Champions League Player Rankings: Neymar and Bonucci Rise, Tevez Falls
Welcome to the final round of our UEFA Champions League knockout-stage player rankings, in which we order the competition's top players so far this season. As the semi-finals are now complete, we have narrowed the field down to a top 15, knocking five off the bottom and moving away from a top-20 format.
Juventus will play Barcelona in the final in Berlin on June 6—a fixture we have not seen in competitive football for over a decade. That brings a fresh, intriguing element to an already exciting game. The Bianconeri overcame Real Madrid 3-2 on aggregate thanks to a 1-1 draw in the Bernabeu on Wednesday, while Barca sealed their place with a 5-3 aggregate victory over Bayern Munich.
This thinking here is simple: We pick the 15 best players on the basis of form in Champions League games only and update the rankings after each round.
Did we miss anyone? Start the conversation in the comments section below!
15. Javier Mascherano, Barcelona
1 of 15
Last Week: 12
Differential: -3
Some uncharacteristic gaps between Javier Mascherano and Gerard Pique formed on Wednesday, with the former pushing forward and missing a surprising amount of tackles. That's not something we're used to seeing.
Because of that and the players below him excelling, he drops down three places, clinging to the 15th rung.
14. Thiago Alcantara, Bayern Munich
2 of 15
Last Week: 15
Differential: +1
Bayern Munich will be looking to sweep their 5-3 aggregate loss to Barcelona under the carpet fairly quickly, but Thiago Alcantara can proudly say he played well over the two legs.
On Tuesday, he was one of the German side's standout players, dribbling with fluidity and purpose as he created several chances for his side. A pass-happy, menacing presence in the centre, he stood out despite his team-mates' sloppy finishing robbing him of any assists.
13. Dani Alves, Barcelona
3 of 15
Last Week: 11
Differential: -2
Dani Alves looked a little uneasy at times on Tuesday and defended more than perhaps he'd like. He also didn't manage to get forward nearly as much as usual, as Barcelona pushed quickly on the counter-attack and played centrally through Lionel Messi rather than on the right side.
All in all, it wasn't a game that suited his particular strengths, but that didn't matter too much, as most of Bayern Munich's best work came on the opposite flank.
12. Patrice Evra, Juventus
4 of 15
Last Week: 14
Differential: +2
The brunt of the media's focus post-Real Madrid 1-1 Juventus is on Gareth Bale's failures, but it should be noted that, for 70 minutes at least, Patrice Evra put in one hell of a shift controlling him.
He locked down his side early on and defended several crosses to the back post well. Apart from Bale's two aerial chances—an inevitable concession, given the difference in height—Evra did superbly to limit Madrid's switch-ball game plan.
11. Leonardo Bonucci, Juventus
5 of 15
Last Week: 13
Differential: +2
Leonardo Bonucci put in a stellar performance as Juventus beat Real Madrid 3-2 on aggregate, not putting a foot wrong in defence.
It was Giorgio Chiellini who clumsily gave away the penalty that allowed Cristiano Ronaldo to put his side 1-0 up, and it was Chiellini's blushes that Alvaro Morata saved when he equalised. Bonucci, meanwhile, had a clean game, won his headers and dropped in to defend counter-attacks very well.
He was the most consistent and reliable of Massimiliano Allegri's Italian centre-backs in this tie.
10. Ivan Rakitic, Barcelona
6 of 15
Last Week: 9
Differential: -1
Ivan Rakitic had a challenging evening, attempting to stem the flow of an inevitable Bayern Munich comeback attempt, and he got through the yards quickly as the game's tempo rose.
Luis Enrique eventually substituted him on 72 minutes after he ran his heart out tracking, tackling and locking horns with Pep Guardiola's midfield.
Rakitic was no means a standout, but it was a solid shift all the same.
9. Carlos Tevez, Juventus
7 of 15
Last Week: 5
Differential: -4
Carlos Tevez underwhelmed at the Bernabeu. He is Juventus' key conduit in attack, and he's been their best player in 2014-15, but he struggled to evade marking and attention in the Spanish capital throughout.
