Champions League Player Rankings: Suarez, Matuidi and Martinez Excel
Welcome to the fifth round of our UEFA Champions League knockout-stage player rankings, in which we order the competition's top 20 players so far this season.
Juventus squeezed past Monaco, Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid played to a stalemate, FC Porto shocked Bayern Munich and Barcelona smashed Paris Saint-Germain. We have eight new entrants, as several of the old cast were knocked out, so be prepared for some seismic changes.
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. Group-stage form still faintly counts, so strong performances before Christmas are still a factor in our grading.
Dropouts
1 of 21
Nemanja Matic, Chelsea: out of the competition.
Eden Hazard, Chelsea: out of the competition.
Edinson Cavani, Paris Saint-Germain: absolutely shocking against Barcelona on Wednesday.
Marco Reus, Borussia Dortmund: out of the competition.
Marco Verratti, Paris Saint-Germain: low ranked and missed the Barcelona clash.
Thibaut Courtois, Chelsea: out of the competition.
Thomas Muller, Bayern Munich: non-existent during Bayern's shock loss to FC Porto.
Thiago Silva, Paris Saint-Germain: low ranked and exited Barcelona loss early with injury.
20. Jerome Boateng, Bayern Munich
2 of 21
Last Round: 14
Differential: -6
Jerome Boateng's been one of the finest centre-backs in the competition this season, but he made a horrendous error in the build-up to FC Porto's third goal on Wednesday night.
Misjudging a routine ball over the top, he missed his header and allowed Jackson Martinez to steal in, round Manuel Neuer and score. His error wasn't as calamitous as Xabi Alonso or Dante's, but it was enough to see him move down severely in the rankings.
19. Fabinho, Monaco
3 of 21
Last Round: 19
Differential: None
Fabinho's performance against Juventus was OK. He played in holding midfield in place of the absent Jeremy Toulalan again, but he didn't shine as brightly as he did against Arsenal in the round-of-16 first leg.
The show was stolen by his midfield partner, Geoffrey Kondogbia, who once again showcased all of his talents. Fabinho is the steadiness to Kondogbia's explosiveness and helped screen the defence and limit Juventus to one goal.
18. Gabi, Atletico Madrid
4 of 21
Last Round: Unranked
Differential: New!
Gabi dropped out of our rankings a couple of rounds ago due to missing some action, but he was back for the quarter-final and, predictably, led an almost impenetrable side to a creditable draw against Real Madrid.
Los Blancos were absolutely magnificent in the opening exchanges, and Atleti did well just to hold on. It's always useful to have a midfield general such as Gabi around when things are going against you, and he shone as Los Colchoneros rode out the storm and gradually began to attack themselves.
17. Marquinhos, Paris Saint-Germain
5 of 21
Last Round: Unranked
Differential: New!
Not a lot went right for Paris Saint-Germain during their loss to Barcelona, but Marquinhos emerged as a star performer despite being subjected to an awful lot of pressure.
The Brazilian was tested by Jordi Alba and Neymar, had his defensive partner switched due to injury in the first half and nodded a number of dangerous balls clear. He was done by Luis Suarez for the Uruguayan's first goal, but he put in a strong performance regardless.
He can play both right-back and centre-back to a very high level.
16. Alvaro Morata, Juventus
6 of 21
Last Round: Unranked
Differential: New!
Alvaro Morata had a quiet evening against Monaco due to a complete lack of space to play in, but he did win the penalty that Arturo Vidal converted to give his side an aggregate lead.
His contest against Aymen Abdennour in such a small area was always going to create problems, but the Spaniard was able to fool Ricardo Carvalho into making a rash challenge to make the difference on the night.
This follows a blistering performance or two against Borussia Dortmund in the round of 16.
15. Jordi Alba, Barcelona
7 of 21
Last Round: Unranked
Differential: New!
Jordi Alba's performance on Wednesday perhaps didn't stick out as an obviously excellent one, but with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez stealing the show, that happens more than you'd like.
He got forward well early on to create overloads on Paris Saint-Germain's right side and did superbly to wrap up attacks from both Ezequiel Lavezzi and Lucas Moura—two incredibly quick and direct forwards—thanks to his own lightning recovery pace.
After also impressing over two legs against Manchester City, Alba makes the grade.
14. Miranda, Atletico Madrid
8 of 21
Last Round: Unranked
Differential: New!
Miranda was superb in the round of 16 and can be considered almost single-handedly responsible for the clean sheet that took Atletico Madrid past Bayer Leverkusen in March.
He followed that brilliant performance with another typically solid one here, holding Real Madrid goalless over 90 minutes and setting up a tense away leg at the Santiago Bernabeu.
13. Casemiro, FC Porto
9 of 21
Last Round: Unranked
Differential: New!
It was clear ahead of FC Porto's fixture with Bayern Munich that Casemiro was going to need to have a very good game if the home side were to stand a chance of stealing a win.
Fortunately, the Brazilian played one of the best games of his short career to date.
Swatting away challenges and breaking up play with ease, Casemiro sat deep in midfield and played spoiler to Bayern's attempts at a comeback. He made life nice and simple for those around him and deserves generous applause for his performance.
12. Carlos Tevez, Juventus
10 of 21
Last Round: 12
Differential: None
Perhaps predictably, Carlos Tevez struggled to influence the game during Juventus' 1-0 over Monaco.
