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News
- 25 minutes ago
Champions League Team of the Season: Raphinha and Hakimi IN
Cameron Smith
- 1 Jun 2025 09:15 BST
- 7 min read
Analysis
The 2024-25 Champions League campaign officially came to an end on Saturday night as Paris Saint-Germain secured the biggest ever winning margin in the final with a 5-0 victory over Inter Milan.
Luis Enrique’s men ran riot at the Allianz Arena and were the deserving winners of the trophy for the very first time in the club’s history.
A number of PSG players shone throughout the tournament, although several players from other clubs also deserve praise for their form in Europe’s elite club competition.
Below, FootballTransfers runs through our Champions League Team of the Season.
GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG)
Gianluigi Donnarumma was undisputedly the best goalkeeper in the Champions League this season and it’s not an exaggeration to say that PSG would’ve been knocked out without the giants Italian.
He made a few high-profile errors in the league phase, but Donnarumma stepped up in the knockouts and delivered several memorable performances against Liverpool, Aston Villa and Arsenal.
The Italy international isn’t the best with his feet, but his shot-stopping ability is a major reason why PSG reached the final.
Current ETV
Gianluigi Donnarumma
GK
PSG
Gianluigi Donnarumma
GK
PSG
ETV Range
€33.4M - €40.8M
RB: Achraf Hakimi (PSG)
Denzel Dumfries may feel extremely aggrieved to have missed out on an inclusion, but Achraf Hakimi just edged out the Dutchman thanks to his contribution in the final.
The Morocco international netted the opener at the Allianz Arena to take his tally to four goals and five assists across the 2024-25 Champions League season, and his constant movement in the final third caused headaches for every opponent he faced.
Dumfries, for what it’s worth, registered five goal contributions in the semi-finals, and Inter would almost certainly have been knocked out by Barcelona without him.
CB: Willian Pacho (PSG)
Willian Pacho arrived at PSG as a talented central defender, but one who was virtually unknown to most football fans across Europe.
This season, he has established himself as one of the best centre-backs in the world and he formed a rock solid partnership with Marquinhos throughout PSG’s Champions League campaign.
Pacho was sublime in every round, with his aggressive style of defending perfectly suiting Luis Enrique’s footballing philosophy.
CB: Alessandro Bastoni (Inter Milan)
Alessandro Bastoni is the only Inter Milan player in this XI, however he fully deserves his inclusion.
The Italy international was superb en route to the final, and although his side were thumped at the Allianz Arena, Bastoni can hold his head up high thanks to a fantastic Champions League season.
His passing out from the back was typically sublime throughout the campaign, while he paired this with defensive solidity that saw Inter concede just five goals in 12 games before their clash with Barcelona.
LB: Nuno Mendes (PSG)
Like Hakimi, Nuno Mendes is also crucial to PSG’s style of play under Enrique and the creative freedom handed to the two full-backs creates immense unpredictability in the final third.
The Portugal star registered four goals and two assists in 16 Champions League games, while his defensive contribution was arguably even more impressive.
He pocketed Mohamed Salah across the entire last-16 tie against Liverpool and he kept Bukayo Saka relatively quiet in the semi-finals.
RM: Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)
Lamine Yamal has emerged as one of the favourites for the 2025 Ballon d’Or and his performances in the Champions League are a key reason for that.
The 17-year-old scored five times and provided three assists, however his influence far exceeded this tally. He was simply unplayable across the semi-final tie versus Inter Milan and was extremely unlucky to end up on the losing side, while he forced teams to double or even triple up on him.
It’s no wonder that seemingly every member of the Inter squad named him as the best player they’d ever played against following the semi-final.
CM: Vitinha (PSG)
PSG’s midfield fulcrum was a joy to behold throughout the 2024-25 Champions League season, and Vitinha was the heartbeat.
Silky smooth in possession and defensively switched-on out of it, Vitinha is the metronome of PSG’s mesmerising squad and he was one of the main reasons why opponents found it so difficult to escape pressure when faced against Enrique’s side this campaign.
The Portugal international is now regarded as one of the best midfielders in world football and his form in the Champions League has taken him to a new level.
Current ETV
Vitinha
M, DM (C)
PSG
Vitinha
M, DM (C)
PSG
ETV Range
€53M - €64.8M
CM: Joao Neves (PSG)
Vitinha’s central midfield partner Joao Neves appears alongside him in this XI and Fabian Ruiz may feel slightly hard done by to have missed out given his contributions across the season.
However, Neves has been included following a sublime debut campaign at the Parc des Princes. His endless energy and quality in possession played a key role in PSG’s ability to pin teams in throughout the Champions League season, and he looks set for an excellent career at the highest level.
Declan Rice also deserves recognition after guiding Arsenal to the semi-finals with a number of memorable displays and, of course, those two free-kicks versus Real Madrid.
LM: Raphinha (Barcelona)
Raphinha was close to leaving Barcelona last summer, but he eventually opted to stay put and he has since become one of the world’s best players under Hansi Flick.
He is a leading contender for the Ballon d’Or and if he wins the award, it will largely be down to his Champions League form. The Brazilian notched an incredible 13 goals - the joint-most of any player - and eight assists en route to the semi-finals.
In the process, Raphinha equalled the record of the most goal contributions in a single Champions League season (21) - set by Cristiano Ronaldo in 2013-14.
ST: Ousmane Dembele (PSG)
Ousmane Dembele transformed into one of the best players in the world this season and he has finally delivered on the promise he showed at Borussia Dortmund.
He has been deployed in a new false nine role by Luis Enrique and he notched eight goals and six assists in the Champions League as PSG ran out as the eventual winners of the competition.
His work-rate off the ball was also simply immense and his pressing was a key reason behind PSG’s ability to constantly build pressure against their opponents throughout the knockout stages.
ST: Serhou Guirassy (Borussia Dortmund)
Serhou Guirassy may be a slightly surprising inclusion, however he deserves his place in this team as the joint-top goalscorer in the Champions League with 13 strikes.
Borussia Dortmund were eventually knocked out by Barcelona in the quarter-finals, but Guirassy scored 13 goals and provided four assists in just 14 appearances, including a hat-trick against the Blaugrana in the second-leg.
Although Lautaro Martinez was also a strong contender for his position, Guirassy won the race after the Argentine’s ineffective performance in the final.
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