UEFA Champions League: 20 Best Players After the Quarter-Final 1st Leg
Perhaps this was the best UEFA Champions League quarter-final draw ever.
For those interested in fairy tales: Leicester City vs. Atletico Madrid.
For the footballing purists: Borussia Dortmund vs. AS Monaco.
For those wanting heavyweight clashes: Bayern Munich vs. Real Madrid and Juventus vs. Barcelona.
Every base was covered. The best part being, after doing it once, we get to do it again next week.
Before we reach the second legs, however, one piece of business remains from an enthralling quartet of Champions League football. All season Bleacher Report has dissected player positions, attempting to find the best players in their respective UCL roles. As the competition shrinks and tension rises, though, the time has come to put everyone in the same boat—judging players simply on their performances during each leg, positions be forgotten.
No complicated formulas. No complicated grades. Just simply: Who were the 20 best footballers after that 90 minutes of football?
And after the quarter-final's first leg, we have our first 20.
20. Wilfred Ndidi, Leicester City
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Defending for a majority of their trip to Madrid, Leicester City needed stability after going down 1-0. An away goal would have have been a luxury, but the main goal for the Foxes was not getting embarrassed—they accomplished that mission.
Taking a 1-0 deficit back home, the man worthy of the most praise is Wilfred Ndidi. Leicester's next midfield dynamo after N'Golo Kante, the Nigeria international marshaled manager Craig Shakespeare's midfield, plugged holes and was an active participant in the Foxes' stern defence.
Ndidi has proven a fantastic purchase for Leicester City, and at times looking like the best player on a field with Atletico Madrid, he might not stay at the King Power Stadium too long.
19. Saul Niguez, Atletico Madrid
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Projected to dominate Leicester City, Atletico Madrid did exactly that. Having 68 percent possession, with 14 shots and eight corners, the only thing the Spanish side did not accomplish was scoring more goals.
One would not expect Atletico Madrid to have the lion's share of possession in a Champions League quarter-final, as Diego Simeone's modus operandi at this stage is more defensive, but playing Leicester City he has little choice.
Saul Niguez can be an underappreciated piece in a team with Antoine Griezmann and Koke, but he is key when Atleti get on the front foot. The 22-year-old was on point in the first leg, but the second leg is where we discover just how much Atletico are willing to push the envelope and trust their young midfield engine.
18. Dani Alves, Juventus
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Proving why Barcelona were wrong not to do everything in their power to keep him, Dani Alves was solid against his old club.
The Juventus right-back has consistently been one of the best attacking right-backs in Europe for a decade and that consistency level has not dropped since moving from Barcelona to Turin last summer.
Logging four tackles and an ever-present forward option, Alves was a thorn in Barcelona's side for 90 minutes. Showing them what they had for eight seasons, it must have felt good him seeing that 3-0 scoreline when the match concluded.
17. Thiago Alcantara, Bayern Munich
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It was Thiago Alcantara's corner that Arturo Vidal headed past Real Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas. Other than that assist, the stat sheet doesn't read too well for Thiago, but his game is predicated on maintaining Bayern Munich's tempo and fluidity, not collecting stats.
Competing 67 of 75 passes (89 percent), the Spain international did his job. He isn't tasked with marking runners from midfield or even putting the ball in the net. If Bayern had Robert Lewandowski up front, maybe some of those passes would have connected with the Polish centre-forward's movement.
Unfortunately for Bayern (and Thiago especially) their defence was leaky in the second half, and the forwards could not get anything clicking in the final third. Hence, much of their playmaker's great work was for naught.
16. Luka Modric, Real Madrid
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The work Luka Modric does sometimes goes unnoticed, but just about everything he does is necessary for Real Madrid to win games.
Making the correct pass, dispossessing opposition midfielders and being an outlet to move possession from side to side, those simple things are sometimes the most difficult to get right, but Modric hardly ever missteps.
He was near his best against Bayern Munich. Shifting players around, breaking lines and facilitating offence, the 31-year-old just understands football. It's striking that on the highest stage, the Champions League, against Bayern Munich, in Munich's Allianz Arena, he looked as if on a training pitch.
15. Dani Carvajal, Real Madrid
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Who is the world's best right-back?
Some might say Philipp Lahm, some might say Dani Alves, some might say a host of other great and talented right-backs the game currently has on offer. If you ask a Real Madrid supporter, though, one suspects the only answer that would come from their mouth is Dani Carvajal.
An instinctual footballer with the technique to match, Carvajal's crossing and general offensive contribution is paramount to how manager Zinedine Zidane wants his team to play. The Spain international found Cristiano Ronaldo in the 18-yard box against Bayern Munich to level the score at 1-1, made a pair of tackles and was in and around most good things that happened to Real Madrid.
