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We are only hours away from a fresh, new, hopeful campaign for the most elite cup competition in world football - the UEFA Champions League. Last year, Premier League side Chelsea beat Manchester City in the final, with Kai Havertz scoring the only goal of the match. Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Halaand finished as the top scorer of the tournament with 10 goals, while Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe finished two goals behind.
The 2021-22 Champions League campaign promises another rollercoaster ride of emotion and excitement. Every player is charged up for continental success and they will do all they can to lead their teams to glory at the end.
Today, however, is not about finality. It is about celebrating new beginnings. Today is about taking a look at the top five players who have the potential to set gameweek 1 on fire. Now, without further ado, let us get to it.
#5 Vinicius Jr - Real Madrid
Since breaking onto the scene in the 2018-19 campaign, Real Madrid youngster Vinicius Jr has managed to attract the eyeballs of millions of football fans. He has always possessed excellent pace and unmatched dribbling. But this season, he is finally finishing off his chances.
The left-winger has been one of Real Madrid’s best performers in La Liga 2021-22 campaign, and he will be the one to watch against Inter Milan. Vinicius has been like a live wire on the pitch for Real Madrid this season.
He has created chances, taken on defenders and scored four goals in as many La Liga fixtures. At Inter Milan, Real Madrid need someone to break quickly when an opportunity presents itself, and Vinicius Jr is destined to be that man.
#4 Thomas Muller - Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich stalwart Thomas Muller is one of the most underrated players in football. He has an enviable resume, winning 29 trophies with Bayern, including two Champions Leagues. Most importantly, he always seems to find a way to step up exactly when his teammates desperately need him to.
Muller has been a thorn in Barcelona’s side in the Champions League from the very beginning. He has scored six goals in five games against the Catalans, making him the most prolific forward against Barcelona in the Champions League.
Funnily enough, Barcelona are also Muller’s favorite opponents in the competition. The German has not scored more goals against any other team in the Champions League than Barcelona.
In their last meeting in the 2019-20 Champions League quarterfinals, Muller scored a first-half brace against the Catalan giants. The match famously ended 8-2 in favor of Bayern.
#3 Memphis Depay - Barcelona
The Champions League witnessed one of its most one-sided encounters in the quarter-finals of the 2019-20 campaign. Bayern Munich won 8-2 against Barcelona, which, in many ways, marked the beginning of the end of the older generation of Blaugrana. Lionel Messi, Antoine Griezmann and Luis Suarez have been shipped off and the likes of Memphis Depay and Sergio Aguero have joined as reinforcements.
To everyone’s surprise, Depay has settled in nicely at Barcelona and is the club’s main talisman heading into their Champions League opener against Bayern Munich. Depay has already registered two goals and provided an assist in three La Liga fixtures and will look to carry his form over to Europe.
His movement, shooting and passing range can turn out to be a handful for Bayern, and Barcelona must make sure to get him on the ball as frequently as possible.
#2 Lionel Messi - PSG
Ligue 1 side Paris Saint-Germain are desperate to win their first Champions League title. Searching for the trophy, they have assembled one of the best squads in the world, creating a fearsome front-three of Neymar, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe.
Lionel Messi, who joined PSG in the summer on a free transfer from Barcelona, has scored 120 goals in the Champions League so far. Surprisingly, only eight of those goals have come in the last two Champions League campaigns, which is sub-par by Messi’s sky-high standards.
Against Club Brugge, PSG should not have much trouble getting on the scoresheet. This should allow debutant Lionel Messi to play his natural game without added pressure. Messi needs a goal or two to get his confidence back in Champions League, and Club Brugge could turn out to be the perfect opponent for it.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo - Manchester United
With 135 goals in the Champions League, Cristiano Ronaldo is the most prolific scorer in the history of the competition. The man from Madeira has returned to his old club Manchester United from Juventus this summer and is hungrier than ever to lead them to prestigious trophies.
Ronaldo marked his Premier League return with a brace against Newcastle United on Saturday and is tipped to be on the scoresheet again on Tuesday. Swiss side Young Boys are no slouches, of course, but an in-form Ronaldo has always been pretty much impossible to handle.
The 36-year-old netted only four goals in the Champions League last season and will be desperate to return to form in his favorite tournament.
