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The entertaining group stage of the UEFA Champions League 2019-20 has come to its conclusion, with some teams dropping down to the Europa League while others qualifying for the Champions League knockout stages.
There were a lot of gripping matches, where players stepped up and displayed their individual qualities. Some players such as Robert Lewandowski and Erling Braut Haaland performed consistently for their respective teams, while others like Serge Gnabry and Mohamed Salah came up with great performances when the situation demanded.
New talents are discovered in the Champions League every season, and this season was no different. Haaland, Takumi Minamino, Tammy Abraham and several other players were in the spotlight of Europe's biggest competition for the very first time.
Many memorable individual performances were witnessed in this season's group stage, like Serge Gnabry's hat-trick against Tottenham or Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's incredible show against Genk in Belgium.
Here, we are going to take a look at the top 5 players from the UEFA Champions League 2019-20 group stage:
#5 Toni Kroos (Real Madrid)
Toni Kroos was one of the best midfielders in the group stage of this season's Champions League. The German international completed 90 minutes in each of the 5 matches he played and was rested for the last group stage game against Club Brugge.
Be it attack or defense, the 29-year-old was always up to the task; he showed why he is considered one of the very best midfielders of this decade. Defensively, he made 3 tackles and 1 interception per game, which highlights a rather important trait in the German's armour: working hard off the ball.
He was a steadying influence whenever Real Madrid had possession of the ball, which highlights his quality as a deep-lying orchestrator. The German had an average of 87 passes per game (93% passing accuracy), which is the highest for any player in the group stage this season.
Kroos scored one goal and provided one assist during the 5 matches and despite having next to zero direct goal contributions, he was crucial to Real Madrid's attack. The German provided close to 4 key passes per game, which again is the highest for any player in the group stage. He had the highest shots per 90 minutes for a midfield player, with 3 shots per game.
The Los Blancos would be hoping for the best version of Kroos in the knockout rounds of the competition.
#4 Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain)
It was two seasons ago that Kylian Mbappe burst onto the scene while playing for Monaco, and the French forward has gone from strength to strength since then. Out of possible 540 minutes, he played 330 in the group stage this season. The 20-year-old scored 5 goals while providing a further 3 assists as Paris Saint-Germain topped the group with 16 points.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup winner averaged 3 shots per game and made 2 key passes per 90 minutes. The young sensation scored a hat-trick against Club Brugge as well as scored the equalizer for the 2-2 draw against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Mbappe was a constant menace for the opposition team's defence. His pace, skills and quick decision-making differentiate him from most other forwards around Europe; only Sadio Mane, Neymar and Mohamed Salah have qualities similar to Mbappe.
At such a young age, the Frenchman has been delivering for his team with frightening consistency in the UEFA Champions League along with other leagues.
With Neymar now back in the team, PSG would be hoping for some good football in the knockouts. And they will need their Number 7 to continue his high level of performance from the group stages.
#3 Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Barcelona)
Barcelona were drawn in the group of death alongside Inter Milan and Borussia Dortmund, and the German keeper was one of the key players who helped them qualify ahead of the tough competition.
Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Keylor Navas put in some great performances too but the French side were in a relatively easy group compared to Barcelona. That makes Ter Stegen's performances more valuable than those of Navas.
The Blaugrana's shot-stopper single-handedly helped Barcelona avoid defeat in two out of the five matches he played; he put in great performances against Borussia Dortmund and Slavia Prague. He made 17 saves throughout the group stage and was fourth in the number of shots saved per 90, with 3 to 4 saves per match.
To top it all off, he saved a crucial penalty against Dortmund and earned a point for Barcelona on his own.
Ter Stegen is arguably one of the top three goalkeepers in the world right now and he will be crucial to Barcelona's hopes of winning the Champions League as we head into the knockout stages.
#2 Erling Braut Haaland (RB Salzburg)
Erling Braut Haaland has been the find of the season as far as the Champions League is concerned; he has taken the world by storm. Despite RB Salzburg crashing out in the group stage, the Norwegian played his role to perfection.
Haaland was second only to Robert Lewandowski in terms of goals scored in the group stage with eight, while also providing an assist in the process. His consistency in front of the goal has caught the eye of fans and pundits alike; he was able to score in 5 out of the 6 matches in the group stages.
Not even the established strikers have scored as consistently as the RB Salzburg forward this season.
The 19 -year-old has 35 goal contributions in all competitions so far and is in the top 10 players for the European Shoe race along with the likes of Lionel Messi and Lewandowski. He has confidence and self-belief in abundance, and lots of top European clubs are circling around in a bid to snap up the Norwegian.
With Salzburg now out of the Champions League, the chances of the 19-year-old leaving the club have increased significantly. There is a good chance he will be playing in the Champions League again this season.
#1 Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
Robert Lewandowski has set the standards of excellence for attackers in the 2019-20 season. The Polish international has been the main man up top for Bayern Munich, and has emerged as the highest scorer in the Champions League group stage with 10 goals in 5 matches. That includes two braces - against Tottenham and Olympiacos - as well as hitting four goals in a single match against Crvena Zvezda.
Apart from his goalscoring ability, Lewandowski is very important to Bayern Munich's attacking play in and around the box. He's a constant menace for the opposition's defence while trying to link up with his teammates and creating goalscoring opportunities.
Lewandowski has provided two key passes per game in the group stage and has completed two dribbles, along with averaging six shots per match.
The 31-year-old is the best striker in the world right now. He currently leads the European Shoe race and isn't showing any signs of slowing down.