He will need a similar performance in the second leg for the current La Liga leaders to advance.
14. Miralem Pjanic, Juventus
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An incisive midfield regulator playing against Barcelona is imperative. In Juventus' case, that player was Miralem Pjanic. The former AS Roma midfielder was the metronome for the Old Lady's central midfield play.
Connecting on 86 percent of his passes and making three tackles, the Bosnia and Herzegovina international's footballing brain was instrumental in Juventus winning the midfield battle.
On top of his open-play virtues, Pjanic's dead-ball ability is lethal. The precision of his corner assisting Giorgio Chiellini's header for a 3-0 lead cannot be overstated; one needs every piece of cushion they can get before going to the Nou Camp on a Champions League night.
13. Arturo Vidal, Bayern Munich
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It was an eventful night for Arturo Vidal.
Opening the scoring with a bullet header, everything looked perfect. Nearing the end of the first half, however, Bayern Munich won a penalty and the Chile international took the responsibility.
A dubious penalty award, one wonders if karma was involved, but Vidal sent his effort into orbit and what could have been a 2-0 lead before half-time was eventually turned into a 2-1 Real Madrid victory by Cristiano Ronaldo.
His penalty miss aside, though, playing in midfield versus Luka Modric and Toni Kroos, Vidal's task to regulate and control the tempo of the match was difficult. Arguably the best all-round midfielder in Europe, he showed signs of that label, but wasn't clinical enough offensively to punish Madrid (and the referees) for their mistakes.
12. Juan Cuadrado, Juventus
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One wonders if Chelsea made a mistake loaning out Juan Cuadrado. Admittedly, in his brief spell at Stamford Bridge, the Colombia international did not look great, but when seeing the options he provides for Juventus, it is a curious conundrum.
Against Barcelona, for the first 45 minutes, every threat came from the right flank. Whether an overt ploy from management to attack Barcelona's isolated defenders (like an out-of-his-depth Jeremy Mathieu) or just players noticing where opportunities and space were, Cuadrado was the primary beneficiary of that acknowledgment.
Assisting Paulo Dybala's first goal with some great skill and vision, the 28-year-old winger was outstanding and might be doing enough to impress his parent club (and/or get a permanent move to the Italian champions).
11. Lionel Messi, Barcelona
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Lionel Messi was accused of disappearing in the first leg against Paris Saint-Germain in the UCL round of 16, and for a while against Juventus, some might have hurled similar accusations, but after Paulo Dybala's opening strike, the player who many consider the world's best footballer was largely on point.
Barcelona's creative genius, Messi looked the only threat manager Luis Enrique had at his disposal. Usually having Neymar and Luis Suarez to aid his talisman, Enrique's setup was nullified by Juventus' pragmatic, diligent approach.
Even still, the Argentina international was constantly probing and trying things. It just so happens one man cannot beat Juventus' starting XI—even if that player is regarded as Earth's best.
10. Antoine Griezmann, Atletico Madrid
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Not that Antoine Griezmann should care, but his penalty should not have been; the first contact happened outside Leicester City's 18-yard box. That being said, a player who has not enjoyed pressure penalties over the last 12 months, stepping up to the spot and dispatching a cool penalty must have felt great.
Griezmann is the key linchpin in manager Diego Simeone's attack. Leicester were effective in their efforts to stop Atletico scoring from open play, but the Spanish outfit peppered the English champions for large portions of the match and were unfortunate to only register one goal.
How Griezmann and his fellow attacking options fare at the King Power Stadium next week should be an interesting spectacle with the Foxes having to play a more open game.
9. Ousmane Dembele, Borussia Dortmund
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One of the copious Borussia Dortmund/AS Monaco wunderkinds on show, 19-year-old Ousmane Dembele was quite the handful for Monaco's defence. Attempting 10 dribbles and completing seven, the Frenchman is BVB's primary offensive spark plug.
Scoring the German side's first goal, Dembele's intervention was massive. Already down 2-0, going down 3-0 would have killed the tie, but Dortmund taking two goals with them to the French Riviera (Shinji Kagawa scoring the other) is not totally desperate.
Placing the burden of Dortmund's attack on a teenager isn't ideal with Marco Reus and Mario Gotze unavailable, but as far as Europe's best teenagers go, there aren't many better than Dembele.
8. Shinji Kagawa, Borussia Dortmund
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It was a vintage performance some might say about Shinji Kagawa versus AS Monaco.
Needed in the wake of a disturbing and tumultuous 24 hours, at least one player had to take the reins for Borussia Dortmund, and the 28-year-old Japan international was that man.
