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As another thrilling season of the Champions League comes to a close, there have been a few players who have been exceptional.Thse players have been instrumental in their teams' success and are some of the best in their positions.
#5 Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Ibrahimovic has always been known for his phenomenal goal scoring. From his thunderstrikes to the more simple ones, Ibrahimovic has scored 10 goals in 8 appearances for PSG in the Champions League.
Nicknamed Ibracadabra because of his magical goals, no one can be certain when he's going to score or how. To add to this, he has a pass completion rate of 82% in the Champions League, far better than the likes of Rooney, Bale and Diego Costa.
#4 Diego Costa
Costa has scored 8 goals in 8 appearances including the vital one that decided the game in Wednesday's Champions League semi-final. He's been an influential part of Atletico's title challenge this season after the departure of Falcao.
Anyone who's seen his flying goal against AC Milan can agree that his touch and finishing are outstanding. Nicknamed "The Panther" because of his ability to poach goals, Costa along with Arda Turan, form a partnership that is to be feared.
#3 Gareth Bale - Real Madrid
Undoubtedly one of the season's best performers in the Champions League, Bale has proven to be instrumental for Real Madrid. In 11 games for Los Blancos in the Champions League, he's managed to score 5 goals and has 4 assists taking him to the Top 5 in assists charts. He's also one of the most disciplined players and is yet to be booked in the Champions League.
Many questioned his move to Madrid and the £86million price tag but he has performed very well in his first season at the club with his incredible pace and finishing proving hard to handle for even the top teams.
#2 Thibaut Courtois - Atletico Madrid
Only 21, the goalkeeper is turning out to be a star. The on-loan Chelsea goalkeeper has had a lot of success with Atletico Madrid and even Jose Mourinho couldn't help but praise the goalkeeper after his side's loss against Atletico.
Courtois himself said “I am in my best-ever form and feel that I am among the top five goalkeepers in the world." Based on what we've seen, it's hard to disagree with him at the moment.
The Belgian goalkeeper has 5 clean sheets in this Champions League campaign.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo - Real Madrid
With 16 goals and 3 assists in 10 appearances, it's no surprise that Ronaldo tops the list. If Real Madrid achieve La Decima, a big part of it is owed to Ronaldo. In fact, in 50 appearances for the club in the Champions League, he has scored 51 times and has a superior pass completion rate of 84.8%.
With his precise passing and even better finishing, not to mention his pace and power, he undeniably deserves all the praise he's been showered with. If there's anyone who deserves to win Player of the Year, then it is this man.