He was far too slow turning and moving forward, turning the ball over frequently and scuppering Bianconeri counters. It's unlikely he'll play as poorly in the final, though, so Massimiliano Allegri can expect an improved showing from his key cog.
8. Alvaro Morata, Juventus
8 of 15
Last Week: 8
Differential: None
It will be somewhat galling for Real Madrid fans to think about just how much their side has spent on their front three—over €200 million—and then realise one of their academy products knocked them out of the UEFA Champions League.
Alvaro Morata had a poor all-round game—his link-up play was lacking, his effort levels off the ball were lower than in the first leg, and he gave the ball away when Juve needed a rest a lot—but he scored the away goal the Bianconeri needed, and that's really all that matters.
7. Jordi Alba, Barcelona
9 of 15
Last Week: 4
Differential: -3
It wasn't a classic Jordi Alba performance, but then again, Barcelona didn't need one. He was asked to defend, and his forays forward were extremely limited, even by 2015 standards.
Bayern Munich focused much of their play down the right, so Alba came under pressure. He didn't always come out on top. He entered his customary amount of scraps and refereeing arguments as a retort, unsettling the German side's game plan when possible.
6. Claudio Marchisio, Juventus
10 of 15
Last Week: 10
Differential: +4
Claudio Marchisio played an unsung, tireless role in midfield for Juventus as they held Real Madrid to a 1-1 draw in the Spanish capital.
The Italian was the least sloppy of the four central midfielders and looked a lot more assured in possession than Andrea Pirlo and Paul Pogba. He squandered a golden one-on-one chance to make it 2-1 on the night and seal the tie, but he contributed to the final stand and ensured his own miss went unpunished.
Whether it's playing as a No. 10, shuttler, regista or just off the front man, Marchisio has impressed during this Champions League campaign.
5. Arturo Vidal, Juventus
11 of 15
Last Week: 7
Differential: +2
Arturo Vidal was a bit slapdash with his passing on Wednesday night, but he more than made up for it with his hard running, determined tracking and geeing up of the side.
Quite clearly the fittest man on the pitch, his box-to-box gusto and overall effort levels were through the roof. He remained dogged in his assignments as Juventus looked to close out the game, and he carved out a few decent shooting opportunities to test Iker Casillas.
4. Neymar, Barcelona
12 of 15
Last Week: 6
Differential: +2
Neymar scored the two goals on Tuesday night that ultimately consigned Bayern Munich to aggregate defeat. Across the two legs, he netted a hat-trick and looked mightily impressive throughout.
Granted, they were tap-ins, but the Brazilian's all-round game was strong, too. He dropped deep on the left and helped build play and initiate small periods of control, evading compatriot Rafinha's aggressive attempts to fluster him on the ball.
3. Luis Suarez, Barcelona
13 of 15
Last Week: 3
Differential: None
Selfless Luis Suarez resisted the urge to try to beat Manuel Neuer one against one twice, instead squaring to Neymar for two easy finishes. Barcelona advanced to the final in part because of those goals.
He's had a terrific season, settling after a long ban and adapting to Barca's style of play. Players just as good as him, if not better, have tried and failed to do the same thing.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid
14 of 15
Last Week: 2
Differential: None
Cristiano Ronaldo had a genuine game of two halves on Wednesday night, threatening throughout the first period but almost entirely disappearing in the second.
He netted the penalty to give Real Madrid the lead superbly, but he then quizzically opted to force a cross instead of shooting later on despite placing Stephan Lichtsteiner on his backside and having a free look on goal.
In the second half, he supplied one excellent cross, which Gareth Bale headed over, but he disappeared as Juventus switched to three at the back and gave him no space.
1. Lionel Messi, Barcelona
15 of 15
Last Week: 1
Differential: None
Lionel Messi sliced open Bayern Munich's defence once again. He had no goals this time around, but he pulled the strings from between the lines and served up several chances for colleagues Luis Suarez and Neymar.
The pass that set Suarez through on goal to square it for Neymar's first was absolutely inch perfect. Even when he's not scoring or assisting, his passing range and precision is a sight to behold.
He retains his spot on top with ease.
