Choosing a Champions League Best XI Up to the Quarter-Finals
With the quarter-finals next up in the Champions League running order, it's time to take a look at exactly who the best performers have been up until this stage.
Some big names have already been eliminated, and there have been plenty of thrills and spills.
Nevertheless, the excitement is certain to continue with some phenomenally talented players still in contention to claim the biggest prize in club football.
This best XI has been chosen with only players still involved in the last eight up for selection.
Moreover, no more than two players from any one club have been chosen for the purpose of an unbiased and balanced medley. Also, the formation is largely a loosely realistic one.
Feel free to have your say about who you think should have been included in the comments thread.
Substitutes
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Before we select our team, casting an eye over a few necessary substitutes needs to be carried out—after all, every great team needs strength in depth.
Experiencing a renaissance back at his boyhood club, Fernando Torres is helping La Liga's reigning champions reach dizzying heights. Scoring the winning penalty against Bayer Leverkusen, El Nino is sure to play a major role in just how smooth Atletico Madrid's path to the final is.
Geoffrey Kondogbia
Impressive so far this campaign, it will be interesting to see exactly how Geoffrey Kondogbia performs moving forward. Introducing a calmness to Monaco's midfield, he earned the admiration of Mesut Ozil and scored a goal against Arsenal in their round-of-16 clash.
Luiz Adriano
With nine Champions League goals to his name this season, Shakhtar Donetsk frontman Luiz Adriano has become one of the most feared marksmen on the continent. Failing to make the starting team due the fact that the Ukrainian outfit were knocked out by the imperious Bayern Munich, he certainly deserves a place on our bench for the clinical nature of his play, which has seen him rub shoulders with some of the finest goalscorers of all time.
Manager: Pep Guardiola
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At this point in time, Pep Guardiola is the best manager in the game.
Yes, he has the money behind him, but he also has the brains and the sheer willpower.
Working his players hard to win the Champions League crown they lost last season, they sent out a massively convincing statement to the rest of the competition with their 7-0 trouncing of Shakhtar Donetsk.
And it really looks like they could do it.
Keeping a close eye on his likely competitors FC Barcelona, as relayed by AS's Santi Gimenez, he has tabs on everyone and always seems to find a way to undo weaknesses only he seems capable of spotting.
Guardiola gets the spot ahead of Jose Mourinho and Luis Enrique because he has already proved himself with the German outfit and helped to craft the team he currently has at his disposal.
Goalkeeper: Manuel Neuer
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Having conceded just four goals in the Champions League so far this season, Germany international Manuel Neuer has been a veritable fortress for Guardiola's team.
Commanding, as per usual, the 28-year-old has not only revolutionised goalkeeping, but he has ensured he remains the safest pair of hands in the European game.
It's no coincidence that Neuer conceded three of his four goals against Manchester City away from home after Medhi Benatia was dismissed from the field of play, leaving him more exposed than usual.
Depending on how the draw goes, it will be interesting to see how the Gelsenkirchen-born custodian continues to perform. Pitted against the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, he will still need all of his might to stop them from scoring.
And with La Liga's two best teams still in contention, he could meet at least one of them between now and the final.
Left Centre-Back: Thiago Silva
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Exhibiting one of the most spirited individual displays of character in this season's campaign, Thiago Silva was instrumental in Paris Saint-Germain's win over Chelsea in the last 16.
Even managing to score a goal against the Blues, PSG's captain can hold his head high for the way he performed that night amid so much controversy and drama.
Add this to his expert displays throughout the competition, which have seen him marshal his back line superbly, and it's easy to see now just why the Ligue 1 team are where they are.
If Laurent Blanc's charges are to go all the way, they will need as much of the 30-year-old Brazilian's character and tenacity as possible. After all, they have struggled domestically and are far from perfect.
Silva is the beating heart of this team, and he can help them go far.
Centre-Back: David Luiz
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David Luiz might well have played in the middle of the park in one of his team's games against Chelsea, but as he is normally a centre-half, the former Blues star slides into our back three.
Much like his team-mate Silva, the Brazil international played with great intensity and desire as PSG drew 2-2 at Stamford Bridge.
Perhaps it was a product of his motivation to succeed against his former employer, but the result was plain to see.
True, there was more than a shade of audacity to his play with the manner in which he dealt with Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa, but it was his sheer determination to win that marked him out—something every true champion needs in large volumes.
Moving forward, he will have to be on his best behaviour to avoid his daring moves getting spotted and penalised by the officials.
However, if he can do that with success, he'll be a thorn in the side of just about any club on the road to Berlin.
Right Centre-Back: Jerome Boateng
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A regular in Guardiola's dream team, Jerome Boateng has all the inherent attributes to find success.
It's only since joining the Bundesliga champions back in 2012 that the Germany international has found his groove.
Normally slotting in at centre-back, he has buckets of experience playing as a right-back, something that allows him to carry a threat moving forward.
That said, he has been a rock at the back for his side, possessing a tremendous ability to make reactionary tackles and an innate skill of being aware of any danger, things that have helped Die Roten become one of the most secure defences in the modern game.
Criticised by Franz Becekenbauer, per the Daily Mail's Rohan Banerjee, for his potentially toxic temper, he might well be targeted in the weeks to come, but if he can work on guarding himself from any premeditated attacks, he should remain free of suspension.
Left Midfielder: Koke
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Through to the quarter-finals, Atletico Madrid can bask in the glory of a brilliant win over Bayer Leverkusen, which saw Fernando Torres snatch victory with a confident spot-kick.
Linked with English champions Manchester City, per The Independent's Jack De Menezes, 23-year-old Koke's performances have attracted the attention of some top clubs, but it's difficult to see why he should leave for arguably less attractive pastures.
