Champions League Player Rankings: Ronaldo, Brahimi Rise; Fabregas Plummets
Welcome to the third round of our UEFA Champions League knockout-stage player rankings this season, in which we order the competition's top-20 players so far.
With Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, FC Porto and Real Madrid through to the quarter-finals, how does that affect our rankings, and who will we be seeing the back of as a result?
The criteria is simple: We pick the 20 best players on the basis of form in European games only.
We'll be running the ranking as the games take place, so for those playing on the next matchday, we'll simply note as appropriate. Group-stage form still counts, so strong performances before Christmas are still a factor in our grading.
Honourable Mentions
1 of 21
Dropping Out
Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal), Gabi (Atletico Madrid) and Diego Godin (Atletico Madrid).
A wave of epic performances sees these three drop out for the time being. They'll have a chance to reclaim their place during the next batch of round-of-16 games.
Honourable Mentions
Hector Herrera, FC Porto
Paul Pogba, Juventus
Alvaro Morata, Juventus
Geoffrey Kondogbia, Monaco
Fabinho, Monaco
Joao Moutinho, Monaco
Aymen Abdennour, Monaco
Hakan Calhanoglu, Bayer Leverkusen
Karim Bellarabi, Bayer Leverkusen
David Luiz, Paris Saint-Germain
Thomas Muller, Bayern Munich
20. Marco Verratti, Paris Saint-Germain
2 of 21
Last Week: New!
Differential: New!
In the first leg between PSG and Chelsea, Marco Verratti ran rings around the Chelsea midfield and caused them all sorts of issues. He played superbly again in west London, expertly holding the ball at arm's reach and dictating much of the play.
He has noted aggression issues when it comes to reckless tackling in bigger games, so to see him keep a lid on it until Laurent Blanc made a change was pleasing.
The Italian is blossoming into a world-class player this season.
19. Thiago Silva, Paris Saint-Germain
3 of 21
Last Week: New!
Differential: New!
Thiago Silva made a bad mistake in extra time against Chelsea, flinging his hands high up in the air in the box and touching a long ball to give away a penalty.
It looked as though the Brazilian had ruined it for Laurent Blanc's men, consigning them to another early exit, but renewed determination took hold of the captain, and his epic header to put Paris Saint-Germain through with five minutes to go was a just reward for his and his team's efforts.
In the first leg, Silva was Man of the Match, keeping Diego Costa exceptionally quiet. It was a hell of a two-legged tie for him.
18. Jerome Boateng, Bayern Munich
4 of 21
Last Week: New!
Differential: New!
Jerome Boateng won't receive much praise despite bossing a 7-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk, scoring a goal and keeping a clean sheet. Defensive partner Holger Badstuber, back after a long, trying absence, will likely dominate the column inches.
But the game quietly capped an excellent Champions League season so far for Boateng, who has emerged as one of the few true world-class centre-backs in football. No matter the formation, setup or tactical nuance, Boateng is the first defender on the team sheet for Pep Guardiola.
17. Blaise Matuidi, Paris Saint-Germain
5 of 21
Last Week: 19
Differential: +2
Blaise Matuidi's role in Paris Saint-Germain's aggregate victory over Chelsea seemed to change every 10 minutes, but just as you'd expect from the Frenchman, he obliged and applied himself to Laurent Blanc's instructions at every turn.
He was responsible for all the forward runs into space until Zlatan Ibrahimovic was sent off, and then he settled into a hybrid centre-midfield-cum-left-midfield role covering the flank with his energy and relentless pressure.
16. Thibaut Courtois, Chelsea
6 of 21
Last Week: 18
Differential: +2
We won't see Thibaut Courtois again in the Champions League this season, but he went out with a bang.
Two particular saves were of an absurdly high quality: first, tipping a long-range David Luiz effort over the bar, and second, somehow keeping out a Thiago Silva header and palming it clear for a corner.
The Belgian was magnificent across both legs.
15. Cesc Fabregas, Chelsea
7 of 21
Last Week: 9
Differential: -6
Cesc Fabregas was absolutely anonymous for Chelsea on Wednesday night. He looked laboured, slow, unenthusiastic and only really came to the fore when yelling at the referee.
He was bought to help give the Blues an extra edge—a slicing pass or a scything through ball to break down hardworking defensive setups. That skill of his was wholly absent here.
14. Yacine Brahimi, FC Porto
8 of 21
Last Week: 17
Differential: +3
Pictured is the moment Yacine Brahimi deftly lifted FC Porto into the lead against Basel at the Dragao on Tuesday, beating the wall with ease and dropping the ball into the far corner from a free-kick.
