UEFA Champions League Last 16: Ranking the 16 Best Players Left in the Tourney
The UEFA Champions League Last 16 has returned with a bang, and we are not at the business end of the competition. From here on out, we will see the 16 best teams in Europe go for glory in a knockout format.
The coming months will see one team crowned the best in Europe, and will also see individual players write their name in history with match winning performances. Here we look at the last 16 and rank the best players left in the tournament.
The best player from each team was included and only performances in this season's UEFA Champions League were taken into account for this list.
16. Johan Wiland: FC Copenhagen, Goalkeeper
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FC Copenhagen surprised many by reaching the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League, and Swedish goalkeeper Johan Wiland was the foundation their success was built upon.
Wiland kept two clean sheets during the qualification stages, and then opened group stage play with two more shutouts as Rubin Kazan and Panathinaikos were beaten.
Wiland also earned Man of the Match honors with a series of impressive saves during the 1-1 home draw against Barcelona.
Copenhagen will need Wiland to continue his impressive form as they prepare to face Chelsea in the last 16.
15. Darijo Srna: Shakhtar Donetsk, Midfielder
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Shakhtar qualified for the last 16 in fine style by finishing above Arsenal, right sided midfielder Darijo Srna was a driving force behind their group stage success.
Blessed with the ability to beat defenders and provide dangbeen a thorn in the side of opponents throughout this seasons competition producing one goal and three assists.
Srna opened group play with the decisive goal in a 1-0 win over FK Partizan, and played all 90 minutes in a 3-0 win at SC Braga.
After a heavy defeat in London, Srna helped Shakhtar respond by setting up the winning goal as Arsenal were beaten 2-1 in the Ukraine. The win was a crucial result that helped Shakhtar top the group and subsequently avoid Barcelona in the last 16.
Srna concluded group play with assists in wins over Partizan and Braga, and played all 90 minutes in the 3-2 win over Roma during their last 16 first leg game.
14. Souleymane Diawara: Marseille, Defender
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Marseille's UEFA Champions League campaign got off to a bad start with a 1-0 home defeat to Spartak Moscow, defender Souleymane Diawara missed the game with injury. Diawara returned to the team for a 2-0 defeat to Chelsea that left qualification looking a tough task.
The French club responded with four consecutive wins without conceding a single goal. Diawara played his part in defense, and also scored the winning goal against Zilina in Marseille's first Group F win.
Diawara then played every minute as Marseille finished group play with wins over Zilina (7-0), Spartak Moscow (3-0) and Chelsea (1-0).
13. Marco Borriello: Roma, Forward
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Striker Marco Borriello has been the spearhead of Roma's march to the last 16. Despite coming off the bench in three of his seven appearances in the competition so far, the Italian forward has racked up four goals and one assist so far.
Borriello came off the bench to score the winning goal in Roma's first group stage win, a 2-1 triumph over CFR Cluj. The striker went on to net a goal or record an assist in all of Roma's last five group stage campaign. Highlights included a goal in the 3-2 win over Bayern, and the only goal in a 1-1 draw against Cluj.
Despite his success in the group stages, Borriello was again reduced to an appearance off the bench in the 3-2 defeat to Shakhtar in the last 16 first leg.
12. Nemanja Vidic: Manchester United, Defender
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Manchester United's UEFA Champions League campaign so far has been the result of steel and teamwork rather than sparkling individual performances. Indeed, it is an interesting fact that no United player has scored more than one goal in the competition so far.
United opened group play with five consecutive clean sheets, and Serbian center back Nemanja Vidic played a large part in three of them. Vidic missed both games against Glasgow Rangers, but was a dominant force in a group deciding win over Valencia (1-0), and back to back wins over Bursaspor (1-0 and 3-0).
Vidic then captained United as they finished group play undefeated courtesy of a 1-1 draw at Valencia. With Rio Ferdinand possibly injured, Vidic will be a crucial player for the Red Devils in their last 16 clash with Marseille.
11. Zlatan Ibrahimovic: AC Milan, Forward
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AC Milan's progress to the last 16 has been solid but not spectacular, Milan have defended well and used Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic as the spearhead for their success. The powerful forwards four goal tally accounted for more than half of his teams scoring.
