Champions League 2024-2025 Overview
Rating the Top Players Entering the 2024-2025 UEFA Champions League Season
It's already that time of year again. Crazy to think that upcoming Champions League qualifiers have already begun when it felt like just yesterday when Real Madrid cruised to their 15th Champions League title. But as we all know, things change quickly with young stars getting promotions and aggressive teams looking to improve in any which way during transfer windows. Fans were blessed this summer as we got to watch an exciting Euros tournament, in which Spain dominated, beating England 2-1.
In terms of this season's champions league, all indicators point to the usual Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga and Serie A teams making respectable runs. It’s no shock that Real Madrid are favored to take home their 16th champions league title at +270, after the signing of Kylian Mbappe this summer. Obviously when adding arguably the best player in the world after winning the title last year it may seem like this year's title is Real Madrid’s to lose. I disagree wholeheartedly, in fact I see it being harder for them to repeat this year then most do.
Mbappe during his Introduction at the Bernabeu: realmadrid.com
This is mainly because of the retirement of facilitating captain midfielder Toni Kroos, the aging defense and possible clustered mess they could have at attack. Now I still believe Real Madrid is the best team on paper, but it’s not by much and I think if teams expose their weaknesses early on it will take a while for the attacking trio to truly gel together. Despite this minor critique, barring injuries they literally have the potential to be the best team ever constructed at their peak.
Other teams have made respectable moves to compete with the recent league winners, two of my favorites being Julian Alvarez to Atletico Madrid and Joao Felix to Chelsea. It is a weird transition point for European Futbol as the older generation of superstars are slowly fading as this new wave enters in. Look for rising stars such as Alejandro Garnacho, Endrick, Xavi Simons and Jeremy Doku to have monster seasons and dramatically increase their transfer value. Listed below are my top 20 players I expect to make the most impact in this year's 2024-2025 UEFA Champions League.
HM: RB Dani Carvajal, RW Lamine Yamal, CM Ilkay Gundogan
20. ST Antoine Griezmann Atletico Madrid: The French striker still has a lot left in the tank at age 33 and he’s seemed to have found a home in Atletico. A versatile forward, Griezzman will pair well with new signing Julian Alvarez as he can play ST, CAM and even a wing position if needed.
19. RW Bernardo Silva Manchester City: The epitome of consistency for Manchester City, Silva will most likely be playing a lot of RW with the addition of Ilkay Gundogan in midfield. Silva rises to the occasion in Champions League play, and I expect the same in 2025.
18. RB Trent Alexander Arnold Liverpool: In my eyes the best RB in the world, Trent’s passing opens up so many lanes for Liverpool's attack while simultaneously defending with arguably one of the best backlines in Europe. He is the corner taker for Liverpool and his wide skillset makes him much more valuable than any typical fullback in Europe.
17. CM Martin Odegaard Arsenal: One of the pillars of Arsenal, Odegaard is a model of consistency contributing in multiple ways as a versatile midfielder. Arsenal has one of the most balanced squads in Europe and Odegaard is a huge reason why they expect to make a deep Champions League run.
16. CM Federico Valverde Real Madrid: A true box to box midfielder, Valverde brings a much needed element to the Real Madrid midfield, with above average passing and an extremely powerful shooting foot. Not a ball dominant player, he works very well in Ancelotti’s system.
15. ST Lautaro Martinez Inter Milan: Lautaro can be inconsistent at times, but in big tournaments he elevates his game as a do it all striker for Inter Milan. If they make a deep run in this bracket Lautaro will be a huge reason why after a great Copa America for Argentina this past summer.
14. ST Harry Kane Bayern Munich: This might feel low for the Bundesliga’s top scorer last season, but to me he looked extremely unfit in the Euros as stamina and age could be an issue. His goal scoring ability is undeniable however, and this ranking could look foolish in the coming months.
13. CAM Florian Wirtz Bayer Leverkusen: One of Germany’s starboys, Wirtz had a monster 2024 campaign followed by a solid Euros run with Germany. He is the engine for Leverkusen and if they can remake history again, Wirtz will be a huge contributor.
12. RW Mohammed Salah Liverpool: Arguably the Premier Leagues most historic current player, Salah is a master of his craft still at age 33. With ST Darwin Nunez and LW Luis Diaz, being inconsistent at times Salah remains Liverpool's top scoring option in 2025.