The Monegasque side gave up zero space between the lines, which left the former Manchester City man on the periphery; it was reminiscent of his failure to break through against Atletico Madrid's deep setup in the group stage.
He needs space to thrive and works best on the counter. Against Monaco, both of those luxuries are severely limited.
11. Geoffrey Kondogbia, Monaco
11 of 21
Last Round: Unranked
Differential: New!
When Geoffrey Kondogbia decides to play, the opposition—no matter who they are—are in trouble.
Against Juventus, we saw him powering forward again, breaking between the lines and carving through enemy midfielders as if they weren't there. His huge frame and remarkable quickness are reminiscent of Abou Diaby—you know, before injuries ravaged his career.
A great showing despite the loss.
10. Luis Suarez, Barcelona
12 of 21
Last Round: Unranked
Differential: New!
David Luiz has spent the last 10 months repairing the damage he did to his own career during Brazil's 7-1 loss to Germany, then, on Wednesday night, he wrecked his progress by making a fool of himself again.
This time, he was shown up by a single man: Luis Suarez. He nutmegged the Paris Saint-Germain defender twice, each time as a prelude to a wonderful finish to give Barcelona a sizable 3-1 aggregate lead.
The Uruguayan has scored in each of his last 11 competitive fixtures and is really settling in at Barca.
9. Aymen Abdennour, Monaco
13 of 21
Last Round: 13
Differential: +4
Once again, Aymen Abdennour put in a fierce, dominant showing at the heart of Monaco's defensive line. He's really starting to turn some heads in this competition.
He's big and immovable in the air, and Juventus struggled to get any change out of him when chancing crosses into the box. It was a moment of madness from Ricardo Carvalho that allowed the Italian side to score—had that not occurred, it would have been difficult to foresee Juve finding a way past the Tunisian colossus.
8. Karim Benzema, Real Madrid
14 of 21
Last Round: 3
Differential: -5
Karim Benzema endured a difficult game at the Vicente Calderon, as many of Real Madrid's attacks were botched by his heavy touch in and around the penalty area.
Usually so cool and calm when linking play and providing the final touch, it was difficult seeing him make a mess of most chances that fell his way. He was withdrawn with 15 minutes to go.
7. Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid
15 of 21
Last Round: 2
Differential: -5
Cristiano Ronaldo had a quiet night at the Vicente Calderon on Tuesday. He regularly fails to exert his influence in games against Atletico Madrid, so this was no different to the norm.
Most of his dribbles forward were halted by group tackles, and he was either crowded out in the box or denied the chance to scrape home messy second balls by the outstanding Jan Oblak.
6. Blaise Matuidi, Paris Saint-Germain
16 of 21
Last Round: 9
Differential: +3
Blaise Matuidi was the standout player for Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, and although his team lost and many in navy cannot claim to have had a good game, this midfield dynamo put in an 8/10 performance.
He countered with searing pace and used his energy to press well in the second half. Had it not been for Edinson Cavani's ugly touches, ruining the impetus, Matuidi would have been responsible for creating several clear-cut chances on goal.
He never stops running and stands as a superior athlete to just about everyone else.
5. Koke, Atletico Madrid
17 of 21
Last Round: 4
Differential: -1
Koke had a decent game against Real Madrid but moves down as a result of those just below him excelling.
He played left midfield in Diego Simeone's 4-4-2 during the 0-0 stalemate, tackling well, tucking in, trying his best to stem Dani Carvajal's surges forward and even testing Iker Casillas with a late attempt on goal.
4. Yacine Brahimi, FC Porto
18 of 21
Last Round: 6
Differential: +2
Yacine Brahimi wasn't the star attraction in FC Porto's shock win over Bayern Munich—that honour goes to Ricardo Quaresma—but he did lend his hand to the cause and was quick to press the opposing defenders and force mistakes.
Despite being known more for his guile and trickery than his work rate, Brahimi led the press and closed down Jerome Boateng and Co. within seconds of receiving the ball. It was a superb game plan, and he played his part.
3. Jackson Martinez, FC Porto
19 of 21
Last Round: 7
Differential: +4
UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, with the whole world watching, are a striker's dream. They say to themselves: "Make the difference tonight and you'll establish your name."
Jackson Martinez did exactly that. Returning from an injury that has kept him on the sideline for several weeks, he was the focal point of FC Porto's furious, pacey attack, scored one goal and won the penalty that Ricardo Quaresma converted.
His price tag just rose by €2 million.
2. Juanfran, Atletico Madrid
20 of 21
Last Round: 5
Differential: +3
Juanfran was excellent against Real Madrid, stymieing Cristiano Ronaldo all game long and not allowing the winger to exert his influence on the game.
He didn't attack much but did get forward to fire in a dangerous cross, focusing mostly on defending and stopping those entering his zone from advancing.
Such a quietly efficient player.
1. Lionel Messi, Barcelona
21 of 21
Last Round: 1
Differential: None
Lionel Messi didn't get on the scoresheet against Paris Saint-Germain, but he did sparkle on a night when his team were by far the better side.
He slipped Neymar in behind the defence to set up the first goal and showcased his dribbling skills throughout. Hitting the post early on was as close as he came to netting, but Barca boss Luis Enrique won't mind; it was another dominant performance from the Argentine.