Ibrahimovic got Milan off to a flying start in Group G with both goals in a 2-0 win over Auxerre, that was followed up by scoring Milan's lone goal in a 1-1 draw at Ajax.
Milan then registered a loss and a draw against a Real Madrid, before a 2-0 win at Auxerre sealed their progress to the last 16 with a game to spare. Ibrahimovic scored the opening goal in France, and will be a key figure if they are to overturn a 1-0 first leg deficit against Tottenham Hotspur in the last 16.
10. Michel Bastos: Lyon, Midfielder
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Brazilian midfielder Michel Bastos was inspirational in Lyon's qualification to the last 16. Lyon qualified courtesy of three wins that opened group play, with Bastos the dynamic attacking force that was pulling the strings.
Bastos began group play with the winning goal over Schalke, and followed that up with two goals in a 3-1 win at Hapoel Tel-Aviv. Bastos also recorded an assist in the 2-0 win over Benfica, before cooling off in the final three games and ending group play with a total of three goals and one assist.
Lyon stuttered to two losses and a draw in the final three games of Group B with Bastos failing to feature on the score sheet.
9. Jose Manuel Jurado: Shalke 04, Midfielder
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Jose Manuel Jurado is not the star name on the Schalke roster, but his performances have been a driving force behind the German club's success. Jurado's vision and ability to keep possession has been a key element of Schalke controlling play in most of their games, the Spaniard has also tallied two goals and two assists.
Jurado sat out of Schalke's group stage opening defeat at Lyon, before returning for the 2-0 win over Benfica. The Spaniard then produced a goal and an assist in a 3-1 win over Hapoel Tel-Aviv.
Jurado went on to score in the 2-1 win at Benfica that sealed top spot in Group B for Schalke, and also set up Raul's equalizer in the last 16 first leg draw at Valencia.
8. Bastian Schweinsteiger: Bayern Munich, Midfielder
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Bayern Munich cruised to qualification for the last 16 with five wins during Group E. The leadership, ball winning and sound passing of Schweinsteiger was at the heart of each win. Interestingly, the only game that Schweinsteiger did not play saw Bayern fall to a 3-2 defeat at Roma.
Of the five games he played, Schweinsteiger was awarded the UEFA.com Man of the Match Award in three of them. Notable performances included scoring both goals in a 2-1 win at Basel, and registering two assists in a 4-0 win at Cluj.
7. Roberto Soldado: Valencia, Forward
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Silky Spanish forward Roberto Soldado has led the Valencia attack with six goals in six UEFA Champions League games so far this season. Soldado came off the bench to score in a 4-0 win at Bursaspor, before failing to score in a loss to Manchester United (0-1) and a draw at Rangers (1-1).
With Valencia needing strong performances in their last three group games to qualify, Soldado was inspirational in leading them to back to back wins over Rangers and Bursaspor, scoring two goals in each game. Soldado then sat out of the group play concluding 1-1 draw against Manchester united.
Soldado found the net again in the last 16 first leg cash with Schalke, scoring his teams only goal in a 1-1 draw.
6. Nicolas Anelka: Chelsea, Forward
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Chelsea raced out of the gate in group stage play, and qualified with two games to spare after four straight wins. French striker Nicolas Anelka was at the heart of those four victories with five goals and one assist.
Anelka opened group play with two goals and an assist in a 4-1 win over Zilina, Anelka then scored in consecutive wins over Marseille and Spartak Moscow (twice).
Anelka made a short appearance off the bench in a 2-1 win over Zilina, and sat out of the group stage ending loss to Marseille. Anelka will look to hit the scoring trail again when Chelsea face Copenhagen in the last 16.
5. Cesc Fabregas: Arsenal, Midfielder
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Cesc Fabregas has played in only four of Arsenal's seven UEFA Champions League games this season, but is still Arsenal's joint leading scorer with three goals. On top of that, Fabregas has registered two assists and produced his typical masterful displays in the center of the midfield.
Fabregas opened group play with a magnificent display has he scored twice and set two goals up in a 6-0 win over Braga. The Spanish midfielder was on the score sheet again with a goal as Shakhtar Donetsk were beaten 5-1 at the Emirates Stadium.