11. CB Virgil Van Dijk Liverpool: Van Dijk was the world's best defender in my eyes last season even in a ‘down’ year to his standards. He is aging however, but the skillset is still astounding and with a more formidable back line for Liverpool, the pressure is not all on Van Dijk to be perfect like in years past.
10. RW Bukayo Saka Arsenal: Entering my top 10 firstly is Saka. He impressed me during the Euros with his flexibility and goal scoring abilities. He will only get better in 2025 and I expect him to lead Arsenal in most every offensive stat.
9. RW Phil Foden Manchester City: Premier League Player of the Year in 2024, Foden had a monster season with City. He was the bright spot as KDB missed time and Haaland was mediocre during big moments. His Euros were slightly disappointing, but he should bounce back into the elite form we saw in 2024 next season.
8. RW Rodrygo Goes Real Madrid: Probably the most underrated player in Europe, Rodrygo already has historic champions league performances under his belt. A true right winger, his speed in this attack trio can’t go unnoticed and his Champions League resume bumps him above the likes of Foden and Saka for now.
Real Madrid RW Rodrygo Goes scoring clutch goal to knock out Manchester City: cnn.com
7. CM Kevin De Bryune Manchester City: Arguably the best premier league midfielder of all time, KDB’s passing skills match Pep Guardiola’s system perfectly making this attack a well oiled machine. He could be higher on this list, but with a slew of injuries and his age this is a safe ranking for now.
6. CAM Jamal Musiala Bayern Munich: The future of Bayern and Germany is here and his name is Musiala. Probably the most skillful dribbler in the world, Musiala can beat defenders in multiple ways. His movements are in sync with the rest of the attack and his speed and quickness with the ball is a nightmare. His Euro’s performance was remarkable and he is in Balon D'or conversations for 2025.
5. ST Erling Haaland Manchester City: The robot himself Haaland is a goal scoring maniac for Man City. After a down year to his standards, look for Haaland to explode with the likes of Rodri and De Bruyne feeding him the ball. He already has 7 Premier League goals in 3 full games as of September 1st.
4. CAM Jude Bellingham Real Madrid: The future of England is here in the form of midfielder Jude Bellingham. His output in Ancelotti's attack is outstanding and he simply doesn’t have a flaw to his game. He had a remarkable Euro’s performance putting England on his back multiple times en route to a finals appearance. He’s still extremely young and his productivity will be highlighted even further with Kylian Mbappe in Madrid.
3. LW Vinicius Jr Real Madrid: Vini is probably the fastest player in the world. This paired with his dribbling skills make for a deadly combo and the Brazilian will most likely win the 2024 Balon Dor. His goal in the Champions League final last season against Dortmund was the final nail in the coffin and secured their title, but this is no anomaly as he also has high leverage performances in big games under his belt.
2. ST Kylian Mbappe Real Madrid: Regarded by many as the best player on the planet Mbappe made shockwaves signing with Real Madrid this summer, departing from PSG. World cup winner in 2018 followed by a remarkable run in 2022, Mbappe has a flair for the dramatic. A broken nose halted his Euros run, but it's no secret Mbappe is in peak form and on an absolutely loaded Real Madrid side. He makes them the odds on favorite to win it all again in 2025, and if he does he will go down in history as arguably a top 20 player already.
1. CDM Rodri Manchester City: Rodri doesn’t lose. It’s really that simple, he's the best holding midfielder in the world and it's not even close. His ability to facilitate, defend and score at a high level are a remarkable blend of talent for the Guardiola system. He was a HUGE reason why Spain had no problem taking home Euro 2024, and his impact towards winning games is undeniable. His clutch screamer of a goal in the 2023 UCL further proves his case as a player whose impact in big moments can’t be denied. To me, he is the player I expect the biggest impact from, and the player I’d choose first if I wanted to create a dream Champions League roster since the gap between him and the next CDM is so large.
Player rankings can always vary and I fully expect these rankings to change once June comes around, but for now I feel confident that these rankings can project pretty well. As for my personal favorite for the title currently, it's hard for me not to say Manchester City.
Although not the odds on favorite at +275, it took a miracle penalty shootout from Real Madrid in the quarterfinals to eliminate them and they’ve added stars at key positions and have a healthy KDB and Pep Guardiola is so hard to beat in tournament play. I’m excited to see how everything shapes up come title time.
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