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The UEFA Champions League is the pinnacle of club football. It is a competition that is reserved for the greatest.
Unsurprisingly, it has been graced by some of the best footballers of all time. And with that, come some incredible individual displays. In the 64 years since its inception, UCL has seen many examples of individual brilliance that managed to win games single-handedly.
As this decade comes to a close, it's worth mentioning some of the most stunning UCL performances that came along with it.
Here's a look at the five best individual performances in the Champions League in the last decade:
5 - Robert Lewandowski vs Real Madrid - Semifinal 1st leg (2012/13)
Polish star Robert Lewandowski single-handedly dismantled Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid in the first leg of their semi-final tie back in 2013.
As the two European giants locked horns to see who reached the final, Real had no idea what was in store for them.
A neat finish from the Pole after a smart run at the far post opened the scoring for Die Borussen, only for Cristiano Ronaldo to equalize for Real just before half-time.
It was, however, in the second half that Lewandowski unleashed his wrath on Real's helpless defense.
A brilliant turn gave him just enough room in the box to toe-poke the ball beyond Diego Lopez to snatch the lead.
He then completed his hattrick with what was the goal of the night.
A lucky deflection off Luka Modric saw the ball land at his feet. Within seconds, he smashed a thunderous strike into the top corner.
Lewandowski then added a fourth with a penalty to complete an outstanding performance
The young BVB side would go on to lose to Bayern Munich in an all-German final later that year. That, however, takes nothing away from Lewandowski's brilliance that night.
A forward masterclass, Lewa's performance against Real will go down in history as one of the best in the Champions League.
Also check out: Champions League Schedule Champions League table Champions league top scorers
4 - Neymar vs PSG - Round of 16 2nd leg (2016/17)
The greatest comeback in European football history was made possible by an astounding performance from Neymar.
In the second leg of their round of 16 match against PSG in 2017, Barca faced a task many considered impossible - overcoming a 4-0 first-leg deficit.
And on the day Leo Messi could not rise to the occasion, the Cules were fortunate enough to see Neymar produced a career-best display.
With Barca leading 2-0 but still needing three more goals to go through, Neymar won a penalty that was dispatched by Messi in the 50th minute.
However, Cavani scored for the Parisians, making it 3-1. Barca again needed to score three more goals.
It wasn't until the 88th minute that Neymar began to leave his mark in history.
An inch-perfect free-kick made it 4-1 to Barca, giving the fans at Camp Nou some hope.
He then stepped up, ahead of Messi, to score a penalty in the first minute of stoppage time.
Showing nerves of steel, Neymar calmly slotted the ball past a rather helpless Kevin Trapp.
Then, it was time for La Remontada to be complete.
With seconds left on the clock, Barca was awarded a freekick which Neymar tried to deliver into the box.
After a rather weak clearance, the ball landed at his feet again. Taking his time, Neymar then floated a ball in. And the rest is history.
Although it was Sergi Roberto who completed the unbelievable comeback, the man at the centre of it all was Neymar.
With two goals and two assists, he produced a performance of a lifetime in a game that will surely never be forgotten.
Ironically, he ended up joining PSG for a world record fee just months later but his performance that night will surely live in the hearts of Barca fans for years.
3 - Cristiano Ronaldo vs Atletico Madrid - Round of 16 2nd Leg (2018/19)
Cristiano Ronaldo's (and Real Madrid's) love affair with the Champions League is one of the top stories of the past decade.
And it is no secret that Juve splashed 100 million euros on the then 33-year-old for one objective - to win the Champions League.
Unfortunately, Ronaldo's Juve career in the Champions League got off to the worst possible start - he was sent off in his first game and scored only two goals in the group stage.
Things got even worse after Juve lost 2-0 away to Atletico in the first leg.
The defeat, however, set the perfect stage for Ronaldo. His incredible record against Atletico led many to believe that he would inspire Juve to a comeback.
And that is exactly what he did.
A brilliant header at the far post opened the scoring for Juventus in the first half.
In the second half, Ronaldo nodded past Oblak once again, with the goalkeeper saving the shot but the goal was given by goal-line technology.
Ronaldo then sealed the comeback and his fourth hat-trick against Atletico from the spot.
It was a classic Champions League performance that will go down as one of his best and what made it sweeter was the fact that it was against his bitter rivals from his time at Real.
2 - Cristiano Ronaldo vs Atletico Madrid - Semifinal 1st leg (2016/17)
Ronaldo's time at Real saw him and his team conquer Europe and make it their own. They lifted four titles in five seasons and it is very unlikely that a team will be able to replicate those exploits anytime soon.
For their third title, which was also Real's second in a row, Los Blancos faced bitter cross-town rivals Atletico in the semifinal.
In the first leg at the Bernabeu, Ronaldo took matters into his own hands and produced a remarkable display of his goalscoring prowess.
He opened the scoring in the first half, heading Casemiro's rather lucky cross past Oblak.
In the 73rd minute, he got his second- a thunderous half-volley that flew past Oblak. The Slovenian could do nothing about that strike.
Then, with just four minutes left, Ronaldo found himself with enough time and space in the box to control and slot a low cross into the net.
This was his third hat-trick against Atletico.
Real would go on to lose the second-leg 2-1 but progressed 4-2 on aggregate thanks to Ronaldo's one-man-show at the Bernabeu.
Los Blancos went on to beat Juventus 1-4 in the final to lift their twelfth title and became the first team to win back-to-back titles in the Champions League era.
And they owe that to one man - Cristiano Ronaldo.
1 - Lionel Messi vs Bayern Munich - Semifinal 1st leg (2014/15)
Lionel Messi's 2014/15 season, which saw him win his second treble with Barca, was arguably his best-ever. The little magician was simply unplayable that season.
Unfortunately for Bayern, they saw that in the most important game of their season.
Barca hosted the Bavarians in the first leg and the Cules came out all guns blazing right from the start. If it wasn't for Neuer, Bayern could've easily been behind at the break.
But it wasn't until the 77th minute that Messi produced what many consider to be the best 15 minutes of football in the Champions League.
Bayern gave the ball away cheaply near the touchline. It landed at Messi's feet and within seconds the ball had been rifled into the bottom corner. Neuer, the best goalkeeper in the world, was beaten at his near post.
Before Bayern could recover, Messi received the ball on the right. He bamboozled Boateng with a deft touch inside. The German defender fell to the ground, looking on haplessly as Messi calmly chipped the ball past Neuer with his weak foot.
If there was ever any grace in embarrassment, this was it. Messi had taken a formidable Bayern side apart in three minutes of pure, God-like footballing genius.
He then assisted Neymar for Barca's third to cap off an extraordinary performance.
The Blaugrana lost the second leg but progressed on aggregate. Messi put on another brilliant display in the final as Barca completed an unprecedented second treble.
But the highlight of the season was Messi's 15 minutes of pure genius against Bayern. It is, without a doubt, the best individual performance in the UCL in the past ten years.