An Atletico player since he was eight years old, the homegrown talent is as much a part of the club's current identity as the new one he's attempting to help shape.
As pointed out by Bleacher Report's Tim Collins, Atleti are a different team when he's not around—they're worse.
"Without him they were overrun centrally—by Celta, Bayer Leverkusen and Sevilla. With Koke missing from his position on the left, Gabi and Tiago looked sluggish in the middle. Arda Turan was the lone creator on the right. The forwards lacked his support as a runner. And the whole side looked short on raw talent.
"
Pushing for persistent progress, he is one of the best passers in Europe and working tirelessly to become the catalyst this fine team clearly needs.
Central Midfielder: Paul Pogba
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Since he was cast out by Manchester United all those years ago, Paul Pogba has proved his talent beyond question.
One of the finest young players in Europe right now, the France international might not be leading the goalscoring or assist charts, with just one and two respectively, but he is making an impact on the biggest club stage there is.
Picking up an injury midway through Juventus' 3-0 second-leg win against Borussia Dortmund, per SB Nation's Jack Sargeant, he was unable to have a huge impact in that match, but he will look to expose defenders as the Bianconeri march on.
Once he recovers from his tweaked hamstring, the 22-year-old should reclaim his place in the first team.
Right Attacking Midfielder: Lionel Messi
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Superb. Prodigious. Otherworldly. For a long time now, pundits, fans and commentators of the beautiful game have struggled to come up with enough ways to describe the talents of Lionel Messi.
Once more, during Barcelona's 1-0 second-leg victory against Manchester City, the diminutive Argentinian was the driving force behind many of the Catalan club's attacks.
Indeed, it was Messi who set Ivan Rakitic up for the only goal of the game as Luis Enrique's men got through to the next round. He has been causing extra havoc since the turn of the year, something that has its roots in his switch to the right side of a three-pronged attack.
Add this to his inclination to drop deep, moving about the field like Nandor Hidegkuti, and it's clear his influence on the game is set to last for many more years to come, something that another Champions League medal would surely guarantee.
With eight goals to his name in the Champions League this season, he is close to nabbing top spot. However, his goals are just one clear example of how pivotal he remains to his side's continued triumphs.
Central Attacking Midfielder: Yacine Brahimi
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A surprise inclusion here. Many are likely to disagree with the decision to put Yacine Brahimi in our best Champions League XI to date, but it really would be a sin to leave the 25-year-old out in the cold.
With five goals and four assists, the FC Porto crafter has been involved in a great deal of his team's goals, and considering they've netted 21, it becomes clear just how pivotal he's been.
And when you take into account that only Messi, Ronaldo and Luiz Adriano have been involved in more goals than him this season, per the Daily Mail's Matt Morlidge, he will pose an immense threat to any team Porto face between now and the end of the tournament.
Managing to topple one of the dark horses, FC Basel, along the way, Brahimi has not shied away from the big games, netting a goal in their 4-0 second-leg victory over the Swiss outfit.
Routinely, the playmaker is a winger for the Portuguese outfit. Although he has played in a central role in the past, something that could be rolled out again as they aim to wrong-foot opposing defences in their search to secure their first continental title since 2011's Europa League.
Forward: Luis Suarez
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Luis Suarez gets the nod ahead of Neymar for the advanced role, but both forwards have been playing phenomenally for the Blaugrana.
Everyone knows the ex-Liverpool star is something of an enigma, but when you look past his lack of goals in Europe, it becomes clear he remains as instrumental to their fast-flowing style as he was during his time on Merseyside.
Linking the play expertly, the recalcitrant Uruguayan proved his worth yet again in both last-16 ties against the Citizens. He was a real menace for Vincent Kompany and Gael Clichy, making some brilliant runs off the ball and a series of wondrous passes that beat the defensive cover time and again.
In truth, if it wasn't for a special performance from Joe Hart, Suarez's impact would have been a lot more visible on the scoreboard.
That said, La Liga's table-toppers are through to the last eight. Knowing Suarez's penchant for big-game magic, he looks set to have yet more say in just where the cup with the "big ears" winds up.
Forward: Cristiano Ronaldo
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The Madridistas might not have been terribly happy with their team's performance against Schalke during their 4-3 defeat at home in their last-16 second leg, but with the dust now settled, relief should start to kick in.
After all, it's never easy to defend a Champions League crown. In fact, so far it's proven impossible.
So you can be sure the memory of Real Madrid's uncharacteristic defeat to the Bundesliga outfit will disappear without a trace should they motor on and make it to the final and build on La Decima.
Undoubtedly, Cristiano Ronaldo will need to be at the peak of his performance for them to achieve history.
And so far this season, he has been.
With eight tournament goals in the competition already this season, he's joint-second for the most scored and was perhaps the only reliable player when they lost to Schalke, netting a solid brace.
Forward: Carlos Tevez
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During the group stages, the Old Lady were teetering on the brink of elimination following disastrous results against Atletico Madrid and Olympiacos.
Oh, how things change.
Instigating a ferocious fightback, Carlos Tevez has scored some important goals to steer Massimiliano Allegri's charges back on course. Now, things are looking up and their spirits will no doubt be incredibly high.
Indeed, none of the Argentinian's Juventus performances to date have been more important than the two he conjured against Borussia Dortmund.
Blasting three goals past Roman Weidenfeller, as well as serving up a lovely assist, his side's 5-1 aggregate win was largely because of his quality.
Thinking on it, with one of the most potent midfields in the competition and an on-fire forward leading the line, fans will be hoping the glory days have finally returned.
Will Tevez end Juve's 19-year wait for Champions League glory?
