UEFA Champions League Last 16: Best Player on Each Team

The first knockout stage, the round of 16 or however you know it by for the UEFA Champions League is only five days away from kicking off.

The top 16 clubs in Europe remaining in this season's competition could surprise a few as both Manchester United and Manchester City were shown the door as were FC Porto, Ajax Amsterdam and Valencia whom were all thought much better than they performed.

As we count down the days to the eight cup tie matchups, we take a look at the best player on each side as we build the anticipation for some of the most intense battles in Europe to commence.

APOEL Al Nicosia: Altion

The first Cypriot side to reach the knock stage boasts 27-year-old Brazilian striker Altion as their best player.

So far, he leads the club with three goals from five games in the competition and will be key to their survival.

Olympique Lyon: Michel Bastos

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Olympique Lyon midfielder Michel Bastos is the club's best player with five goals and six assists in the French top flight so far this season.

He did not earn an assist or score in the group stages, but he was influential on many occasions and will be a main factor in the club's tie against APOEL Al Nicosia.

Bayer Leverkusen: Stefan Kießling

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Stefan Kießling is without doubt the most important member of Bayer Leverkusen's attack, and he is sure to be tested when the club faces off against Barcelona in one of the first opening matches of the round of 16.

Barcelona: Lionel Messi and Xavi Hernandez

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While Lionel Messi is Barcelona's most talented, Xavi is perhaps the most influential. There is truly no way of determining which one is truly the best.

Zenit St Petersburg: Alexander Kerzhakov

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Russian Premiership club Zenit St Petersburg is the defending Russian Champions, and its best player by far looks to be striker Alexander Kerzhakov.

Benfica: Nicolas Gaitán

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Portuguese club Benfica is driven by midfielder Nicolas Gaitán.

The player was believed to be a primary target of Manchester United and several other big clubs in January, but he remained in Portugal and will most likely depart in the summer.

Nevertheless, he is the heart of the club's chance at progressing in the Champions League as he had an assist in every UCL match he played in the group stage.

AC Milan: Zlatan Ibrahimovic

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Although his attitude can be a bit suspect at times Zlatan Ibrahimovic is by far AC Milan's brightest hope of surpassing Arsenal in their two legged UCL tie.

The big Swede has played a part all season long and is sure to continue his exploits.

Arsenal: Robin Van Persie

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There is almost no need to even go here for Arsenal as there is little doubt, if any, that Dutch striker Robin Van Persie is its best player and most lethal weapon.

The high-scoring Dutchman has had a season to remember and is sure to be the main reason the Gunners have a chance to proceed.

CSKA Moscow: Keisuke Honda

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Japanese star Keisuke Honda was thought to be leaving CSKA Moscow in January only for his move to fail.

Now he will have to step up his game even further as his performance is likely to be key for the Russian side to even have a fighting chance against Real Madrid.

Real Madrid: Christiano Ronaldo

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Even though he is a showboat, Christiano Ronaldo is Real Madrid's best and most deadly player.

There is no reason to believe he will not be a deciding factor against CSKA Moscow.

Napoli: Edinson Cavani

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Lanky Uruguayan attacker Edinson Cavani will be the main man for Napoli when they take on Chelsea in the knockout stages.

Cavani has already proven that he shows up for big games, and the hopes and dreams of every Napoli fan will be on his shoulders against the Blues.

Chelsea: Juan Mata

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Chelsea winger Juan Mata has been on-point all season in the league and in Europe.

He will draw attention, create and score when necessary to give the Blues a chance at moving forward.

FC Basel: Alexander Frei

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Alexander Frei will lead the line for FC Basel when they take on Bayern Munich.

Since returning to his native Switzerland with Basel in 2009 his career has sparked again and saw him net 25 Swiss Axpo Super League goals last season.

Frei scored one of the goals that helped his side knock Manchester United out of the Champions League in the final match of their group stage.

He is also tied for the third-highest scorer in the tournament at this point with five goals.

Bayern Munich: Mario Gomez

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The current leading scorer in the UCL is Bayern Munich's Mario Gomez. He scored a hat trick against Napoli and scored another four group stage goals for a total of seven currently.

On top of that he has been prolific in the German Bundesliga with 17 goals and three assists currently and will be Bayern's best goal threat against a scrappy FC Basel squad that finished only a point behind them in the group stage.

Olympique Marseille: Mathieu Valbuena

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Olympique Marseille's French midfielder Mathieu Valbuena has four league goals and nine assists for the club as they are climbing back up the Ligue 1 Oranje table.

His exploits in the middle of the park make him the key to the play making in their clubs two game tie with Inter Milan.

Inter Milan: Giampaolo Pazzini

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Two years ago I would have said Wesley Sneijder was the most important for Inter Milan in the coming knockout stages, but Sneijder has had an off year while Giampaolo Pazzini has been on the rise.

His five goals and three assists in the Serie A have been insurmountable in dragging the club back up the table. He also chipped in two goals during the UCL group stage.

Conclusion

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Who do you think is the best on each remaining Champions League club?

Let me know in the comments section below.

 

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