Champions League Team of the Tournament: talkSPORT picks the best players, including Lionel Messi and Matthijs de Ligt

Champions League Team of the Tournament: talkSPORT picks the best players, including Lionel Messi and Matthijs de Ligt

The 2018/19 Champions League has been one of the best competitions in recent memory.


There has been incredible drama from start to finish and every neutral will be hoping for more of the same in the final on June 1, which is live on talkSPORT.




It has been a phenomenal Champions League season



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It has been a phenomenal Champions League season


In the last round, we witnessed two of the greatest comebacks in Champions League history when Liverpool and Tottenham both defied the odds to progress to the final in Madrid.


But who has made the Champions League Team of the Season? talkSPORT.com has given its verdict.













Formation: 4-2-3-1


GOALKEEPER




Alisson has been superb this season



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Alisson has been superb this season


ALISSON BECKER has had a superb debut season following his arrival from Roma for £68m and without him the Reds certainly wouldn’t have made it to the final.


The Liverpool shot-stopper put in a string of fine saves against Barcelona, particularly in the second leg of the tie where he remarkably came out with a clean sheet.


However, his most important save of the competition came in Liverpool’s final group game against Napoli, where he incredibly denied Arkadiusz Milik from point blank range to keep his side in the competition.


DEFENDERS


The left-back spot was a toss-up between JORDI ALBA and Andy Robertson but ultimately the Spaniard’s stats have been phenomenal in the competition.


Alba has provided five assists in his 11 appearances – the joint highest this season – and no player has made more crosses into the box in the tournament this campaign.




Alexander-Arnold was instrumental in Liverpool’s run to the final



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Alexander-Arnold was instrumental in Liverpool’s run to the final


VIRGIL VAN DIJK and MATTHIJS DE LIGT have both been outstanding defensively and have been instrumental for their teams with their leadership qualities.


Both defenders have popped up with goals at crucial stages of the competition, too.


TRENT ALEXANDER-ARNOLD takes the right-back slot with ease, having provided three assists in the competition and showing the presence of mind to play the ball to Divock Origi to finish from a corner to complete the dramatic comeback against Barcelona.


MIDFIELDERS


It’s amazing to think how far MOUSSA SISSOKO has come in the Lilywhite shirt.


He is now one of Mauricio Pochettino’s most important players and he changed the tie as soon as he came on against Ajax in the semi-final first leg.




Sissoko has become one of Spurs’ most important players



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Sissoko has become one of Spurs’ most important players


He changed the game with his powerful surging runs as soon as he set foot on the pitch and he continued to cause trouble for the Dutch side in the second leg. Without Sissoko, Spurs would be nowhere near the final.


FRENKIE DE JONG takes the other spot in front of defence for his assured displays throughout the campaign.


The Dutch midfielder has the incredible ability to always play the right pass and keep play ticking over in midfield. Barcelona have a real dime in their ranks.


FORWARDS


SADIO MANE has had another great season in the Champions League, chipping in with four goals in Liverpool’s run to the final.


The Senegalese international works tirelessly for his side and caused problems for Barcelona throughout the semi-final tie.


DUSAN TADIC takes the spot in the no.10 role for his brilliant performances for Ajax. The Serb has a stunning six goals and four assists in the competition this season and earned a rare 10/10 rating from L’Equipe after destroying Real Madrid in the last-16 tie.




Tadic destroyed Real Madrid earlier this season



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Tadic destroyed Real Madrid earlier this season


LUCAS MOURA single-handedly clawed Spurs back into the fold against Ajax and netted a stunning hat-trick to send his side into the final.


The Brazilian became just the fifth player to score a hat-trick in a semi-final and that alone is worthy of a spot in the Team of the Tournament.


LIONEL MESSI is the top scorer in the competition (12) by some distance and has ripped both Manchester United and Liverpool to shreds at Camp Nou.


The Argentine still hasn’t got his hands on the Champions League trophy since 2015 and will be desperate to win it next season.


Have a look at our line-up in full below…




Do you agree with our UCL team of the season?



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Do you agree with our UCL team of the season?



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