Top 5 youngsters from the Champions League group stage

4. Mario Gotze (Bayern Munich) – 275 points

Mario Gotze was unlucky enough to miss out on last season’s Champions League final as his ex-club Borussia Dortmund fell to defeat against his current team, Bayern Munich. However, the German midfielder may strike lucky as this season a second successive final could well be on the cards, especially if he continues to assist his side with his fantastic form.

Gotze is one of many match winners at Bayern and having scored three times in Europe this season he is also the club’s joint top scorer. With a shot accuracy of 100% and a conversion rate of 50% the 21-year-old clearly has a deadly eye for goal.

As well as scoring goals, Gotze has provided a continuous creative threat. With nine key passes, one of which earned him a goal assist. His playmaking performance versus Viktoria Plzen particularly impressed. In this match he created four chances having been on the pitch for just 28 minutes.

His summer transfer free seems much smaller when you start to consider the quality he is already showing for the club. With a combined Performance Score of 275 points, he has collected two Man of the Match awards from just five appearances.

It must be noted that he is yet to play a full 90 minutes in the Champions League this season but, throughout the group stages, his time on the pitch has been increasing. I am expecting to see much more of Gotze throughout the remainder of the competition and, with this in mind, Arsenal fans should be particularly concerned.