It was a welcome boost to his flailing stock, as after an electric start to this year's competition, the Algerian has fizzled out ever so slightly. He grabbed an assist later on and was substituted early for a rest.
He truly stepped up in the place of the absent Jackson Martinez.
13. Marco Reus, Borussia Dortmund
9 of 21
Last Week: 14
Differential: +1
Marco Reus' Borussia Dortmund tackle Juventus in their round-of-16 second-leg matchup on March 18.
12. Sergio Aguero, Manchester City
10 of 21
Last Week: 13
Differential: +1
Sergio Aguero's Manchester City tackle Barcelona in their round-of-16 second leg matchup on March 18.
11. Edinson Cavani, Paris Saint-Germain
11 of 21
Last Week: 10
Differential: -1
Edinson Cavani can thank Thiago Silva and David Luiz for bailing him (and Paris Saint-Germain) out at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday evening. Had the Brazilians not struck, the focus would have fallen on their South American colleague—and for all the wrong reasons.
The former Napoli man continued his trend of fluffing chance after chance in west London, hitting the post after rounding Thibaut Courtois and messing up several other close-range openings.
He serves to move down even further next week.
10. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Borussia Dortmund
12 of 21
Last Week: 12
Differential: +2
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's Borussia Dortmund tackle Juventus in their round-of-16 second-leg matchup on March 18. He moves up as a result of players performing poorly.
9. Ciro Immobile, Borussia Dortmund
13 of 21
Last Week: 11
Differential: +2
Ciro Immobile's Borussia Dortmund tackle Juventus next week in their round-of-16 second-leg matchup on March 18. He moves up as a result of players performing poorly.
8. Eden Hazard, Chelsea
14 of 21
Last Week: 4
Differential: -4
Eden Hazard disappointed in Chelsea's draw (and aggregate loss) to Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, converting a penalty in extra time but failing to impact over 120 minutes.
He came alive once the score became 1-1, sparking a number of counters and showing his immense carrying ability with the ball, but he ultimately let down an expectant Stamford Bridge when attempting to break down a stubborn defensive setup.
That's the last we'll see of the Belgian in a European club competition this season.
7. Jackson Martinez, FC Porto
15 of 21
Last Week: 7
Differential: None
Jackson Martinez was a fitness concern ahead of FC Porto's thrashing of FC Basel this week. Julen Lopetegui remained on the cautious side and opted to rest him.
He wasn't missed.
6. Juanfran, Atletico Madrid
16 of 21
Last Week: 6
Differential: None
Juanfran's Atletico Madrid tackle Bayer Leverkusen in their round-of-16 second-leg matchup on March 17.
5. Koke, Atletico Madrid
17 of 21
Last Week: 5
Differential: None
Koke's Atletico Madrid tackle Bayer Leverkusen next week in their round-of-16 second-leg matchup on March 17.
4. Nemanja Matic, Chelsea
18 of 21
Last Week: 2
Differential: -2
Nemanja Matic struggled against a committed, physical Paris Saint-Germain midfield on Wednesday; it was hardly the walk-in-the-park return from injury he'll have wished for when preparing for the fixture.
Carrying the ball forward out of defence was difficult, there was no space to play in, and the Serbian had trouble keeping track of Javier Pastore's immense movement and silky touches.
He limped off late on to be replaced by Kurt Zouma, clearly wearing his ailed ankle down to its limit.
3. Karim Benzema, Real Madrid
19 of 21
Last Week: 8
Differential: +5
Karim Benzema has struggled in La Liga lately, but his was a positive showing on Tuesday. He held the ball up when necessary, worked hard to find space and scored a rather spectacular goal.
He dribbled around a seemingly endless stream of defenders in the box before darting wide of the goalkeeper and smashing home from close range in the second half. It put the tie just out of Schalke's reach, sealing Madrid's passage to the quarter-finals.
2. Lionel Messi, Barcelona
20 of 21
Last Week: 1
Differential: -1
Lionel Messi's Barcelona tackle Manchester City in their round-of-16 second-leg matchup on March 18. We're sure he'll be eager to replace his archnemesis at the summit.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid
21 of 21
Last Week: 3
Differential: +2
Cristiano Ronaldo: big-game player.
His two headers—thumpers, the pair of them—ensured Real Madrid had just enough to overcome a surprisingly stubborn and incisive Schalke challenge.
He hasn't played well in a while, but he shows up when it matters the most to bail Los Blancos out.
