5 standout performers in the UEFA Champions League this season

The UEFA Champions League final is on the Horizon. This Saturday night, Real Madrid and Liverpool will contest the all-important final at the Olimpiyskiy stadium at the Ukrainian capital of Kiev.

This season was nothing short of a roller coaster ride. We have seen a rampant Barcelona going down against an inspired Roma side, Juventus roaring back against Real at the Bernabéu but eventually going out thanks to a last minute penalty and what not.

While all eyes are on the build-up to the final of such a brilliant season, let's have a look at the top 5 players who made their mark in this edition of the most popular club competition in the world.

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#5 Philippe Coutinho (The sharpshooter)

Coutinho was right on the mark for Liverpool this season

Philippe Coutinho is all about class. His passing and shooting skills are on another level. Pair this up with his sleek dribbling skills and brilliant awareness and you get someone for whom Barcelona spend more than 100 million pounds.

Coutinho missed out on half of the Champions League campaign after he joined the Catalan giants. But before that, he made a significant contribution to the early campaign of Liverpool. And he is the only player in this year's competition who has managed to keep every shot right on target.

Coutinho took a total of 11 shots this season in the Champions League and all of them were on target. And among these 11, 5 went on to bulge the back of the net. He was also involved in several goal-scoring moves and provided 2 final balls from which his team scored.

All stats via transfermarkt, whoscored

#4 Neymar (The best dribbler)

Neymar has been in red-hot form since joining PSG from Barcelona this season

Neymar has always been the prime focus of the footballing world since his Santos days. He has got the pace, the skill and a stunning shooting ability.

Last season he signed the world record €222 million deal to move to the French capital and since then we have witnessed a whole new flare in his game.

PSG succumbed to the mighty Real Madrid in the quarter-finals which was nothing short of devastating for the French champions. But in their short campaign, they managed to score as many as 27 goals and Neymar was the key behind that.

His amazing dribbling skills and runs pierced open opposition defences, creating decent goal-scoring opportunities for his team.

Neymar made about 7 dribbles per match on an average this season which is higher than any other player in Europe. In his short campaign, he managed to score 6 goals and set up 3 more.

#3 James Milner (most assists)

Milner was the heart of the creative side of Liverpool this season

James Milner is not just your average footballer. He is sharp and very much aware of his surroundings. He also has a brilliant right foot and can deliver some brilliant crosses in the middle. He also has excellent defensive skills and can dominate the midfield in a tight game.

Creating goals is not an easy task but Milner has made it look like a child's play in this season's Champions League. Especially in the 7-0 hammering of Spartak Moscow at Anfield, his creative skills became most prominent as he set up 3 goals for his team.

Milner has made 8 assists so far in this year's competition's main round. He has also set one up against Hoffenheim in the qualifiers. These 9 assists have helped him set up a new record of most assists in a single campaign of the UEFA Champions League.

#2 Roberto Firmino (most goals and assists)

Firmino was pivotal for the success of Liverpool this season

After the great Ronaldo of Brazil, very few Brazilian forwards have managed to make their mark in European football. But Roberto Firmino is something different and he has already established himself as one of the most lethal strikers in Europe.

Firmino has been a true sensation in this season's Champions League. Not only is he brilliant in front of goal but he is crucial in creating goals too. His best performance this season came probably against Roma on the semi-final first leg at Anfield. Not only did he scored a brace but he also set up two goals which were absolutely vital for progress to the final.

Firmino has scored 10 goals so far in this season's Champions League and is only second to the prolific Cristiano Ronaldo. And more importantly, he has set up 7 goals too which put him just behind his captain James Milner in top assists list.

#1 Cristiano Ronaldo (The top scorer)

Cristiano Ronaldo scoring a wonder goal against Juventus

Champions League and Cristiano Ronaldo is the perfect love story. The Portuguese international has always taken his game to next level when playing in European competitions and there is no wonder that he is the all-time leading scorer in the competition.

This season also is a perfect one for Ronaldo. Despite struggling to score in the first half of La Liga, he scored regularly in the Champions League group stage. At knockout stages too he was brilliant and scored crucial goals against PSG and Juventus including that world-class overhead kick.

In total, he has accumulated a total of 15 goals this season, only two short of his record tally of 17 goals. And given the fact that his nearest competitor ls Roberto Firmino who is 5 goals shy of his tally with only one match to go, it can be safely said the 33-year-old is going to be crowned the top scorer of the Champions League for the sixth consecutive season in a row.