Assisting BVB's first goal to Ousmane Dembele and then keeping a cool head and scoring Dortmund's second, Kagawa was his side's best player and offered head coach Thomas Tuchel something to build upon heading into the second leg at the Stade Louis II.
7. Mario Mandzukic, Juventus
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No goals. No assists. Just a solid all-round performance was enough for Juventus' Mario Mandzukic versus Barcelona.
A preferred centre-forward, manager Massimiliano Allegri's tactical setup required a wide forward who was willing to sacrifice himself for the team and do some all-important (but unheralded) dirty work; Mandzukic excelled in the role and was pivotal in his side's dominant 3-0 victory.
Holding up play, linking play, timely fouls and hustling to keep the left flank relatively calm, the 30-year-old Croatian's impact on the match was felt in just about every department—even if the statsheet and/or scoresheet did not reflect that reality.
6. Gianluigi Buffon, Juventus
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Paulo Dybala put Juventus up 1-0 after seven minutes. In the 21st minute, Lionel Messi found Andres Iniesta in the Juve box, and the Barcelona legend took a shot on goal. In what looked like certain goal, the Old Lady's goalkeeper, Gianluigi Buffon, came up with a brilliant save.
One minute later, Dybala doubled the Italian's advantage.
Many saw the young forward's outstanding performance and praised him, which was warranted, but without Buffon's spectacular save, the foundation on which Dybala's praise was built would not have existed.
Buffon made three more saves and controlled his 18-yard box with natural aplomb. Keeping a clean sheet versus Barcelona isn't easy, but having a veteran presence like Juventus' 39-year-old captain does make that task somewhat more attainable.
5. Manuel Neuer, Bayern Munich
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In Bundesliga play, Manuel Neuer tends to use his feet more than his hands—it's a key part of Bayern Munich's build-up play. In most Champions League games, the same notion applies.
Against Real Madrid, however, Neuer's hands and reflexes were put to the test. Needed to save 10 shots on target, the Germany No. 1 is the primary reason this quarter-final tie remains within a reasonable distance heading into the second leg.
Cristiano Ronaldo breached Bayern's defence twice, but were Neuer not in goal, manager Carlo Ancelotti would have had to deal with a far more crushing loss than 2-1.
4. Giorgio Chiellini, Juventus
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Juventus' defence seems like one of the only groups who can contain Barcelona's vaunted front three of Luis Suarez, Neymar and Lionel Messi. A large factor in that confidence is the play of Giorgio Chiellini.
One of Massimiliano Allegri's world-class centre-back options, Chiellini is a reliable, timely defender. When he can help with Juve's offensive output, as shown against Barcelona, his production reaches a level most central defenders cannot.
Whether Juventus and their rugged defenders can repeat (or just hold on to) their 3-0 Juventus Stadium performance at the Nou Camp, however, is another question altogether.
3. Kylian Mbappe, Monaco
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With seemingly all of Europe's best young talent on show at Borussia Dortmund's Signal Iduna Park, AS Monaco starlet Kylian Mbappe was the pick of the bunch.
His first goal (assisted by Thomas Lemar) was possibly offside and scored with his knee, but the Frenchman's second goal was an example of why many expect him to take European football by storm. Using anticipation during Monaco's press, the 18-year-old stole possession and, where some young talents might panic, Mbappe showed a cool head and dispatched a beautiful strike around BVB goalkeeper Roman Burki.
Scoring two goals (and winning a penalty missed by Fabinho) in a Champions League quarter-final as a teenager, Monaco have the makings of a world-class attacker.
2. Paulo Dybala, Juventus
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Rarely does hype come to fruition, but it's nice when it does.
Still early in his playing career, Juventus ace Paulo Dybala is scratching the surface of his potential, but the hype some sections of the footballing community have placed on his shoulders looked more than justified against Barcelona.
Two goals with incredible difficulty levels were made to look relatively simple by the burgeoning attacker. The 23-year-old southpaw showed why people have earmarked him as the heir apparent to Lionel Messi in Argentina's hierarchy.
Another similar performance at the Nou Camp and Dybala's impending takeover might happen sooner than projected.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid
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Arguably the most prolific goalscorer of the current generation—even when compared with Lionel Messi—Cristiano Ronaldo displayed against Bayern Munich (once more) the talents that have tormented opposing defences for a decade-plus.
Using his sublime movement on two occasions, the Portuguese superstar pulled Real Madrid back from a 1-0 halftime deficit, scoring twice past the German champions.
Furthermore, employing some skillful and crafty footwork, Ronaldo lured Bayern centre-back Javi Martinez into a foolish second yellow card, making Real's second-half task easier and putting Munich's centre-back situation in question looking forward to the tie's concluding leg at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday.
Stats and transfer fees per WhoScored.com, Transfermarkt and Soccerbase where not noted.
