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In front of a packed Stade de France, Real Madrid clinched a narrow 1-0 win over Liverpool in the 2021-22 Champions League final on Saturday (May 28). The win secured Los Blancos’ 14th UCL title, with five of those coming in the last eight years.
The final in Paris perfectly encapsulated the spirit of the 2021-22 Champions League campaign. It was a game of immense technical quality and brilliant performances all over the pitch, churning out an outcome that very few predicted.
The 2021-22 Champions League campaign saw 125 matches, 380 goals, numerous impeccable tackles, and extraordinary individual performances. Today, we will take a brief look at the seven footballers who stood out and made the campaign memorable. Here are the top seven performers from the 2021-22 Champions League campaign:
#7 Kylian Mbappe — Paris Saint-Germain
Paris Saint-Germain started the season as one of the favorites to lift the prestigious cup. The trio of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar Jr. were expected to light up the tournament.
They, unfortunately, failed to top their group as Manchester City finished first. The Parisians then crossed paths with a spirited Real Madrid in the Round of 16. Mbappe scored the winner in the first leg and doubled his side’s advantage by adding another in the second leg.
However, his compatriot Karim Benzema was in no mood to lose the tie and scored a hat-trick in the final 30 minutes of the second leg to knock PSG out.
Mbappe was the only bright spark amid the doom and gloom of Paris’ lackluster European campaign. He scored six goals and provided four assists in eight UCL games in the 2021-22 season. He also completed 43 dribbles, played 29 passes into the key area, and recovered the ball 10 times.
#6 Kevin De Bruyne — Manchester City
Premier League 'Player of the Season' Kevin De Bruyne was in superb form in the 2021-22 UCL campaign. He did not score or assist as much, but the poise and control he brought to City’s midfield were unparalleled. The Belgian featured in 10 matches, recording two goals and four assists.
De Bruyne completed 44 out of 56 long passes, played 29 passes into the penalty area, and completed 14 dribbles. His best performance came in the semi-final first-leg against Real Madrid. He not only scored but also provided an assist in a 4-3 win. However, they ultimately lost the tie 6-5 on aggregate.
#5 Vinicius Junior — Real Madrid
Vinicius Junior was easily the most improved player in the Real Madrid squad in the 2021-22 season. The Brazilian dramatically improved his decision-making, looked more fearless in attack, and popped up with decisive goals and assists time and again.
Of course, his most important contribution came against Liverpool in Paris, with the 21-year-old bagging the winner in his first-ever final. The winger found himself in the right place at the right time to tuck home Fede Valverde’s excellent low cross.
Vinicius, who also scored in the semi-final first leg against Manchester City, ended the UCL campaign with four goals and six assists. He also completed 83 dribbles, won a penalty, and played 69 passes into the key play area.
#4 Mohamed Salah — Liverpool
Mohamed Salah enjoyed a blistering start to the 2021-22 UCL season, scoring five goals in his opening three group stage matches. He drew a blank on Matchday 4, but once again found the back of the net in the final two group-stage matches. The Liverpool ace also scored in the first leg of the Reds’ Round of 16 tie against Inter Milan, helping them to a 0-2 win at the San Siro.
The Egypt international endured a sharp decline in form since the Round of 16 first leg against and failed to score in any of the remaining fixtures. With eight goals in 13 matches, Salah ended the season as the Reds’ leading scorer and the tournament’s fourth-highest goalscorer.
#3 Luka Modric — Real Madrid
Real Madrid maestro Luka Modric was easily the best midfielder in the UCL in the 2021-22 campaign. Defying age, the 36-year-old chased down every ball, shielded Madrid's defense, and created goalscoring chances whenever possible.
Modric’s best performance in the Champions League came in the second leg of the quarter-finals against Chelsea. With Los Blancos trailing 4-3 on aggregate with just 10 minutes remaining, he produced a moment of magic.
His outside-the-boot pass to Rodrygo was inch-perfect and took the entire defense out of the equation. The Brazilian coolly slotted it home to push the match into extra time, where Benzema landed the killer blow.
In the 2021-22 UCL campaign, the Croat provided four assists and completed 723 of 799 passes. He also played 51 passes into the key play area, made 92 passes into the attacking third, and completed 60 long passes.
#2 Thibaut Courtois — Real Madrid
From being booed by the Madridistas to winning the biggest prize as one of their best performers, Thibaut Courtois has certainly come a long way. Had it not been for his heroics in the Champions League final against Liverpool, Madrid wouldn’t have managed to bring home their 14th.
He also had brilliant performances throughout the campaign, even saving Messi's penalty in their Round of 16 tie against PSG.
In 13 matches, Courtois kept five clean sheets and made a whopping 61 saves. His best performance, of course, came in the final, where he made a whopping nine saves, with seven shots coming from inside the box.
#1 Karim Benzema — Real Madrid
Real Madrid ace Karim Benzema scored a whopping 15 goals in the tournament this season, emerging as its leading scorer. Benzema scored five goals in five group stage matches, which was commendable in itself. What he did in the knockout rounds, however, was beyond magical.
Benzema scored a hat-trick within 30 minutes in the Round of 16 second leg against PSG, helping Los Merengues to a 3-2 aggregate win.
In the quarter-final first leg against Chelsea, he scored another treble to guide the Whites to a 3-1 first-leg win. In the return leg, he netted the decisive goal in extra time to take Madrid through to the semi-finals with a 5-4 aggregate scoreline.
In the semi-final against Manchester City, Benzema scored twice in the first leg and bagged another in the reverse fixture to secure a 6-5 aggregate victory.
He became the joint highest scorer in the knockout phase of the Champions League in one season with Cristiano Ronaldo, who did it in the 2016-17 season.
Benzema couldn’t score in the final, but had it not been for his previous performances, Madrid certainly wouldn’t have made it to the grand event.
