciful moments. The biggest story was the red card handed to Cristiano Ronaldo during his first outing for Juventus in the Champions League.
However, there were also other talking points, including some shocking results as well. While clubs like Manchester United, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus recorded routine wins, the situation was the exact opposite for the likes of Manchester City who suffered a 2-1 loss at the hands of Lyon.
But in all, there were some outstanding players who really deserve a mention for their outputs in Tuesday and Wednesday’s fixtures.
Below are the top five performers after match-day one of the Champions League.
#5 Paul Pogba
Manchester United started their Champions League campaign with a 3-0 mulling of Swiss champions Young Boys on Wednesday night. But at the heart of that victory was midfielder Paul Pogba. The France international was almost unplayable throughout the 90 minutes.
Pogba ticked all the right boxes and dragged his teammates along with a man-of-the-match performance in the middle of the park. The 26-year old was also involved in all three of Man United’s goals, as he scored twice and set up Anthony Martial for Man United's third goal.
The Frenchman first pounced on a loose ball and fired a left footed shot into the top corner, before expertly converting a penalty after Luke Shaw’s cross was adjudged to have hit the hand of a Young Boys defender.
The midfielder also recovered 11 balls and had an impressive passing rate of 92.6 percent against the Swiss side, according to stats collated by Opta. It was an overall masterclass from Pogba, and that makes him one of the best players after match-day one.
#4 Lionel Messi
There is a joke among rival fans - play Lionel Messi along with 10 other amateurs and the Argentine will still drag them to victory. On Tuesday, the 31-year-old was in imperious form and once again demonstrated why he is so highly rated when it comes to the game of football.
Messi totally ran the show in Barcelona’s 4-0 win over PSV Eindhoven and rounded things up with a sublime hat-trick – his very first of the season. The Argentine barely put a foot wrong, and his free-kick which opened the scoring will be re-watched by football lovers many, many times.
It is only fair that the only player to have scored a hat-trick after match-day one of the Champions League makes the list of the top five performers. This is a man whom many have run out of superlatives to describe, but his numbers just keep on getting better and better.
#3 Luka Modric
Very few midfielders in the modern game are as artistic and at the same time dependable as Luka Modric is. The Croat enjoyed an amazing World Cup with his national team and followed that up by also scooping the European Best Player award.
Modric was at his best once again when Real Madrid took on AS Roma in the Champions League on Wednesday night. The midfielder was all over the pitch and didn’t put a foot wrong as the holders started their European campaign with a 3-0 win over the Italian side.
His perfectly weighted pass to Gareth Bale, which the Welshman converted to put Madrid 2-0 up, was the highlight of what was yet another marvelous display at the heart of midfield for the Croatian captain.
By now, Modric must have gotten used to doing all the hard work and forfeiting the praise to his more attacking teammates. He may not have scored against Roma, but Modric was by far Real Madrid’s best player on the night.
#2 Nabil Fekir
Prior to Olympique Lyon’s visit to the Etihad stadium to face the in-form Manchester City, many predicted that the French side would be at the end of a humiliating defeat. In truth, not many teams go to the Etihad and return with smiles on their faces.
However, Lyon went to the lion’s den and emerged unscathed thanks to a collective masterclass, led by the brilliant Nabil Fekir. The highly-rated attacker was a thorn in the flesh of the Man City defence, running riot with his pace and trickery all through the game.
Having set up Maxwell Cornet for Lyon’s opening goal, the France international went a step further to add his name to the score-sheet after slotting home from a Memphis Depay pass.
It is said that European nights like this are made for the best of players. Fekir may not have attained legendary status yet, but such a performance will no doubt go down as one of his personal bests in the Champions League.
#1 Sadio Mane
There are times when a player is still worth the praise even when he fails to get on the score sheet. That was exactly the case of Sadio Mane during Liverpool’s dramatic 3-2 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
The Senegal international may not have gotten his name on the score sheet, but he worked tirelessly and played a huge role in ensuring Jurgen Klopp’s side emerged victorious in the encounter. Mane was a constant menace on the right wing and became an internet sensation after he bamboozled Neymar during a one-on-one duel with the Brazilian. The video has since gone viral.
The winger has undoubtedly been Liverpool’s best player so far this season, as Mohamed Salah struggles to replicate his performance of last season. At this rate, opposition teams will have a real threat on their hands to deal with. He was simply phenomenal against PSG.