Fabregas then sat out two of the Gunners' last three group games, but returned to his string pulling best with an excellent performance as Barcelona were beaten 2-1 in the last 16 first leg clash at the Emirates.
4. Gareth Bale: Tottenham Hotspur, Midfielder
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Tottenham Hotspur have had an astounding UEFA Champions League run so far, but it was close to being over before it even got started. Within half an hour of their qualifying playoff first leg, Spurs found themselves trailing Young Boys 3-0 in Switzerland. Young Welsh winger Gareth Bale registered an assist as Tottenham dragged the score back to 3-2 and gave themselves hope for the second leg.
Bale set up three goals during a 4-0 win in the second leg, and scored his first group stage goal in a 4-1 win over FC Twente.
Tottenham then faced back to back games against defending Champions Inter Milan. Rather than be intimidated by such a foe, Bale used these two games to elevate himself to star status. Bale scored a hat-trick of identical strikes in a 4-3 defeat at the San Siro, racing past defenders before finishing neatly inside the far post.
In the return leg at White Hart Lane, Bale registered two assists in a 3-1 win while giving Brazilian World Cup defender Maicon an absolute roasting. Time after time Bale raced away down the flank, as chants of "Taxi for Maicon" rang round the White Hart Lane stands.
Bale produced four assists in qualifying, and finished group play as Tottenham's leading scorer with four goals, also adding a further two assists.
Bale sat out of the last 16 first leg win at AC Milan, but Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp gave an insight into how Bale is perceived in a pre-game press conference. "I'd like to be able to scare Milan and say Bale will be available, but he's not," rued the Spurs manager.
3. Cristiano Ronaldo: Real Madrid, Forward
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Cristiano Ronaldo has supplied an attacking edge to a more solid and defensively sound Real Madrid team, making them a dangerous proposition in this UEFA Champions League Tournament. Madrid cruised through group stage play undefeated, winning five of their six games.
With his speed, ability to beat players off the dribble, aerial ability and lethal finishing Ronaldo is a true all-round attacking threat and has registered four goals and two assists so far this season.
Ronaldo played well without scoring in wins over Ajax and Auxerre, before exploding into life with a goal and an assist in a 2-0 victory over AC Milan, a result that put Real in the driving seat of Group G. Ronaldo then rounded out group play with two goals in a 4-0 win at Ajax, and a goal and an assist in a 4-0 win over Auxerre.
Stopping Ronaldo will be a primary concern of Lyon, who face Real Madrid in the last 16.
2. Lionel Messi: Barcelona, Forward
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Argentine superstar has more than lived up to his reputation in this seasons UEFA Champions League, acting as a driving force behind Barcelona's progress to the last 16. The magical forward has showed his usual attacking verve and notched six goals and two assists so far.
Messi hit the ground running with two goals and an assist in a group stage opening 5-1 win over Panathinaikos. The Argentine then hit both goals in a 2-0 win over Copenhagen, then scored as the return tie finished as a 1-1 draw in Denmark.
Messi also scored in the 3-0 over Panathinaikos in Greece, and played in David Villa with a superb through ball to set up Barcelona's only goal against Arsenal in the last 16 first leg. Villa's away goal could prove decisive when the teams meet in Spain for the second leg where Arsenal will begin the game with a 2-1 aggregate lead.
1. Samuel Eto'o: Inter Milan, Forward
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Inter Milan have been somewhat inconsistent so far in the defense of their UEFA Champions League crown, but the one constant has been the excellent play of star forward Samuel Eto'o. Cameroon striker Eto'o is the tournament's leading scorer with an astounding seven goals and three assists from six games played.
Eto'o opened group play with a goal in a 2-2 draw at Twente, before playing a direct role in all eight goals scored by Inter in victories over Werder Bremen and Tottenham Hotspur. Eto'o scored three and set up one against Bremen, before scoring two and registering two assists against Spurs, Eto'o also scored in the 3-1 defeat at Tottenham.
The direct and powerful style of Eto'o is defenders nightmare, and he will have a big say in whether Inter can continue the defense of their title with a won over Bayern Munich in the last 16.
